The Asian American / Asian Research Institute’s CUNY Faculty Research Support Program is designed to support CUNY faculty to conduct research that seeks to answer critical questions about Asian American and Asian diasporic communities. The program is open to research across all disciplines, including the social sciences, humanities and arts, health sciences, public health, etc. Priority will be given to research that supports a work in progress (e.g., book project, article, major proposal submission, creative work, etc.) and research that has relevance to current policy questions concerning Asian American communities. AAARI aims to fund research on a diversity of Asian ethnic communities.
Funding Available: AAARI will make up to five (5) awards of up to $10,000 per award. Funds must be spent by the end of the Spring 2025 semester.
Eligibility: CUNY full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty members and full-time Doctoral Lecturers are eligible to apply.
Commitments: Applicants who are selected for an award must agree to:
- Produce a white paper (or equivalent for creative works) by June 3, 2025, and allow AAARI to post it on the Institute’s website. (We would also like to include white papers in AAARI’s publication, CUNY FORUM: Asian American / Asian Studies, but this can be negotiated if it will affect publication in other academic journals.)
- Deliver an in-person presentation on their research at an AAARI-sponsored event in the Spring 2025 or Fall 2025 semesters.
Use of Funds: Funds are intended to support research in progress. In most cases, AAARI will directly pay for research costs rather than reimburse or grant funds to the awardee. Use of funds may be limited by NYS and CUNY procurement rules. All expenses must be fully justified. Examples of expenses include but are not limited to the following:
- supplies & materials
- essential travel
- publication/manuscript preparation
- research staff
- consultant fees
- subject fees
- released time: up to $6,500 can be used to support a course release; however, receiving an award does not guarantee your college will approve a course release. If you include a course release in your budget, you must provide written confirmation of support for a course release in Spring 2025 from your campus Provost, after consulting with your department chair and/or dean.
Review Process: Applications will be reviewed by a panel of 3-5 CUNY faculty with expertise in Asian American or Asian diaspora studies. The following factors will guide the review process:
- The degree to which the research supports a work in progress (e.g., book project, article, major proposal development, creative work, etc.).
- Relevance of research to current policy questions concerning Asian American communities.
- The significance of the proposed project’s contribution to existing knowledge and literatures.
- Innovativeness of the project in terms of topic or ethnic communities studied.
- Rigor of the research approach or design.
- Feasibility of the work proposed.
- Appropriateness of the budget proposed.
- Prior work that demonstrates scholarly achievement commensurate with rank/title.
- The overall quality, organization, and clarity of the proposal.
- Whether the proposal narrative conforms to format and word limits. Proposal narratives that exceed the word limits outlined below will not be reviewed.
How to Apply:
- Deadline – Applications must be submitted by: Monday, November 18, 2024, 5:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time.
- Proposal narrative – prepare a single PDF file that includes:
- Proposal title
- Abstract (up to 150 words maximum)
- Project description (up to 1800 words maximum, not including references). The project description should include the following components:
- Project background, significance, and innovativeness
- Project approach and/or research design
- Description of the final product that will be produced by the end of the Spring 2025 semester, using the funds awarded (e.g., scholarly book, major grant proposal, etc.). The final product should be clearly defined and achievable in one semester. It can be an intermediate step towards a longer-term objective.
- Budget and budget narrative – prepare a single PDF file that provides a clear, organized, and detailed description of how you intend to use the funds. Include specific dollar amounts for each expense and an explanation of how you arrived at those amounts. Provide justification for each expense in terms of how the expense will further the project’s objectives. Provide the total amount of funding requested. Individual expenses included in the budget should add up to the total amount.
- Curriculum Vitae – prepare your CV as a single PDF file to upload through the online application.
- Writing sample or creative work – prepare a writing sample or creative work as a single file to upload through the online application.
- Online application form –
- When you are ready to apply, please complete the online application form here: https://forms.gle/Sg4AS7p2N8SX4rWV9
- Upload files – In the online application form, you will find a Dropbox link for uploading required application files. Please ensure that all filenames start with your last name, and then first name, plus a brief description of the file. Uploaded files should include only the following:
- Proposal narrative (upload as 1 PDF file)
- Budget and budget narrative (upload as 1 PDF file)
- Your Curriculum Vitae (upload as 1 PDF file)
- A writing sample or creative work (upload as 1 file)
- If applicable: written consent from your Provost to allow funds to be used for a Spring 2025 course release (upload as 1 PDF file)
Deadline/Timeline:
- Applications must be submitted by: Monday, November 18, 2024, at 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.
- Decisions will be communicated by December 17, 2024.
