Call for Proposals

The Call for Proposals is currently closed. A new CFP will launch in February 2024 for activities in academic year 2024-25.

Important Updates for 2023:

To maximize our funding capacity and increase Working Group award levels, the Corridor returns to a once-yearly (spring) funding cycle. Please review these details carefully before starting your application.

Our Spring 2023 Call for Proposals opened Feb. 20 and closed March 27, 2023. Awarded funds support Working Group activities occurring during the Academic Year (Fall 2023 and/or Spring 2024 -- NO summers). With just one submission cycle per year, your next opportunity to apply will be mid-spring 2024.

Who Can Apply? We welcome proposals by new and existing Working Groups led by faculty and academic staff at Syracuse University, Cornell University, University of Rochester, Colgate University, Hamilton College, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Skidmore College, St. Lawrence University, Union College, Le Moyne College, and Rochester Institute of Technology.

A Working Group is formed by individuals from two or more Corridor-affiliated institutions in different locales to organize activities centered on a theme, concern, or issue in the humanities. Groups apply for funding to support their academic year collaborations (Fall and Spring semester awards only). Many Groups are open to new members, and proposals for New Working Groups are always welcome. All groups are expected to explain how their collaborative work contributes to the humanities, provide strong funding rationales, and to rotate awards across Corridor locations and host institutions over time.

Working Group Activities take many forms... from deep dives into a discipline to broad interdisciplinary queries; from convening (online or in person) to form writing groups, develop manuscripts, or explore humanities methods to hosting large-scale public symposia that advance community engagement or take up key social issues.

What can be funded? Corridor funding can support a wide array of activities and regional collaborations. Browse our models of collaboration and our Calendar for examples of what's possible. Note that Corridor funding may not be used for regularly held annual conferences or meetings of a scholarly society.

Proposal Categories + Funding Levels (effective Spring 2023)*

  1. New Working Group: Award funding is up to $3,000. Once established, Working Groups may submit proposals as a Continuing Working Group in categories 2 or 3, below.
  2. Continuing Working Group:** Established Working Groups may apply for up to $3,500-4,000 per award, not to exceed a cap of $7,000 across multiple awards within the same academic year. (Possible examples: proposing two $3,500 awards -or- three $2,300 awards, etc. where no single award exceeds $4,000 and multiple awards do not exceed $7,000 in total, within the same cycle).
  3. Signature Events:** Ongoing Working Groups that have been active and successfully managing awards for more than two years may propose a high-impact, public Signature Event to involve three or more Corridor institutions (e.g., conference, exhibit, performance): awarded at up to $12,000. Groups cannot receive Signature Event funding in consecutive years.

*Additional funds to support accessibility are available beyond these award levels, in any category. Working Groups should provide a clear rationale and projected costs for any anticipated accommodation services, in the designated section of your proposal.

**Continuing Working Groups may only apply for Activities -or- Signature Event funding for the academic year.

How Do Working Groups "Work?" What's Required?

  • Organizers: Each Working Group needs faculty/staff Organizers from two or more Corridor institutions.
    • At least one must be from Cornell University, Syracuse University, or the University of Rochester;
    • Organizers cannot all be from one Corridor locale -- all Syracuse (Le Moyne College/Syracuse University); all Rochester (Rochester Institute of Technology/University of Rochester).
    • Graduate students cannot be Organizers but may participate in Working Group activities.  
  • Proposing and Hosting Activities: Organizers collaborate to propose, plan, and host activities that contribute to the humanities. Every activity needs a host campus and a designated Organizer from that host campus (even if remote format). Your Working Group funding is tied to the host campus specified from each awarded activity.
  • Each New Group selects a Research Cluster for their work: Archives & Media (AM); Digital Humanities (DH); Historical Studies (HS); Humanities Futures (HF); Inequality & Social Difference (ISD); Linguistics, Semiotics, and the Study of Language (LIN); Literature, Language & Culture (LLC); Musicology / Performance Studies (MP); Philosophy/Critical Theory (PCT); and Visual Arts & Culture (VAC).

Want to Apply?

Contact Us:

If you have questions about this process or need guidance on how to carry out your ideas within Corridor frameworks, email the Corridor’s administrative home at Syracuse University at CNYHumanities@syr.edu.