Have questions about the proposal process? Join an informal online question/answer session on May 1, 2026, 1-2pm US Eastern Time. To be sent a meeting link, please register in advance.

The Association for Writing Across the Curriculum (AWAC) Research Initiative Grants support research that will benefit the Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) community. AWAC brings together the intellectual, human, political, and economic capital of the WAC community to better support and grow WAC as a global intellectual and pedagogical movement. AWAC promotes initiatives that support students’ writing across their academic careers, faculty development related to student writing and writing pedagogy, and research into writing across domains (e.g. disciplines, professions, communities, and academic levels) and transnationally.

AWAC expects to award a small set of grants ranging from $1000 to $4000.

Eligibility and Funding Restrictions

• Applicants must be members of AWAC at time of submission.
• Grants are for the explicit purpose of conducting research in WAC-related areas.
• Recipients may not be members of the AWAC Executive Board or Proposal Review Panel at the time of award.
• Awards are made to individuals or teams, not institutions.
• Graduate students are invited to apply but must be in good standing at an accredited institution.
• Open to US citizens and non-citizens but applicants must adhere to visa regulations and be able to receive funding through a US bank.
• Funds may not be used for any partisan activity (political support, donations, creation of materials in support of candidates, etc.) or in lobbying activities.

Application Criteria and Procedures

AWAC invites proposals for research that can contribute to our understanding of contemporary issues related to writing in academic and disciplinary spaces. Effective proposals should convey the importance of this work for the WAC community, clearly identify how it extends existing knowledge and scholarship, and suggest the potential application of its findings. Proposals should also articulate how this research will be disseminated, once complete.

Although focus areas and methodologies are open, AWAC encourages research that will benefit historically excluded and underrepresented communities, employ innovative methodologies, contribute to diversity and equity, or could otherwise expand the scope of knowledge in the WAC community. We especially invite applications from graduate students, early career researchers, and those involved in international collaborations.

Proposals should include a title; the name(s), title(s), institution(s), and contact information for applicants; and the name of principal contact.

The form will ask you to attach a narrative of 900 – 1,500 words. Please use the following headings to organize that narrative:

• Project Description: This should include research questions, deliver a brief review of relevant WAC literature, and explain the gap the research is addressing.
• Methods: If working with human subjects, describe IRB status.
• Resources Needed: How would this award be used in meeting needs?
• Timeline
• Dissemination Plan: How will the research be communicated to scholarly and/or public communities?
• Budget: Detail and justify all expenses in a table or list.

Please note that all funds must be used for direct costs only (i.e., research materials, participant incentives, software, transcription, travel to research sites). Indirect costs (such as conference travel, publication fees or indexing, institutional overhead, etc.) cannot be covered by this award. Compensation for research assistants or participants is allowed if paid directly to them. Identify any additional funding sources already secured that will also support this research.

Include a current CV for all applicants. Graduate students may wish to include information about coursework completed and contact information of the student’s advisor.

A summary report will be required after one year and a final report at the completion of the study. Awardees will be expected to deliver a talk or workshop on their research for AWAC in 2027 and will be publicly recognized at the IWAC 2027 Summer Conference. A précis of the research will be hosted on the AWAC website.

Proposals will be reviewed by the AWAC Research and Publications Committee. If you have questions, please contact the Research & Publications Chairs (Tom Deans, Elizabeth Wardle) at gro.noitaicossACAW@snoitacilbuPCAWA

Proposals are due by midnight on May 29, 2026, midnight, US Eastern Time.