Dean’s Competitive Fund for Promising Scholarship
Internal — Harvard University only
Dean’s Competitive Fund for Promising Scholarship supports Harvard faculty with seed, bridge, and infrastructure funding to advance bold scholarship toward future competitive funding.
Browse similar grants
Funder: Harvard University
Due Dates: October 19, 2026, at 5 PM ET (Fall 2026 application)
Funding Amounts: Up to $125,000 per project, typically for one year; $8 million annual program budget
Summary: Supports bold, imaginative Harvard faculty scholarship through seed funding, bridge funding, and enabling infrastructure.
Key Information: Only eligible FAS and SEAS faculty may lead projects; one lead-PI application is allowed per cycle.
Description
Harvard’s Dean’s Competitive Fund for Promising Scholarship is a FORA-managed program supporting bold, imaginative work in every discipline. It helps faculty launch original scholarship not yet ready for traditional funding, sustain previously funded work that currently lacks external support, and obtain critical equipment or other research resources. Infrastructure support can include databases, museum exhibits, and resources for community benefit.
The program spans all FAS disciplines, including arts and humanities, data science, engineering, environmental sciences, biomedical sciences, mathematics, physical sciences, and social sciences. Faculty affected by changes to federal funding are encouraged to seek seed support for new research directions or a pivot toward other funding sources. Across categories, proposals must explain the critical need, potential for large marginal gain, and why traditional funding is unavailable or insufficient.
