Below you will find key internal resources available to faculty at CSUN. In addition to these university-wide opportunities, you should also consult with your department and college, as some units have additional research funding competitions and other opportunities.
University-Wide Awards
CSUN Research Scholarship & Creative Activities Awards
Each year, the CSU Chancellor's Office provides funding to each campus to support faculty research, scholarship, and creative activity, interpreted broadly to mean the disciplined quest for broadening human understanding. The Research & Sponsored Projects office (RSP) also offers a Summer Grant Program to provide additional pay to support the development of a proposal for external funding.
Typical deadline: Spring semester around February (the 2025-2026 RFP was announced by Academic Affairs in December 2024- learn more at InfoReady)
The purpose of the RSP Summer Grant Program is to provide summer salary to support the development of a proposal for external funding to be submitted during the next academic year.
Typical deadline: Spring semester around March
CSUN Diversity & Equity Innovation Grant
A grant established to support educational projects, scholarly research, creative activities and other programmatic initiatives that promote diversity, equity and inclusion, anti-racism and social justice for the benefit of the CSUN community; sponsored by the Office of the President and the Office of the Provost in conjunction with the President’s Commission on Diversity & Inclusion.
Typical deadline: Spring semester around April
Academic Affairs Research Fellows Program
Tenured and probationary faculty are invited to submit proposals to become a Research Fellow. Nine research fellowships, from each college and the Library, will be awarded to our faculty. To be selected as a CSUN Research Fellow is an appointment of distinction. The process of seeking an appointment is competitive. The appointment itself will provide the research fellows with outstanding recognition and an excellent opportunity to pursue compelling research or creative activity.
Typical deadline: Fall semester around November
Exceptional Service to Students Awards
The 2022-2024 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the California Faculty Association and the Board of Trustees of the California State University provides for reassigned time to Unit 3 faculty employees (including Lecturers) “who are engaged in exceptional levels of service that support the CSU’s priorities, but who are not otherwise receiving an adjustment in workload to reflect their effort.” Exceptional service awards are intended to recognize faculty who have a demonstrated commitment to working on issues faced by our diverse student population. Awards are designated for workload beyond the requirements of regular faculty assignment in enhancing the student learning environment for undergraduate and/or graduate students.
Typical deadline: Spring semester around early-February
FacDev's Pathways to Tenure Grant
Formerly known as the Probationary Faculty Grant, the new name also accompanies a new exciting award option for awardees. Faculty who have not yet earned tenure, should learn more how to gain support in order to meet the qualifications for retention, tenure or promotion.
Typical deadline: Spring semester around late-February or early-March.
FacDev's Professional Development Grant
This grant, formerly known as the Faculty Success Grant, is for faculty who would like to engage in a professional development activity and make a compelling case that this opportunity would directly benefit multiple areas of faculty engagement (teaching, scholarship & service).
Typical deadline: Fall semester around October
College-Specific Awards
College of Engineering and Computer Science Outstanding New Researcher Award
The purpose of the CECS Outstanding New Research Award is to recognize faculty members, regardless of faculty rank, who have demonstrated outstanding contributions in scholarship and research (innovations).Faculty members can demonstrate their outstanding contributions through a number of different accomplishments, including: Scholarship through published refereed articles, refereed conference proceedings, book chapters and books, external funding through grants and contracts, innovative research accomplishments, and other noteworthy research and scholarly accomplishments.
Typical deadline: Spring semester around mid-April
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Research and Instructional Development Grants Competition
CSBS has a yearly research and instructional development grant competition that can be used for either summer or the academic year. Funding for research proposals may be used to support writing projects, research-related travel, student assistants, the purchase of research-related materials, summer stipend, or reassigned time. Instructional development funds can be used to support proposals that have as their objective the implementation of classroom practices that
increase student achievement, decreasing DFU rates across the College, student engagement, community partnerships, use of innovative methods, or use of technology mediated instruction to increase student learning. Funds may be used to support workshop and/or conference participation, student assistants, teaching materials, summer stipend, or reassigned time.
Typical deadline: Spring semester around mid-May
College of Humanities Funded Activities and Research
There are many awards offered annually and semi-annually in the College of Humanities. For a list of these awards, funding amounts, application templates, and deadlines, click here.
Typical deadlines: Fall and Spring
Last Updated on August 8, 2024