Graduate Anti-Racism Research Grant

The Bowman Center offers small grants to graduate students, enabling them to pursue research projects centered around racism, racial equity, and justice.

These funds support students in conducting independent scholarship under the guidance of a faculty mentor or extending their faculty advisor's research. To apply for the grants, students must submit a project proposal, budget, and a faculty support letter.

Grantees are strongly encouraged to participate in monthly meetings during the Fall and Winter semesters. These meetings serve as a platform for sharing research progress and discussing the unique challenges faced by scholars in academia and foster a sense of community among the grantees. The Bowman Center amplifies the work of our graduate grantees through social media, the annual Graduate Research Showcase at the end of the Winter semester, and in Bowman Center events during the academic year.

Apply by March 13

More Information

Award Details

Community & Support
Grantees are invited (not required) to join monthly meetings during the Fall and Winter semesters to share their research progress and challenges, discuss how to navigate academia as an anti-racism scholar, and be in community with one another. Furthermore, grantees will have the opportunity to connect with other anti-racism scholars across the university.
Eligibility
Currently enrolled graduate and professional students (doctoral and master's) in good academic standing are eligible to apply, regardless of their discipline, identities, or background. Students must be enrolled in a University of Michigan (U-M) graduate or professional program during the time of the grant period. Prior grantees can reapply for funds to support the same research project or for a different project; however, priority will be given to first-time grantees.
Funding
Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded during the 2026 spring term for the 1-year grant period.
Application Process

Candidates must submit the online application form and include the following documents by Friday, March 13, at 11:59 p.m. ET:

  • 100-word (or less) abstract of the project
  • Project narrative (no more than five pages), including:
    • The objectives and scope of the proposed project, and how the project is important to the applicant’s research goals. If the proposed project is an extension of their faculty advisor’s research project, please describe how the student’s project uniquely contributes to (i.e., is distinct from) their faculty advisor’s project.
      • How does the project illuminate and address issues of racism, racial inequality, and racial justice? How does this work challenge or dismantle systemic racism?
      • How does the project align with the Bowman Center's understanding of anti-racism scholarship (detailed below)?
        • The Bowman Center promotes the production of anti-racism scholarship that articulates how racism operates in the contemporary world (especially as that world reflects dimensions of identity fluidity unique to modern times). Central to this agenda is supporting the production of scholarship that embraces and fosters understanding of intersectionality as fundamental to how different people may experience and respond to racial phenomena.
        • This agenda also includes articulating strategies for social interventions that assist in the eradication of racism in contemporary life.
        • We understand anti-racism scholarship to explicitly:
          • Recognize how racism operates within and is reinforced by systems, institutions, policy, social forces, and throughout history
          • Highlight the connection between anti-racism scholarship and continued efforts to challenge or dismantle systemic racism
      • How might the research likely inform practice, public engagement, and action to advance anti-racist principles and organizing?
    • Note: The reference list of sources cited in the narrative is not included in the 5-page limit.
  • Curriculum vitae (CV)
  • U-M faculty advisor letter of support that addresses:
    • How the proposed project may forward the student’s progress toward a degree
    • Student’s prior experience, history, and/or propensity for anti-racist praxis (practice)
    • Contribution of the proposed project to the field, particularly as it relates to challenging and/or dismantling systemic racism
    • How the faculty advisor will support the student and/or project
  • Proposed budget, including other sources of funding

See our FAQs sheet for additional information, including information on submitting team proposals.

Budget Guidelines

Budget proposals may include:

  • Expenses for research materials (e.g., laboratory supplies, transcription services, data analysis tools)
  • Transportation and lodging at research or field sites
  • Compensation for undergraduate research assistants, participants, and community partners

Budget proposals should not include:

  • Travel expenses not directly related to research or scholarly activity
  • Hosting expenses not directly related to research or scholarly activity
  • Per diem
Selection Criteria

Projects awarded will include a clear description of how the project will:

  • Address issues of racism, racial inequality, and racial justice in novel ways (e.g., theoretically and/or methodologically)
    • While the specific focus of the proposed research may focus on impacts, processes, and change at the individual or interpersonal level as it relates to racism, the project narrative should also articulate how this work is related to continued efforts to challenge or dismantle systemic racism.
  • Advance anti-racism and anti-racist praxis in alignment with the Bowman Center's definition of anti-racism scholarship:
    • We understand anti-racism scholarship to explicitly:
      • Recognize how racism operates within and is reinforced by systems, institutions, policy, social forces, and throughout history
      • Highlight the connection between anti-racism scholarship and continued efforts to challenge or dismantle systemic racism
    • Inform practice, public engagement, policy, and/or action to advance anti-racist principles and organizing

Applicants will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Budget
  • Feasibility of Project Plan
  • Clarity & Alignment with Institutional Objectives of Anti-Racism
  • Potential for Impact
Funding Decisions and Period
Funding decisions will be made in April 2026, and funds will be disbursed in May 2026. Funds must be used within one year of receipt. Any funds that are unused by the end of the grant period must be returned to the Bowman Center within 90 days after the end of the grant period to allow time for financial reconciliation processes to be completed.
Administration of Funds
The recipient is responsible for coordinating with the Bowman Center's staff and their home department to arrange for good stewardship of the funds. Funds will be transferred to a specified project grant within the student’s home department. Recipients must adhere to any applicable policies and procedures established by their departments. All activities must be done in accordance with any COVID-related spending restrictions at the time of the project. Any changes in budget items or project period must first be approved by the Bowman Center.
Reporting Guidelines
Applicants who receive funding must agree to submit a two-page final report within 30 days of the end of the funding period (report template will be provided), as well as return any unused grant funds to the Bowman Center within 90 days of the end of the funding period. Grant recipients will be expected to participate in the Bowman Center's organized activities focused on disseminating information on their funded research project (e.g., give a talk based on a project at a Bowman Center event, participate on a panel, lead an informal coffee discussion, contribute to a Bowman Center publication, etc.).
Inquiries
For additional information, please see the FAQs document or direct questions to ncidgrants@umich.edu.

FAQs

How do I apply for this grant?
From the grant program webpage, click on "Apply Here" to access the InfoReady application portal which will require authenticating your U-M credentials.
I was awarded this grant in prior years. Am I eligible to apply again to continue working on the same project? Can I apply for funding to work on a different project?
Current grantees can reapply for funding to continue on the same project or for a different project; however, priority will be given to first time grantees.
Are citations included as part of the five page project narrative?
While your narrative should include the proper citations, the reference list of the sources you cited are not counted in the 5-page limit.
Are students eligible to submit more than one project for consideration?
No, only one submitted application is allowed per student.
If a team of graduate students wish to submit a joint application, is that permissible and if so, how should the application be submitted?
Yes, co-applicants are allowed; however, the maximum grant amount awarded for team projects is the same as for individual submissions, $5,000. The team must select someone to submit the application to serve as the primary applicant and main point of contact for the project. The project narrative should explain the role of each team member named in the proposal. A CV or resume should be submitted for each team member. A separate faculty support letter must be submitted for each team member; if the faculty advisor supervises all of the team members, then one support letter may be submitted that includes information on each team member.
Does the faculty advisor support letter need to come from a students’ assigned department advisor or can it come from any faculty mentor?
Advising structures may vary depending on school/college/department, so the U-M faculty member best situated to write the letter could be an official department advisor or dissertation chair, for example. The faculty advisor support letter should come from a U-M faculty member who can speak to, among other things, how the project might forward progress toward your degree.
What are the options for submitting the faculty advisor letter of support?
Your faculty advisor may send the letter to you to upload in the system when you submit your other materials; or your faculty advisor may email the letter to ncidgrants@umich.edu and we will attach it to the rest of your application materials.
How long do I have to use any awarded funding?
The funding decisions will be made in April and funds will be disbursed in May. Funds must be used within one year of receipt. Unused funds must be returned to NCID at the end of the grant period.
Who do I contact if I still have questions?
Please email ncidgrants@umich.edu.