The Humanities Research Fund supports humanities professorial faculty whose research expenses exceed the total amount of their research accounts before the close of a fiscal year. (The fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30 of the following year.) The Humanities Research Fund was established in 2015 through generous gifts to the College of Arts & Sciences discretionary fund.

Who is eligible for the Humanities Research Fund?
Eligible faculty must have:

  • A tenure-track, tenured, non-tenure-track, or modified professorial appointment
  • A primary home in a humanities department: Classical Studies, English, History of Art and Architecture, Linguistics, Philosophy, Religion, Romance Studies, World Languages & Literatures

What does the fund cover?
The fund covers only legitimate research expenses as outlined in the CAS Faculty Handbook.

Application Details
Applications should:

  • Clearly state the research activities and expected outcomes requiring extra funding
  • Specify a list of expenses incurred against the current year’s research account and any remaining funds
  • Describe research expenses that need extra support, including estimated costs
  • Give evidence that a good faith effort has been made to seek out other sources of funding within BU

Merely filling out an application does not automatically guarantee funding, but each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis. 

Normally, a faculty member will receive no more than one Humanities Research Fund grant per fiscal year. The usual amount of the grant is $2,000 maximum. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the funds are exhausted.

How do I apply?
Humanities faculty who have expended their research accounts in a given fiscal year or who need additional funding beyond what is available with existing resources may submit an application to the Associate Dean for the Humanities.

Click here for the application form.