Faculty Scholarship & Creative Practice Fund

Funding

The Faculty Scholarship & Creative Practice Fund is funded through the Office of the Provost, and provides support for approved projects, up to $5,000 each. The exact amount of each award will be determined by the project budget request, availability of funds, and recommendations made by the FDRC, the Research Hub Advisory Committee, Chairs, and Deans to the Provost.

Note: For smaller projects, faculty members should utilize their Faculty Development Funds.

Eligibility

Full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty members are eligible to apply to this program.

Applicants may not apply to this opportunity and any other Faculty Grants Programs opportunities (such as the Advancing Research Fellowship or the Provost’s Fund for Collaborative Research) in the same academic year. Awardees may not receive more than two grants from the Faculty Grants Programs in a three-year period.

Eligible Projects

• Research, travel, and expenses leading to scholarly, refereed publications.
• Research, travel, and expenses leading to creative and artistic works such as media productions, creative writing, performances, screenplays, exhibitions, etc.
• Seed funding to develop research or creative scholarship that might lead to external funding.
• Bridge funding for an ongoing project that was previously supported by external awards, while the faculty member applies for new external support.
• Refereed conference presentations of scholarly and creative activities.
• Undergraduate or graduate student assistant wages for work on approved projects.
• Computer software, hardware, and peripheral equipment needed for teaching or research.
• Technical support for the development of new media applications in teaching
• Projects with significant community impact.
• Projects that enhance student life.
• Faculty leadership designed to impart new knowledge and skills to colleagues.
• Participation in seminars and conferences related to new course development.
• Development of new courses, including instruction materials.
• Revision or innovations in existing courses with at least 1/3 substantially new content.
• Creation of innovative faculty seminar series.
• Participation in faculty development seminars and conferences to improve teaching skills.

Ineligible Projects

• Activities already defined as part of a faculty member's expected duties and responsibilities (i.e. teaching of established courses, service and committee work, etc).
• Activities for which the faculty member is already receiving additional compensation or some other form of College support.
• Proposals by faculty members who have already received two grants from the Faculty Grants Programs in a three-year period.
• Travel that does not include an explanation for why Faculty Development Funds cannot be used for this purpose.

Ineligible Expenses

• Retroactive reimbursement of expenses (i.e. expenses incurred prior to the beginning of the FGP project period)
• Additional faculty compensation (i.e. Activity Pay) during the academic year; honoraria and stipends to Emerson faculty.
• Additional compensation for Emerson staff.
• Reimbursement for out-of-pocket payments to students, consultants, or human subject participants. These costs must be paid for directly by Emerson College.
• Other expenses as stipulated in the College's Travel and Business Policy.

Criteria & Considerations

When making their selections, the selection committee will consider the following criteria:

• Does the proposal present a clear scope of work and feasibility for completion within the FGP award period?
• Are the applicant’s answers to the questions responsive, well-organized, and detailed?
• Is the requested budget amount reasonable and realistic?
• Does the application outline specific activities, benchmarks, and/or milestones (either as part of the Project Description, or as an attached timeline)?
• Does the applicant provide sufficient information on their scholarly/professional background, their qualifications to pursue the proposed project, and how their proposal will contribute to their scholarly, professional and/or creative agenda?

Additional Considerations

• Does the applicant detail how the proposed project aligns with, and/or advances, the mission of Emerson College and/or the College's Strategic Priorities?
• Does the project involve Emerson students in a collaborative or participatory capacity? 

Application Form and Instructions

Applications can be submitted via InfoReady. InfoReady is a web-based workflow platform designed to streamline and simplify workflow tasks for academic institutions, including internal funding competitions.

All faculty can log into InfoReady using their Emerson SSO credentials. After logging in, select the “Faculty Grants Program (FGP): Faculty Scholarship and Creative Practice Fund” at the bottom of the screen and click the “Apply” button. You can save your application as a draft and return it later, prior to submitting.

The full list of application questions can be previewed here.

Applications must consist of:

• Completed application form
• An itemized budget, either as text in the application form or as an attachment

While not required, you may also include:

• An updated CV (please limit to three pages)
• Materials that provide context or additional information for your proposed project (PDFs, images, mock-ups, etc.).

Review and Selection of Applications

Applications will receive initial review and approval from their Department Dean and School Chair. Submissions approved by an applicant’s Dean and Chair will then advance to committee review.

Select members of the Research Hub Advisory Committee and the FDRC will evaluate all proposals and make recommendations to the Provost, within the funding amount available, regarding proposal support and level of funding. The Provost, in consideration of the recommendations provided by the reviewers, will make final selections and award determinations.

FY2027 Calendar

Note: Due dates that fall on a weekend or holiday will be deferred to the following business day.

October 1, 2025

Application form opens via InfoReady. 

Before December 1, 2025

Applicants should consult with their Department Chair and School Dean to determine eligibility and appropriateness of their FGP proposal idea to their research/scholarly/creative goals, and to the department, school, and institutional priorities.

December 15, 2025

Department Chair and School Dean review and approval of applications is due. 

By February 16, 2026

Select members of the FDRC and Research Hub Advisory Committee will evaluate each proposal and make recommendations to the Provost, within the funding amount available, regarding proposal support and level of funding.

By March 20, 2026

The Provost, in consideration of the recommendations provided by the reviewers, will make final selections and award determinations.

By March 31, 2026

The Executive Director for Research and Creative Scholarship will notify all of the applicants in writing about their applications.

July 1, 2026 through June 15, 2027

Awarded FGP funds may be utilized.

June 15, 2027

All receipts for project expenses must be submitted via an expense report in Workday by this date, in order to ensure reimbursement by June 30, barring any other guidance from Finance.

November 1, 2027

Final reports due via InfoReady for projects conducted during FY2027.

Post-Award Management

Funds awarded for a given fiscal year can only be utilized between July 1 of that year and June 15 of the following year. An example of the award cycle can be seen in the calendar above.

Expense reports for reimbursement must be initiated by the award recipient in Workday. ORCS will provide guidance on this and other processes as needed, and can also assist with vendor contracts, student hiring, and Workday Marketplace purchases. Reimbursement for expenses incurred prior to the FGP start date (July 1) are not permitted.

Expense reports and purchases must be initiated by June 15 during a recipient’s award cycle, in order to receive payment by the end of the fiscal year (June 30), unless other guidance is issued by Finance. Any funds unused after June 30 shall revert to the College.

All publications resulting from the FGP should contain the following acknowledgment: "This research [or project] was supported in part by a grant from the Emerson College Faculty Grants Programs.”

All capital equipment purchased with FGP funds are property of the College, and shall remain at the College if a faculty member leaves. Applicants should consult the Academic Affairs guidance on Faculty Travel and Research Spending before incurring any expenditures, in order to ensure allowability and adherence to appropriate processes. You may also contact ORCS with questions about allowable costs. It is the applicant’s responsibility to know and follow the College’s financial policies. 

Final Report Requirement

No later than November 1 following the expiration of your grant, a final report summarizing the outcomes of your project will be due via InfoReady.