The Louisville Institute

The Louisville Institute’s First Book Grant Program for Minority Scholars seeks to assist junior, non-tenured religion scholars of color to complete a major research and book project, focusing on some issue pertaining to American Christianity related to the priorities of the Louisville Institute. All too often such scholars are asked to assume a heavy set of institutional responsibilities that can make it more difficult to complete the scholarly work necessary to secure tenure. As a response, this grant program seeks to enable scholars to spend an entire academic year devoted to that research project while free of other professional responsibilities.

In keeping with its fundamental mission, the Louisville Institute is especially interested in identifying and supporting scholars of color who seek through their academic work to be in conversation with church leaders and to strengthen their faith communities.

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• be members of a racial/ethnic minority group,
• have an earned doctoral degree (normally the Ph.D. or Th.D.),
• normally be a pre-tenured faculty member in a full-time, tenure-track position at an accredited institution of higher education (seminary, college, or university) in North America,
• be able to negotiate a full academic year free from teaching and committee responsibilities, and
• be engaged in a scholarly research project leading to the publication of their first (or second) book, focusing on some aspect of Christianity in North America.

(If the institution does not award tenure, it must provide some form of continuing, full-time employment, such as renewable term contracts. For purposes of this grant program, the term “racial/ethnic minority group” includes African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Arab Americans, and Pacific Islanders.)

Applicants may not submit applications to more than one Louisville Institute grant program within the same grant year (June 1-May 31).

Questions about eligibility may be sent to kliechty@louisville-institute.org

Application and Selection Procedure

Application forms may be downloaded from the Louisville Institute web site. Applications include:

• Applicant Information and Project Summary Form
• Narrative statement of approximately 5-7 pages (12-point and double-spaced). Describe your proposal in detail using the following outline:
  • Concern/Question: What is the primary concern or question being addressed?
  • Rationale: Why is the proposed topic important to you and to the church? What are the consequences if this issue is not investigated and responded to?
  • Plan: How do you intend to study and investigate the concern? Include a description of the way in which you will conduct the inquiry: bibliography of the main sources to be read, field work if appropriate, travel and other resources necessary to complete the project.
  • Dissemination: Who is your audience for this research? How do you plan to share your research with them? What oral forms of dissemination fit the project (e.g. sermons, education venues, speeches, conference papers)? What written forms of dissemination fit the project (e.g., essay, article, book, other possible publication venues)?
  • Impact: What personal, academic, and spiritual impacts do you see for yourself in engaging in this project? What benefits will come to your institution and to the larger church?
  • Timeline: What is the schedule and timeline for the project?
• Selective bibliography of the main sources to be read (2-3 pages double-spaced)
• Detailed budget and budget narrative – see Guide for Budget Preparation
• Copy of your current Curriculum Vitae or résumé (no more than 4 pages).
• A letter from the dean or chairperson confirming release from teaching responsibilities in the event of a grant
• Two letters of recommendation commenting on the project and the applicant. Letter writers should send these letters directly to the Louisville Institute office by the January 15 application deadline. (To help ensure that your completed application is accessible to the Louisville Institute, please fill out your application in either Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat.)

With the following exceptions, we prefer that you send most application materials by either uploading documents through our website or by e-mail attachments in either *.pdf or *.doc format to kliechty@louisville-institute.org by the annual deadline.

• Letters of recommendation should be sent by the letter writer directly to the Louisville Institute by the application deadline. While it is our preference to receive them by hard copy on letterhead, letters will be accepted on letterhead by email attachment in *.pdf or *.doc format or by fax, with hard copy to follow.
• If you choose to send your entire proposal in hard copy, please assemble it in the order listed above using paper clips and not staples and mail to the office of the Louisville Institute by the annual deadline of January 15.

Duration of Award and Stipend

The grant amount requested should not exceed $40,000.  Awards for sabbatical leaves of less than a full academic year will not be made.  Normally the Louisville Institute will pay the grant directly to the institutions of those selected, but no indirect costs to the institution will be allowed in this grant program.

Conditions

Grantees must be released from all teaching and committee responsibilities during the award year, and applications should include a letter from the appropriate dean or chairperson confirming that the applicant will be released from those responsibilities if receiving an award. (If the institution does not award tenure, this letter should also briefly describe the faculty review process that provides faculty members with continuing, full-time employment, such as renewable term contracts.) Grantees may not accept other awards that provide a major stipend during the tenure of this grant except insofar as necessary to bring the sabbatical year salary up to the grantee’s full salary level. Although the Louisville Institute First Book Grant Program for Minority Scholars has no residence requirement, in the year of their award, all grantees are expected to participate in the Louisville Institute's two-day Winter Seminar.  Travel and lodging expenses for the Seminar will be covered by the Louisville Institute.

Please note that Louisville Institute grantees may not simultaneously hold two grants from Lilly Endowment-funded organizations that total more than $45,000.