Investing in Ideas: Internal Grants & Funding at Bryn Mawr
Bryn Mawr College believes that great ideas deserve support. Through a robust ecosystem of internal grants and funding programs, the College invests directly in the research, teaching, creative work, and community initiatives of its faculty, staff, and students. From seed grants that launch new sustainability projects to collaborative funding that bridges campuses and disciplines, these programs reflect Bryn Mawr's deep commitment to intellectual inquiry, innovation, and positive change. Explore the funding opportunities below to see how the College puts its values into action.
Strategic Innovation & Pilot Grants
Bryn Mawr's Strategic Innovation Pilot Grants support bold new ideas at the intersection of teaching, research, and institutional growth. Administered through the Provost's Office, these competitive grants fund faculty-led projects that advance the College's academic mission and open new directions for scholarship and pedagogy. Recent pilot programs have supported new models of faculty collaboration, research seed funding, and supplemental project grants designed to take promising work to the next level.
Pilot grant programs include:
- Research and Scholarship Seed Grants — support for new faculty research and creative projects in their early stages
- Pilot Collaboration Grants — funding for innovative cross-disciplinary or cross-unit faculty collaborations
- Supplemental Grants — additional support to extend and deepen ongoing funded research projects
Bi-Co & Tri-Co Collaborative Funding
Bryn Mawr's membership in the Bi-College Consortium with Haverford and the Tri-College Consortium with Haverford and Swarthmore creates unique opportunities for faculty to collaborate across campuses. A range of grants supports these partnerships, from informal brainstorming sessions to sustained curricular and research initiatives.
Collaborative funding programs include:
- Academic Collaboration in the Bi-Co Grants — Bryn Mawr and Haverford invite academic departments, programs, and cross-unit groups to propose innovative pilot projects that benefit students and enhance the academic experience across both campuses.
- Tri-Co Brainstorming Grants — grants of up to $600 support informal gatherings of Tri-Co faculty who share scholarly interests, curricular goals, or program ideas, fostering cross-campus connection and conversation.
- Tri-Co Seed and Roots Grants — flexible grants supporting new faculty projects in research, teaching, curriculum, or service across the three-college community.
Digital Bryn Mawr Grants & Fellowships
Bryn Mawr is committed to integrating digital technologies into teaching, learning, and research in meaningful and critical ways. Through the Digital Bryn Mawr Grants program and the Digital Scholarship Faculty Fellowship, the College supports faculty, graduate students, and staff in exploring the pedagogical and research possibilities of digital tools, with hands-on collaboration from Library and Information Technology Services (LITS).
Programs include:
- Digital Bryn Mawr Project Grants — competitive grants for research and curricular development projects with a significant digital technology component. Open to faculty, staff, and graduate students, with applications accepted twice yearly. Awards often include substantial LITS staff collaboration and support.
- Digital Scholarship Faculty Fellowship — a stipended fellowship for faculty to lead digital scholarship initiatives, mentor students in digital research methods, and contribute to Bryn Mawr's growing digital scholarship community. Fellows receive a $2,500 stipend and project support.
Sustainability Seed Grants
Bryn Mawr's Sustainability Seed Grants reflect the College's commitment to environmental stewardship and climate action. Administered by the Sustainability Office, these grants provide small but meaningful funding for faculty, staff, and student-led projects that advance the College's sustainability goals or inspire a broader culture of environmental awareness and action on campus.
Community Engagement & Civic Funding
Bryn Mawr supports the civic and community engagement of its students, staff, and faculty through several targeted funding programs that connect the campus to the wider world, particularly the Philadelphia region.
Programs include:
- Philadelphia Engagement Grants — grants of up to $1,500 for faculty to enrich on-campus courses through student experiences in Philadelphia, from museum visits and archival research to sustained partnerships with local organizations. Administered through the Tri-Co Philly Program, with two funding cycles per year.
- Racial Justice Impact Fund — with an annual operating budget of $10,000, this College-sponsored fund supports students, staff, and faculty in implementing projects that advance racial justice and equity through restorative and transformational justice work, often in partnership with external community organizations.
- Change Agent Fund — committing $10,000 annually, this fund supports members of the Bryn Mawr community in developing and implementing projects that address experiences of marginalization, inequity, and vulnerability, particularly around race, ability, income, and citizenship status. Coordinated through The Impact Center for Community, Equity, and Understanding.
- Career & Civic Engagement Mini-Grants — undergraduate students may apply for grants of up to $200 to support professional development, civic engagement, community projects, graduate school application fees, and test preparation costs.
Faculty Research Support
At Bryn Mawr, supporting faculty scholarship is not limited to competitive grant cycles. The College maintains a set of ongoing, accessible funding programs designed to remove the everyday financial barriers that can slow research progress and professional development. These non-competitive resources ensure that all eligible faculty have a reliable foundation of support for their work, regardless of where they are in their careers or research trajectories.
Programs include:
- Faculty Research Pool — annual funding of up to $1,000 per eligible faculty member to cover modest research expenses such as transcription, publication costs, equipment, and transportation. Administered through the Office of Sponsored Research.
- Faculty Travel Pool — supports the scholarly development of faculty on continuing appointment by funding travel related to research, conferences, and professional engagement.
- Faculty & Student Entertainment Fund — administered through the Student Success Office, this fund supports informal small-group interactions between faculty and students outside the classroom, strengthening mentorship and community connection.