Imagine Fund Special Events Grant Proposal

Imagine Fund Special Events Grant Proposal is sponsored by University of Minnesota. Provides funding for events promoting understanding of the human condition, excellence, innovation, and public engagement.

Imagine Fund Special Events Grant Proposal | Institute for Advanced Study Imagine Fund Special Events Grant Proposal Next Deadline: Monday, October 12, 2026 at 11:59 p. m.

CT The Imagine Fund Special Events Grant Program seeks to support new and ongoing activities across the University of Minnesota system that promote profound understanding of the human condition, excellence, innovation, collaboration, interdisciplinary dialogue, and greater public engagement with the University. Special Events Grants are highly competitive. Proposals must relate to the areas of the arts, humanities, or design.

Events should be open to the public and preference is given to events that prioritize public accessibility and engagement. Awards rarely will be granted for traditional academic symposia or conferences—these types of events must be innovative and include a significant public engagement component. It is recommended, but not required, that applicants seek collaboration and co-sponsors through the IAS or other centers and colleges.

The Imagine Fund is an initiative of the Executive Vice President and Provost, established in 2007 through a generous gift from the McKnight Foundation to provide competitive financial support for research and scholarship in the arts, humanities, and design at the University of Minnesota. The Imagine Fund Special Event Grants Program is administered by the Institute for Advanced Study.

Learn More & Review Past Recipients Spring 2026 applicants: Notifications will be sent soon. Supports events commencing Summer 2026–Spring 2027. Fall 2026 Deadline: October 12, 2026.

Supports events commencing Spring 2027–Winter 2027. Spring 2027 Deadline: February 22, 2027. Supports events commencing Summer 2027–Spring 2028.

Applicants for Imagine Fund Special Events grants must be tenured or tenure-track faculty, faculty holding full-time (100%) salaried continuous fixed-term appointments, or Academic Professional staff in the University of Minnesota system-wide. Note that eligibility does not include: visiting faculty, students pursuing a Ph. D.

(unless they also meet the above criteria), non-salaried faculty appointment type W [without salary] or employees with T [financial] appointments or A [clerical] appointments. Attention will be paid to ensure a representative proportion of non-tenured/tenure-track faculty applicants receive these awards. Faculty may apply collectively for the Special Event awards, but a faculty member may be listed on only one application.

Detailed and clearly articulated plans will receive preferential treatment. It is understood that some proposals for events in the early stages of development may lack confirmed collaborators, participants, and funding, but these plans should contain a timeline and articulate a clear plan for executing the event.

If a proposal seeks funding for recurring funds to support events in multiple years, this proposal must contain a detailed plan to assess and report on the success of the first year’s event(s). The Imagine Fund Advisory Committee will review these reports before recurring funds will be released for subsequent years.

All proposals must contain an effective and significant community engagement strategy designed to attract the larger public’s attention and participation. Preference is given to programs that engage Minnesota communities. A detailed budget plan must be submitted with a proposal.

Additional funding sources are encouraged but not necessary for a successful proposal. If your budget includes items covered by other funding sources, you must indicate which budget items would be covered by the Imagine Fund grant. Administrative costs should not exceed more than 25 percent of any proposed budget, and grants typically will not cover a full-time graduate assistant.

This endowment’s purpose is to support the substance of proposed events. Therefore, food and beverage costs should be kept to a minimum in any proposal and are generally considered the responsibility of the department(s) in which the organizers are housed, unless they are central to the purpose of the event. For public events, please include provisions for accessibility, and funding for captioning of live-streamed and recorded events.

CART captioning typically costs about $140 per hour, depending on the service you contract. Generally, grants range between $5,000-$15,000, but proposals beyond that range which represent exceptional opportunities—in terms of ideas, innovation, collaboration, interdisciplinary exchange, public engagement, and conscientious planning—will be considered by the committee.

Important: The award may be extended (upon reapplication and reconsideration by the committee) for up to two years after the first year of new proposed event, and for up to two years for already existing events. Proposals will be submitted online via InfoReady Review. Uploaded documents must be either Word or PDF; budget documents may be in Excel, Word, or PDF.

Applicant’s email address Applicant’s appointment title (e.g., assistant professor, researcher) Event abstract.

Important: If your application is successful, this abstract will be used to publicize your award (up to 900 characters, or approximately 150 words) Budget abstract: a one-sentence summary of the costs that would be covered by Imagine funds (e.g. “Requested funds will cover costs for speaker fees, travel, and promotional posters.

”) Approximate event(s) start date Approximate event(s) end date (1) Proposal for your event that includes the following elements: Description of the event, including target audience. (300 words max) List of collaborating/partnering individuals and organizations. Indicate whether these are confirmed or potential.

How are the collaborators or the unit/organization positioned to carry out this event? (150 words max) What is your community engagement strategy? (150 words max) What are the anticipated impacts of your event?

How will it benefit your audience and the wider community? (300 words max) What additional funding or other resources do you have? Indicate whether these are confirmed or potential.

(150 words max) If the proposed event is identical or very similar to one that has taken place in the past, include a clear and detailed report on the success and impact of the event(s) that have already occurred. (300 words max) (2) Detailed budget plan (300 word max) A detailed budget must be submitted with a proposal. Additional funding sources are encouraged but not necessary for a successful proposal.

If your budget includes items covered by other funding sources, you must indicate which budget items would be covered by the Imagine Fund grant. Include a budget justification describing why budget items are necessary and explaining the basis for cost estimates. Administrative costs should not exceed more than 25 percent of any proposed budget, and grants typically will not cover a full-time graduate assistant.

This endowment’s purpose is to support the substance of proposed events. Therefore, entertainment and hospitality costs should be kept to a minimum in any proposal and are generally considered the responsibility of the department(s) in which the organizers are housed. For public events, please include provisions for accessibility, and funding for captioning of live-streamed and recorded events.

CART captioning typically costs about $140 per hour, depending on the service you contract.

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