The UF Office of Research supports the Humanities Scholarship Enhancement Fund (HSEF) competition as a way of stimulating new or existing research activity in the humanities—particularly that which may lead to external funding. The HSEF awards support work in the humanities as defined by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) here: https://www.neh.gov/information-first-time-applicants. The application proposal and review process mirrors the competition for the NEH Fellowships in that it recognizes “individual scholars pursuing projects that embody exceptional humanistic research, rigorous analysis, and clear writing.” Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the NEH Fellowship’s most recent Notice of Funding Opportunity (https://www.neh.gov/grants/research/fellowships) as they prepare their materials.
Approximately 13 proposals will be funded in 2025. Applicants may request up to $12,000, although the average award is expected to be less; work funded by the award should be completed during 2025. Awards paid directly to researchers are subject to a fringe charge of 7.2%. If you use the funds exclusively for a direct award, the maximum payout will be ~$11,136, and the money will come to you as taxable income. There are no fringe deductions or tax consequences if funds are used for travel.
Eligibility
Permanent faculty (instructional and tenure-line) from any unit in CLAS who are working on imaginative or creative projects in the humanities may apply for this award. Applications should clearly articulate the project’s value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both. Projects may be at any stage of development, but the required Work Plan should describe specifically what will be accomplished during the award period, where the work will be performed, and how you will spend your time.
Faculty who received awards in the HSEF competitions of 2022-23 or 2023-24 are not eligible to participate in this competition.
Proposal Preparation
Basic background information about your project, including your funding request, can be entered in the webform available through this link: https://dean.clas.ufl.edu/humanities-scholarship-enhancement-fund-award-application/. When the form is complete, you will be prompted to attach the following supporting documents:
- Project Narrative (three pages max.): Provide a comprehensive description of your proposed project. Your narrative should be succinct, well-organized, and sufficiently free of technical terms and jargon that peer reviewers without specialized knowledge can understand the proposed project. It should explain the significance and contribution of your project and give a sense of its organization, concepts, and methods. It should describe your final product and your plans for its dissemination and explain how receipt of this award will assist you in additional applications for external funding.
- Bibliography (one page max.): Your bibliography should consist of the primary and secondary sources upon which your project draw. Include works that pertain to both the project’s substance and its theoretical or methodological approaches to give a well-rounded representation of your project. Evaluators will use the bibliography to assess your knowledge of the subject area.
- Work plan (one page max.):
- Project start and end dates: The default term for this award is the six weeks of Summer A. If you plan to use the award to support work during a different time, provide the start and end dates.
- Overview: Describe the part or stage of the project that will be supported by the award and the activities you will undertake during the award period to advance it.
- Task Breakdown: Provide a work plan in increments of one week or smaller that describes what will be accomplished during the award term, where you will be, and how you will spend your time.
- Plan for Completion: If you do not anticipate finishing the entire project during the award period, discuss your plan for completion.
- Brief CV (three pages max.): Evaluators will use the CV to assess your past relevant accomplishments and competencies.
Proposal Evaluation
Proposals will be evaluated using the following metrics:
- The intellectual significance of the proposed project, including its value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both (40 points)
- The quality of the conception, definition, organization, and description of the project and the applicant’s clarity of expression. (20 points)
- The feasibility and appropriateness of the proposed work plan. (20 points)
- The likelihood that the project will lead to additional extramural sources of funding (20 points) – Click here for criteria
Assistant professors and instructional professors who have not previously received an HSEF Award will receive an additional three points.
Proposal Submission
Once you have attached the supporting documents to your completed webform, you will be prompted to forward your application package to your chair or director. When they receive your materials, they will be prompted to comment briefly on the disciplinary and departmental significance of your proposal. When their comments are complete, they will forward them, along with your other application materials, to Jane Santos in the CLAS Dean’s Office.
Chairs and directors have been asked to forward all proposals electronically to jane.santos@ufl.edu by 4 p.m., Friday, November 15, 2024, so you will need to observe any earlier internal deadlines they set.
Proposal Review
Proposals will be reviewed by a committee comprising primarily or exclusively faculty who have received a HSEF award in the past. This year’s awards will be announced by the end of December.
Questions?
Please address any questions about the HSEF competition to Interim Associate Dean Sean Adams (spadams@ufl.edu).