Hard Questions Grant - Incite at Columbia University

Across disciplines, scholars are grappling with novel problems or previously unasked questions that require innovative, perhaps pioneering, approaches or analyses. Research of this sort carries a great risk of failure and, so, can be hard to gain funding.

In support of the Columbia University Arts and Sciences Hard Questions strategic priority, Incite Institute is funding seed grants for initiatives whose boldness carries the risk of such failure, whose further success requires the unlikely data collection, the untested method, the unexpected analyses in order for the project to be funded at scale.

We invite letters of intent that describe Columbia University Arts and Sciences projects designed to answer hard questions. 

Letters of intent due April 1, 2025

We will evaluate letters of intent (up to 1,000 words) for seed projects at one of three award levels:

• Up to $25k
• $25-$50k
• $50-$75k

The letter should clearly state the purpose of the project, why it is important, what we will learn from it, how it will be carried out, and how its completion is specifically crucial for otherwise difficult-to-obtain funding.

We encourage applicants to embrace and to explicitly describe the stakes of failure that any such high-risk project entails. We are especially interested in work that aligns with or resonates with Incite's existing work or approaches. Letters should also be accompanied by a schematic budget, a general timeline, and the CVs of the PI(s) and any Co-PI(s).

To submit your letter of intent, please email inciteawards@columbia.edu with a single .PDF package by April 1 at 5:00pm ET with the subject line “Hard Questions LOI”.

Full proposals

If a letter is successful, we will request a full proposal not greater than 3,000 words, plus a budget and budget justification. We will send specific proposal requirements at the time of request.

Information session