Extramural Coordinated Funding
UM Submission Instructions: Call for Concepts 2026
| Sponsor: |
Mellon Foundation |
| Award Title: |
Call for Concepts |
| Amount: |
$500,000
Awards can range between $250,000 to $500,000 over up to 4 years |
| UM Deadline: |
01/16/2026 |
| Sponsor Deadline: |
02/17/2026 |
| Description: |
Through its Higher Learning grantmaking area, Mellon invites humanities-grounded ideas for research and curricular projects focused on one of two topics:
- Unruly Intelligences
- Normalization and Its Discontents
Select applications will be chosen by the Mellon Foundation for development into full proposals during Summer 2026.
|
| Number of Applicants University is Allowed to submit: |
6 |
| Additional Requirements: |
Letter of Support |
| Sponsor Guidelines: |
https://www.mellon.org/article/higher-learning-open-call-for-concepts-2026 |
| UM Nominations Process: |
The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) is managing applications from the University of Minnesota for The Mellon Call for Concepts.
If you are interested in submitting an application for The Mellon Call for Concepts, you must first register with the Mellon Foundation by 12/01/25 at 2:00 pm CST, and then submit the application for internal selection to the IAS via InfoReady.
The deadline for the internal selection process is 01/16/26. Up to 3 applications from the Twin Cities campus and 3 applications from the Duluth campus will be selected for submission to the Mellon Foundation.
Additional information about the process can be found on the IAS website.
Applications must include a letter of support from the Provost (Twin Cities) or Chancellor (Duluth). The IAS will arrange for the letters.
Questions can be directed to the Institute for Advanced Study at ias@umn.edu.
Registration is open until 12/01/25 at 2:00 pm CST. Other deadlines as noted above.
|
| Peer Review Coordination: |
Institute for Advanced Study contact email |
| Status: |
Open |
| 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. |
|
|
General Information
- Each posting has information about the external sponsor and opportunity as well as the internal application instructions.
- Opportunities can be sorted by column headings; just click on the heading to re-sort by that column.
- When a link redirects you to another site, it opens in a new browser window.
- If you know of an opportunity that is not on the list, please contact Kristin Mead.
Internal Requirements
- Sponsor: Name of funder.
- Award Title: Funding opportunity nameAmount: Range/Maximum dollar amount awarded.
- UMN Deadline: Submission deadline for internal proposal as determined by the coordinating office.
- Sponsor Deadline: External deadline identified by the sponsor.
- Description: General information about the sponsor and the funding opportunity. Usually describes the purpose of the funding opportunity, overview of what the sponsor is looking for, including distinctive criteria. This is not meant to take the place of the sponsor guidelines; please read the sponsor guidelines before deciding to apply.
- Number of Applicants University is Allowed to Submit: The maximum number of applications the sponsor will allow the university to submit.
- Additional Requirements: Identifies any special requirements such as cost sharing, partners, etc.
- Sponsor Guidelines: Link to the sponsor’s funding opportunity website.
- UMN Nominations Process: Contains specific internal submission requirements including internal proposal instructions, deadline, eligibility, internal nomination process, contact information.
- Peer Review Coordination: The name and contact email of the office coordinating the funding opportunity. RIO coordinates most limited submissions, but opportunities coordinated by other offices or programs are also posted on this webpage.
- Status:
- Open: UM deadline has not passed and the opportunity is open for application.
- Forecasted: The funder has not yet formally published the opportunity. The deadline has yet to be determined.
- Archived: The opportunity has been archived by the funder.
- Spots Remaining: UMN deadline has passed, with some applicant spots still available. Contact collabor@umn.edu if interested
- First-Come, First-Served: Applicants accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact collabor@umn.edu if interested
- Contact Us: The internal deadline has passed, but no applicants were selected. Please contact the office coordinating the peer review for more information.
- In Review: Peer review process is in progress for the opportunity.
- PI Selected: The PI(s) have been selected as the official UMN nominees.
- Closed: UMN is no longer accepting applications.
UMN Selection Process
- Once the internal deadline has passed, if the number of applicants is less than or equal to the number of spots the university is allowed to send forward, the applicants automatically become the UMN nominee(s).
- If the status of an opportunity is "First-Come, First-Served", there was not time to hold an internal review. Applicants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
- If there are no applicants, the status will change to "Contact Us". At this point, the opportunity changes to a first-come, first-served opportunity.
- If there are multiple applicants, the office coordinating the nomination will determine the review criteria and coordinate the review process. The status will change to "In Review".
- Once the review has been completed all parties will be notified via email.
- Nominees will be provided with an email from RIO (or the designated coordinating office) indicating that they are the university's nominee. This letter should accompany the nominee's proposal.
- SPA is notified of the university's nominee(s) and the status is updated to "PI(s) Selected".
*If you have questions about the University's process related to extramural funding opportunities
requiring nomination or if you have any technical issues with the site, contact collabor8@umn.edu.