Research & Travel Grants

Each year, the Department of English makes a small number of research and travel grants available to undergraduate English majors.

Grants may be used for travel to conduct archival research, conduct interview research, or present a paper at a conference. Less frequently, grants may also be used to attend but not present at a conference, if a compelling case can be made for the importance of the conference for a research project. Grants for other legitimate research expenses—such as photocopying, permissions, and reproductions—may also be considered after all travel requests have been fulfilled.Requests for funding will be accepted from declared English majors only. Students seeking grants to conduct archival or interview research must have a Faculty Advisor willing to sponsor the project. Grants are available for a maximum of $250 per student, per year, and funds may be used to cover any travel expenses allowed under UMN policy.

To apply, please submit the following materials via email to Rachel Drake (rdrake@umn.edu):

  1. A detailed, 500-1,000 word proposal
  2. Any required documentation:

    —If you are requesting funding for archival research, please provide a letter of support from your Faculty Advisor. Please also provide documentation from an administrator at the archive you will be visiting that the archive is available for your research.

    —If you are requesting funding for interview research, please provide a letter of support from your Faculty Advisor. Please also provide documentation that your research has been approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB): Note that IRB approval takes several weeks, so please plan ahead.

    —If you are requesting funding to present a paper at a conference, please provide documentation that your paper has been accepted for presentation at the conference you will be attending.
     

  3. An itemized budget detailing costs. The budget should be precise and reflect your research into travel costs (e.g. airfare, lodging, rental car). Please explain any costs where necessary, and please make clear which travel costs are part of your grant request and which, if any, will be paid by another source. Note that the Department of English Undergraduate Research and Travel Grant Program is different from the University of Minnesota's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). Undergraduate students may receive funding from both programs, but the funds from each program must be used to pay for different parts of your research expenses.

Applicants can apply for a grant as early as the first day of the fall semester in the academic year, and applications will be read on a rolling basis until funding is exhausted. Applicants will be notified by email.Successful applicants will be awarded a specific maximum budget. After submitting original itemized receipts according to departmental policy, students will be reimbursed up to that maximum amount. Successful applicants will also be asked to submit documents showing that they conducted the proposed activities.