Small Grants

To deepen the impact of its dialogue programs, the Hollings Center awards small grants and fellowships to selected dialogue participants* for collaborative follow-on initiatives involving research, professional development and exchanges.

What do we fund?

Proposed small grant projects expand upon the Hollings Center’s program topics and mission through collaborative, cross-cultural pursuits that produce innovative deliverables. The Hollings Center awards these small grants to past dialogue participants only. Examples of initiatives that we fund include:

- Follow-up events on a theme that was addressed at a Hollings Center dialogue, but was not covered in sufficient depth;
- Pilot exchanges or fellowships designed to foster exchanges (between students, faculty, experts, and/or institutions)
- Research that will inform policy (with policy-relevant deliverables).

To receive a consultation about our small grants process and the types of activities the Center funds, email: grants@hollingscenter.org.

Examples of past Hollings Center Small Grants projects:

Opinion survey of Egyptian university students’ attitudes toward the Obama administration
Research on the impact of Afghanistan’s National Solidarity Program on governance in Afghanistan
Launching of student and faculty exchange programs between U.S. universities and campuses in Bangladesh and Morocco
Evaluation of American “branch campuses” in the United Arab Emirates
Workshop on higher education quality in the Middle East
Series of workshops for early-career Turkish and American journalists on Turkey-U.S. relations

Our Hollings small grant has created possibilities that exceeded what the presidents of our two universities, Concordia College, Minnesota, and Independent University, Bangladesh, envisioned when they decided to explore a partnership building on the Center’s conference on independent universities in the Muslim world. Both institutions are exceedingly grateful for support that furthers perhaps the most important thing we can accomplish beyond the daily task of educating students—seeking institutional partnerships abroad that advance and enrich global liberal learning.”

Small Grant Recipient Dialogue on Independent Universities in the Muslim World, 2007

The Hollings Center small grant program has been the catalyst for a very fruitful Afghan-American research collaboration. Following on the Center’s dialogue on governance in Afghanistan, we assessed local governance in that country through a joint study, workshops, and a law school seminar—all with an invaluable combination of Afghan and U.S. perspectives.”

Small Grant Recipient Dialogue on Governance in Afghanistan, 2009

Building on the U.S.-Egypt next-generation dialogue, the small grants program allowed our Egyptian-American research team to conduct a comprehensive study of stakeholders in the U.S. aid program to Egypt. Not only are we producing a study relevant to political science and policy alike, but our team also developed an academic partnership and cultivated professional contacts that will outlive the duration of the grant.”

Small Grant Recipient Dialogue on the Future of Egypt-U.S. Relations, 2009

With support from the Hollings small grants program and building on the Center’s colloquium on quality in higher education, Effat University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, convened a workshop that fostered dialogue among members of the higher education community in Muslim-majority countries. This spirit of collaboration and sharing that the Effat workshop spawned continues to pay itself forward, enriching the participants’ personal, professional and intellectual lives.”

Small Grant Recipient Dialogue on Quality Assurance in Higher Education, 2009

Now Accepting Inquiries and Proposals

For more information and current funding availability, contact grants@hollingscenter.org.

How to Apply

Be a former or current Hollings Center program participant.*

Prepare a letter of inquiry not exceeding one page. The letter of inquiry should contain the following information:

- Prospective Project Title
- Applicant Names and Organizations
- Project Abstract (250 words maximum; explaining purpose and outcome)
- List of Partners/Co-applicants
- Estimated Project Duration
- Estimated Project Budget
- Proposed Deliverables/Outputs

Submit letters to grants@hollingscenter.org.

*Please note that small grants and fellowships are available to conference participants only. The Hollings Center does not make grants outside its dialogue programs.