Grant Funding

Major Grants

Award amount: $3,000 - $20,000+
Application deadline: January 23, 2026
Decisions released: March 2026

The budget for most proposals will be less than $20,000, and project funding should be used by Aug. 31, 2027. High-impact proposals with larger budgets or longer time horizons will also be considered. Past awardees, as well as others, are encouraged to submit proposals.

Proposal Categories

Proposals may be for ongoing research projects, recurring activities, or one-off events. Here are some broad categories that projects may fall into:

• Research that involves Colgate faculty, staff or students exploring questions related to mind, brain, and behavior. Collaborative projects across disciplines are particularly encouraged, but innovative projects within a single discipline are also welcome.
• Reading groups, teaching tables, or curricular development
• Travel opportunities for small teams to attend national conferences, visit leaders at other institutions, or capture the latest developments in the field and bring back innovative ideas and approaches for use at Colgate.
• Visits to Colgate by distinguished scholars for campus lectures and faculty/student interactions. The scholars would ideally visit Hamilton for multiple days and engage in conversations with Colgate faculty, staff, and students to allow for interactions that significantly impact idea-sharing, scholarship, and/or teaching in fields related to mind, brain, and behavior.

How to Apply

Email proposals to Ben Lennertz. Attach a document with the following components:

1. Project title and name(s) of applicant(s)
2. Project description (maximum of four pages)
3. Statement of connection to mind, brain, and behavior (maximum of one page; see guidance document)
4. List of project collaborators, including faculty, staff, and students, with a brief indication of their role in the project
5. CV or resume of applicant(s) and major contributors to the project
6. Proposed project budget that clearly indicates expenses for any travel, housing, living expenses, supplies, services, equipment, student wages, or other costs associated with the project. Please also disclose if you are also seeking funding for the same project from other sources, as well as if this is an application for partially funding the project and are seeking the remaining funding elsewhere. (A budget template can be found in the Research Council funding guidelines.)

See the full call for MBBI Major Grant Proposals

New Connections, New Perspectives Grants

Award amount: Up to $25,000 (up to $10,000 of which can be used for research expenses and the rest used for travel and housing)
Application deadline: January 23, 2026
Decisions released: March 2026

This grant is designed to allow Colgate researchers to enhance their work by developing new connections with researchers outside of Colgate and, in doing so, to gain new perspectives and master new methods. The Colgate researcher will achieve this by spending an extended period of research leave working in another researcher’s lab, being part of a research group, collaborating at an archive, or having some other extended, interactive scholarly experience. The Colgate researcher will share their new knowledge with Colgate colleagues upon their return, both informally and through at least one public talk or event. We envision an extended period of research to, in most cases, be approximately a semester (at least multiple months) in length. This call is for projects that will take place in Summer 2026, Fall 2026, and Spring 2027.

Note: This grant does not award SLA credits and is intended for faculty who will already be on research leave during a semester or for faculty available to devote a summer to the project.
 

How to Apply

Email proposals to Ben Lennertz. Attach a document with the following components:

1. Project title, name(s) of applicant(s), and proposed semester/term
2. Two-to-three page description of the project, including a short section on each of the following:
   1. The connection to mind, brain, and behavior (see guidance document)
   2. How the project will allow the researcher to achieve a new perspective and/or develop a new research method
   3. The expected impact of this new perspective on the work of the researcher and their colleagues upon their return to Colgate
   4. Any expected outcomes, examples of which include, but are not limited to, publishing in a journal, presenting at a conference, serving as pilot data for a grant, and/or contributing to public scholarship
3. An expression of interest from a host researcher
4. CV or resume of the applicant and the host researcher
5. Proposed budget (of up to $25,000) that clearly indicates expenses for travel, housing, and research (with up to $10,00 for research expenses) [budget form]

See the full call for New Connections, New Perspectives Proposals

Discretionary Grants

Award amount: Less than $3,000
Application deadline: Reviewed on a rolling basis
Decisions released: Normally within two weeks of submission

How to Apply

Email proposals to Ben Lennertz. Provide a brief (~one page) description of the proposed project, activity, or event(s) that includes:

1. The project rationale and potential outcomes
2. An approximate time frame
3. An explanation of the connection to mind, brain, and behavior (see guidance document)
4. The names of those organizing the project and others who may be impacted by or benefit from the project
5. A detailed budget indicating how the requested funds will be used

See the full call for MBBI Discretionary Grant Proposals