Grants for Teaching

CRLT sponsors competitions for grants to enhance teaching and learning at the University of Michigan. To obtain information about these grants, review the short descriptions provided on this page and click on the individual grant name for more details about each one, including application guidelines. The grants competitions are open to eligible members of the Ann Arbor campus of the University only.

All CRLT grants are peer-reviewed by UM faculty.

• Instructional Development Fund (IDF)

The competition is open, on the Ann Arbor campus of the University, to members of the following groups: all tenured and tenure-track faculty; clinical instructional faculty; and Lecturers who have continuing appointments and course development responsibilities (i.e., an assignment from the dean, chair, or designee to develop a new course or significantly revise an existing course). Faculty members are invited to apply for small grants up to $500 from CRLT’s Instructional Development Fund to support innovative activities to improve teaching and learning. Expenses that can be covered by these grants include supplies and equipment, programming or research assistance, conference fees and expenses, and summer projects aimed at developing or enhancing courses. Each academic year, applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted.

To ensure that a variety of applicants have the opportunity to implement innovative teaching and learning activities, recipients of IDF grants during an academic calendar year (Sept-August) will not be eligible to receive funding for an IDF grant during the next academic calendar year, but they are welcome to apply again in the following year.

• Multimedia Teaching Grant

The Center for Research on Learning and Teaching is pleased to announce the competition for the Multimedia Teaching Grant. This program offers up to $1,500 to faculty members who want to improve large undergraduate courses (75+ students) by incorporating multimedia materials into their teaching. Each academic year, applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted.

• Lecturers' Professional Development Grant (LPDG)

Faculty with continuing appointments as Lecturers on the University of Michigan Ann Arbor campus are eligible to apply for grants of up to $2,000 each. These grants will be awarded for professional development activities including creative endeavors, research, scholarship, and teaching. Proposal deadline: 4 p.m. on Thursday, October 15, 2009.

• The Gilbert Whitaker Fund for the Improvement of Teaching (Whitaker I and II)

Collaborative groups of faculty in and across departments and programs are eligible for The Gilbert Whitaker Fund, which provides incentive grants for improvement of teaching and learning. For the Fall 2009 Stage I competition, preference will be given to projects that focus on assessment of student learning outcomes at the departmental, school/college, or institutional level. The competition is open, on the Ann Arbor campus of the University, to members of the following groups: all tenured and tenure-track faculty; clinical instructional faculty; and Lecturers who have continuing appointments and course development responsibilities (i.e., an assignment from the dean, chair, or associate chair to develop a new course or significantly revise an existing course). There are two stages to the funding. Up to eight grants of $10,000 each are awarded each year during Stage I. Stage I winners are later eligible to apply for Stage II, which provides up to $15,000 additional funding. Proposal deadline: 4 p.m. on Thursday, December 3, 2009.

• Investigating Student Learning Grant (ISL)

Open to faculty who wish to investigate aspects of student learning in their courses or programs. The competition is open, on the Ann Arbor campus of the University, to members of the following groups: all tenured and tenure-track faculty; clinical instructional faculty; and Lecturers who have continuing appointments and course development responsibilities (i.e., an assignment from the dean, chair, or designee to develop a new course or significantly revise an existing course). Grant awards of $3,000 are available to individual faculty members. Grant awards of $4,000 are available to faculty member-graduate student/postdoc teams. Proposal deadline: 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 26, 2010.

• Faculty Development Fund (FDF)

Open to individual faculty members or small groups of faculty who want to revise or develop their courses or initiate other projects that improve student learning. The competition is open, on the Ann Arbor campus of the University, to members of the following groups: all tenured and tenure-track faculty; clinical instructional faculty; and Lecturers who have continuing appointments and course development responsibilities (i.e., an assignment from the dean, chair, or designee to develop a new course or significantly revise an existing course). Awards up to $6,000 are available for smaller projects and awards up to $10,000 are available to departments, programs, and groups of faculty for larger projects. Proposal deadline: 4 p.m. on Thursday, February 4, 2010.

• Teaching with Technology Institute

The Teaching with Technology Institute (August 11-12, 2010) helps faculty integrate instructional technology into their teaching, develop their technological skills, and explore the effective use of technology in the classroom. The Institute provides: individual consultations on pedagogy and technology; sustained one-on-one support for faculty grantees during course planning and when the course is being taught; and hands-on technological training. Awards of $2500 are available for winning proposals. Proposal deadline: noon on Monday, March 8, 2010.

• Public Goods Council Grant (PGC)

The Public Goods Council (PGC) invites proposals for projects that draw on public culture and cultural institutions to engage undergraduates and help shape their education. As many as eight grants of up to $2,500 will be awarded from a fund provided by the Provost's Office for course-related projects developed in collaborations between faculty members and Public Goods Council members. Grant funds are provided by the Office of the Provost. Rolling deadline throughout the year.
Recent PGC Recipients