Apply for the Inclusive History Project Teaching Fund

As part of its mission to produce an inclusive and wide-ranging history of the University of Michigan, the Inclusive History Project (IHP) seeks to fund compelling, innovative undergraduate and graduate teaching that advances both the creation and dissemination of knowledge about the university’s past with regard to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Funding is designed to support the efforts of instructional faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students in classrooms across our campuses to study and better understand the shifting boundaries of diversity, equity, and inclusion in relation to U-M’s 200+ year history. Courses supported by the IHP will play a crucial role both in expanding the scope and range of the research accomplished through the project and in enabling a broader and deeper scale of participation in its work. In this vein, successful courses that are supported by the IHP Fund may serve as an important first step in developing research projects that are eligible for additional funding from the IHP and/or for scaling up as multi-disciplinary Project Sites that operate in direct partnership with the IHP.

Funding takes two forms. 

Course Development Grants up to $5K are available to fund the design and implementation of new courses that explore the university’s history in relation to diversity, equity, and inclusion across a wide range of contexts and topics. Possible examples include, but are not limited to:

• a topics course that focuses on aspects of the university’s history through a DEI lens to advance learning in a particular field; 
• a lab course that produces original historical research and/or products that disseminate this research in innovative ways; 
• a collaborative research course that advances our understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the University of Michigan in significant ways; 
• and more. 

Course Redesign Grants up to $3K are available to support the redesign of existing courses to integrate a significant focus on the university’s history into the content and pedagogical aims of the course through the development and implementation of new course components. Possible examples of course redesign projects include, but are not limited to:

• the development of research assignments or projects that engage students in research on the university’s record of inclusion and exclusion in physical and digital collections at U-M; 
• the addition of a content module that focuses on an aspect of the university’s inclusive history as a way to illustrate or specify the course’s overarching topic;
• the development of a creative assignment that invites students to develop new ways to engage U-M’s history through a DEI lens;
• and more. 

Please note that, in cases where the redesign of an existing course is substantial enough that it triggers a curriculum review process, please apply for a Course Development Grant. 

Proposals from all disciplines and on a wide range of topics about the university’s history as related to diversity, equity, and inclusion are welcome. For each funding cycle, the slate of proposals selected will reflect a range of topics and disciplines and will embed teaching related to the IHP across the three campuses. Proposals for courses or projects that are sustainable and likely to be repeated will be especially competitive, as are proposals that draw upon university libraries or other U-M collections. 

Proposed courses in this funding cycle must first be offered in the Fall 2024 or Winter 2025 terms. Should a curriculum review process extend the timeline for offering a course past the Winter 2025 term, the course must be approved by the end of the Fall 2024 term.

Proposals will be accepted from individual instructional faculty members, including tenure track faculty, clinical faculty, and lecturers, on the Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint campuses, as well as from collaborative teams. 

• Collaborative teams composed of multiple instructional faculty members, staff, graduate students, and/or undergraduate students are strongly encouraged to apply, as are teams that draw from multiple departments, schools or colleges, and/or campuses. 
• Graduate students and undergraduate students who are part of these teams will be designated as IHP Teaching Fellows for the duration of the award. 
• Please note that teams must include at least one instructional faculty member
• Lecturers must have continuing appointments in order to apply.

• Applications are due by Friday, January 19, 2024, by 11:59 p.m.
• An endorsement of the course from your unit leader (the director, chair, etc., of the department or program in which you are appointed), which requires filling out a brief Google form or submitting a short reference letter, is due Tuesday, January 23, 2024, by 11:59 p.m.
• Awards will be announced in early February 2024.

• As part of the up to $5K awarded, course development grants include a stipend of $2K for the lead instructor. As part of the up to $3K awarded, course redesign grants include a stipend of $1K for the lead instructor. Stipends may be taken as a contribution to research or professional development funds or as compensation, and may be split between lead co-instructors.
• Eligible expenses for the remainder of the grant award may include, but are not limited to, research assistance from undergraduate students (minimum $15/hour) and graduate students, supplies and equipment, expenses related to student activities and field trips, and honoraria for external guest speakers. No previously incurred expenses are eligible for grant funds.
• The period of funding will be for 12 or 18 months, depending on when the proposed course will be offered. Funds must be spent by the conclusion of the term in which the course is taught.
• Participation in a collaborative workshop with other funded individuals/teams at the conclusion of the term in which the course is taught is required. As part of the workshop, funded individuals/teams will make a short presentation on their course and submit presentation materials as well as the syllabus and/or course component(s) developed through grant funding.
• All IHP Teaching Fund applications undergo a review process by IHP leadership and affiliates. Proposals are evaluated through the following criteria:
  • The inclusion of a significant focus on U-M’s history through a DEI lens
  • The potential for project to advance the IHP’s mission in the areas of research and/or engagement
  • The feasibility of the project
  • The potential impact(s) on student learning
  • Sustainability and the likelihood that the course/project will be repeated past its initial offering

Virtual information sessions led by the IHP Campus Research Directors were held in December, and the IHP project team continues to be available for individual consultations and to answer questions about the teaching fund. Please email inclusivehistory@umich.edu with consultation requests and questions.

To apply, please submit the following:

• Project abstract (100 words maximum)
  
  • Provide a brief overview or abstract of your proposed or redesigned course. This will be made public on the IHP website if your proposal is funded.
• Project description (750 words maximum), including:
  
  • A description of the proposed course or project/activity, whether new or redesigned;
  • A project rationale, including how it will advance the aims of the IHP to produce an inclusive history of the university;
  • An articulation of the intended learning goals of the course, module, or project/activity; 
  • A summary of 1-2 key deliverables, which may include a variety of new curricular materials (syllabi, assignments, etc.), publications (broadly defined), public-facing events or exhibits, and more;
  • A timeline for the project, including the term in which the course will be offered.
• List of project team members (if applicable), including a description of each team member’s role (250 words maximum)
  
• Budget and budget justification (template provided) that includes a listing of budget items, a brief justification for each item, and the total amount requested.
  
  • Please note that stipends for the lead instructor(s) count against the $5K or $3K maximum grant amount.
• A brief endorsement from the unit leader (i.e., chair, director, etc.) indicating that:
  
  • the department or program in question endorses the project;
    
  • the development or redesign of this IHP course accords with unit expectations regarding teaching duties.
  • Endorsements can be completed by filling out a brief Google form or submitting a reference letter and are due by 11:59 p.m. on January 23, 2024. The email request for the endorsement can be generated through the InfoReady application system at any time after you have created and saved a draft application in the system, including before an application is submitted. Please feel free to request this endorsement at your convenience.