For Graduate Students

funding spelled out in scrabble tiles

The Simpson Center administers two funding rounds per year, in Fall and Spring Quarters. Both fall and spring rounds support funding for the following year. Currently, we are accepting proposals for Spring Funding Round.

Current and Upcoming Opportunities

Spring Funding: Open March 5, 2024 | Due April 5, 2024

The next fall funding round opens in October 2024 and closes in November 2024

Graduate Research Clusters

Applications accepted in spring funding round only.

 

Graduate Research Clusters (formerly Graduate Interest Groups) foster crossdisciplinary collaboration and inquiry among graduate students in the form of cross-departmental reading, screening, and/or discussion groups, dissertation working groups, public humanities programming, and other activities.

Terms of Award

Funding is limited to $1,000, primarily intended to support meeting or workshop costs (e.g. refreshments). Research clusters must be led by at least two graduate students from different departments, and groups must consist of at least 5 confirmed participants (leaders can be included in this total) at the time of application. In general, the inclusion of participants from multiple departments or academic units is the preferred model for GRCs, as it reflects the Simpson Center's commitment to crossdisciplinary research in the humanities.

Research clusters may organize activities that draw on local intellectual and cultural resources, including faculty and community leaders, and may invite speakers from beyond our campus and immediate geographical area to give talks remotely via Zoom. Research clusters may use a portion of their funds to organize a specific activity in coordination with Simpson Center or other campus programming, such as a major faculty-led conference at the University of Washington, but clusters are not intended to support visiting speakers on their own resources alone.

The Simpson Center will provide a web presence for each research cluster, an archive for significant activities and documents generated by the group, publicity for events, and scheduling privileges for Simpson Center space.

Application Instructions

Submit your proposal using the application form. When you submit, attach the below materials as a single, bundled .pdf:

    • Proposal Narrative. Proposal narratives should be a maximum of five pages and should address:
      1. The focus of inquiry and its significance
      2. Activities to be funded
      3. Participating persons
      4. Outreach plans, as applicable
    • Budget. Outline anticipated expenses. 
    • CV. Submit a CV for primary project liaison only. Please limit CV to five pages. Other participants may be represented in short bios.

    See examples of Graduate Research Clusters. Please direct questions about GRCs to Simpson Center Associate Director, Rachel Arteaga (rarteaga@uw.edu).