The purpose of this program is to provide financial resources to faculty members at American and Canadian universities so that they can develop new courses about modern Israel.
Faculty Development Grants can be used to conduct research, travel to Israel, hone language skills, or pursue any other activity that would be conducive to developing and teaching courses about modern Israel.
Grant awards are $10,000 for development of a new course. The first half of the award is disbursed prior to course development and the second half is paid during the first semester the course is taught. Lesser awards may be available to faculty who develop new units about Israel within existing courses.
- Eligibility
- Program Requirements
- How to Apply
- University Support
Applicants must have a fully completed doctoral degree and a full-time, long-term position at a college or university in the United States or Canada. Adjuncts are not eligible for this grant program.
Successful proposals clearly explain how the work undertaken through the grant will result in ongoing course content and strong enrollments.
This is a selective program; the Israel Institute does not guarantee awards to those who apply.
Proposed courses may be in any discipline. To receive full funding, courses must be newly developed and contain at least 60% content about modern Israel (as demonstrated by lecture topics and course readings). Proposals for adding substantive content to existing courses will also be considered at lower funding levels. Priority will be given to undergraduate course offerings.
Courses that are developed with grants from this program must be taught by the applicant, last an entire semester or quarter (10-week minimum), and be taught at least once every other year.
Israel Institute grants do not pay for college/university administrative costs, fees, overhead, or other indirect costs.
Online Application
To be considered for a Faculty Development Grant, you must complete the online application that asks questions about you, your university, and your proposed course(s).
The application also requires:
- A high-resolution headshot (300 ppi);
- A short bio;
- An academic curriculum vitae (CV); and
- A proposal of no more than two double-spaced pages. Please use the following categories and format for your proposal:
Course: Provide the working title and description of the course you plan to develop.
Plan: Create a timeline for developing the course, including the semester and year in which the course will launched. Describe what activities you would engage in during this timeline.
Budget: In a short paragraph, describe how you intend to use the funds.
Final awards are contingent upon a letter of university support from a dean or department chair certifying that you will teach the new Israel-focused course regularly.
The Institute gives priority to courses taught by single instructors. If you plan to co-teach the course, both faculty members must apply.
Grant awards are contingent upon a written commitment by your university to run your proposed course regularly in the future. This commitment letter does not need to be included in the application but must be received before the award can be made.
Grants can be issued in one of two ways:
As a grant to the faculty member:
To receive a grant in this format, the Institute requires a letter on university letterhead from a dean or department chair that:
- Lists the name of the course and semester when the university plans to launch it;
- Confirms that the course will offered for the first time within 18 months of the grant request;
- Certifies the course will be a full term, three-credit course; and
- Certifies the applicant will teach the new Israel-focused course not less than once every two years.
Download a customizable template for a university invitation.
As a grant to the university:
For grants directly to the university, connect our staff to the contracting office at your university and we will send a contract.
