Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives

Who Should Apply: Full-time tenure-system, clinical, and in-residence faculty and staff

Deadline: Oct. 23, 2024

Funding: Up to $8,000


The first goal of the CLAS Strategic Plan, “Climate, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” calls on the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to “build and continually support an academic environment and workplace where diverse faculty, staff, and students feel valued and thrive.”  

To support the College’s commitment to ethical social engagement, dynamic research, and inclusive climate, CLAS will provide funding for scholarship, programming, and/or other initiatives that support ongoing struggles against injustice and oppression. The funds can be used to develop a range of work, such as anti-racist research, social justice-focused programming, relationships with minority-serving institutions to facilitate recruitment of graduate students, collaborations that build intersectional perspectives on the academy, and/or initiatives to advance a positive workplace climate. We are especially interested in proposals that advance an academic unit’s DEI goals or that advance collaborative work across academic units.

This open call for is available to full-time tenure-system, clinical, and in-residence faculty and staff. Proposals may be submitted by individuals or by small groups.  


Submissions must be made by Oct. 23, 2024, through the CLAS proposal submission portal.

Applicants must submit a document of no more than three single-spaced pages. It should describe the topic, specific goals, and expected outcomes, as well as the metrics to determine the project’s impact and success and an itemized budget. If applicants have received CLAS DEI funding in the past, please include a short description of the previous project’s outcomes.

The materials must also include a brief note of endorsement by each of the unit leaders associated with the faculty/staff members (department head and/or center/program/institute director). Applicants should upload this endorsement separately through the submission portal.

Please note that the funds may not be used to support course development. 

The College aims to provide sufficient funding to stimulate meaningful and lasting impact. We also recognize that different types of projects might require different resources. To maximize the range of ideas we can support, please consider your budgets carefully. We hope to fund several projects, with an upper limit of $8,000/project. The funds must be spent by June 1, 2025; any unspent funds will be returned to CLAS. Short-term project outcomes must be reported to the Dean’s Office at that time; longer-term outcomes should be reported for two additional years.