The Thomas D. Dee II Endowment was established to provide funds for the improvement of teaching in the College of Fine Arts and the College of Humanities at the University of Utah. The Council of Dee Fellows, a representative group of faculty members nominated by the Colleges and elected by the Council, distributes income from the endowment annually in the form of grants.
The Council of Dee Fellows is now inviting applications for Dee Grant Awards. The funding period for grants awarded in the 2024-25 funding cycle is July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. Proposals for projects that do not fall within the funding period will not be considered.
The Dee Council invites applications from individual faculty or small groups of faculty for projects with broad impact on teaching and/or curriculum, at either the undergraduate or the graduate level. Projects funded in recent years have ranged from $1,000 to $12,000.
Aims of Fundable Proposals
The Council invites applications for projects that enhance effectiveness in teaching and positively impact students and departmental or college curricula.
Strong proposals frequently include one or more of the following: promoting innovative interdisciplinary educational programs, fostering community engagement, or promoting the university’s commitment to access and diversity. Proposals must explain their direct benefit to students or the student experience. Proposals must also include a description of the immediate impact and potential long-term benefit to teaching and learning.
The Council has approved funding for a variety of projects, including: faculty and teaching assistant training in new teaching techniques; development of interdisciplinary curricula; visits and workshops conducted by scholars, performers, artists, and master teachers; as well as travel to acquire course-related information.
Synopses of recently funded proposals.
Who May Apply
Proposals are invited from tenure-line, career-line, or visiting faculty members (50% FTE or greater) who hold an appointment in the College of Fine Arts or the College of Humanities. Visiting and career-line faculty must hold an appointment during the term of the grant, and the length of the appointments for visiting or career-line faculty members should be verified in the letter of support from the Department Chair to the Council. Proposals may be submitted by individuals or groups, and they may involve faculty members from other colleges.
The Dee Council will only consider one proposal per primary applicant during the funding cycle, but will consider multiple proposals on which an applicant's name appears as co-applicant (instead of primary applicant).
The Council will not consider a new application from a primary applicant until final reports from previous grants awarded to the primary applicant by the Dee Council are submitted. All collaborative writers of the proposals should be listed as co-applicants. The Council encourages, and will give preference to, proposals that put forward new projects rather than previously funded projects. The Council will consider grants that supplement other awards, but applicants may not receive multiple awards from different sources for overlapping portions for the same project.
Guidelines for Applicants
Within the proposal you must carefully explain how the project advances the aims of the Dee Grant program with explicit statements of objectives and outcomes. Proposals should provide a justification of objectives, including a statement of the potential contribution of the project to the discipline. If your proposal involves travel funds, please note that only University of Utah approved travel per diem amounts will be reimbursed. The per diem rates can be viewed on the US General Services Administration website. The proposal budget must include detailed information on the requested funds. If the proposal includes a visiting artist/lecturer, a copy of the visitors' CV, a statement of qualifications, and any associated fees* must be included.
*Please note that international visiting artist/lecturers are often charged a 30% US tax on their honoraria. If you are planning on bringing in an international guest, make sure to take this into account before making any arrangements with them and include this as part of your budget.
Recommendations from the Council for a successful proposal include: having a clear and detailed budget using the form provided, confirming the costs of the Guest House or Per Diem (if applicable), highlighting teaching on the applicant's CV, and having someone read through the proposal before submitting it.
Historically, unsuccessful proposals have included a lack of documentation for estimated costs (for example, airfare costs should be documented from a travel website), unclear justifications for funding requests, and proposed projects that are not aligned with teaching/curriculum.
Applicants are especially encouraged to consult with a member of the Dee Council about the applicability of the proposed project. For more info, contact the Dee Council Fellows.
There are a variety of items not ordinarily funded, including but not limited to the following:
- Items that are more logically funded by departmental or college budgets
- Salaries or other funding to meet staffing needs
- Library materials that would otherwise be funded by library acquisitions (Before the funding of library-type materials will be considered, applicants must first request the purchase of these materials from the appropriate University of Utah library. If the library declines your purchase request, include the letter from library acquisitions declining the request in your application.)
- Student tuition or scholarships
- Publication of faculty creative/scholarly work
- Funds cannot be used to pay faculty within the College of Fine Arts or the College of Humanities
Award Announcement and Reporting requirements
Awards will be announced in April 2025. The funding period is July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. Award recipients are required to submit a final report by Monday, June 16, 2026. The final report will include a summary of the outcome of the project, any relevant documentation (CD, DVD, video, transcripts, articles, etc.) and a completed budget sheet itemizing actual expenses. Funds not accounted for must be returned to the Dee Council. Monies spent in excess of the grant amount must be assumed by the PI, the department and/or outside sources of funding.
How to Apply
Only fully completed applications received by the deadline will be considered. The application deadline is end of day January 20, 2025. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. Part I of the application is to be filled out by the primary applicant. Department Chairs/Directors are to complete Part II.
Current council members are willing to consult with applicants in the preparation of their proposals. Please contact us if you need assistance.