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Humanities, Social Sciences and the Arts (HSSA) Grant

About the Grant 

The Office of the Provost supports excellence in faculty scholarly and creative work through the Humanities, Social Sciences and the Arts (HSSA) Research Grants. Faculty in the humanities, social sciences and the arts are eligible for these grants, which are intended to provide funding in fields with little external or start-up funding. Grants are awarded for up to $5,000 through an annual selection process. 

Eligibility 

Full-time, benefits-eligible faculty (tenure-line or non-tenure-line) with continuing appointments in the humanities, social sciences and the arts fields, librarian faculty, and artists in residences are eligible to apply. Priority consideration will be given to research projects that do not have funding from other sources, whether internal or external.  

Ineligibility 

  • Faculty who have received this grant twice or more within the last five academic years.  
  • Prior recipients will be deprioritized over new applicants.  
  • Research projects or faculty applicants with funding support from other sources will be deprioritized.  

Selection Criteria 

Applications will be assessed on:  

  1. How the intended activity will serve as a catalyst for the applicant’s career development specific to their current faculty role at Northwestern, e.g., promotion or reappointment  
  2. How the intended activity will contribute to the applicant’s body of scholarship/creative work. 
  3. How the intended activity will contribute to greater contributions to the field through dissemination of one’s work, including, for example, publications, papers, future grant applications, performances, etc. 

Grant proposals will be reviewed by a selection committee composed of Office of the Provost representatives. 

Funding 

The HSSA Research Grant provides up to $5,000 in funding towards research expenses. Funds are transferred into faculty discretionary accounts and must be used by the end of the following fiscal year. E.g., a grant awarded in Spring 2026 must be used by August 31, 2027. 

Examples of eligible research expenses include:   

  • Travel expenses to conduct research or creative work (e.g., archival visits or on-site research activities) 
  • Compensation for creative crew members (e.g., producers, editors, composers, animators, etc.) 
  • Fees for production services and/or equipment rental. The possibility of renting or leasing (rather than purchasing) such items as audiovisual and photographic equipment should be explored. Note, all merchandise purchased with University funds are the property of the University. Read the equipment purchasing policy for more information. 
  • Data or software fees, such as fees to conduct surveys or interviews, or to analyze or code data 
  • Compensation for research participants 
  • Acquisition of research materials or research supplies  
  • Other expenses such as travel to attend conferences or meet with collaborators, or travel to participate in residencies or retreats will be considered on a case-by-case basis.  

Non-allowable expenses include:   

  • Faculty salary, including summer salary   
  • Entertainment of visitors, including purchase of alcohol   
  • Teaching or activities/projects that are curricular in focus 
  • Conference travel or participation requests that are not explicitly connected to the stated research activities 
  • Fees for publicity or promotion for a film or book such as a website 

Application Process and Deadline 

Applications are hosted online, in the University’s S.O.A.P. platform.  

Applicants will be asked to provide the following information: 

  • Title of your research or creative project  
  • Project Description: Provide a summary of the research or creative work project and your proposed activities. Provide specifics on the project goals and components. (500 words maximum) 
  • Project Impact: Discuss the impact of the project, specifically, 1) how the project will impact your body of scholarship or creative work and your career progression, and 2) how the project impacts/contributes to your field. Discuss your plan for output and dissemination of your research. (500 words maximum)  
  • Budget and Funding Details: Explain what you are requesting funding for. Be as specific as possible in describing how funds will be allocated. If project expenses exceed the grant amount or other support would be needed to advance the project, note where these other funds will come from. (500 words maximum). In addition to descriptive text on the funding usage, upload an Excel file with a budget outline (a template will be provided within the application link). If you are uncertain of the exact price in any category, please provide the best estimate.  
  • Proposals for creative projects may also include relevant work samples. 

Applications open annually in January. Applicants will be notified in spring of their application status. Funds will be transferred before the end of the spring quarter. 

Applications for this year’s grant are currently closed. Information on the 2027 application will be posted in January 2027.  

Reporting 

All grantees are required to provide a report on usage of their grant funds at the conclusion of the grant cycle. The report should provide an overview of how funds were spent, and the grant’s impact on the faculty member’s scholarly activity. The Office of the Provost will provide a template for this report. Failure to complete the report will result in preclusion from future HSSA grant opportunities. 

Prior Recipients 

Since 2019, the Office of the Provost has provided over $775,000 in HSSA grant funding to Northwestern faculty members. A repository of prior grant recipients will be published on this site soon.

Questions 

Questions may be directed to provostawardsandgrants@northwestern.edu.