CIRCA Professional Development Grant

Deadline: rolling

To apply, complete the CIRCA Professional Development Application form

The Center for Innovation, Research, and Creativity in the Arts (CIRCA) invites proposals for the CIRCA Professional Development Grant, to support activities that enhance the professional development of full-time faculty in the Arts at UMBC (tenure-track, tenured, lecturers). Faculty on visiting or short-term appointments are not eligible to apply. The CIRCA Professional Development Grants will provide up to $1500 (maximum per academic year) in support of attendance and participation at workshops, conferences, symposia, festivals, or other activities that enhance the professional development of the UMBC Arts faculty member. No faculty salary support or course releases may be funded through this initiative.

Faculty must explain the purpose for the funds, the precise amount of the request, and why this support will make a difference in the scholarly and/or creative goals of the applicant. Reference should also be made to why no other DRIF, departmental, or CAHSS support is available or sufficient to this need. Applicants should not simultaneously apply to more than one CAHSS research center small grant programs for faculty (e.g., the CS3’s Small Research Grants or Dresher’s Rapid Response Award). In such cases, please indicate whether funding has already been applied for and/or received from one of the other centers.

Awards will be made on a rolling basis and will be offered until the center’s yearly available funding for this program has been exhausted. Preference will be given to faculty who have not received a CIRCA Professional Development Grant within the past year and according to the strength of the justification for the request. Applicants may not hold concurrent grants from the CIRCA Contingency Fund and the CIRCA Professional Development fund.

Applications will be reviewed by the CIRCA Advisory Board and communicated to the applicant by the CIRCA Director. Funding is provided retroactively to a department up to the amount that was spent, but not in excess of $1,500. At the conclusion of the event or activity, a short report describing what was accomplished and how funds were spent is required of all awardees. Please email your report to circa@umbc.edu.