The Faculty Committee for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion believes Anti-Racism is an ongoing process rather than a destination; an everyday ethics aiming at deconstructing systemic institutional structures - built over decades and centuries - that prevent many in our community to reach their full potential as students, scholars and workers.

In addition to policy changes at the administrative level, and the on-going education of our faculty and staff - individual level - we believe improvement of Diversity-Equity-and-Inclusion practices has to come from our academic units - departments and programs - as it should be informed by their specific needs and existing practices.

To support that goal, CDEI will fund projects to steer Middlebury’s curriculum, pedagogies and educational infrastructure towards best practices related to equity, diversity and inclusion in the frame of antiracist work broadly conceived.

THE GRANT

Supported by a recent and generous donation to the college - earmarked for antiracism initiatives - this grant’s objective is the funding of projects including, but not limited to one-time interventions. The grant-awarded projects should either establish long-term institutional antiracist changes, or create a road-map with which to do so, operating at the level of an academic unit such as a department or program.

Areas of funding may include curriculum development and innovation, strategies for hiring and retention of Bipoc faculty, outreach to Bipoc students, or other antiracist-oriented initiatives. Funds can be used to hire external experts and for the logistics required to establish the project.

Applications must clearly demonstrate the antiracist nature of the project, and should outline the ways in which it will lead to longer-term changes. The proposals will be presented by two faculty members - one junior and one senior not holding the chair - and they should count with the support of at least 50 percent of the members of their academic unit(s). The projects will be evaluated by the CDEI, the OIDEI and the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Selected projects will be funded to up to $8,000 for a maximum of two academic terms. Additional funds may be available for interdisciplinary projects combining different academic units. Further, additional funds can be provided by the Provost's office through its anti-racism initiatives as well.

Once completed, the grantees will publicly present the results of the project to the broader Middlebury community, and make its conclusions available for future reference.

General Requirements

The grant application should consist of:

• A narrative of 200 - 500 words identifying the area in which the project will be carried out (e.g. pedagogical development, faculty retention, student recruitment), and explaining why it is an appropriate area of focus for the project.

• A project plan of 250 - 500 words identifying the plan of action for the project, including the specific actions taken (e.g., date and purpose of invited speakers, training etc.), and the expected or intended long-term effects of the project.

• A budget detailing the expected expenses associated with the project.

Application Deadlines

We are accepting applications on a rolling deadline. Projects can begin at any point in the academic year, including in the middle of the semester. Projects have to begin a minimum of one month after, and a maximum of one semester after the application has been submitted.