The Imagine Fund is an initiative of the Executive Vice President and Provost, established 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 Annual Faculty Research Grant supports innovative research in the arts, design, and humanities.

The Imagine Fund has been administratively restructured to further strengthen the commitment to advancing the arts, humanities, and design through strategic collaborations. The Provost has asked the Dean's Office at the UMN Morris to process applications from the UMN Morris faculty. 

Eligibility

Applicants for the Imagine Annual Faculty Research Grants must be tenured or tenure-track faculty in the University of Minnesota (system-wide). Applications also will be accepted from arts, humanities, and design faculty holding full-time (100%) salaried continuous or fixed-term appointments who are annually evaluated like tenured and tenure-track faculty (i.e., with substantially similar expectations for research accomplishments, independence, and ability to secure external funding). Note that eligibility does not include: visiting faculty, students pursuing a Ph.D. or employees with T appointments (temporary) or A appointments (adjunct from outside the University).

Only one application per faculty member is permitted per year.

Examples of successful proposals

Excerpts from past successful Image Fund award proposals can be found here.

Imagine Fund Annual Faculty Award Use

• Maximum award amount is $5,000, up to 15 awards will be given annually.

• Proposed use for awarded funds must relate to the areas of the arts, humanities, or design.

• The award may be used for research needs, teaching materials, books, materials for creative works, travel, or equipment (subject to limitations).

• The award may not be used to purchase computers, nor may it be used to buy equipment available for loan from the University.

• The award may not be used to supplement salary, nor may it be used for course buyouts. 

• Award funding will be released in July 2026 for use thereafter; funds must be spent within a three-year period, no extensions. Under special conditions funds could be spent before July 2026. 

• Awards may be used to supplement or leverage external funding. 

• Awards do not need to be, but certainly may be, used for new projects. 

Information about the Imagine Fund Special Events Grants and Arts, Humanities, and Design Chair Award may be found on the Imagine Fund website.