Organized Research Committee

Every year the Organized Research Committee (ORC) of the University of Houston-Downtown offers small grants to support the research activities of tenured/tenure track faculty. The committee solicits grant applications during the fall semester.

Download a copy of the application. Faculty members are asked to submit proposals to their faculty chairs with sufficient time to allow review by the departmental review committee, the chair, and the dean to meet this deadline. We leave it to the discretion of the departments to determine how much time they will need to review proposals submitted by their faculty.

The ORC maintains a list of external funding sources that may be of interest to University of Houston-Downtown faculty.

The National Science Foundation funds research and education in science and engineering. According to the NSF website, approximately 20 percent of federal support goes to academic institutions for basic research. Follow this link to learn more about NSF programs.

Every year, the U. S. Department of Education funds states and school districts at approximately $28 billion annually. The DOE also provides about $2 billion to colleges and universities for research support.

The National Endowment for the Humanities is another granting agency of the United States. It supports a wide range of research in the "education and preservation" of the humanities. You can find more information at the "Applying for a Grant" page, linked here.

The mission of the National Endowment for the Arts is to enrich "our nation and its diverse cultural heritage by supporting works of artistic excellence, advancing learning in the arts, and strengthening the arts in communities throughout the country." Find out more about funding opportunities on their "NEA Applications and Grant Forms" page.