Gaines Center accepting applications for 2026-27 minigrant program
LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 31, 2026) — The University of Kentucky Gaines Center for the Humanities is accepting applications for its 2026-27 minigrant program, which provides grants of up to $500 to support humanities programming across campus.
The grants are available to faculty and staff in any UK college or department and may be used to support either an honorarium for a virtual or in-person speaker or an interactive humanities experience for the UK community and the public.
"The Gaines minigrants help to fuel the creative intellectual life of our university. Through campus-wide programming, we aim to demonstrate that everyone has a stake in the humanities at UK,” said Michelle Sizemore, Ph.D., Gaines Center director. “This year, we invite applicants to bring bold questions and imaginative projects that challenge us to approach our shared world in unexpected ways."
Since the program launched in 2021, the Gaines Center has awarded 69 minigrants totaling nearly $35,000 to colleges, departments and programs across the university. The grants have supported a wide range of humanities-focused initiatives, including guest speakers, symposiums, conferences, wellbeing events, publications and think tank events, expanding opportunities for engagement both on campus and in the broader community.
The Gaines Center will award grants to projects that meet the following guidelines:
- demonstrate a strong humanities focus
- take place on or before May 1, 2027
- allow for maximum participation of faculty, students and/or community members when possible
- list the Gaines Center for the Humanities as a sponsor on all relevant announcements and marketing materials
By supporting humanities-focused events across campus, the program encourages collaboration, conversation and engagement among faculty, students and community members.
Applications will be accepted July 31 through Oct. 5 and will be reviewed and awarded on a rolling basis.
Applications and additional information is available online.
Questions about the minigrant program or application process may be directed to Chelsea Brislin, Ph.D., associate director of the Gaines Center for the Humanities, at chelsea.brislin@uky.edu.
Founded in 1984 by a generous gift from John and Joan Gaines, the Gaines Center for the Humanities serves as a hub for innovative humanities inquiry and collaboration at the University of Kentucky. The center fosters a broad appreciation of the humanities by embracing varied paths of knowledge and integrating experiential learning with traditional academic instruction. Through cross-disciplinary partnerships and public programming, it works to deepen engagement with the humanities across campus and the surrounding community.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and healthcare. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $1.02 billion research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.