Fall 2026 Deadline: Monday, October 19, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CT
The Imagine Fund Special Events Grant Program supports new and ongoing activities across all five University of Minnesota campuses that promote innovation, collaboration, interdisciplinarity, and public engagement with the University.
Special Events Grants are highly competitive. Proposed events must relate to the areas of the arts, humanities, and design and should translate or otherwise engage broad audiences in the research, scholarship, and other activities of the University of Minnesota. Preference is given to events that align with one or more of the Strategic Imperatives in Elevate Extraordinary 2030, or other campus- or college-wide strategic initiatives, and that prioritize civic engagement. Events that are aimed primarily at the University community should be innovative and include a significant public engagement component. It is recommended, but not required, that applicants seek collaboration and co-sponsors through the IAS and other units.
The Imagine Fund is an initiative of the Executive Vice President and Provost, established in 2007 through a generous gift from the McKnight Foundation to provide competitive financial support for research and scholarship in the arts, humanities, and design at the University of Minnesota.
The selection process for the Imagine Fund Special Event Grants Program is facilitated by the Institute for Advanced Study.
Grant Rounds
- Fall 2026 Deadline: October 19, 2026. Supports events commencing Spring 2027–Spring 2028.
- Spring 2027 Deadline: February 22, 2027. Supports events commencing Fall 2027–Fall 2028.
Eligibility
- Applicants for Imagine Fund Special Events grants must be tenured or tenure-track faculty, faculty holding full-time (100%) salaried continuous fixed-term appointments, or Academic Professional staff from any University of Minnesota campus.
- Note that eligibility does not include: visiting faculty, students pursuing a Ph.D. (unless they also meet the above criteria), non-salaried faculty appointment type W [without salary] or employees with T [financial] appointments or A [clerical] appointments.
- Attention will be paid to ensure a representative proportion of non-tenured/tenure-track faculty applicants receive these awards. Faculty may apply collectively for the Special Event awards, but a faculty member may be listed on only one application.
Application Guidelines
Planning
Detailed and clearly articulated plans will receive preferential treatment. It is understood that some proposals for events in the early stages of development may lack confirmed collaborators, participants, and funding, but these plans should contain a timeline and articulate a clear plan for executing the event. If a proposal seeks funding for recurring funds to support events in multiple years, this proposal must contain a detailed plan to assess and report on the success of the first year’s event(s). The Imagine Fund Advisory Committee will review these reports before recurring funds will be released for subsequent years. Only rarely will recurring funds be provided; the Special Events Grants are intended to seed new projects, and not to become a source of ongoing funding.
Engagement
All proposals must contain an effective and significant engagement strategy designed to attract wide participation among the University community and the broader community. Preference is given to programs that engage Minnesota communities.
Budget
A detailed budget plan must be submitted using the budget template provided via InfoReady. Additional funding sources are encouraged but not necessary for a successful proposal. If your budget includes items covered by other funding sources, you must indicate which budget items would be covered by the Imagine Fund grant.
Administrative costs should not exceed more than 25 percent of any proposed budget, and grants typically will not cover a full-time graduate assistant. This endowment’s purpose is to support the substance of proposed events. Therefore, food and beverage costs should be kept to a minimum in any proposal and are generally considered the responsibility of the department(s) in which the organizers are housed, unless they are central to the purpose of the event.
For public events, please include provisions for accessibility and ensure guests are able to request any accommodations they may need. To learn more about how the Disability Resource Center can support event requests, review their event resource guide or reach out with questions.
Grant Size
Generally, grants range between $5,000-$15,000, but proposals beyond that range which represent exceptional opportunities—in terms of ideas, innovation, collaboration, interdisciplinary exchange, public engagement, and conscientious planning—will be considered by the committee.
Proposal Instructions
Proposals will be submitted online via InfoReady. Uploaded documents must be either Word or PDF; budget documents should be submitted using the template provided via InfoReady.
Required fields:
- Applicant’s email address
- Applicant’s appointment title (e.g., assistant professor, researcher)
- Applicant’s department
- Applicant’s college
- Applicant’s campus
- Event/project title
- Abstract for publicity. Important: If your application is successful, this abstract will be used to publicize your award (up to 900 characters, or approximately 150 words)
- Amount requested
- Budget abstract: a one-sentence summary of the costs that would be covered by Imagine funds (e.g. “Requested funds will cover costs for speaker fees, travel, and promotional posters.”)
- Approximate event(s) start date
- Approximate event(s) end date
Required documents:
A proposal for your event that includes the following elements.
You will be asked to upload your proposal as either a Word document or PDF.
- Description of the event, including target audience. (300 words max)
- List of collaborating/partnering individuals and organizations. Indicate whether these are confirmed or potential.
- How are the collaborators or the unit/organization positioned to carry out this event? (150 words max)
- Describe the ways in which your event aligns with Elevate Extraordinary 2030 and/or other strategic priorities of the University. (200 words max)
- What is your community engagement strategy? (150 words max)
- What are the anticipated impacts of your event? How will it benefit your audience and the wider community? (300 words max)
- What additional funding or other resources do you have? Indicate whether these are confirmed or potential. (150 words max)
- If the proposed event is identical or very similar to one that has taken place in the past, include a clear and detailed report on the success and impact of the event(s) that have already occurred. (300 words max)
A detailed budget plan and justification.
A detailed budget and justification, using the provided template, must be submitted with your proposal. You will be asked to upload this document as a PDF. Additional funding sources are encouraged but not necessary for a successful proposal. If your budget includes items covered by other funding sources, you must indicate which budget items would be covered by the Imagine Fund grant. Justifications should briefly describe why each budget item is necessary and explain the basis for cost estimates.
Administrative costs should not exceed more than 25 percent of any proposed budget, and grants typically will not cover a full-time graduate assistant. This endowment’s purpose is to support the substance of proposed events. Therefore, entertainment and hospitality costs should be kept to a minimum in any proposal and are generally considered the responsibility of the department(s) in which the organizers are housed.