ACLS Opens First Luce/ACLS Collaborative Grant in China Studies Competition

With the generous support of the Henry Luce Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is pleased to offer a new Luce/ACLS Collaborative Grant in China Studies for groups of scholars and experts working to advance change in the field of China Studies. Part of the redesigned Luce/ACLS Program in China Studies, the new grant competition aims to develop effective strategies for long-term change in China studies through collaborative working groups that will research and pilot solutions to challenges and opportunities in the field. The program is based on three years of consultations with more than 100 scholars, administrators, journalists, librarians, curators, artists, and readers of research and writing on China.

In 2024, ACLS will award one group of scholars and experts in China studies a grant of up to $150,000 to design and pilot activities to solve specific, pressing challenges in the field over a period of 12 to 18 months. The collaborative group will test and refine promising solutions, produce recommendations for activities to be adopted at scale in universities and colleges, and identify strategies for long-term sustainability. Outcomes may include a pilot program, a new cross-institutional network, a plan for scaling and/or sustainability, or a white paper.

Groups are encouraged to submit proposals in response to the below prompts. Applicants NOT responding to one of the prompts are encouraged to submit an optional letter of intent by April 17, 2024 in order to learn if their project will be competitive. Full proposals must be submitted by June 13, 2024.

• Teaching and Curricular Resources: Developing and/or making accessible course syllabi and teaching resources (texts, media, primary sources in translation, etc.) aimed at diversifying undergraduate curricula, supporting early career and teaching faculty, and enhancing undergraduate programs in China studies.
• Open-Access Resources: Expanding access to open-access digital resources for teaching and research through digitization, preservation, and platform development, including increased accessibility to existing digital databases and strengthening print collections.
• Cross-institutional Cohort Building: Cohort-based professional development that promotes the diversification of faculty in China studies, opportunities for China scholars at under-resourced institutions, and professional support for at-risk researchers. 
• Language Training: Expanding access to language training, especially for less commonly taught languages, for students and faculty at under-resourced institutions, or using methods that draw on technologies and best practices for language pedagogy developed since the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Digital Research Methods: Training China scholars in digital skills and research methods to foster new methodological approaches and cross-disciplinary collaborations.
• Securitization Building capacity among China scholars and institutions of higher learning to develop responses to securitization, anti-China bias, and the community impacts of state pressure, including through engagement with university administrators and civic organizations.

Project teams may comprise up to six scholars or experts in the field of China Studies. The project’s principal investigator must have a PhD in the humanities or interpretive social sciences or equivalent and be based in the US or Canada.

All application materials must be submitted by June 13, 2024 as e-mail attachments in PDF or Word document format to [email protected].

Awards are financially supported by the Henry Luce Foundation.

The Luce/ACLS Program in China Studies promotes inclusion, equity, and diversity as integral components of merit that enhance the scholarly enterprise. It is a priority that every cohort of fellows and grantees is broadly inclusive of different backgrounds, cultures, and any aspects that make one unique. In China studies we seek balance in regard to national origin, educational background, and current university affiliation, as well as in disciplinary approaches, topics, and historical periods studied.

Questions? Contact us at [email protected].