Project Award FAQs

The Center defines the humanities both as designated departments and as an expansive and flexible mode of inquiry. In keeping with the Congressional Act that created the NEH, the humanities include the study and interpretation of the following: linguistics; literature; history; philosophy; archaeology; comparative religion; ethics; the history, criticism and theory of the arts; those aspects of social sciences that have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods; and the study and application of the humanities to the human environment with particular attention to reflecting our diverse heritage, traditions, and history and the relevance of the humanities to the current conditions of life. We understand humanities methods as primarily critical or speculative, as distinguished from the empirical approaches of the natural and social sciences. We welcome faculty who share an interest in issues of interpretation and value that are central to humanities work.

The annual on-cycle deadlines for projects to take place in the next academic year are November 15 and February 1. Off-cycle applications for projects to take place in the current academic year are accepted on a rolling basis.

November 15 and/or February 1 will sometimes fall on a Saturday or Sunday. In that case, we expect that all applications will be submitted before 9 a.m. the following Monday morning.

On-Cycle Faculty Project Awards fund projects to take place in the next academic year. We encourage applicants with large budget projects to be completed in the next academic year to apply by the Nov 15 deadline. Off-Cycle Faculty Project Awards fund projects to take place in the current academic year.

All BUCH applications must be submitted via InfoReady Review. You may save your draft application at anytime. You will need to use your BUID login name and Kerberos password to log in.

Please visit InfoReady Review portal for instructions regarding letter submission:

Letters of support for Faculty Project Awards, which are not confidential, should be uploaded by the applicant directly to the portal. Please be sure to request that these be sent directly to you well in advance.

As of September 2023, BUCH transfers an award to the fund or internal order identified by the recipient. The awardee is responsible for all payments and then for a full financial report to BUCH, due on June 1. Any unused funds are then transferred back to BUCH. Awards do not roll over to the succeeding year.

The Center urges faculty to use their BU Travel Card for restaurant and other payments and now requires anyone using a Travel Card or a P-Card to notify restaurants and stores before charges are made that these charges are tax-exempt.

Please write to BUCH staff as early as possible at buch@bu.edu to discuss an appropriate plan that includes social media and other forms of outreach.

Please refer to BU’s Event Accessibility Checklist.

Information about paying Non-US resident (foreign national) guest speakers and students can be found on the Payroll Web Site. Once on the Payroll Web Site, please click on “Paying an Honorarium to a Foreign National.” If you have questions, please write to the Center at buch@bu.edu.

Please send the following to buch@bu.edu by June 1:

• A narrative report due on June 1 now will answer the single question: In what ways has this project or initiative enhanced the humanities at BU, including, of course, your own research?
• This brief narrative will be accompanied by a full budget report that accounts for all expenses you have made.