Pomona College is fortunate to have spendable gifts from Susan ’61 and David ’59 Hirsch that that enabled us to establish the David L. Hirsch III and Susan H. Hirsch Research Initiation Grant. Tenured, tenure-track, and coterminous faculty in all divisions of the College are invited to apply.

Recognizing that it is often difficult for faculty in a liberal arts college to marshal the time and resources necessary to conduct pilot studies and to write major grant proposals, the Hirsch Research Initiation Grants are designed to provide seed money to promising large-scale projects. The grants can cover such costs as supplies, funding for research assistance, and travel to research sites.  The research supported by the grants should be designed to assess the feasibility and scholarly value of larger research efforts and should be chosen on the basis of creativity and originality. While Hirsch Grants are especially appropriate to faculty preparing to submit proposals to outside granting agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health or the National Science Foundation, and private foundations, they are also appropriate to projects in fields for which outside funding is not likely to be available if it would initiate further research, explorations in the liberal arts, or benefits to society.  

All tenure-track and coterminous faculty of the College are eligible to compete for Hirsch Research Initiation Grants. Other things being equal, there will be some preference given to proposals that involve students in the proposed research, and to proposals from faculty who have yet to establish a long track record of receiving grants in their current area of research.. These grants can be comparable in size to Large Research Grants and have two year terms.

As indicated by the guidelines, the primary purpose of the Hirsch Grants is to provide seed money for initiation of large-scale projects that will be continued in the future with other sources of funding.  Seed money is intended to be used for research expenses, it cannot be used for faculty salaries. At least $20,000 will be available each year for Hirsch Grants; one or occasionally more grants will be awarded each year.

Grant Proposals Should Include

  • Executive summary of project (250 words)
  • Project description
    • Objectives
    • Pedagogical impact: academic outcomes and impact in the classroom.
  • Project budget and budget narrative
  • Supporting information
    • Faculty CV
    • Academic collaborator bio/CV (if applicable)
    • If the application is for a seed grant, please identify future larger external grant applications in planning stages
    • Anticipated outcomes (publications, performances, products, etc.)
    • Other information worth noting

Deadline for Submitting Proposals

Application materials should be submitted via SM Apply by November 28, 2022.

Please contact Andy Schuster, Grants Administrator, if you need any additional information.