Purpose: The Office of Research, Creativity and Economic Development (RCED) is requesting applications for the 2023 NMSU Arts and Humanities (A&H) Seed Funding Program. The program is designed to 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, ultimately contributing to NMSU’s goal of attaining R1 status. Applications will be awarded based on merit and applications that 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. 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, or
   
   
3. new projects that have not yet received external funding. 

Funds must be expended by December 31, 2024. Awardees must submit at least one external funding application by May 31, 2025.

Eligibility: Applications should include at least one tenure/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 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 who received a seed grant in 2022 and are in good standing with the A&H seed grant program are eligible to apply for 2024 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 identify funding source(s) for the proposed work and to develop a grant proposal. Funds must be spent by December 31, 2024, 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_2024
4. Fill out the application form and upload your project proposal file here: https://forms.office.com/r/8cphzEPwY9 

Submission Details: Applications are due before 5 pm on November 10, 2023:

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 ovpr@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 ovpr@nmsu.edu.  

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. How many applications can a faculty member submit?

Arts and Humanities faculty may submit one application as sole applicant. All faculty (including Arts and Humanities 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 may submit 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 2024 funds?

If you received a seed grant in 2023 you are not eligible for another seed grant until 2025. Awardees who received a seed grant in 2022 are eligible to receive funds in 2024 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 by September, 13, 2022; c) the 2023 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.

5. What amount of funding should I ask for?

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:

• 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, 2024?

Yes, but the targeted proposal submission can be submitted anytime before May 31, 2025. 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 identifying funding source(s) for the proposed work and in developing a grant 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 Research Administration Services (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?

The ProQuest Pivot 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.