Faculty Innovation Fund 2026

Description

The Faculty Innovation Fund (FIF) provides financial support for innovative projects that seek to improve the recruitment, retention, career progression, mentorship, leadership development, and/or well-being of Penn faculty. Projects may take different forms, including research and assessment, conferences and events, and faculty development programs.

Selected proposals will advance Penn’s commitment to “grow[ing] opportunity and strengthen[ing] affinity,” as articulated in our strategic framework, and: 

• Be designed to improve the recruitment, retention, career progression, mentorship, leadership development, and/or well-being of Penn faculty;
• Promote collaboration across disciplines, departments, and/or Schools, and
• Generate insights that can be used to improve Penn’s faculty-related policies and practices.

Reporting Requirements: For funded projects, an expenditure report and a narrative report outlining accomplishments and next steps must be submitted to Kristen Barnes at kabarnes@upenn.edu by June 30, 2027. Funds not expended by June 1, 2027, must be remitted to the University unless an extension is granted by the Provost’s Office.

Qualifications

Penn faculty with the rank of Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor in any track are eligible to apply. Proposals must include a one-to-one match between the School and the Office of the Provost. The maximum award per grant is $10,000.

Application Instructions

Online form:

• Principal Investigator information
• Biographical Sketch(es) (250-word maximum for each PI/co-PI, as appropriate)
• Abstract (250-word maximum; written for non-specialist)
• Budget Narrative including disclosure of other current and pending research support (500-word maximum)

Document uploads:

• Project Description (1,000-word maximum) – details below
• Budget form
• Electronic approval of project proposal from Department Chair and Dean (include an email from each signatory confirming their consent to the proposed project)
• Letters of collaboration (as appropriate/optional)
• Explanation of changes made if this is a resubmission (as appropriate)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION SHOULD INCLUDE (1,000 WORD MAX):

• Goals and objectives of the proposed project
• Explanation of how program activities and components will be executed and how program goals will be accomplished
• Approach to assessing and evaluating the impact of the proposed project
• Expected contributions of the project to enhance Penn’s policies and practices
• Bibliography/reference list (does not count toward 1,000-word limit)

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protected under applicable federal, state or local law.