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Call for Faculty Proposals

Advancing the UC Davis Principles of Community through Research, Institutional Culture & Education

  • by IDEA Research Collective

Inclusive Excellence at UC Davis invites faculty to submit proposals through the IDEA Research Collective, for two funding opportunities supporting faculty-led research and scholarly inquiry that advance the UC Davis Principles of Community as a shared institutional practice.

This initiative supports faculty work that examines the conditions shaping faculty experience, workplace climate, learning environments, and organizational culture. Funded projects will contribute knowledge back to the institution through research, reflection, and dissemination. The overarching goal is to support inquiry that helps UC Davis better understand persistent challenges, test approaches, and strengthen practices that foster dignity, belonging, and constructive engagement across difference, consistent with the UC Davis Principles of Community.

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Application Information

Areas of Support

This call includes two complementary tracks. Faculty may apply to Track 1, Track 2, or both, and a single proposal may contribute to both where appropriate.

Track 1: New and Reimagined Scholarship

This area supports projects that generate new research or creative work, as well as projects that revisit existing questions, materials, or bodies of research from newly framed perspectives grounded in the Principles of Community.

Track 2: Institutional Culture & Educational Programs 

This area focuses on partnering with faculty to strengthen inclusion-centered education across UC Davis for faculty, staff, and students.  Beginning in the 2026–27 academic year, Inclusive Excellence will launch a new series of education modules focused on the Principles of Community and is seeking faculty expertise to inform its curriculum. Faculty will serve as subject matter experts, translating research into practical training materials (ex. Short videos, Presentations, Case studies, Digital or written educational resources). Proposals may draw on prior research or data and should clearly describe how faculty expertise will strengthen the training modules.

Note: Products in Track 2 may grow out of new scholarship proposed in Track 1. Likewise, a single proposal may be structured so that different components contribute to both areas. Faculty are encouraged to indicate whether they are applying to Track 1, Track 2, or both, and to describe how their proposed work aligns with the selected area(s). 

Submission Guidelines

Track #1 – Research Advancing the Principles of Community 

Purpose of the Call 

This call supports faculty research that: 

  • Advances the Principles of Community as a shared institutional practice.
  • Investigates institutional conditions affecting faculty, staff, and students
  • Examines workplace and departmental climate, learning environments, and organizational culture
  • Explores dialogue, disagreement, and civil exchange in academic settings
  • Produces scholarship or resources that inform institutional learning and practice, including work that translates research and lived experience into forms that can be shared, discussed, and used across academic and administrative contexts. 

Projects are expected to move beyond analysis alone and include a clear pathway to dissemination or use within the university, which may include narrative, dialogic, educational, or public-facing formats in addition to traditional scholarly outputs. 

Funding Available 
  • Total funding available: $150,000
  • Award size: $5,000–$15,000 (based on scope)
  • Optional supplemental funding: Up to $1,000 for alignment with Track 2
  • Allowable uses: Academic enrichment funds, including research assistance, convenings, facilitation, or dissemination costs 
Funding Period 
  • Funding awarded:  May – June 2026
  • Projects completion (including dissemination): By August 2027
  • Projects must be feasible within the proposed funding period
Eligibility 
  • Open to UC Davis faculty from all locations (tenure-track, teaching faculty, clinical faculty, and academic appointees)
  • Individual or small-team proposals are welcome
  • Interdisciplinary and cross-unit collaborations are encouraged 
Proposal Submission Components – Track #1
  • 1. Project Description (2000 Characters Max)
  • Proposals must include a project description that provides the overall scope of their proposal and include:

    • Research question or focus

      Relevance to inclusive excellence and institutional practice. Applicants should describe how their project contributes to understanding institutional conditions, practices, or experiences relevant to inclusive excellence.

      Project Timeline

  • 2. Areas of Inquiry (2000 Characters Max)
  • All proposals must address one or more of the following areas of inquiry, which reflect longstanding faculty-led efforts at UC Davis to understand and improve institutional climate and culture: 

    • Faculty experience, retention, advancement, and professional well-being

      Departmental or workplace climate and accountability

      Learning environments and classroom dynamics

      Dialogue, disagreement, and expression in academic contexts

      Bias, exclusion, and cumulative institutional impact

      Conflict, repair, and constructive engagement across difference 

  • 3. Proposed Outcomes and Dissemination Product (2000 Characters Max)

  • Applicants should describe their anticipated outputs. Additionally, all funded projects must include at least one defined dissemination product, such as: 

    • Reports, white papers, or policy briefs

      Scholarly or practice-oriented publications

      Educational resources, frameworks, or toolkits

      Digital or public facing scholarship

      Recorded convenings, panels, or structured faculty dialogues 

    Dissemination for the purposes of this call is broadly defined. In addition to traditional scholarly publications, applicants are encouraged to consider how their work might contribute to shared understanding, dialogue, or institutional learning across UC Davis. 

    This may include approaches that translate research findings into accessible formats—such as narratives, facilitated discussions, digital or public-facing resources, or educational materials—that support reflection, sensemaking, and constructive engagement across differences. These approaches are intended to complement, not replace, academic scholarship. Traditional academic publications are welcome but not required. 

  • 4. Connection to the UC Davis Principles of Community (2000 Characters Max)

  • Applicants should clearly describe in their application and include in their dissemination product the ways in which their project aligns with one or more of the 7 stances in the UC Davis Principles of Community as outlined in the Principles of Community Framework.  Please specify the relevant stances.

    For example: A product could be a co-published, public facing article that connect faculty research to specific Principles of Community stances. 

    Learn more about the Principles of Community

  • 5. Budget & Justification
  • Provide budget overview and justification using the budget template here.
  • 6. Faculty Leads(s)
  • Include names(s), title(s) and unit(s) of the faculty lead(s).
  • 7. Supplemental Funding - Track 2 (Optional)
  • Applicants applying for Track 1 have the option of applying for supplemental funding —up to $1,000—by describing how their project through their research and expertise, will support one or more of the Principles of Community in Action topic areas within Inclusive Excellence’s Organizational Culture and Inclusive Practice (OCIP) educational programming. See Track 2 below for details.
     

 

TRACK 2 – Institutional Culture & Educational Programs  

Purpose of the Call  

Inclusive Excellence has a long history of providing inclusion-centered educational training for UC Davis faculty, students, and staff. Beginning in the 2026–27 academic year, Inclusive Excellence will launch a new series of education modules focused on the Principles of Community and is seeking faculty expertise to inform its curriculum. Faculty contributions will be as subject-matter experts. Faculty research and resources provided will be incorporated into the trainings by the instructional designer at Inclusive Excellence and showcase how the Principles of Community are experienced, enacted, or challenged in practice.  

Funding Available  
  • Total funding available: $10,000
  • Award size: Anticipated range: $1,000 per faculty
  • Allowable uses: Academic enrichment funds  
Funding Period  
  • Funding will be awarded between May – June 2026
  • Faculty contributions must be completed between by June 2027  
Eligibility  
  • Open to UC Davis faculty from all locations (tenure-track, teaching faculty, and academic appointees)
  • Individual or small-team proposals are welcome
  • Interdisciplinary and cross-unit collaborations are encouraged  
Proposal Submission Components - Track #2 
  • 1. Principles of Community: Inclusive Education Topic Areas & Tie-Ins

  • Applicants should specify which Inclusive Education topic areas align with their project and/or research area(s) of focus. Indicate all that apply. 

    Topic Area Principles of Community Tie-In 
    Complying with State and Federal inclusion mandates (AB 2925/SB 1287)“We affirm the dignity inherent in all of us.” 
    Cross-Cultural Communication “Committed to serving the needs of a global society.” 
    Freedom of Expression and Speech “We further recognize the right of every individual to think, speak, express, and debate.” 
    Bias and Microaggressions “We recognize and cherish the richness of our diversity.” 
    Religious Diversity “We promote open expression of our individuality and our diversity.” 
    Disability and Accessibility “We promote open expression of our individuality and our diversity.” 
    Conflict Management “We endeavor to foster mutual understanding and respect among the many parts of our whole.”  
  • 2. Areas of Inquiry and Examples (2000 Characters Max)
  • Applicants should reference the relevant topic area(s) in the table below and briefly describe the relationship to their scholarship and research areas of interest. Faculty contributions may be written, digital or video content, or any other materials that may contribute to broader institutional storytelling or dialogue efforts that surface on these topics. Example: UC Davis Professor XYZ provides a video on the effects of unintentional bias in the classroom. The faculty member also provides research/data or infographics that highlight their scholarship on the topic.
  • 3. Budget & Justification
  • Provide budget overview and justification using the budget template here.

Application Process & Faculty Engagement (Track 1 and 2)  

How to Apply  

Questions may be directed to:
Virtual Information Sessions

Participation in the IDEA Research Collective  

Funded faculty will be invited to participate in a shared learning environment, including:  

  • Periodic check-ins with other project leads
  • Opportunities to share progress and insights
  • A final convening or shared dissemination moment  

This reflects a faculty community-of-practice model centered on collective learning rather than isolated projects. 

Why This Matters  

Faculty research plays a critical role in understanding and strengthening institutional culture. By supporting inquiry, dialogue, and dissemination—including the translation of faculty insight into resources that can be shared and used—the Inclusive Education Program advances UC Davis’s commitment to inclusive excellence through faculty leadership and shared learning. 

Additional Resource

Academic Enrichment Fund (AEF) Account Information

Common Operating Fund Initiative (COFI)