Dean’s Grants
About the Dean’s Grants
The Dean’s Grant pilot program is aimed at fostering innovation, collaboration, and professional development across SHASS, MIT, and the global community.
Dean’s Grants support team-based proposals, community facing events, larger awards, and other proposals that the SHASS Travel and Discretionary Annual Fund would not normally fund.
Applying for Dean’s Grants
How to apply
Dean’s Grant funding is designed to support proposals that align with one or more of the themes below:
- Research and Scholarship: Projects that advance knowledge or artistic production in the humanities, arts, and social sciences, and/or lead to the dissemination of that knowledge or artistic production.
- Professional Development: Individuals or teams seeking to develop their own or others’ skills, content expertise, or leadership capabilities.
- Diversity: Projects or activities that promote diversity, equity, and belonging within the academic community.
- Community Engagement: Events or activities that connect SHASS with colleagues and the public and/or foster the reputation and recognition of MIT’s contributions to the scholarly community or broader public.
- Interdisciplinary Activities: Proposals that promote interdisciplinary collaboration across SHASS disciplines or the broader MIT community. Proposals creating connections among the humanities, the arts, and social sciences are encouraged, as are projects that make connections outside SHASS.
- Digital Learning: Proposals that leverage technology to enhance digital learning or research experiences and/or promote accessibility.
To apply, submit a 1–2-page narrative that includes:
- A description of the project.
- An explanation of the project’s contribution to one or more of the themes above.
If requesting more than $5,000, provide a detailed budget. In addition to direct costs, please include, if needed, employee benefits, overhead, and proposed cost-sharing. Please note: these funds are non-recurring.
Send applications and any inquires to Veronica Vivas.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible to apply, an applicant or team must:
- Hold a full-time position in the following categories:
- Faculty, Academic Instructional Staff, Academic Research Staff in SHASS
- Non-academic employees: sponsored research staff (technical and administrative), support staff, or administrative staff in SHASS
- Or hold a temporary position as Academic Instructional Staff (including part-time) for more than three consecutive semesters
- Students, predoctoral fellows, and postdoctoral fellows are not eligible
In addition, the following should be true:
- Have an appointment with greater than one year of service
- If you are a non-academic staff, you must have completed the new employee six months probationary period.
Important dates
We accept proposals three times per year. The next deadline is Feb. 3, 2025.
Additional guidelines and resources
Additional eligibility information
If the applicant is a faculty member that holds significant discretionary funding, the following principles apply:
- Junior faculty are given priority and encouraged to apply even if they hold significant discretionary funding.
- Tenured faculty holding regular chairs or significant discretionary funds will not be given priority for the Dean’s Grants unless the funds are committed for a documented purpose.
Grant amounts
There is no maximum grant amount, but requests for smaller amounts (e.g., >$5,000) are more likely to be successful than requests for larger amounts (e.g., $30,000). The Dean’s Office has limited funding for this program, and its ability to fund larger amounts is especially limited. If justified, grants for teams can be higher.
Proposal criteria
Proposals must be connected to one’s work and role at MIT and SHASS. For example, a scholar would not typically be considered for an artistic project, and an administrative staff member would not typically be considered for a research project.
Individuals or teams may apply for any grant category. Teams are defined as two or more people with a shared interest or common goal to which individuals formally or informally belong.
Proposals that are good candidates for other sources of MIT funding (such as the d’Arbeloff or Alumni Funds programs) are discouraged.
Professional development opportunities that directly overlap with those already offered at MIT are not eligible for funding. For instance, proposals covered under MIT’s Tuition Assistance Plan are not eligible. Staff are encouraged to check MIT’s career development programs for relevant learning opportunities.
For more information
If you have questions about the fund, please email to Veronica Vivas.
