Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative

Funding Requests

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Funding Requests

Funds overseen by the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative are designated to provide support for on-campus and off-campus research, projects, internships and course development that explore and increase understanding of the cultural traditions and political experiences of Indigenous peoples throughout the hemisphere and the world through historical and contemporary lenses.

Funds may be used to support guest speakers, lecture or speaking series, films, events and symposia, a clearly delineated working group for meetings, materials (books, etc.), visitors and presentations. Student research, projects and internships may also be funded through NAISI.

Please read through all application descriptions to ensure that you are applying in the right category. At this time, NAISI is not able to provide support for outside or external (non-Brown University) funding requests.

Course Development/Expansion and Curricular Resources

For Faculty

Brown University faculty members can apply for funds to support the development or expansion of a course contributing to the developing NAIS concentration or to support curricular resources.

Do you have ideas for a course that engages Native/Indigenous peoples, topics or epistemologies? Do you have research that could be folded into a course or need support for a research assistant that could help develop a new course or expand an existing one? Or do you have a wish list of curricular resources to support a course (or courses) or NAIS at Brown, in general (e.g., general collections, special materials, relevant databases, language packages, textbook support)? Apply for Mellon Grant Funds to support these.

Applications are received on a rolling basis; please allow a minimum of 30 days for review of applications.

Guest Speaker and Event Co-sponsorship Requests

For Faculty and Students

Through the Mellon Foundation grant to build Native American and Indigenous Studies at Brown, NAISI is able to help to support guest speakers for classes, lecture series or other events that expand and further develop Native American and Indigenous Studies at Brown University.

Submit information using this form so that we may process your co-sponsorship request fully. If your request is approved, we ask that you share all completed marketing materials with us and note NAISI as a co-sponsor. Events and talks are also promoted in our newsletters, website and social media. Co-sponsorship requests are typically awarded at $500 per guest lecture/talk.

Student Research and Internship Grants

For Students

The purpose of the NAISI student research and internship funding is to support Brown University undergraduate or graduate students conducting academic research projects or participating in experiential learning opportunities related to Native American and Indigenous Studies.

The typical research grant is $500 to $1000, with higher amounts available for undergraduates engaging in UTRA-like projects (in collaboration with a faculty member) or LINK-like/internship opportunities. Within this form, you will be asked to describe your research project, its relationship to NAISI's mission, and how it supports your own academic development.

Grantees will be asked to provide a brief summary of their activities within one month of the end of their project or internship, or the portion of it funded by the NAISI research grant.

Applications are received on a rolling basis (no specific deadlines) and students are encouraged to apply a minimum of 60 days before research, projects or internships begin.

Additional Brown University Funding

Other research, internship and course development funding opportunities from programs across the university are available to Brown-affiliated students and faculty.