Faculty-Driven Initiatives (FDI)
The Faculty-Driven Initiatives grant at MIT funds interdisciplinary, faculty-led research projects in the humanities, arts, and social sciences to foster community and scholarship.
Funder: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Due Dates: October 1, 2026 (Full application deadline, projected)
Funding Amounts: Up to $500,000 per initiative; typically one award per cycle, duration one year
Summary: Supports MIT faculty-led, interdisciplinary projects building community and scholarship in the humanities, arts, or social sciences.
Description
The Faculty-Driven Initiatives (FDI) program, administered by the MIT Human Insight Collaborative (MITHIC), funds ambitious, faculty-led projects that foster community and advance scholarship in the humanities, arts, or social sciences at MIT. The program emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, encouraging faculty and staff from multiple MIT units—especially those in the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) and beyond—to work together on well-defined topics or pressing societal issues. FDIs are intended to build robust academic networks, support both new and ongoing initiatives, and catalyze research and engagement that strengthen MIT’s intellectual community. The program is distinct from other MITHIC funds and is not intended for curricular programs.
