Fairchild-Holcomb Award for Innovation in the Humanities

Application Deadline: Wednesday, July 1, 2026
Decision Notification: Thursday, August 13, 2026

Award Description
The Fairchild-Holcomb Award for Innovation in the Humanities supports faculty in the creation and dissemination of new knowledge in the humanities making extensive use of the UGA Special Collections Libraries or Creative Engagement Wing at the Miller Learning Center. Through this generous gift, the University of Georgia Libraries has committed funding for two awards up to $5,000 each in FY27, and we invite proposals supporting original research in the humanities led by University of Georgia faculty.

Projects will also include a plan for instruction and/or outreach activities to share this new knowledge and the approaches derived from creating it (e.g., teach an updated course as instructor of record, lead a workshop or colloquium).

Faculty may apply for the award in partnership with graduate students. Interdisciplinary projects are encouraged. Applicants are also encouraged to consider other external and internal sources of funds.

In accepting the award, the faculty member agrees to spend all funds by the spending deadline of June 30, 2027, submit a final summative report following the conclusion of the award, and include the UGA Libraries in all publicity.

Use of Funds
Funding may be used for faculty summer salary/fringe, travel expenses, equipment, supplies, support services, and graduate or undergraduate student support in alignment with relevant UGA and USG policies.

Eligibility
Open to all full-time UGA faculty (both tenure and non-tenure track).

Review Process and Funding
Proposals will be reviewed by a team of faculty and administrators jointly assembled by the University Librarian and the Director of the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts. They will be evaluated on research excellence, quality of the proposal in definition, organization, clarity, and scope, in addition to budget detail and justification. Preference will be given to interdisciplinary research proposals and UGA Special Collections Libraries Faculty Fellows and Center for Creative Engagement Wing Fellows.

Required Proposal Content and Submission Instructions
The following proposal components are required and must be submitted via the online proposal form. The proposal should be uploaded as a single PDF file.

Preliminary information entered on the proposal submission form:
Proposal Name
UGA PI Name and Contact Information
Names, affiliations, emails of collaborators

Upload as one PDF:
Summary of Project and expected outcomes (1200 words max.)
Budget, following the Faculty Research Fund Budget template: https://research.uga.edu/docs/forms/iga/FSG-Budget-Template.xlsx

Contact for Questions
Kat Stein, Associate University Librarian for Special Collections, kshirley@uga.edu

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