Whiting Public Engagement Fellowship Internal Competition

(deadlines revised 3/24/20)

The Public Engagement Fellowship of $50,000 is for public-facing projects far enough along in development or execution that the nominee can present compelling, specific evidence that they will successfully engage the intended public. For the strongest Fellowship proposals, both the overall strategy and the practical plan to implement the project will be deeply developed, relationships with key collaborators will be in place, and initial connections with the intended public will have been cultivated. In some cases, the nominee and collaborators may already have tested the idea in a pilot, or the project itself may already be underway.
 
The Public Engagement Seed Grant of up to $10,000 supports projects at a somewhat earlier stage of development than the Fellowship, before the nominee has been able to establish a specific track record of success for the proposed public-facing work. It is not, however, designed for projects starting entirely from scratch: nominees should have fleshed out a compelling vision, including a clear sense of whose collaboration will be required and the ultimate scope and outcomes. They should also have articulated specific short-term next steps required to advance the project and understand the resources required to complete them.

The Whiting Foundation’s full guidelines for the two programs are available here.  

Eligibility

To be eligible for either program, nominees must be full-time humanities faculty as of September 2020 and must be early career, which Whiting defines as pre-tenure, untenured, or having received tenure within the last 5 years. Nominees proposed projects and professional expertise must both be squarely in the humanities. Refer to the Whiting Foundation’s guidelines for additional details.

Internal competition

How to apply: Faculty interested in these programs should submit the following elements as a single pdf to: cenhumapp@wustl.edu using the following naming convention: Fellowship - Last name First name Whiting Fellowship WU Internal, Seed Grant – Last name First name Whiting Seed Grant WU Internal

1. Completed application cover page 

2. A letter of intent (3-page limit; single spaced; 12 pt. font). The letter of intent should include:

  • A compelling summary of your public-facing project, making clear the humanities content, format of engagement, and anything to be produced by the project (if applicable). Lay out the activities you and your collaborators will undertake and specify your desired outcomes as clearly as possible. Be sure to indicate the project’s status and any work already completed to date. Distinguish between activities and outcomes to be accomplished during the Fellowship or Seed Grant and those to be accomplished in the future.
  • Identify current or potential partners who will be critical to the project’s success. For each, briefly describe their qualifications, their potential role(s) in the project, and the status of your relationship (e.g., not yet contacted, in conversation, firmly committed).
  • Description of the competitive field for your proposed project, the gaps that exist in the field, how your project works to fill them, and how your project fills a need. Demonstrate your understanding of other work that is available on similar topics or in similar media, that you understand the options facing your intended public, and that you have a sensible approach to distinguish your project as a compelling alternative.
  • Briefly specify the segment of the public you intend to engage through your project. If there are multiple publics involved, clarify who the project is by, with, and for. Describe your plan to reach them, including the channels you will use. Be sure to make clear why the project will be engaging to the public you have chosen and why the public will be moved to participate in and be affected by it.
  • Short summary of any prior public-facing work you have undertaken and the non-academic skills that that you or your collaborator(s) provided that were required for the project’s success. Summarize the non-academic skills required for success of your proposed project and describe how you have demonstrated expertise in each or who you will collaborate with to ensure the project’s success.

3. Current CV 

Selection criteria

Applications will be peer-reviewed by a selection committee convened by the Center for the Humanities. The committee will consider the following three criteria:

  • Potential to engage the intended public
  • Ability to complete the project successfully
  • Intellectual value

Amount

Fellowship - $50,000
Seed Grant - $10,000

Important dates (revised 3/24/20)

  • Internal competition deadline: Tuesday, April 14, 12 pm central time
  • Nominees notified of selection: Friday, May 1
  • FIRST ROUND Whiting Foundation deadline (nominations forwarded): Friday, June 26
  • FIRST ROUND Whiting Foundation deadline (nominee-submitted short application): Monday, June 29
  • SECOND ROUND Whiting Foundation deadline (revised and expanded application): Monday, November 2
  • Notification: February 2021

Any questions about possible projects or eligibility can be directed to Ignacio Infante, acting director of the Center for the Humanities: iinfante@wustl.edu.