HFA Dean's Manuscript Development and Completion Fund

This fund is established by the Dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts to provide annual support to up to two HFA faculty members—one junior and one senior—who are completing advanced-stage single-authored monographs or equivalent projects intended for publication or production in the near future. The award provides funding to solicit comments from two or more established scholars and host them at a two-day manuscript workshop on campus.  This opportunity to gather critical feedback from scholars is expected to foster robust intellectual support for faculty at a decisive moment of their academic career. The in-depth examination of the faculty’s scholarly work will have extended benefits, from possible reflections in a wider intellectual community to extending the impact of the work beyond the University.   

Two awards of up to $5,000 are made annually, one to a junior faculty member (full-time, pre-tenure or a full-time lecturer on a continuous appointment) and one to a senior faculty member (full-time, tenured faculty or full-time Senior Lecturer or Senior Lecturer II on continuous appointments).*  The fund allows the faculty member to solicit comments from a minimum of two established scholars in their field and invite them to attend a two day in-person manuscript workshop with the faculty member. In addition to the manuscript workshop, award recipients are expected to organize one or more public-facing events with the invited scholars for the intellectual benefit of the HFA community. After submitting their manuscripts or projects to the publishers or producers, award recipients will submit a report which includes a synopsis of the workshop to the Dean’s Office via the UMass InfoReady portal.  

Allowable expenses include guest scholar honoraria, travel, and lodging up to a maximum of $5,000 total. (e.g. honoraria of $1000, travel expenses of $1,000, and $500 for meals.) 

*Exceptionally for 2025–2026, two award cycles will be offered: one with a deadline of November 15, 2025 for projects running February 1 - May 15, 2026, and another with a deadline of March 15, 2026 for projects running July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027. 

Eligibility  

• All full-time HFA faculty, including those on administrative appointments, and full-time lecturers on continuous appointments are eligible to apply.   
• While recipients are encouraged to apply for other sources of funding, this fund cannot be used in tandem with the HFA Subvention Fund.  

Award and Production Timeline 

• March 15, 2026, is the application deadline.  A list of the information required at the time of application, and a link to the application form is provided in the next section below. 
• March 15 – April 5, 2026: The HFA Research Council reviews submissions and makes recommendations to the Dean.  
• April 30, 2026: The Dean selects and announces two recipients on or before the end of April. 
• July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027: All substantial work must be completed during this period (within one year of receiving the award). 
• Award recipients share a full draft of their manuscript or project with guest scholars.  
• Guest scholars are expected to send the award recipient a written evaluation of the manuscript or project before their arrival on campus. 
• Award Recipients host guest scholars on campus for a manuscript or creative work workshop and a public lecture or series of lectures for the HFA community. 
• Award recipients submit the completed manuscript or project to the publisher or producer.  A statement acknowledging the HFA Dean’s Manuscript Development and Completion Fund should be included in the manuscript. 
• September 30, 2027: Award recipients submit a report to the HFA Dean’s Office which includes a synopsis of the workshop.  

Application Procedure  

• Applications are due March 15, 2026. The application form is available on the UMass InfoReady portal. 
• The following documents are required at the time of application:  
• A one-page project description  
• A one-page manuscript or project completion timeline, including approximate dates of guest scholar visits, in-person workshop, public lecture, tentative date of the final manuscript or proposal submission, tentative date of final report submission to the Dean. 
• Synopsis of the manuscript at the advanced stage with chapter summaries.  
• A full sample chapter. 
• A one-page plan outlining the two-day in-person manuscript workshop with at least two invited guest scholars. 
• A one-page budget outlining honoraria, travel, lodging, and meals for invited scholars.   

Award Management  

• The recipient’s department business manager, in collaboration with the award recipient, submits a Summit report to the HFA Business Office for reimbursement of expenses made on the faculty member’s retention account. 
• Expenses eligible for reimbursement include guest scholar honoraria, travel, and hotel expenses up to a maximum of $5,000 total. (e.g. honoraria of $1000, travel expenses of $1,000, and $500 for meals). 
• Award monies are to be used to support the originally intended project.  
• Extensions and repurposing are not permitted.   

Who to Contact  

Amy Fleig, afleig [at] umass [dot] edu (afleig[at]umass[dot]edu,) Director of Faculty Development & Programs  

Pari Riahi, priahi [at] umass [dot] edu (priahi[at]umass[dot]edu,) Associate Dean for Research & Engagement