There are multiple ways for faculty and departments to apply for funding at UC Santa Barbara. In addition to the resources below (administered by the college), we encourage you to visit the UC Santa Barbara Office of Research for comprehensive, searchable information on funding opportunities for faculty.

Conference support

Academic Senate faculty members are invited to submit applications for support for academic conferences held in Santa Barbara. 

The College of Letters & Science and the Divisional Deans have a limited amount of funding available, so organizers should begin by requesting support from their department or program. All requests to the college will be reviewed by the deans.

Due to limited funds, most awards are in the $2,000 range, and funding is generally not provided to organizers who have received conference funding in the past fiscal year.
 

Deadlines for submitting requests are as follows:

  • NOVEMBER 1 for conferences scheduled between March 1, 2023 and May 31, 2023
  • FEBRUARY 1 for conferences scheduled between June 1, 2023 and August 30, 2023
  • MAY 1 for conferences scheduled between September 1, 2023 and February 28, 2024

Retroactive requests will no longer be funded.

To request funding, please use this form. When you click the link, you will be prompted to log in to your UCSB Connect account. (Reminder: to log into your Connect account, use your UCSB netID.)

If support is awarded, a final report on income and expenditures is required following the conference. Conference deficits will not be covered, and unspent college funds must be returned. 

Some examples of conferences that L&S has supported:

  • Criminalizing Immigrant Families: Race, Gender, and Family Separations at the U.S.- Mexico Border
  • California Actuarial Student Summit
  • Future Tripping Symposium
  • The Fabricant: Symposium on the Figure of the Translator
  • Medieval Bestsellers vs.Masterpieces: What We Read Now & What They Read Then
  • Symposium on We Speak, We Learn: Native/Indigenous Peoples Educating the 21st Century
  • Invisible Empire: Spirits and Animism in Contemporary Japan
  • After Tahrir: Egyptian Revolutionary Experiences and Future Visions

Faculty grants and awards

The College of Letters & Science sponsors the distinguished endowed Critical Issues in America series. Running continuously since 1995, the series examines topics of contemporary national concern or significance from a multi-disciplinary perspective. 

Considering applying for a Critical Issues grant? Application materials are available here

  • Activities and programming should address a topic of contemporary national concern or significance
  • Preference is given to proposals that encourage broad interdisciplinary participation
  • Proposals often include multiple PIs or a faculty advisory group, but should include at least one Senate faculty member 

Since 2001, the Arthur N. Rupe Great Debate Series, established by the Arthur N. Rupe Foundation, has explored contemporary societal issues of national and international significance via presentations by eminent figures who hold divergent viewpoints. The college, which co-sponsors the series, invites you to submit ideas for debate topics through the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center.

UCSB faculty seeking Fulbright opportunities abroad

The traditional Fulbright Scholar Program sends 800 U.S. faculty and professionals abroad each year to teach, study, and conduct research. UC Santa Barbara faculty members interested in applying should consult with their department chair. 

Non-U.S. faculty seeking to visit UCSB via the Fulbright Program

If a UC Santa Barbara academic department wishes to host an international Fulbright scholar at the faculty level, it is necessary to obtain institutional endorsement from the campus Fulbright Administrative Official, the Executive Dean of the College of Letters and Science. Departments alone may not authorize campus acceptance of a Fulbright scholar. 

Please review these FAQs when considering hosting a Fulbright Scholar. 

Note: The college only administers Fulbright awards for faculty. Graduate students or department hoping to host graduate students should contact the Graduate Division. Undergraduate students should contact the EAP office.

Special Opportunity for Scholars from Canadian Universities

Under the UCSB-Canada Fulbright Research Chair program, each year one Canadian scholar is invited to UC Santa Barbara. In addition to conducting research, the scholar teaches a graduate or undergraduate course for one quarter. 

Created by a bequest from Professor Constantine Panunzio of UC Los Angeles, the Constantine Panunzio Distinguished Emeriti Award honors outstanding scholarly work or educational service performed since retirement by a University of California emeritus or emerita in the humanities or social sciences.

Nominations

  • A call for nominations is made each fall quarter
  • Nominations should be made directly to the UCSB Emeriti Association
  • Nominations may be made by departmental chairs, the alumni associations, or by self-nomination
  • Include: the nominee's curriculum vitae and a letter outlining the rationale for the nomination (including distinctive contribution in scholarship or other educational service made by the nominee since retirement)

Faculty & department reimbursements

Faculty recruitment expenses should be charged to the departmental account initially. When candidates’ approved initial visits are complete, departments may request reimbursement via this link.

  • The College will reimburse its departments for eligible faculty recruitment costs up to a total of $5,000 per search. Eligible expenses for reimbursement are advertisement costs and reasonable transportation and lodging expenses for up to three candidate visits.  
  • Travel must be in compliance with UC policies and procedures (please see UCOP policy BFB-G-28), and every effort should be made to secure the most economical and cost-effective travel arrangements possible. 
  • If the department anticipates exceeding the $5,000 limit, the chair should contact the divisional dean in advance to discuss options.
  • Unless prior approval has been obtained from the divisional dean, expenses for more than three candidate visits remain the responsibility of the department.
  • Reimbursement for searches between colleges will be addressed on a case-by-case basis; the chair should consult with the divisional dean in the early stages of the search.
  • Reimbursement funds must be requested before the end of the fiscal year in which they are incurred, unless an exception has been approved by the divisional dean.

Expenses Eligible for College Reimbursement:

  • Reasonable transportation and lodging expenses for duration of visit, in accordance with UC travel regulations.
  • Advertising costs, online and/or in print.
  • Meals purchased by candidate for candidate only, in transit.

The Department is Responsible for:

  • Spouse’s travel expenses, if incurred
  • Faculty entertainment expenses with candidate (e.g., group lunches and dinners). This includes hosted meals.
  • Second visits by candidate and/or spouse.

Contact Tania Dunson with any questions regarding reimbursement eligibility (x5289) 

The College of Letters & Science supports faculty who receive distinguished awards, and is committed to helping them take full advantage of research opportunities. Salary supplements will be provided to make up the difference between the fellowship award and the faculty member’s salary. The following policies have been developed to benefit those who receive competitively awarded, nationally and internationally recognized fellowships/awards:

  • Salary supplements will be made following awards of at least $25,000. Awards of smaller amounts will be supplemented for less than a full year, depending on the amount of the award.
  • Faculty members must have accrued sabbatical leave credits before requesting salary supplements for fellowships/awards. The college will require nine (9) credits to be forfeited in exchange for an annual supplement. For untenured ladder faculty, the college will require six (6) sabbatical credits to be forfeited.
  • The recipient of a college supplement should plan to return to their UCSB home department for an amount of time equal to the leave before requesting any additional leaves (sabbatical, etc.). 
  • Only in exceptional cases will the college support a second consecutive year of leave. 
  • College-supported awards should be used for research only. Salary supplements are not awarded for teaching fellowships/awards.
  • Replacement funding is not normally provided for sabbatical leaves, including those leaves covered by this salary supplement program.

Please contact your divisional assistant dean to discuss. 

The Faculty Course Buy-Out Program is a means for ladder faculty to temporarily enhance their research activities in exchange for release from some of their teaching duties. In addition, it serves to generate the needed instructional funding to cover classes that will not be taught as a result of faculty diverting extra effort to research. The teaching program is preserved through the use of extramural funds in support of faculty research.

Those in the planning stages of a project who are considering a course buy-out are strongly encouraged to implement these guidelines. Continuing grants that seek renewal should adjust their buy-out provisions to these guidelines.  Projects already submitted to external agencies are exempt from these new guidelines; however, PIs are encouraged to submit a budget update to the funding agency, if appropriate.

Guidelines:

Ladder faculty may use extramural funds to buy-out courses as follows:

  1. Faculty must complete the Course Buy-Out Request form, which requires both department chair’s and dean’s approval. The request form should be submitted for approval prior to grant submittal.
  2. Course buy-out may not exceed 50% of the faculty member’s annual course workload as defined by the faculty member’s home department (3 course load = 1 course, 4 and 5 course load = 2 courses).
  3. The extramural funds must cover the percentage of annual salary (and the associated benefits) equal to 50% of the course workload that is being bought out (or up to the maximum allowable replacement costs by the granting agency, if lower than 50%). For example, one course buy-out (workload credit of 1.0) in a department with the workload policy of:
    • Three courses would be equal to 16.67% of the faculty member’s annual nine-month salary
    • Four courses would be equal to 12.5% of the faculty member’s annual nine-month salary
    • Five courses would be equal to 10% of the faculty member’s annual nine-month salary
  4. A course buy-out does not carry the privileges of a sabbatical leave. Participation in the program should in no way reduce the campus service and attendance responsibilities of the faculty member. The faculty member must remain on campus for the duration of the buy-out except when standard leaves of absence are granted within policy (Red Binder section VI-1).
  5. A course buy-out may not be used in combination with a sabbatical leave during the same quarter.
  6. Instructional support for departments: In order to maintain the quality of instructional programs, departments that have a course(s) bought out under these guidelines may request Temporary Sub 0 funds to replace the faculty member’s uncovered course(s).

If sufficient grant funding is available to cover the entire salary and benefits, faculty may opt for a 100%-time Release to Grant to enable them to devote their full attention to research during an academic quarter.  The approval process is similar to that of leaves and requires the endorsement of the department chair and approval of the dean.

Routing:

Course Buy-Outs via Divisional Assistant Deans
Release to Grants via Divisional Academic Personnel Analysts