The Grants Committee, comprised of six elected faculty members, reviews and recommends the recipients of Barnard Faculty Research Grants and Special Assistant Professor Leave Supplements, Fund for Innovation in Teaching grants, the Gildersleeve Professorship, the Presidential Research Award, the Tow Award for Innovative and Outstanding Pedagogy, and Inclusive Pedagogy Fund grants. The Committee also advises the Provost on policies and practices related to internal grants.

Questions about the Committee or the College's internal grant policies should be directed to Alex Cooley (acooley@barbard,edu), chair of the Grants Committee, or to Bobby O'Rourke (rorourke@barnard.edu) and Tina Simpson (tsimpson@barnard.edu) in the Provost's Office, who coordinate the committee.

Faculty Conference Travel Grants do not go through the Grants Committee, and faculty may apply on a rolling basis. For guidelines and the application, please visit Forms and Guidelines. You may contact Laurie Postlewate (lpostlew@barnard.edu), Bobby O'Rourke (rorourke@barnard.edu), and Ushani Hansraj (uhansraj@barnard.edu) in the Provost's Office with any questions.

For assistance with proposals to external organizations, including government, foundation, and corporate grants, please visit Institutional Funding and Sponsored Research.

AY23-24 Internal Grants Deadlines:  

Tuesday, October 17th, 2023
Barnard Faculty Research Grants and SAPL Deadline 1

Tuesday, November 28th, 2023
Barnard Faculty Research Grants and SAPL Deadline 2

Tuesday, January 23rd, 2024
Adjunct Faculty Research Award Deadline
Barnard Faculty Research Grants and SAPL Deadline 3

Tuesday, February 20, 2024
Tow Award for Innovative and Outstanding Pedagogy Proposals Deadline (extended)

Tuesday, March 5th, 2024
Presidential Research Awards Deadline
Gildersleeve Proposals Deadline

Tuesday, March 19th, 2024
Barnard Faculty Research Grants and SAPL Deadline 4
Fund for Innovation in Teaching Grants Deadline

Fund for Innovation in Teaching: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Deadline

Barnard Faculty Research Grants & SAPL Supplements

Faculty Research Grants provide up to $4,000 per year in funding to support scholarly research for full-time tenure-track, tenure-eligible, and non-tenure eligible reviewed and renewed faculty not in their terminal year. When a convincing justification is provided and funds are available, larger grants of up to $8,000 may be made available to support projects that extend over two fiscal years, but in no cases will grants exceed $8,000 over a two-year period. Previous applicable grant funding should be exhausted before applying for a Faculty Research Grant.

Special Assistant Professor Leave (SAPL) Supplements are available for Assistant Professors on leave during their fourth year following a successful third-year review. The supplement is a one-time grant that allows for incremental funding of an amount not to exceed $12,000 over any two-year period of faculty eligibility inclusive of Faculty Research Grants already issued, and must be justified by application and clear sense of need.

For more information, please visit Forms and Guidelines.

Fund for Innovation in Teaching Grants

The Fund for Innovation in Teaching supports academic activities that foster innovation in pedagogy. The core goal is to enhance student learning by extending existing field-based boundaries and challenging standard pedagogical methods, and faculty are encouraged to think widely, even “boldly.” Faculty proposals may focus on developing innovative courses featuring inventive ways of incorporating today’s most advanced technologies into the classroom and expanding our students’ understanding and ability to utilize digital tools and techniques. Proposals can utilize new technologies, building on the courses and activities funded through the Committee for Online and On-Campus and Learning (COOL), the Barnard Teaches: Real Place + Digital Access grant, and various ongoing IMATS initiatives. Grant proposals can be collaborative and multi-year.

Fund for Innovation in Teaching: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI)

A supplementary fund to enable the design of courses and projects that address antiracism and structures of power, with an expectation of interdisciplinarity. Instead of the Grants Commitee, the proposals will be reviewed by the Dean for Faculty Diversity & Development, in collaboration with the Vice President of DEI and Center for Engaged Pedagogy (CEP) Director. Recommendations will be made to the President and Provost who will be responsible for final determination of awards. 

Gildersleeve Professorships

The Virginia C. Gildersleeve Fund was made possible by a gift fund from the Barnard Alumnae Association in 1957, on the occasion of Miss Gildersleeve's eightieth birthday. The fund is used to bring visiting scholars, preferably women from abroad, to the Barnard campus. Gildersleeve Professors may come to Barnard either for a full semester or, as has been more generally the case in recent years, for a single week in which they deliver a public lecture, attend a dinner in their honor given by the Provost/Dean of the Faculty, and engage in other activities arranged by the hosting academic department. Selection is made by the Grants Committee. Nominations are solicited from faculty members by the Provost/Dean of the Faculty in the fall.

Presidential Research Award

This program provides funds for faculty projects that expand knowledge, probe new ground, and have the potential for major impact; build upon a faculty member’s record of productivity and creativity; and culminate in scholarly publication(s), with broader dissemination desirable, as well—connecting Barnard to New York City, the nation, the world.

Tow Award for Innovative and Outstanding Pedagogy

The Tow Award recognizes an exemplary member of the Barnard Faculty who combines scholarship and pedagogy in creative ways, maximizing the impacts of both. The selection process has two phases: the screening process conducted by the Grants Committee and the final selection process decided by the President and the Provost, in consultation with the Appointments, Tenure and Promotion Committee. One recipient will be recognized each year and will receive a $10,000 research/professional development fund that can be spent over five years to further innovative pedagogies. Awards may be used for travel, conference attendance, course release, the development of new pedagogy, or other related activities.

Class of 1960 Adjunct Faculty Research Fund

The fund is intended to assist adjunct faculty members reach their full creative potential by subsidizing scholarly work in their individual fields, and whose work is critical to the College and our students. A grant of $10,000 will be awarded to one adjunct instructor each year. The recipient will be selected by the Barnard College Provost upon recommendation by the Grants Committee at the end of the Spring semester. Funds will be made available in the summer following
selection. Funds remaining at the end of an instructor's appointment will be returned to Barnard College. Eligible adjunct faculty members must have taught at Barnard for a minimum of three years, be appointed to teach at Barnard during the academic year following the receipt of the award, and cannot hold a tenure-track or reviewed/renewable instructor position at another institution.

Faculty Research Grants, conference travel, and top-off grants and funds are available to all full-time faculty who are not in their terminal year.

Faculty Research Grants (Formerly "Mini Grants")

Barnard Faculty Research Grants are available to full-time tenured, tenure-eligible, and reviewed and renewable faculty not in their terminal year. Faculty Research Grants are available to support scholarly projects. Faculty Research Grants provide up to $4,000 per year in funding to support scholarly research. When a convincing justification is provided and funds are available, larger grants of up to $8,000 may be made available to support projects that extend over two fiscal years, but in no cases will grants exceed $8,000 over a two-year period. These 

Faculty Research Grants may not be used for summer salary or for release time from teaching for the purpose of writing and research. Faculty Research Grants are for eligible expenses not already covered by other sources of external and internal funding already available to the faculty member; faculty will be required to disclose all existing and pending internal and external grants and other sources of funding, including start-up and research accounts. For more information and to apply, please visit Forms and Guidelines. 

Faculty Conference Travel Grants

The one-year (July 1st through June 30th) amount for faculty conference travel is $2,900 for full-time officers of instruction on a multi-year appointment. These funds do not carry over year to year. Eligible reimbursable expenses include domestic and international travel associated with scholarly presentations and conferences, and include hotel, meal, incidental travel, and registration costs. For more information, please visit Forms and Guidelines.

Faculty Salary Top-Off for External Fellowships

Tenured, tenure-eligible faculty, and faculty in the Professors of Professional Practice ranks may be eligible for top-off funds to bridge the gap between external fellowship stipends and the salary that would have been earned. The funding amounts vary between junior and senior faculty and are granted at the discretion of the Provost. To receive consideration for this funding, faculty members must notify the Office of Institutional Funding and Sponsored Research and obtain the approval of the Provost prior to submission of the external grant/fellowship application. 

In addition to the research support available to all full-time faculty, teaching load reductions, SAPLs, clock-stopping, and professional development funds are available to newly hired Assistant Professors.

Reduced Teaching Load

Assistant Professors are granted a one-course reduction in the first year of service.

Special Assistant Professor Leave (SAPL)

During each academic year, Barnard College supports one or more Special Assistant Professor Leaves (SAPL) to enable tenure-eligible Assistant Professors who have successfully passed a third-year review to engage in research for a complete academic year at full salary. In addition, Special Assistant Professor Leaves are granted only if the Assistant Professor plans to return to the College for at least one academic year of full-time service or equivalent part-time service after the leave. SAPL Supplements are also available for Assistant Professors on leave during their fourth year following a successful third-year review. The supplement is a one-time grant that allows for funding of an amount not to exceed $12,000 over any two-year period of faculty eligibility inclusive of Faculty Research Grants already issued, and must be justified by application and clear sense of need. Supplement guidelines are available at Forms and Guidelines.

Clock-Stopping

Please visit the Academic Code.

In addition to the research support available to all full-time faculty, chairs and professorships, leaves, and professional development funds are available to tenured faculty.

Chairs and Professorships

In recognition of a tenured faculty member's accomplishments, the President, with recommendations from the Provost, awards several honorary Chairs and Professorships.

• Ann Whitney Olin Foundation Chairs - Conferred on tenured faculty members for five year term; includes $2,000 per year in research funds.

• Endowed Chairs - Currently 17 endowed chairs (7 created since 2000); includes $4,000 annual research fund.

• Tow Professorships for Distinguished Scholars and Practitioners - Two recipients each year; includes $10,000 research/professional development fund and summer stipend each year for two years.

Leave Programs

Sabbatical Entitlement

For information on sabbaticals, please contact the Office of the Provost or consult the Faculty Handbook.

In addition to the research support available to all full-time faculty, the professional development leave program is available to reviewed and renewable faculty.

Professional Development Leave Program

The Professional Development Leave Program (PDL) is designed to afford continuing senior reviewed and renewable faculty members and faculty in the professional practice series a periodic opportunity to pursue professional goals more intensively than is possible when engaged in a full program of teaching and College service. The PDL is not an entitlement. It is intended to recognize faculty members whose professional lives so complement their teaching and College service that by supporting the first, the College improves the overall quality of the second and third. To receive this award, faculty must meet all eligibility requirements and submit an application. The expectation is that projects proposed will meet a high standard and be related to and contribute to the faculty member's instructional responsibilities. Questions about eligibility and application may be directed to Associate Director of Faculty Support Services Chris Barthel (cbarthel@barnard.edu). 

Note: Faculty members on College-paid leave are expected to return to the College for at least one year when the leave ends. Failure to do so obligates the faculty member to repay the College for the cost of the paid leave, including salary and benefits.