Engaging Complexity: The College Dialogue Fund

The College calls for proposals of up to $25,000 to support research, extracurricular, or cocurricular work with students to build understanding on the importance of dialogue, discovery, and understanding difference. The work may linked with a class or may be a separate project. Successful applicants will become College Dialogue Faculty Fellows for 2025-26 and will participate in a series of workshops. The fund encourages proposals for: seed money or supplemental money to support new or ongoing research on dialogue; new or existing programs that engage students to enhance their capacities to encounter complexity and learn from a diversity of viewpoints; new or existing projects that strengthen links between College students and local or global institutions, private and public, like schools, non-profit or for-profit business, or governmental entities like courts or prisons or City Hall; or workshops and symposia that advance learning among those with different views.

The grants are designed to support

• any combination of research, coursework, and service. (Parallel work focused on First Year Seminars should apply for the College’s Engaging Complexity Course Development Grants for First Year Seminars.)
• student-centered engagement with complex issues and differing points of view
• interdisciplinary teams and/or collaborations among departments, centers, and programs

Faculty teams must include at least one standing faculty member in SAS.

Faculty are eligible to apply for up to $25,000 in funding.

Grants may support course activities; travel, including pre-departure training, lodging, and related travel expenses; stipends for external project participants, summer interns, and research/teaching assistants; and sharing of insights in conferences or other public presentations.

Projects may be developed and implemented over multiple years. Awards may be renewable.

Applications should provide information about other funds available to support the project.

Faculty with questions about the scope of their project may consult with the College Dean’s office.

Graduate tuition and salary support for faculty are not allowable expenses.

Submit the following to the College Dean’s office by April 9, 2025:       

• Application Cover sheet
• Brief CVs (no more than 5 pages) from faculty project directors, one of whom should be from SAS
• A proposal (800-word maximum) that includes a project summary, project rationale, goals and objectives, timeframe, and plan for evaluation.
• Project budget that includes information about other funds available to support the project.
• Plan to involve students. If the project is not course-related, please give an account of how students will be involved. If the project involves a course, address the following questions:
  • Is this a new or existing course?
  • In which semester(s) will the course be taught?
  • Who will teach the course?

If the course will involve travel with students, briefly describe the trip, including the planned timing, the rough itinerary, and the main educational components for students. Before planning your trip, please refer to Penn’s Travel Guidance website to ensure you are apprised of the most recent University updates, policies, and procedures.