Imagine Fund Special Events Grant Proposals

The Imagine Fund Special Events Grant Program seeks to support new and ongoing activities across the University of Minnesota system that promote profound understanding of the human condition, excellence, innovation, collaboration, interdisciplinary dialogue, and greater public engagement with the University.

Special Events Grants are highly competitive. Proposals must relate to the areas of the arts, humanities, or design. Events should be open to the public and preference is given to events that prioritize public accessibility and engagement. Awards rarely will be granted for traditional academic symposia or conferences—these types of events must 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 or other centers and colleges.

Learn more about the Imagine Fund Special Events Grants Program objectives, view past recipients, and review FAQs.

 

Grant Rounds & Timeline

  • For events commencing late Fall 2023 through Fall 2024, please apply in Fall 2023. Deadline for Proposals: Monday, September 25, 2023
  • For events commencing late Spring 2024 through Spring 2025, please apply in Spring 2024. Deadline for Proposals: Monday, January 29, 2024

 

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 in the University of Minnesota system-wide. 
  • 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.

ENGAGEMENT
All proposals must contain an effective and significant community engagement strategy designed to attract the larger public’s attention and participation. Preference is given to programs that engage Minnesota communities.

BUDGET
A detailed budget plan must be submitted with a proposal. Additional funding sources are encouraged but not necessary for a successful proposal. If your budget includes items covered by other funding sources, please 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, 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.

For public events, please include provisions for accessibility, and funding for captioning of live-streamed and recorded events. CART captioning typically costs about $400 per hour.

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. The award may be extended (upon reapplication and reconsideration by the committee) for up to two years after the first year of new proposed event, and for up to two years for already existing events.

 

Proposal Instructions

Proposals will be submitted online via InfoReady Review. Uploaded documents must be either Word or PDF; budget documents may be in Excel, Word, or PDF.
 
Required fields:

  1. Applicant’s email address
  2. Applicant’s appointment title (e.g., assistant professor, researcher)
  3. Applicant’s department
  4. Applicant’s college
  5. Applicant’s campus
  6. Event title
  7. Amount requested
  8. Event abstract (up to 300 words)

Required documents:

(1) Proposal for your event that includes the following elements:

  1. Description of the event, including target audience. (300 words max)
  2. List of collaborating/partnering individuals and organizations. Indicate whether these are confirmed or potential.
  3. How are the collaborators or the unit/organization positioned to carry out this event? (150 words max)
  4. What is your community engagement strategy? (150 words max)
  5. What are the anticipated impacts of your event? How will it benefit your audience and the wider community? (300 words max)
  6. What additional funding or other resources do you have? Indicate whether these are confirmed or potential. (150 words max)

    Requests for recurring funds should additionally include:
    —In the case of new events, a detailed plan for how to assess and report on the success and impact of the first year’s event(s). Reports will not be required after the second year in these cases. (300 words max)
    —In the case of already existing events, a clear and detailed report on the success and impact of the events that have already occurred. (300 words max)
     

(2) Detailed budget plan (300 word max)

A detailed budget must be submitted with a proposal. Additional funding sources are encouraged but not necessary for a successful proposal. If your budget includes items covered by other funding sources, please indicate which budget items would be covered by the Imagine Fund grant.

Include a budget justification describing why budget items are necessary and explaining 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.

For public events, please include provisions for accessibility, and funding for captioning of live-streamed and recorded events. CART captioning typically costs about $400 per hour.

 

 

Contact

For more information, please contact [email protected] and include “Imagine Fund Special Events Grants” in the subject line.