Seed Grants

Apply for a seed grant through March 16!

Seed grants fund 12 months of work for an individual (up to $9,000) and ASU-based team projects (up to $12,000). Seed grants are intended to help researchers develop projects they will use as a proof of concept when applying for external grants. Recipients are required to apply for external funding within two years of the start of the seed grant.

Proposals are judged by the following criteria: a) the project’s fit to external funding sources and probability of garnering external funds, b) the project demonstrates significant need for funding, c) the project is coherent and has clearly stated achievable goals and outcomes (an applicant’s past grant or project track record is helpful but not necessary), and d) the project’s impact on scholarship and/or communities.

As a general rule, seed grants do not fund monograph projects unless there is a high likelihood of receiving support from an external funding source. Applicants considering a book project for the seed grant must consult with the Humanities Institute prior to applying or, alternatively, consider applying for a fellowship, which is designed for monograph projects. 

Note that because the institute is funded foremost for humanities units and faculty, the seed grants are primarily for faculty in humanities units or humanities faculty in non-humanities units (such as art historians in a school of art or philosophers in a school of science). Faculty outside of the humanities but deploying a clear humanities methodology are encouraged to contact the Institute to discuss their projects prior to applying and/or work with a humanities faculty member for a team seed grant. 

Apply for a Humanities Institute seed grant

Review Humanities Institute guidelines

Apply for a Humanities Institute-Herberger Institute seed grant

Review Humanities Institute-Herberger Institute guidelines