The following is from ACLS announcement. Thanks to Dean James Masschaele for the pointer.
With the generous support of the Henry Luce Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is pleased to offer the second Luce/ACLS Collaborative Grant in China Studies for groups of scholars and experts working to advance change in the field of China studies.
Part of the Luce/ACLS Program in China Studies, this grant competition aims to develop effective strategies for long-term change in China studies through collaborative working groups that research and pilot solutions to challenges and opportunities in the field. The program is based on three years of consultation with more than 100 scholars, administrators, journalists, librarians, curators, artists, and readers of research and writing on China.
In 2025, ACLS will award one group of scholars and experts in China studies a grant of up to $150,000 to design and pilot activities to solve specific, pressing challenges in the field over a period of 12 to 18 months. The collaborative group will test and refine promising solutions, produce recommendations for activities to be adopted at scale in universities and colleges, and identify strategies for long-term sustainability. Outcomes may include a pilot program, a new cross-institutional network, a plan for scaling and/or sustainability, or a white paper.
All project teams applying for the Collaborative Grant must submit a letter of intent by April 1, 2025. Following review of LOIs by the committee, a select number of project teams will be invited to submit a full proposal. Full proposals must be submitted by June 11, 2025.
Groups are encouraged to submit proposals in response to the below prompts.
- Enabling Productive Engagement with China – Building capacity among China scholars and institutions of higher learning to respond to political pressure around China-related issues in higher education and civic discourse, including academic freedom, shrinking opportunities for international collaboration and exchange due to security concerns, and the community impacts of anti-Asian bias. Strategies may include community engagement, policy advocacy, or engagement with university administrators and civic organizations to protect researchers and students.
- Teaching and Curricular Resources – Developing and/or making accessible course syllabi and teaching resources (e.g., texts, media, primary sources in translation) aimed at diversifying undergraduate and/or graduate curricula; supporting early career and teaching faculty; establishing best practices for teaching about China; safeguarding academic freedom and encouraging international Chinese student participation; and/or enhancing programs that will support the next generation of China scholars.
- Open Access Resources – Expanding open access digital resources for teaching and research through digitization, preservation, and platform development, including increased accessibility to existing digital databases and strengthening print collections.
- Language Training – Expanding access to language training, especially for less commonly taught languages (e.g., Tibetan, Uyghur), for graduate students and faculty at under-resourced institutions while drawing on technologies and best practices for language pedagogy and remote instruction developed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Digital Research Methods – Training China scholars in digital skills and research methods to foster new methodological approaches and cross-disciplinary collaborations.
Project teams may comprise up to six scholars or experts in the field of China Studies. The project’s principal investigator must have a PhD in the humanities or interpretive social sciences or equivalent and be based in the US or Canada. Application materials must be submitted through the online application form. The deadline for submitting the mandatory Letter of Intent is 9:00 PM EST on April 1, 2025.