Grants

Royal Geographic Society, Antarctic Research: Series of Maps Illustrating Dr. John Murray's Address, 1893, 1894. UT Arlington Libraries Special Collections, 2023-300. Gift of David Finfrock.

Overview:

The Faculty Teaching in the Archives Grant Program (FTIA), sponsored by UTA Libraries, was established in 2019 to support teaching and learning in UTA Libraries Special Collections. 

FTIA offers teaching faculty an opportunity to implement innovative archives-centered pedagogical approaches in their courses in order to introduce students to a variety of primary sources, engage students in-depth archival research, build students’ critical thinking skills, and stress participation in collaborative projects and presentations.  FTIA will generate opportunities for building partnerships and collaborations with Special Collections librarians and archivists and foster interdisciplinary teaching.

Our primary sources date from 1493 forward to current day and span the breadth of our collections in Texas history, history of cartography, Texas labor and political history, Texas disability history, history of Mexico and the Greater Southwest, UTA history, personal and family papers, books, graphics, sheet music, ephemera, photographs, and more.  

Grant funding is available up to $5,000. All awards are competitive and may not be fully funded. 

FTIA Grants can fund two main types of activities: 

1. Research in Special Collections to support the use of primary sources in the classroom
2. The development of specific activities, objectives, or outcomes using primary sources from Special Collections

The deadline for application is March 28, 2025. Application emails must include all required materials at the time of submission. To apply or ask questions, email evan.spencer@uta.edu

Testimonial from Dr. Leah McCurdy, Art & Art History, 2019 FTIA Recipient:

The Faculty Teaching in the Archives grant allowed me to support assistantships for two students to collaborate with me on the development of three classroom activities that directly incorporated SPCO materials (relevant to Sub-Saharan Africa), focused on hands-on observation and analytical skills. For these two assistants, the opportunity was highly impactful, as it offered a paid position and skill building directly related to their career interests in museums, collections, and academia. For the students who visited SPCO and experienced the activities we built, they expressed in the course evaluations that the SPCO activities were their favorite part of the course and opened their eyes to the potential that derives from viewing and analyzing original works in-person alongside experts like Ben Huseman and other SPCO staff. Pedagogically, the experience cemented my interest in getting my students out of the classroom and engaged in real-world settings with real-world objects. As an art historian, there is no greater teaching method. There is so much potential for building student engagement, and investment in their studies, by partnering with SPCO. Since my experience with FTiA, I have partnered with SPCO in multiple classes every semester and plan to continue.  I have also found the SPCO and Library staff consistently wiling to offer opportunities to my students to build other real-world skills, such as public blog publication through the Compass Rose series on the UTA Libraries Blog.

 

SPECIAL TOPIC NOTICE

We are seeking faculty partners in preparation for the 2026 Virginia Garrett Lectures in the History of Cartography. The theme of the lectures will be cartography, exploration, and climate in Antarctica. For the 2025-26 FTIA Grant Cycle, there is a strong preference for faculty who will incorporate our collection of Antarctic maps and other materials into their pedagogy. There will be opportunities for student and faculty presentations at the lectures, which will take place October 1-3, 2026.

 

Who may apply?

FTIA is open to UTA tenured, tenure-track faculty, non-tenure track faculty, and instructors of record who are teaching undergraduate and graduate courses at any level.  Interdisciplinary approaches are strongly encouraged.

 

How to apply:

• Submit:
  • a 2-6 page narrative proposal for developing a new course or redesigning an existing course that makes significant use of UTA’s Special Collections materials. 
  • a letter of support from your Department Chair.
• All narratives and letter of support from your Department Chair are due by 11:59 pm on Friday, March 28, 2025.  Decision notifications will be sent by April 30, 2025. 
• See below for additional information.

FTIA applications should be submitted via email to Evan Spencer, evan.spencer@uta.edu by 11:59 PM on Friday, March 28, 2025.

Types of Awards

FTIA Grants can fund two main types of activities: 

1. Research in Special Collections to support the use of primary sources in the classroom
2. The development of specific activities, objectives, or outcomes using primary sources from Special Collections

Successful applications in the first category will list the materials to be used in the class(es) being developed using the funding. If specific archival collections, print materials, maps, etc. cannot be identified at the time of the application, the applicant must outline their plan to conduct research in the collections to identify the materials. Funds can be allocated to support research - such as faculty stipends or hiring a graduate or undergraduate student to conduct research - but research needs must be identified and addressed in a successful application. Applications can include both research needs and potential outcomes. For example, a successful application may include hiring an undergraduate student for X hours at $10/hr to identify materials, AND fund a symposium at the end of the semester for students to present their work to a public audience.

What information should I include in the narrative?

The narrative should include the following components:

• Objectives: This section should identify the goals of the project and place it in the context of the purpose of the FTIA Grant program as described in the overview.  Narrative should include a detailed budget to indicate how grant funds will be spent.
• Statement on Collection Use: This section should list the Special Collections materials (archives, print materials, maps, etc) to be used in the pedagogical approach outlined in the grant, OR describe how funds will be used to research and identify Special Collections materials to be used in future activities. (Tip: Refer to the Quick Guide to Special Collections Resources for links to our finding aids and digital collections)
• Impact: This section should describe who will benefit from the project and how. Impact could be measured in a variety of ways, including but not limited to experiential learning benefits, transformative experience, contribution to student success, supporting student belonging, or creating job opportunities and contributions to the profession and/or community.
• Planned Activities: This section should provide at minimum a general description of the proposed organization and implementation of the project and a timeline of activities. Include whatever details are necessary to enable an evaluator of the application to understand the project and the costs related to various elements of it.

 

How can the funding be used?

Grants may fund faculty or graduate student research to then be incorporated into a course. Monies may be used to pay student assistants, salaries, and other expenses related to the project, including the purchase of supplies and/or equipment. Travel is not supported. All expenses should be justified in the application narrative. 

Salary Guidelines:

Salary supplements are allowable; the awardee’s department is required to process salary supplements via UTFlow Form ‘Additional Pay’ protocols. Faculty can budget summer salary representing the amount of time needed to complete the specific aims of the grant. The amount of time an individual will spend on the grant is expressed as a percentage of their monthly salary or calendar months of effort. Funding requests must cover both salary and fringe benefits for all grant members.

 

How is funding distributed?

Half of the total awarded amount will be paid via Interdepartmental Transfer following the initial meeting with special collections collaborator. Grant recipients are responsible for working with their departments to provide a local cost center to transfer these funds. The cost center must begin with the number 3 (such as 310661). Cost centers that begin with a 5 are usually endowed or special interest cost centers, and UTA Libraries cannot transfer funds to those cost centers. The remaining half of the funding will be transferred via Interdepartmental Transfer, at the time when planning is complete and the course design is finalized. 

 

What additional expectations exist?

• Grant recipients must give permission for the Libraries to deposit any educational resources resulting from the grant in MavMatrix, UTA's institutional repository.
• Any educational resources resulting from the grant must be licensed under an open license, such as the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. Resources may not be licensed with a Creative Commons No Derivatives clause.
• Grant recipients are required to share data that assists in measuring the impact of the project.
• Grant recipients are required to report their progress to Special Collections representatives on a quarterly basis, either through written communication or meetings with staff.
• Grant recipients are required to submit a final project report summarizing the challenges and accomplishments of the project, its impact on student success, and how to enhance the student experience for future instruction. 
• Grant recipients may be asked to share additional experiences working on the grant with the Libraries and allow the dissemination of those observations through a variety of communication channels, including in IRIS.  
• In any publication or presentation about the project, the grant recipient should acknowledge that full or partial support came from the FTIA grant program administered by the UTA Libraries Special Collections.

 

How are award decisions made?

Preference will be given to course design that:

• Incorporates Special Collections' collection of materials relating to Antarctica, including maps, charts, books, and other materials (see note above).
• Incorporates innovative and creative pedagogical approaches using primary sources. 
• Utilizes Special Collections materials in non-traditional ways.
• Defines specific learning objectives
• Proposes a collaborative approach with Special Collections staff to design activities, worksheets, and other learning tools.
• Implements open pedagogy projects or digital humanities projects.
• Creates open access resources with Creative Commons open licenses.
• Utilizes Special Collections materials and spaces throughout the semester.

Deadline:

Proposal Deadline: 11:59 pm, Friday March 28, 2025

Awards Announcement: by April 30, 2025

FTIA grant funding is available up to $5,000 to support teaching in UTA Libraries Special Collections.

Preference will be given to course design that:

• Incorporates innovative and creative pedagogical approaches using primary sources. 
• Utilizes Special Collections materials in non-traditional ways.
• Defines specific learning objectives
• Proposes a collaborative approach with Special Collections staff to design activities, worksheets, and other learning tools.
• Implements open pedagogy projects or digital humanities projects.
• Creates open access resources with Creative Commons open licenses.
• Utilizes Special Collections materials and spaces throughout the semester.

Application Checklist

A complete application for the FTIA Grant includes the following:

• Narrative  
• Letter of support from Department Head 

Please note that proposals should not exceed six pages.