Express Grants

Awards from $200 to $1,000 are available. If you are pursuing a degree in a program that is one year in length, you are eligible to apply for up to $5,000. Funds are prioritized for ideas impacting more than one person. Express Grants are best suited for supplementing costs associated with the following:

Hosting conferences, meetings, and speaker series   

• Hosting workshops, networking events, trainings, and retreats  
• Program support, research support, and project support  

Applications open January 2021. The PDF version of the application is available here for download. Application requirements include:

• A brief description of the activity
• A completed budget template

*If awarded, please be prepared to identify a department-based local financial administrator who will be responsible for financial transactions related to your award. Please email dib_culturelab@harvard.edu with questions.

Grant recipients must submit a Culture Lab Innovation Fund Post-Initiative Report outlining the outcomes and impact of the funded activity. This report is due by May 29, 2020. This form will be provided by the grant administrator once the grant is awarded.

Those eligible to apply include:

Faculty and Staff:

• All Harvard University benefits-eligible staff and faculty are eligible to apply. All primary team members must be affiliated with Harvard University.
• All benefits-eligible Harvard administrative/professional, support or service and trades staff  members are eligible to apply.
• Primary, secondary, and adjunct faculty are eligible to apply.

Students and Postdoctoral Researchers and Fellows: 

• All full-time degree seeking Harvard undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to apply. All primary team members must be Harvard University affiliates.
• Students must be enrolled for the duration of the funding period.
• Postdoctoral Researchers and Fellows are eligible to apply.
• A full time appointment at Harvard University is required and the appointment must last the duration of the funding period if awarded.

Proposals will be evaulated based on the following criteria:

• Learning – The activity is creating an opportunity for learning, connection, or engagement around diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging for the Harvard Community.  
• Alignment – Project aligns with at least one of the four goals or four tools from the Taskforce Report and presents a clear pathway to achieving our vision of sustainable inclusive excellence.   
• Innovation – Offers a novel or innovative approach to an existing challenge. 
• Inclusive Design – Projects that apply inclusive design principles to their project including adherence with the digital access policy and meet event planning standards as identified by Harvard University Disability Resources will be highly valued.  
• Measurable Impact – The application outlines actions the team can execute within the designated time frame. Measures of success are clearly defined.  

How much funding is available?

Most projects may request up $200 to $1,000. The requested amount is not guaranteed.

What is the review criteria?

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following critieria:

• Learning – The activity is creating an opportunity for learning, connection, or engagement around diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging for the Harvard Community.  
• Alignment – Project aligns with at least one of the four goals or four tools from the Taskforce Report and presents a clear pathway to achieving our vision of sustainable inclusive excellence.   
• Innovation – Offers a novel or innovative approach to an existing challenge. 
• Inclusive Design – Projects that apply inclusive design principles to their project including adherence with the digital access policy and meet event planning standards as identified by Harvard University Disability Resources will be highly valued.  
• Measurable Impact – The application outlines actions the team can execute within the designated time frame. Measures of success are clearly defined.  

What happens if my idea is selected?

You will receive a notification about the status of your funding request. If you have been selected to receive funding, you will receive an email with instructions on how to access the grant. We will also provide you with financial policies and guidelines. 

What is expected of me?

We will ask you to produce a report summarizing project outcomes and share the milestones you were able to reach with the funding. 

If you have additional questions, please email dib_culturelab@harvard.edu