Purpose: The Office of Research, Creativity and Economic Development (RCED) is requesting applications for the 2026 NMSU Arts and Humanities (A&H) Seed Funding Program. The program is designed to help faculty launch new projects in the arts and humanities for which they will seek external funding. It is expected that this multi-year commitment by RCED will result in strong growth in proposal submissions to external funding agencies in support of creative activities. Applications will be awarded based on merit and applications must include an identified opportunity and a clear plan to submit a proposal will have the highest priority.

RCED anticipates making multiple awards of up to $10,000, or the amount requested in the proposal to be submitted for external funding, whichever is less. Additionally, RCED will allow collaborative teams of three or more to apply for up to $20,000 for AI-related projects (see FAQ below for more information).

The seed grant may be used to support:

1. the preparation of an external funding proposal, or
2. the creation of artistic works or preliminary research in the humanities necessary to the preparation of an external funding application, and
3. only new projects that have not yet received external funding will be considered 

The grant period starts April 01, 2026 and funds must be expended by December 31, 2026. Awardees must submit at least one external funding application by May 31, 2027.

Eligibility: Applications should include at least one tenured/tenure-track faculty member conducting research, scholarship and/or creative activity in the arts and/or humanities, including but not limited to: creative writing, art, film, the performing arts, language and linguistics; literature; history; jurisprudence; philosophy; archaeology; comparative religion; ethics; the history, criticism and theory of the arts; or those aspects of the social sciences (such as sociology and communication studies) which have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods. Faculty from any college can request up to $10,000 or the amount requested in the proposal to be submitted for external funding, whichever is less. Faculty may be awarded funding every other year; faculty who received a seed grant in 2024 and are in good standing with the A&H seed grant program are eligible to apply for 2026 funding to support a new project. Eligibility requirements for faculty who have previously received an A&H seed grant are listed in the FAQ section below. 

Expectations for Awardees: The awardee is obligated to work with a staff member in Research Administration Services to develop a draft of an external grant proposal (submissions requiring a limited submissions competition, such as NEH Summer Stipends, will not meet this external proposal requirement). Funds must be spent by December 31, 2026, and awardees must submit an interim report and a final report on grant activities.

Use of Funds: The award may be used for faculty summer salary support, undergraduate/graduate student salary support, or travel for purposes of proposal development efforts. Specific equipment, services, and supplies may be allowed under certain circumstances at the discretion of the review committee. Funds may not be used for course release, course-buy outs, salary supplements or to pay for grant-writing services. Unspent funds will revert to RCED.

How to Submit an Application 

1. Download the project proposal template here. 
2. Fill out the template with your project's details.
3. Save as a .docx or .pdf file. Name the file using this format: LastName_seed grant_2026
4. Fill out the application form and upload your project proposal file here: https://forms.office.com/r/SijDre6nB5 

Submission Details: Applications are due before 5 pm on

December 01, 2025:

For additional resources to help you write your application, visit the NMSU Arts & Humanities Seed Grant Resources section of the Arts & Humanities Funding Teams Site

Please direct questions to ras@nmsu.edu and include in the subject line "Arts and Humanities Seed Grants: Question." 

Note: If you need to revise/replace a previously-submitted application before the deadline, please contact ras@nmsu.edu.  

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. How many applications can a faculty member submit?

Faculty may submit one application as sole applicant. Faculty may also submit one application as part of a collaborative application. A faculty member may receive no more than $10,000 in total internal funding.

As an example, Prof. A is in the Department of Art and Prof. B is in the Department of Anthropology.  Prof. A submits one application requesting $7500 of funding. Profs. A and B may also submit one application which requests $2500 of funding that will be attributed to Prof. A and $7500 of funding that will be attributed to Prof. B. Neither application exceeds $10,000 in requested funding and neither faculty receives more than $10,000 attributed to them.

2. I am working on a collaborative project that involves multiple disciplines. How do I know if my project is eligible?

Eligible projects will clearly prioritize either creative work in preparation for external grant applications, or humanities research as defined by the National Endowment for the Humanities: 

The term ‘humanities’ includes, but is not limited to, the study of the following: language, both modern and classical; linguistics; literature; history; jurisprudence; philosophy; archaeology; comparative religion; ethics; the history, criticism and theory of the arts; those aspects of the social sciences which have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods; and the study and application of the humanities to the human environment with particular attention to reflecting our diverse heritage, traditions, and history.

3. If I received a seed grant in prior years can I apply for 2026 funds?

If you received a seed grant in 2025 you are not eligible for another seed grant until 2027. Awardees who received a seed grant during or before 2024 are eligible to receive funds in 2026 if they meet the following conditions: a) applicant successfully completed their project within the grant period; b) a report on the previous award was submitted on or before June 30, 2025; c) the 2026 application supports a new project. All applications will receive equal consideration regardless of previous award status. However, in the case of a tie in ranking, preference will be given to faculty who have not yet received funding.

4. How many awards will be made and how is this program being paid for?

An internal panel will review applications and recommendations will be made to RCED for final award decisions. All awards are funded through RCED overhead. The number of awards is subject to committee recommendation and the amount of funding available.

5. What amount of funding should I ask for?

For individual applicants or collaborative teams of 2, applicants may request up to $10,000 or the amount requested in the proposal to be submitted for external funding, whichever is less.

In response to NMSU presidential priorities and the increase in federal funding to support AI-related projects, RCED will allow collaborative teams of three or more to apply for up to $20,000 per project to support the development of an AI-related project that incorporates humanistic inquiry and methods into exploring the opportunities and challenges of a new era in artificial intelligence. Humanities scholars must play a significant role in the project’s design. 

The right amount of funding for your project will depend on several factors. The committee needs to see that the funding is reasonable for the amount of resources needed to complete the proposed work, that it is proportional to the amount of potential external funding, and that you can feasibly spend the requested funding according to your work plan.

Tips for success:

• Double check that the external grants you will apply for are still available. Grant programs and federal funding programs are changing, and you do not want to list defunct programs on your application.
• Consider the size of external grants you will pursue—the requested seed grant amount should not exceed the amount you will request from external funders. Example: You are applying for two external grants of $4000, the maximum you should request for your seed grant is $4000.
• Consider the number of hours/week you will dedicate to this project. Your budget should reflect that time commitment and the work you can do within the anticipated timeline.

6. How can the award be used?

The award can be used to provide summer salary support to faculty, salary (including summer) to support undergraduate/graduate students or some combination thereof, or travel. Applicants should include fringe costs if the budget includes salary support. Specific equipment, supplies, and services may be allowed under certain circumstances at the discretion of the review committee.

The award cannot be used for supplemental salary compensation, course buy-outs or course releases. Seed funding cannot be used to fund salary of faculty at other universities. Funding cannot be used to hire grant writers or otherwise pay for external grant development support.  

7. Does the award have to be spent before December 31, 2026?

Yes, but the targeted proposal submission can be submitted anytime before May 31, 2027. Unspent funds will be returned to RCED.

8. What are the obligations associated with an award?

The obligation of the awardee is to work with a member of the proposal development group in Research Administration Services (RAS) to develop a draft of an external grant proposal. You may wish to set up a preliminary consultation to identify appropriate funding opportunities before you begin drafting a proposal. Tip: Include meetings with a member of the proposal development group in the work plan. 

All awardees must submit a narrative report about grant activities upon request from RCED and immediately notify their research dean during the grant period of any complications that interfere with the expenditure of funds. 

9. Can faculty submit a proposal through the NMSU Foundation?

See Resources for Investigators. All proposals for external funding must be submitted by RAS except for those where the proposal must be submitted by a 501(c)3 organization. In this case, faculty should contact the NMSU Foundation with the understanding that the Foundation works independently from RAS. Please note that submission of white papers, letters of intent or pre-proposals do not satisfy the external submission requirement.

10. How can I find external funding opportunities in the arts and humanities?

Streamlyne FundFit is a funding opportunities database that NMSU subscribes to and which is available to all faculty, staff, and students. Additionally, funders specific to the arts and humanities are listed on the Arts and Humanities Funding Team Site, a resource available to all NMSU & faculty and staff through Microsoft Teams.

11. This is my first time writing a grant proposal, how do I get help?

Self-directed grant-writing resources are available through the Arts and Humanities Funding Team Site. You can also reach out to the proposal development group at Research Administration Services.

12.  What do I need to know about asking for funding for a graduate student, given new rules about graduate assistantships and the collective bargaining agreement?

If you would like to include a graduate assistant in your project proposal, list "Graduate Student Support" as a line item in your budget. The A&H seed funding will cover student labor. Consult the Research Dean or Research Center in your college for help calculating related expenditures that should be included in this line item's cost. 

13.  How will my application be reviewed?

Each application receives 3 internal reviews; reviewers are NMSU faculty with expertise in the arts and humanities or associate research deans. Reviewers are assigned through a process that mitigates conflict of interest and reviewers are expected to report any other potential conflicts that may arise. Reviews and recommendations are collected by Research Administration for administrative review and final selection is made by RCED. The review form is available here: Review Form for Arts & Humanities Seed Funding Applications