There are a variety of Creative Arts, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Education (CASSHE) Funding Opportunities commonly awarded to UCSB faculty members. The Office of Research supports UC Santa Barbara’s status as a top-tier research institution and helps catalyze our rich culture of research, innovation and collaboration.
Please note this is for informational purposes only, and much of this is based on previous solicitations. Please check with the specific agencies for the most updated information and deadlines.
Updated September 24, 2026
Funding Sources
Academic Personnel
Hellman Family Faculty Fellows Program
The purpose of the Hellman Fellows program is to provide substantial support for the research of promising assistant professors who have served at least two years at the assistant professor level, and who show capacity for great distinction in their research.
- Deadline: spring; Amount: Up to $50,000
Faculty Career Development Awards (FCDA)
1. Faculty Career Development Award (for Assistant Professors and Assistant Teaching Professors)
2. Regents’ Junior Faculty Fellowship (for Assistant Professors and Assistant Teaching Professors
3. Regents’ Humanities Faculty Fellowship (for Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, Assistant Teaching Professors, and Associate Teaching Professors)
- Deadline: winter; Amount: up to $7,500 in summer salary or $5,000 in replacement funds for course release
Academic Senate Grants
Faculty Research Grants Program
- Deadline: winter; Amount: up to $20,000
Faculty Travel Grants for Presentation of Research/Creative Works
- Deadline: at least 21 days in advance of travel; Amount: varies
- Deadline: winter; Amount: up to $10,000
Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research Seed Grant
Seed Grant with Programming to Support Collaborative Research Proposal Writing
- Deadline: fall; Amount: up to $5,000
Center for Black Studies Research (CBSR)
- Deadline: winter; Amount: $5,000
Chicano Studies Institute (CSI)
Research Cluster Awards, Faculty Fellowships and Dissertation Research Awards
- Deadline: varies; Amount: varies
The Interdisciplinary Humanities Center (IHC)
- Deadline: fall; Amount: course release
- Deadline: fall; Amount: Up to $2,000
Visual, Performing, and Media Arts Awards
- Deadline: winter; Amount: Up to $1,000
UC Humanities Research Institute (UCHRI)
UCHRI primarily funds UC faculty who participate in innovative research and projects that engage a variety of disciplines and stakeholders. UCHRI offers multiple grant opportunities each year, which can be viewed on their grants page.
UC Office of the President Research Initiatives
UC Office of the President funds multiple programs and research initiatives and serves as a portal for other state funding for UC researchers.
California Grants Portal
The California Grants Portal (a project by the California State Library) is your one
destination to find all grants and loans offered on a competitive or first-come basis by
California state agencies. You can subscribe to email updates about all new grant
opportunities and new grant opportunities in a specific category.
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Institute of Education Sciences (IES)
The Institute supports:
- Education Research
- Research Training Programs in the Education Sciences
- Education Research and Development Centers
- Statistical and Research Methodology in Education
- Research Grants Focused on Systematic Replication
- Using Longitudinal Data to Support State Education Policymaking
IES funding opportunities (RFAs) are posted on a rolling basis. (Deadline: summer; Amount: varies)
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
The most common grants to individual scholars at research institutions are under the Division of Research Programs.
- Deadline: spring; Amount: up to $60,000
- Deadline: fall; Amount: up to $300,000
Humanities Research Centers on Artificial Intelligence
- Deadline: fall; Amount: up to $750,000
Scholarly Editions and Translations
- Deadline: fall; Amount: $300,000-1,000,000
Fellowships for Advanced Social Science Research on Japan
- Deadline: spring; Amount: $60,000
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Applying to the NIH requires that you identify the appropriate Institute or Center to apply to (see list). Explore the NIH grant process and structure here to get started. (Deadline: varies; Amount: varies)
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Social science and education research is funded largely through two NSF Directorates. NSF does not fund humanities research. Each directorate encompasses several programs, listed here:
Regular Grants - standard NSF grant for an individual or collaborative team
- Deadline: varies by program; Amount: varies
Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) - provides support over five years
to enable awardees to develop careers not only as outstanding researchers but also as
educators demonstrating commitment to teaching, learning, and dissemination of
knowledge.
- Deadline: summer; Amount: minimum $400,000
Private Foundation & Non-Profit Funding for CASSHE Faculty
The Office of Strategic Research Initiatives has curated a comprehensive, dynamically updated list of over 100 private and non-profit funding opportunities specifically tailored for CASSHE faculty.
To provide the most current program details and deadlines, we now host this directory exclusively on Pivot.
Access the CASSHE Private & Non-Profit Funding List on Pivot
Note: You must be logged into your UCSB Pivot account to view and save the curated list. If you need assistance setting up your Pivot profile, please view the instructions here or contact Kelly Pillsbury.
Residential fellowships offer faculty the invaluable opportunity to spend a dedicated period of time in residence at a host institution, research center, or library to focus intensively on research, writing, and creative projects.
The Office of Research has curated targeted lists of residential fellowship opportunities in Pivot, categorized by discipline. Explore current offerings in your field below:
- Residential Fellowships - Creative Arts
- Residential Fellowships - Education
- Residential Fellowships - Humanities
- Residential Fellowships - Social Sciences
Note: You must be logged into your UCSB Pivot account to view and save the curated list. If you need assistance setting up your Pivot profile, please view the instructions here or contact Kelly Pillsbury.
Proposal Development and Submission Resources
Proposal Writing and Development Services Contacts
Strategic Research Initiatives
-
Barbara Endemaño Walker, Ph.D. | Director, Creative Arts, Social Sciences, Humanities & Education | 805-893-3576 | barbara.walker@ucsb.edu
- Melissa Bator, Ph.D. Associate Director, Director, Creative Arts, Social Sciences, Humanities & Education | 805-893-7345 | mjb@ucsb.edu
Research Unit Proposal Submission Contacts
Pre-Award Research Administrator: Lien Caredio | liencaredio@ucsb.edu
Business Officer: Tracey Goss | tracey.goss@ucsb.edu
Management Service Officer: Tracey Goss | tracey.goss@ucsb.edu
Business Officer: Tahna Hekhuis | tahna@ihc.ucsb.edu
PIVOT Funding Search Engine
- PIVOT is a comprehensive database of funding opportunities worldwide and across all disciplines. Information about PIVOT and curated lists of funding opportunities can be found here: PIVOT Guide. For questions about PIVOT or funding searches, contact: Kelly Pillsbury (pillsbury@research.ucsb.edu)
College of Letters and Sciences Grant Resources
- Salary supplements for awards/fellowships: Salary supplements are provided to make up the difference between a fellowship award of at least $25,000 and the faculty member’s salary. The college will require nine (9) credits to be forfeited in exchange for an annual supplement. For untenured ladder faculty, the college will require six (6) sabbatical credits to be forfeited. College-supported awards should be used for research only. Find out more about salary supplements (scroll to bottom of page).
- Course buyout: Ladder faculty may use extramural funds to buy-out courses according to these guidelines (scroll to bottom of page).
- Grant matching commitments (cost share or project contributions): Discuss your project contribution needs with your dean for requesting UC project contributions for extramural funding proposals.