The UGP Small Grant program will fund approximately $50,000 across 10-15 awards. With that in mind, budgets are not limited but need to reflect the actual needs of the project. The purpose of the Small Grants program is to support research and creative activity and increase high-quality scholarly output by UM faculty. Funding for new research or creative activity will be prioritized above proposals seeking funding for other purposes, such as to present at conferences.
Examples of eligible projects include, but are not limited to:
- Artistic performances, presentations, and commissions
- Workshops or symposia to directly enhance the PI’s research, creative activity, and career exposure
- Initiation, completion or expansion of a research project in any field
- Exhibitions of creative work
- Book publication projects
- Demonstrating feasibility of an approach or method
- Travel to conduct fieldwork or research at a specialized facility, archive, or special collection
Eligibility & Awardee Requirements
In addition to the information contained in the Eligibility section of the How to Apply page, the following applies:
- All those on a faculty contract, postdoctoral contract, or research-based letter of appointment for the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 academic years are eligible to apply. Proposals will be prioritized as follows:
- junior faculty (i.e., not yet tenured assistant professors in a tenure-track appointment in their first five years) with limited experience in sponsored programs
- senior faculty exploring a new area
- other applicants
- UGP awardees must agree to the Awardee Requirements.
How to Apply
For information on how to prepare and submit an application, see the How to Apply page.
If you need further assistance, please reach out to UM's Research Development Office (RDO) by emailing Naomi DeMarinis. The RDO is availble to assist with proposal development by answering your questions, discussing strategy, and reviewing a draft of your proposal. Note that the RDO cannot accommodate unscheduled requests.
Additionally, the recording of a 2024 is available in Box.