Innovation Lab Grants-Solidarities

Innovation Lab Grants-Solidarities is sponsored by The Mills Institute. Provides funding for new work in gender and racial justice, supporting projects that critically engage with the research theme 'Solidarities.'

Innovation Lab Grant-Solidarities - The Mills Institute Innovation Lab Grants-Solidarities The Mills Institute is pleased to announce our Innovation Lab Grant program. Beginning in the academic year 2025-2026, we will offer grant funding from $5,000 to $15,000 to fund new work in gender and racial justice.

Innovation Lab Grant projects must support the Mills Institute’s mission and critically engage the 2025-2026 research theme, “Solidarities. ” The Mills Institute was formed in 2022, when Mills College merged with Northeastern University, to honor and advance Mills’ legacy as a historic women’s college.

The Mills Institute advances gender and racial justice through programs and partnerships that support transformative teaching and learning, research, and career development.

The Mills Institute’s 2025-2026 research theme, Solidarities , invites applicants to think broadly about the many collaborative relationships that define and support our work, including our work with thought partners and research collaborators outside of our university campuses.

We will prioritize funding proposals that facilitate supportive research relationships, i.e., work that supports emerging, under-resourced, unaffiliated, and/or community scholars through relationships with more established, better-resourced scholars. Collaborative possibilities include but are not limited to co-authorship, multisite research, and/or academic/organizational partnerships.

Historically, Mills College maintained a rich relationship with Oakland and the larger Bay Area community, representing a diverse array of productive solidarities. This grant funding will build on this legacy of relationships by focusing thematically on the relationships and community formations that inform our research and innovation.

The grant is open to traditional scholarly projects, community programs, and innovative project formats, including oral history projects, podcasts, and digital work. Scholars in all disciplines are encouraged to apply, though each project proposal must include one participant from Northeastern University. Residency is not required.

Participating scholars will be required to participate in a hybrid, public-facing research presentation in either the fall or spring semester. The grant deadline for 2024-2025 has passed.