Graduate Student Annual Research Theme Grant

Request for Proposals: Annual Research Theme Grant

Max Award: $5,000

Applications accepted on a rolling basis beginning September 1, 2026, while funding remains available.

Apply via our Submittable Page.

Restrictions

This competition is open to all graduate students in the College of Arts & Letters.

Applications accepted at any time until funds for this program are exhausted. Supported projects must be completed by September 1 of the following academic year. Grantees must provide a final report to the Franco Institute within 30 days of the supported research activity.

Please note: All students awarded an annual research theme grant must agree to present their work in-progress as part of a poster session at the Franco Institute's annual Day | Merton Symposium to be held April 15, 2027. The Franco Institute will provide additional funding to support the printing of posters for this session. Poster expenses do not need to be included in the proposed budget.

Eligible expenses

Eligible expenses include research and creative arts materials needed to directly support the completion of the project, such as transcription services, travel, archive/library assistance, survey and computer programming support, physical materials, and human subject payments.

Funds may not be used for applicant salary/stipend, professional development activities, teaching programs or course development, office supplies, publication costs, childcare, or computer equipment.

Application Instructions

Proposal Application Materials

Every application must have the following elements with the correct formatting to be considered.

• Title page with a 100-word non-technical abstract.

• Five-page project proposal that includes a description of the project, methods, timeline, and a discussion of broader impacts.

• Budget using the Franco budget template.

• For Human Subject Research: IRB approval and completion of the online Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) module.

• Travel: For any domestic travel, complete the Domestic Travel Waiver Form. Projects involving international travel require that students register with the Notre Dame International Travel Registry and forward proof of registration to Therese Blacketor (tblacket@nd.edu), Student Grants Coordinator.

• CV (2 pages maximum)

• Sample of work: Creative Projects Only.

If grant funds are awarded, recipients are also required to complete post-award reports.

Proposal Preparation and Submission

All proposals should be five pages, double-spaced, with one-inch margins and 12-point Times New Roman font. Include page numbers (bottom center) and embed any figures or images within the project description with captions. Footnotes, endnotes, in-text citations, and the bibliography should use a discipline-appropriate citation style. The bibliography is not included in the page limit.

Evaluation criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on the level of engagement with the research theme, intellectual merit, the potential impact of the project for scholars and the public, and the researcher’s qualifications to conduct the proposed work.

Budget items with insufficient justification may be reduced or eliminated in an award offer.

Questions and additional information

Please direct questions to Lindsay Paturalski (lpatura2@nd.edu), Assistant Director of Graduate and Undergraduate Research at the Franco Institute.

Frequently Asked Questions

• When will I know if I have been awarded a grant?

  • Decisions for Annual Research Theme grants are usually made within two weeks of receipt of all required materials.

• Are staff eligible for this grant?

  • Only students and regular faculty members with primary appointments in the College of Arts & Letters are eligible for Annual Research Theme grants.

• How can I be sure to receive a grant?

  • Awards are made on a competitive basis, and funding is not guaranteed for any project. Applications are evaluated based on the criteria listed above. Applicants are encouraged to contact Lindsay Paturalski, Student Grants Program Manager, to discuss the fit of their proposed project with grants and for help developing competitive proposals.

• Can students get both an annual research theme grant and another Franco Institute grant?
  • Receiving an annual research theme grant does not, in itself, affect your eligibility for other grants. Students must submit different applications and budgets to each Franco Institute grant program.  Other Franco awards can support additional research on the same topic.