2025 Call for Grant Proposals

Individual Artist Grant – up to $50,000

The UB Communities of Care project seeks to commission new and original artwork from local artists. We are looking for work based on the theme “Communities of Care”: What meanings and implications does it have for you? How does it relate to social and disability justice? What voices are left out of public conversations about communities of care? These and other questions and concerns may be addressed through the proposed work. We are especially interested in creative work that explores the intersections of care, community, race, disability, mental health, gender, and sexuality. Artists may work in any medium. “Care” and “community” can be defined in expansive and innovative ways in proposed projects.

In the Communities of Care project, we focus on “communities of care,” in Buffalo to study the everyday ways in which poor, racialized, and disabled people navigate and negotiate living, working, and accessing vital healthcare and other needs in urban and suburban spaces that are lacking in critical healthcare and other infrastructure. We use “communities of care” as a means of extending our understanding of care networks beyond formalized healthcare settings to include the vital care that takes place in the home, in neighborhoods, and in other settings. We also consider care as work – both in its more formal settings and in the informal spaces in which it most often occurs. In this project we will think about the ways in which this work has been/is gendered and racialized and the implications that this has for the formation of caregiving/receiving relationships and worker organizing. This project will provide voice to those whose stories are not often heard, both the caregivers and those receiving care; and will focus on the intersection of disability, race, and gender.

In this project, we are working to bring together artists, scholars, and community people involved in giving and receiving care to interact around the “communities of care” theme.

Artists must agree to have their work displayed in a gallery or some other public space in Buffalo. Artists must agree to give a public facing talk about their work. Artists must agree to have their work digitized and made part of the permanent archive being created through the Communities of Care project. This grant is for individual artists. Organizations are not eligible to receive this grant.

Submit CV, a proposal narrative in which you describe your project and a timeline for completion and display of the work (maximum two single-spaced pages), 5-10 PDF work samples, a detailed budget, and two letters of reference to communitiesofcare@buffalo.edu. Proposals will be evaluated by an independent ad hoc committee of academics and local artists.

We may fund more than one proposal. The amount awarded for each proposal will be based on the project proposed and the detailed budget.

There will be an informational meeting held at via zoom on Friday, March 21, 2025, at 5:00 PM.  If you are interested in attending, please contact Community Liaison Isabel Fernando at ikfernan@buffalo.edu 

Informational meeting: March 21, 2025
Deadline to submit proposals: April 30, 2025
Notification of award recipient(s): May 30, 2025

Artists commence project work July 1, 2025. Projects should be completed and displayed by June 30, 2026.

Communities of Care, Gender Institute and the Center for Disability Studies University at Buffalo

Call for Proposals for Research Pilot Funding
Individual Seed Grant – up to $15,000

The UB Communities of Care project seeks proposals from UB faculty for individual or group seed grants for research. These grants are meant to provide individuals or groups with the funds to formulate or pilot humanities-based research related to the themes of the Mellon “Communities of Care” project. Applicants may define “community” and “care” broadly. We are especially interested in work that explores the intersections of care, community, race, disability (which may include mental health and chronic illness), gender, and sexuality. Ideally, these seed grants will enable recipients to apply for external funding to continue their work.

In the Communities of Care project, we focus on “communities of care,” in Buffalo to study the everyday ways in which poor, racialized, and disabled people navigate and negotiate living, working, and accessing vital healthcare and other needs in urban and suburban spaces that are lacking in critical healthcare and other infrastructure. We use “communities of care” as a means of extending our understanding of care networks beyond formalized healthcare settings to include the vital care that takes place in the home, in neighborhoods, and in other settings. We also consider care as work – both in its more formal settings and in the informal spaces in which it most often occurs. We are looking for research proposals that address these themes and especially those that give voice to those whose stories are not often heard, both the caregivers and those receiving care.

Grants can be used for collection of pilot data or other data collection, archival research, fieldwork, research assistance, supplies, books, software, travel integral to the development of the project, course release, and other forms of research support allowable under UB guidelines.

To apply, please submit a CV, a proposal narrative with project title, summary of your project, anticipated project outcomes, and a timeline for completion of the work (maximum two single-spaced pages), and a detailed budget of planned expenditures to communitiesofcare@buffalo.edu. Proposals should be written in a way that make them legible to non-specialists. Proposals will be evaluated by an independent ad hoc committee.

The evaluation committee may fund more than one proposal. The amount awarded each proposal will be based on the project proposed and the detailed budget.

Deadline to submit proposals: April 30, 2025
Notification of award recipient(s): May 30, 2025
Award recipients should begin their work July 1, 2025 and complete it by June 30, 2026.

Recipients will be expected to submit a one-page summary of their research or research update within a year of receiving the funds, including a description of how the award helped the recipient(s) pursue their research goals.

Please direct all inquiries to  communitiesofcare@buffalo.edu 

The Mellon-funded Communities of Care project is soliciting applications for course development grants up to $2,500. These grants will add to and strengthen the curriculum on disability studies and gendered care work, with a humanities focus. We will consider proposals for courses taught at any level. Awards are expected to be used during the summer of 2025 to develop courses for future addition to departmental course offerings

Communities of Care Course Development Grant Proposals might include:
1) new individually taught courses
2) new team-taught courses
3) the significant revision of an existing course for the purpose of integrating disability and care work topics into the curriculum.

Grants can be used to fund the following types of expenses:
- purchase of books or media
- salary for a summer research assistant
- acquisition of research materials or collections relevant to the course
- development of improved models for teaching the course
-research travel directly related to the course
-other course-related expenses

Grant money cannot be used for personal summer salary for the faculty-member.

Proposals should include the following information:
1) a general course description that addresses course content, aims and objectives, anticipated course size and instructional level, and the specific ways this course will enhance the curriculum
2) a preliminary syllabus or course outline
4) a statement of how you plan to use the grant money, including a budget with estimated expenses

The deadline for submission is Tuesday, April 1, 2025.

Completed proposals should be sent to communitiesofcare@buffalo.edu