Provost Office Funding

The Cultural Affairs Committee seeks to fund events that have the potential to generate broad-based interest within the University Community. Such interest may be demonstrated by applications that share several sponsors and/or funding sources. Applications related directly to the University’s teaching program are especially encouraged. 

The following are general guidelines used in considering applications:

• All applications must be submitted on behalf of or with the support of one or more departments or programs at the University. Written letters of support – these may be emails or electronic attachments - from all supporting or co-sponsoring departments or programs must be submitted with the applications. The Committee encourages multiple sponsorships.
• Student organizations may submit applications for funding. The application must be supported by one or more departments or programs at the University and approved by the faculty or staff sponsor of the student group.
• All applications must include an itemized budget. Accepted applicants are required to submit a final report by the end of the academic year where the event occurs. This final report must include how the Committee’s funds were spent and the total program budget for the event. Recipients who do not submit final reports will not be considered for future grants until final reports are received by the Committee.

Appropriate honoraria or appearance fees, travel, logdging, and meals for guests, and marketing or advertising costs qualify for funding. Receptions, honoraria, travel or meals for full-time University faculty or staff, and recording of the event (unless such recording is an integral part of the performance) DO NOT qualify for funding.

Budget Allocations & Deadlines  

There are two rounds of applications for Cultural Affairs funding: October and February (the precise application deadline will vary from year to year and will be determined and announced by the Committee Chair). In the fall round, the Committee expects to grant roughly seventy percent of its annually budgeted funds for events taking place in the following academic year. In the Spring round of funding, the Committee expects to grant about twenty percent of its annually budgeted funds for the events taking place in the following academic year. Ten percent of funds will be reserved for smaller events ($1500 max) to be applied in the Fall round for events taking place in the following Spring (i.e. “same-year” events).

• Fall round applications are due in October and may be either for events that will take place during the following academic year or for events that take place in the spring of the current academic year. (Note: About 70% of the available funding will go to support the former and 10% will support the latter. Same-year applications have a maximum limit of $1500.)
• Spring applications are due in March and must be for events taking place in the following academic year. (The precise application deadline will vary from year to year and will be determined and announced by the Committee Chair.)

University of Richmond cultural events sponsored by the Cultural Affairs Committee may charge admission according to certain agreements listed below: 

1. You must note on your application if you want permission to charge for admission; if you do, you must specify the price you intend to charge and follow the guidelines below. Award recipients must receive the Committee’s permission to do so.
2. The event must take place in a George M. Modlin Center for the Arts concert hall or theatre space, or another appropriate prearranged facility approved by the Committee.
3. Admission will be gratis for all University of Richmond full-time and part-time students.
4. Faculty and staff of the University of Richmond will be given a reduction on ticket prices.
5. All other seats will be sold at a rate approved by the Committee.
6. Ticket sales will be handled by the box office of the Modlin Center for the Arts.
7. For those events for which admission is charged, a block of seats to include at least 20% of the house will be reserved for the UR community until one week prior to the event. Once those seats reserved for the UR community have been exhausted, all remaining available seats for the event will be open to the UR community upon individual application or purchase according to the stipulated agreements in (2) and (3) above.
8. If either the departmental contribution or the Cultural Affairs Committee contribution to the funded project exceeds 30% of the total project costs, proceeds from ticket sales will be shared by the Cultural Affairs Committee, the Modlin Center for the Arts and/or the sponsoring department or program at the same percentage rate which they contributed. Proceeds from admission will be used for future events cosponsored by Cultural Affairs and cannot be used toward funding the particular event for which said admission is charged. Parties contributing less than 30% of the total costs will not be entitled to receive any of the revenue.

Submit an application

The goal of Curriculum & Course Enhancement Grants is to support faculty and staff instructors who wish to take advantage of an opportunity to develop a significantly new course into a curriculum and/or add a curricular or co-curricular element to their course, bringing added cost (for example, attending a show or hearing a lecture; piloting the use of a new technology; materials for a project). Grants can be used for tickets, transportation, materials, etc. The grant is open to support any course for academic credit, including First Year Seminars.

Grants will support items justified as contributing significantly to academic impact and student learning in a course, but which are not supported by the Dupont Fund or by the faculty member’s own school or department.

Check back soon for 2025–2026 deadlines.

The Office of the Provost is pleased to invite applications from tenured faculty seeking support to advance teaching, scholarly, and/or creative work for participation in the Faculty Fellows Program during the 2025–2026 academic year. Faculty Fellows, who must be housed in either the School of Arts & Sciences, Jepson School of Leadership Studies, or Robins School of Business, are granted two (2) course releases for the fellowship year while maintaining a regular service and advising load. These course releases are intended to provide time to devote to the Fellow’s proposed project, as detailed in their application. The releases may be taken in a single semester or spread across fall and spring. The Provost’s Office will award ten Faculty Fellowships on a competitive basis for the 2025-2026 academic year. 

Eligibility and Application

All tenured faculty in the School of Arts & Sciences, Jepson School of Leadership Studies, and Robins School of Business, are eligible to apply, with preference granted to mid-career faculty seeking support to advance to full professor.

The Faculty Fellows Application entails three (3) parts:

1. A proposal of 1-2 typed, double-spaced pages that details the project on which the applicant will work. The project can advance the applicant’s teaching, scholarly, and/or creative work. In addition to describing the project, the proposal should share the project’s significance to the applicant’s teaching, scholarly, and/or creative profile, as well as intended outcomes (i.e. publication, presentation, grant proposal, performance). Proposals should be written for an audience of faculty scholars who are not experts in the discipline of the proposed project.
2. A CV
3. A letter of support from the applicant’s department chair or, if the department chair is the applicant, dean, which explains how the courses for which the applicant will be released will be covered. School deans should be cc:ed on all letters of support.

Applications must be submitted to Rose Nicholson (rnichol3@richmond.edu) no later than November 15, 2024. Letters of support can be submitted separately. 

Review Process

Upon receipt of the applications, a committee of faculty drawn from across the three eligible schools will review the proposals and make recommendations to the Provost.

Reporting

At the end of their fellowship, each Fellow must submit a brief report of 250-500 words detailing the outcomes of the fellowship year. Fellows will also be strongly encouraged to share their work/works-in-progress as part of the Faculty & Staff Symposium in September or through another public venue.

Questions

Please direct any questions about the Faculty Fellows Program to Nicole Maurantonio (nmaurant@richmond.edu), Associate Provost of Academic Affairs.  

Faculty Fellows Application

1. Applicant Name and Rank:
2. Department/School:
3. Title of Proposed Project
4. Brief Summary of the Proposed Project (250 words or less)
5. Fellowship Proposal of 1-2 typed, double-spaced pages. The proposal should:
   1. Describe the project on which the applicant will work for a non-disciplinary expert.
   2. Share the project’s significance to the applicant’s teaching, scholarly, and/or creative profile.
   3. Describe intended outcomes of the fellowship (i.e. publication, presentation, grant proposal, performance).

The Office of the Provost administers a limited fund to support faculty and staff members to entertain students and advisees over a meal.

Learn more about funding for dining with students.