Writing Program Funding Opportunities

1. Course Enhancement Funds (guest lecturers, special trips, performances, etc.)

  • Writing Program Experiential Learning Fund: Read more about the fund and apply using this form.
  • Virginia Sapiro Academic Enhancement Fund: The Virginia Sapiro Academic Enhancement Fund (AEF) enables CAS faculty members to build unique learning opportunities into their undergraduate course syllabi, using historic and contemporary Boston as an extended classroom and taking advantage of the city and University as magnets for leading academics, artists, and experts. Activities and events sponsored by the AEF include class trips to cultural performances, guided visits to local exhibits and institutions, and encounters, both formal and informal, with distinguished visiting scholars. Funding is reserved for new or pilot EL initiatives. AEF funds are intended for one-time purposes only. You can visit the AEF website to read a description of the fund and to complete an application. Note that funds are limited, and by the end of September (sometimes even by the first week of classes), their fall funding is typically fully allocated, so you will need to plan ahead. Typically the AEF asks you to pay for expenses out of pocket and submit for reimbursement using Concur and a code they will provide you; see the directions at the bottom of the Forms page for that process.
  • Arts Integrating Grants: This fund is currently paused. Administered out of the BU Arts Initiative office, arts integration grants support the use of the arts as a tool for teaching non-arts disciplines. Faculty may apply for up to $500 to support arts-related expenses for undergraduate and graduate courses. Possible initiatives might include a visiting artist, a class visit to a performance or exhibition, or arts material for the classroom. (Funds may not be used for refreshments.) Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and funds are limited.

2. Professional Development/Travel/Conference/Tech Funding

  • SEIU professional development and tech funds: The Institute for Excellence in Teaching and Learning  administers several kinds of funds related to teaching that are included in lecturer contracts.
    • Part-Time Faculty Professional Development Fund: Part-time faculty past the probationary period specified in the contract are eligible. 
    • Salaried Lecturer Professional Development Fund: Up to $1,200/year for salaried lecturers with the possibility of additional funds in May; please note the hard deadline of June 13 for applications, then funds will reset in September for the next academic year.
    • Salaried Lecturer Supplementary Technology Fund: This fund provides members of the bargaining unit the opportunity to purchase supplemental technological equipment, such as laptops, monitors, and other types of hardware, to support their teaching at Boston University. Devices must be purchased through BU vendors.
  • Graduate Student Organization funds for GWFs to attend/present at conferences: Apply through the GSO directly.
  • CAS: This fund is currently paused. The College makes travel funds available to CAS lecturers for travel to conferences: domestic conferences up to $750 and international conferences up to $2000. To apply, please submit to  wpadmin@bu.edu the following items:
        1. a brief description of the conference and your role in it (e.g., delivering a paper)
        2. a brief statement about how the conference is relevant to your research and teaching
        3. an estimated budget (Note: If you want to request the maximum support, your budget must exceed that maximum.)

Upon receiving this information, the Director will review it and either ask for additional information or forward it to the College with an endorsement. For more information, please see the CAS Faculty/Staff handbook.

3. Publication/Production Funding

  • Center for Humanities: The Center for Humanities offers Publication Production Awards. Faculty may apply for funds to support production costs after a peer-reviewed monograph with direct relevance to the humanities has been accepted for publication but before it has gone to press.

4. Writing Program Faculty Seminar Reimbursement Funds

  • Full- and part-time lecturers who attend all four sessions of a WP faculty seminar will be awarded $200 in professional-development/research funds. $200 is the limit per lecturer per year, regardless of how many faculty seminars one attends. Graduate students are not eligible for these funds but will receive credit toward the Graduate Writing Certificate. Expense reports related to conference travel must be submitted within 30 days of completing the trip. Because faculty seminar funds do not roll over from one year to the next, ALL expense reports must be submitted no later than May 30 of the academic year the Faculty Seminar was taken.
  • Please note that these funds are NOT available as a stipend; you may purchase books or conference/professional organization fees (or arrange for the purchase of tech items or office supplies) according to the directions below.
    • Books: Purchase books out of pocket from any online vendor other than Amazon (Alibris, Google Play, Barnes & Noble, etc.) or from any brick-and-mortar, then submit an expense report via BUworks. Directions on how to complete a report can be found on the Forms page (scroll down to “Reimbursement”).
    • Office Supplies: Do not purchase them out of pocket. Search W.B. Mason (www.wbmason.com) for the items you want, then send Dan a list of Item #s. Dan will place the order on your behalf.
    • Tech Items: Do not purchase them out of pocket. Search Apple (www.apple.com), Lenovo (www.lenovo.com), or SHI International (www.shi.com) for the items you want, then send Dan a list of Manufacturer Part #s. Dan will place the order on your behalf.
    • Membership Dues / Conference Expenses: Pay for membership dues, conference registration fees, or conference travel and lodging out of pocket, then submit an expense report via BUworks. Directions on how to complete a report can be found on the Forms page (scroll down to “Reimbursement”). Expense reports related to travel must be submitted within 30 of completing the trip.