UM Submission Instructions: New Directions Fellowship 2021
| Sponsor: |
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation |
| Award Title: |
New Directions Fellowship |
| Amount: |
$300,000
Final budgets commonly range from $175,000 to $250,000; the maximum is $300,000.
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| UM Deadline: |
08/27/2021 |
| Sponsor Deadline: |
09/24/2021 |
| Description: |
Purpose:
New Directions Fellowships assist faculty members in the humanities and humanistic social sciences who seek to acquire systematic training outside their own areas of special interest.
Terms of the award:
Selection criteria: (1) the overall significance of the research, (2) the case for the importance of extra-disciplinary training for furthering the research, (3) the likely ability of the candidate to derive satisfactory results from the training program proposed, and (4) a well-developed plan for acquiring the necessary training within a reasonable period of time.
Fellows will receive: (1) the equivalent of one academic year's salary, (2) two summers of additional support, each at the equivalent two-ninths of the previous academic year salary, and (3) tuition or course fees or equivalent direct costs associated with the fellows' training programs. To permit flexibility in meeting individual scholars' needs, these funds may be expended over a period not to exceed three full academic years following the date of the award. The award normally can be delayed for a maximum of one year.
Additional information for 2021:
Priority will be given to applications that manifest 1) a strong focus on issues of race, ethnicity, and migration, or 2) a focus on filling in the gaps left by more traditional narratives in the history of the Americas.
The second field of study must be a foray into a new area of intellectual inquiry/subject and not just an enhancement of skills to go further in the primary field. Language study, technical training, or skills acquisition such as GIS mapping do not, by themselves, constitute a new direction.
In an effort to recognize and address travel and access constraints related to the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic: Supplemental funds up to $15,000 will be available for scholars who require access to collections that have not yet been digitized and cataloged, or who require the paid support of a librarian or archivist to assist with research where collections are closed to outside visitors because of the pandemic. For example, payments from this supplement may be budgeted for library or special collections partners who would work closely with the New Directions fellow to identify and define archival or library collections that can be digitized and made available for study by the fellow and—when feasible--to members of the general public.
All applicants should include a concise plan of no more than two paragraphs outlining alternative arrangements should research activities be constrained by the long-term continuation or a resurgence of the COVID-19 or other pandemic. |
| Number of Applicants University is Allowed to submit: |
1 |
| Additional Requirements: |
Doctorate w/in last 6-12 years |
| Sponsor Guidelines: |
https://mellon.org/programs/higher-education-and-scholarship-humanities/new-directions-fellowships/ |
| UM Nominations Process: |
Those interested in applying should submit the following pre-proposal materials as a single pdf document to vpfaa@umn.edu by August 27, 2021 (11:59 PM).
1. Cover page including candidate’s name, department, and contact information.
2. A project summary of no more than 300 words (2,000 characters, with spaces).
3. A proposal of no more than 2,000 words (13,000 characters, with spaces), providing an explanation of the overall significance of the research being undertaken and how the proposed new direction will assist in the development of the field.
4. An informal, estimated budget (and narrative as needed to make the budget understandable to the internal selection committee). The budget should include items for salary and fringe, projected training costs, and project-related travel. It may also include estimates to cover expenses related to attending vital professional meetings, as well as lodging related to research and training activities of up to a semester. (Requests for housing supplements may be included for longer periods when the projected cost of living in a city where study is to be pursued exceeds substantially the costs incurred when the fellow is working at the home institution.)
In the formal budget submitted to the sponsor, no overhead or indirect costs are permitted, and no funding for staging conferences, symposia, seminars, or events related to the project is allowed. The Foundation assumes the needs for equipment or research assistants will be met by the fellow's home institution.
Final budgets commonly range from $175,000 to $250,000; the maximum is $300,000. The term of the grant should cover a minimum of two years. Mellon does not make adjustments to the grant amount after the grant is awarded, so candidates should make every effort to base their estimated expenses on careful projections of all items in the grant budget. Candidates are advised to seek assistance from experienced department and sponsored-research staff in preparing the final budget submission.
5. A letter of recommendation from the candidate's department chair or other senior colleague which should address the candidate's preparation and the relationship of the "new direction" to the nominee's research and pedagogy. An additional letter of recommendation may be submitted from a colleague in the new field, if appropriate.
You may delay obtaining this second letter until after the internal selection process, but if you plan to include such a letter if selected, please ask the writer for an email committing to provide the letter and include it in your pre-proposal materials.
6. A concise curriculum vitae, no more than five pages in length.
Any questions may be submitted to Chris Bremer at breme006@umn.edu or 612-226-9476.
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| Peer Review Coordination: |
Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost contact email |
| Status: |
No longer accepting applications. |
| Please note: |
To be considered for peer review and internal selection, faculty must follow the above submission guidelines and meet the UM deadline as set by the office coordinating the peer review for this opportunity. |
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