Graduate Students
Visiting Speakers, Workshops and Conferences Grant Program

Deadline: Monday, March 24, 2025, 11:59 PM

The Humanities Research Center offers competitive funding for in-person or remote visiting speakers, workshops, conferences, and other initiatives in the humanities and arts that pursue intra- or interdisciplinary inquiry and exchange.

The HRC accepts proposals on any topic within the purview of the humanities and the arts under this grant program. If your project is related to the HRC's theme of Repair and will take place in Summer and/or Fall 2025, we encourage you to submit your proposal as part of our Repair program at hrc.rice.edu/theme.

Preference will be given to interdisciplinary projects and/or cross-unit applications (co-PIs from different departments).

Eligibility:

  • PhD students in the humanities are eligible to apply. Collaborations across departments are encouraged.
  • If more than one graduate applicant is applying, please designate a single person as the primary contact person for administrative purposes.
  • Graduate student applicants should include the names and contact information of faculty members who are advising your proposed event or workshop.
  • Graduate students are encouraged to consider the professional development dimensions of the proposed activity. How might this activity advance the professionalization of its organizers?

Parameters for reading groups:

For reading group proposals, be realistic in expectations about how often people will meet. Given all the various demands that faculty, postdoc/post-MFA fellows, and graduate students face, we do not deem weekly or biweekly meetings to be feasible. Please ensure you include a tentative list of participants (confirmed and/or potential) and their affiliations in your project description, and be realistic about cost estimates.

Proposal guidelines:

1. Name of ALL PIs

2. Name and contact information of the faculty member who is advising on the project

3. Project title

4. Project type

5. Project description and budget as a single PDF (no more than 3 pages or 10MB):

  • Project description of no more than 500 words, including the following information:
    • project overview
    • whether you are planning for an in-person or remote event
    • projected event date(s)
    • the envisioned audience for the project (faculty, grads, undergrads, the wider public, etc.)
    • names and departments/affiliations of confirmed and/or potential participants/collaborators
  • Budget that indicates:
    • anticipated use of the requested funds
    • all funds sought or secured from other sources

As you develop your budget, please consult the HRC budget guidelines document at https://rice.box.com/s/yz00vaak56nkfbuq93c5qf5tbrxla7sb (Rice login required). The HRC will not provide funding for budgets that do not adhere to these guidelines. Please see the Rice Global Paris Center budget template for a spreadsheet to help you develop your budget.

6. Endorsement from a faculty member describing the value of the proposed event for the scholarly and professional advancement of the graduate student(s), and indicating their willingness to advise the project (brief statement). The faculty member endorsing this proposal should upload their endorsement letter to the following Box folder by the application deadline: https://rice.app.box.com/f/18d3aedc4af343da995b7b97208cd0c1.

7. Staffing plan and copy of the email with the approval from the chair/director and/or staff member to support this project. The HRC does not administer grants, and we currently cannot offer staff support. We now ask that applicants submit a staffing plan outlining which staff member(s) will provide administrative support for the grant and the event (via the proposal submission form). We also ask that you secure approval from the head of the staff member's unit (e.g., department chair) to use the staff member's time toward the proposed project.The HRC requires that a staff member has agreed to provide administrative support for this project and that the head of the staff member's unit (e.g., department chair) has agreed to use the staff member's time toward the project. In the hopes of increasing communication and transparency, we now ask for written approval (copy of email from chair/director and/or staff member with approval).

Additional information:

The HRC generally makes awards of up to $5,000. Under exceptional circumstances, the HRC will consider a higher award amount. Budgets should consider that HRC funds support numerous events each academic year and are in high demand. Sums approved for visiting lectures, workshops, and conferences will depend on the scope and size of the event proposed. Award amounts will also depend on the applicant pool and the availability of funds. Applicants are encouraged to seek funding from units across campus in addition to any requests made to the HRC. Applicants for larger projects that envision budgets over $10,000 should consider funding from Creative Ventures. Click here for a list of funding resources for graduate students in the School of Humanities (Rice login required).

For events in the Spring and Summer semesters, please apply by the previous Fall deadline. For events in the Fall, please apply by the previous Spring deadline.

Spring deadline: Monday, March 24, 2025, 11:59 PM

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

Questions? Please contact Dr. Gabriela Garcia at gabriela.garcia@rice.edu.