Franke Institute Event/Programming Funding

The deadline for submission of funding proposals to the Franke Institute for the autumn meeting of the Institute's Governing Board is Friday, October 28th at 5:00 pm. At this autumn meeting, proposals will be considered for funding events or programs for 2017 and 2018. The Institute's Governing Board will meet at the end of the quarter to consider these proposals. Proposals should include all information that will enable Board members to evaluate fully the intention and reach of a potential event. 

Please include a full account of:

• the purpose of the event, who would be involved in the planning process and who might participate in the event itself, 
• what kind of audience you envision, and 
• what kind of results you would anticipate;
• a tentative budget of costs and other sources of funding should be included.

Normally, a proposal of two or three pages is sufficient, but sometimes we may ask for further information if members of the Board feel that they need it. For example, it’s valuable to include a list of possible speaker(s) for your event, indicating whether they’ve been invited or confirmed, with information about each speaker (title, department and institution, likely topic of talk). As always, we at the Franke Institute are eager to help in the planning and application process, and we recommend that you submit early drafts to us so that we can help you with the final application. 

As you know, the Institute entertains proposals for conferences, colloquia, visiting scholars, and similar kinds of events that focus on interdisciplinary topics and that therefore reach a range of audiences. Normally, we fund — or rather collaborate in funding — proposals that involve multiple departments and programs, and we actively encourage Humanities faculty to work together across departmental lines and with faculty in other Divisions or Schools. [The Institute’s Governing Board follows two rules of thumb in making awards for events: the maximum grant is $4,000 to $5,000, and a grant can be no more than one-third of an event’s overall budget.] In the circumstances this year, both the numbers and the size of the awards may be drastically reduced, especially for this coming year. Since the Board meeting takes place at the end of the quarter, it’s advisable to submit your proposal at least two quarters before your event is planned (e.g., in autumn quarter for a spring event), if possible.

It is helpful to know from the start what other potential sources of funding (departments, committees, workshops, external grants) might be available. Most of our events are joint efforts, jointly planned and supported by all the potential interested groups. In addition to public events, the Institute can sometimes provide modest support for faculty groups working together on research topics or on curriculum planning, or for faculty projects that involve collaboration with colleagues from other institutions. 

Please contact James Chandler (Director), mailto:docj@uchicago.edu or Margot Browning (Associate Director), mailto:mb31@uchicago.edu, if you have questions about the preparation of proposals. A budget template for your proposal is available on the Franke website at: http://franke.uchicago.edu/prog-conf.html