Presented by the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in collaboration with the Humanities Institute, the CAS/HI Faculty Intensive Grant and Fellowship Application Writing Program is a multi-session workshop with consultant Edward Dimendberg designed to sharpen the participants' competitive edge in external funding and accelerate CAS’s momentum in the upcoming years.
Twelve (12) faculty will be selected to participate in the workshop (Spring-Fall 2026) including multiple sessions, draft reviews, and individualized feedback.
Applications are due Friday, March 6, 2026. All applicants (space permitting) will be eligible to attend the group presentation portion of the in-person, kick-off session on Friday, April 17.
External fellowships and grants don’t just fund projects, they shape the careers of our talented colleagues, build and broaden collaborations, and amplify our college’s impact. This workshop will help you demystify the process and develop the technical, rhetorical and strategic skills needed to compete for highly competitive awards across the arts, humanities and qualitative social sciences. Selected participants will work with consultant Ed Dimendberg leaving with a clearer funding map, stronger drafts, individualized feedback, and a concrete plan to submit in Fall 2026.
Edward Dimendberg (Professor of Humanities, University of California, Irvine) brings extensive experience as a successful applicant, reviewer, and editor across the humanities. He has twice received Fulbright awards; held grants from the Graham Foundation; and fellowships from the American Academy in Berlin, Canadian Center for Architecture, the Getty Grant Program/Research Institute, NEH, Institute for Cultural Sciences (Vienna), and others. He chaired the College Art Association’s Millard Meiss book prize jury and has served on review panels for major institutions. A former Sponsoring Editor at the University of California Press (1990-1998), he wrote numerous successful grants supporting books. His most recent fellowships include Guggenheim and Getty Research Institute (2018-2019).
In this workshop, Professor Dimendberg will share practical strategies honed through years of writing, awarding, and evaluating grant applications, and will mentor each participant through drafting, revision, and submission in Fall 2026.
| Application and Program Timeline | |
|---|---|
| Fri., Mar. 6 | Applications to participate due. |
| Fri., Mar. 13 | Selected participants notified. |
| Mon., Mar. 30 | First draft of grant/fellowship applications for pre-workshop review due. |
| Fri., Apr. 17 10:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. | Workshop Session 1 | In-person, on-campus workshop with Edward Dimendberg focused on: Funding landscape mapping, application architecture, and identifying two grants and two fellowships aligned to participant’s projects. The group presentation (open to all applicants) will be followed by scheduled individual sessions with the selected faculty cohort. |
| Fri., May 15 | Second draft of grant/fellowship applications for pre-workshop review due. |
| Thurs., May 28 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Workshop Session 2 | Virtual workshop with Edward Dimendberg focused on: Problem framing, methodology, schedule, fine-tuning statements, and referee selections. |
| Summer-Fall 2026 | Follow-up sessions (remote, scheduled): Individual mentoring phase for consultation and iterative revisions. |
Format: Two cohort meetings (one in-person*, one virtual), plus individual consultations and ongoing mentorship through submission.
Capacity: Limited to 12 tenured or tenure-track faculty participants
Expectations: Participants must commit to attending both sessions and the individual office-hour consults; meet draft deadlines; and submit at least one application before or during Fall 2026.
*All applicants (space permitting) will be eligible to attend the group presentation portion of the in-person session on April 17, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., additional details forthcoming.
This program is designed to support tenured and tenure-stream faculty pursuing external fellowship and grant funding opportunities that have deadlines in Fall 2026 or Winter/Spring 2027.
The applicant must be a faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences, working in the arts, humanities, or humanities-related social sciences who is currently in the advanced stage of authoring a grant or fellowship application.
Applicants must commit to participating in person for the on-campus kick-off session on Friday, April 17, 2026, the second session (remotely) on Thursday, May 28, 2026 and all of the follow-up remote sessions for the duration of the program which will conclude mid-Fall 2026.
Contact: Murthy Ganapathy (CAS Associate Dean for Research) with questions about the workshop, and Maki Tanigaki (Humanities Institute) with questions about the application process.