Funding Opportunities

Global Latinidades Project History, Resources & Funding

The Global Latinidades Project was established in 2017 by the Robert and Liisa Erickson Presidential Chair in English, Ben Valdez Olguín, whose position was endowed by UCSB Alumni John and Jody Arnhold with matching funds from University of California Regents. As Founding Director of the Global Latinidades Project, Olguín compounded these resources through a deliberate initiative to establish collaborative student and faculty grant-writing teams to introduce external funding streams to support research, advanced mentoring initiatives, unique programming, and special projects that further the Global Latinidades Project’s vision, mission, and goals. Since 2018, the Global Latinidades Project Director has been Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator in $3,243,311 of grant requests, with $2,358,579 in grant awards.

Through Erickson Endowed Chair funding, external and internal grants, and additional resources from UCSB deans for special initiatives, the Global Latinidades Project has provided support to students, faculty, and community partners for projects that involve unique approaches to Latinx history, life, culture, and politics in local and global contexts, in addition to intersecting areas in allied fields of ethnic and area studies. These include:

  • National & international archival & field work for over fifty students and faculty at UCSB, partnering UC campuses, as well as national and international institutions
  • Editor and contributor support for two major research anthologies
  • Paid community internships at local non-profit organizations
  • Student national and international research travel throughout the US, Cuba, France, Spain, England, Mexico, Philippines, and India
  • Co-sponsorship of student-led initiatives such as the 2018 Critical Masculinities Conference, 2018 AfroCaribbean Dance Workshop, 2019 Outlaw(ed) Intellectuals Conference & 2019 Environmental Racism Colloquium
  • Over seventy-five quarters of 25% undergraduate and graduate student research assistantships; nine quarters of 50% specialized Teaching Assistantships; two quarters of 50% Graduate Student Research appointments (with sixteen additional quarters of Graduate Student Researcher appointments available through 2024)
  • Over $5,000 of book stipends for students in need.

Funding Request & Award Protocols

Funding is open to all members of the UCSB community in addition to off-campus partners, with select funding sources allowing support for scholars and educators from other University of California campuses as well as non-University of California institutions in the US and abroad. Primary consideration is given to requests that enhance undergraduate curricular and extracurricular experiences as well as graduate student research and supplemental training and professionalization. General funding categories include:

Employment

  • Graduate Student Assistant (for Research and Special Projects)
  • Undergraduate Student Assistant (for Research and Special Projects)
  • Community Internships
  • Graduate Student Researcher
  • Teaching Assistant (for annual Proseminar)
  • Research Administrator 2 (Contracts and Grants)

Grants-in-Aid

  • Archive, Field & Other Research Activities
  • Research Materials & Services (e.g., laptops, copy editor, transcriber, translator, etc.)

Stipends

  • Merit & Achievement
  • Books & Supplies

Co-Sponsorships

  • Research-Based Events (Conferences, Colloquia, Guest Presenters, etc.)
  • Cultural Arts & Political Programming
  • Special Initiatives & Events

Acknowledgment & Report Requirement

Funding requests must be submitted through the online application on the Global Latinidades Project website. Decisions are made by a review committee based on merit, need, and communal ethics, and must adhere to all stipulations and restrictions of the specific funding source. All funding recipients are required to submit a final report of funded activities.

Funding recipients must acknowledge support of The Global Latinidades Project, Robert and Liisa Erickson Presidential Chair in English, and the appropriate grant from which resources are drawn (to be identified in the award notification), in advertising, publications, exhibits, and programming directly and indirectly supported by this award.