Rackham Faculty Allies and Student Allies Grants

Proposals are due on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, by 1:00 p.m., and must be submitted through the online application portal.

Narrative

Please address the following issues as prompted by the online application portal:

Current Status of Program Climate and Efforts Toward Supporting Student Success

What is the state of your graduate program? Explain the strengths and weaknesses that motivate your request for funding.

Proposed Activities

What activities, events, and/or programming are you applying for a Rackham Faculty Allies Grant to support?

Needs, Gaps, or Challenges in Your Program

How are the proposed activities designed to meet challenges in your program’s efforts to support student success and build thriving academic cultures? Clearly articulate the specific ways in which the proposed activities will support graduate students (e.g., around program milestones, climate, academic and/or professional development, retention, etc.).

Student Ally Supplemental Grant

If you are seeking funds to support one or more Student Allies as collaborators in executing the Rackham Faculty Allies Grant, please explain how they will contribute to the activities proposed, including the specific work, time commitment, and estimated timeframe for the project.

Evidence of Commitment

Describe how program faculty and leadership demonstrate their commitment to, and collective engagement with, the goals outlined in this proposal. Be sure to include details about the administrative support and provisions in place to ensure the successful implementation of the proposed activities.

Budget (One Page)

Please use the budget table provided to list the proposed activities (i.e., invited speaker, summer writing workshop, career panel) and provide a cost break-down (i.e., activity, number of students involved).

If you are applying for a Student Ally Supplemental Grant, please include the student work as a budget line item.

Be sure to include a total budget amount up to a maximum of $8,000, or $13,000 if you are requesting Student Ally support.

Letter of Support (One Page)

Please provide a letter of commitment from the department chair, director, or dean with responsibility for the graduate program.

If you are applying for a Student Ally Supplemental Grant, please provide a letter of support from the student’s advisor or graduate program director.

Award Notifications

Awardees will be notified in April 2026.

Asterisks indicate a recipient of an additional Student Allies for Grant.

2025–26

• Allison Alexy, Women’s and Gender Studies*
• Denise Anthony, Health Services Organization & Policy*
• Alex Averbuch, Slavic Languages and Literatures*
• Patrick Barry, Law School*
• Eric Bowman, Dermatology
• Chad Brenner, Cellular & Molecular Biology*
• Kevin Cokley, Psychology*
• Jay Crisostomo, Middle East Studies*
• Tom Duda, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology*
• Mara Duncan, Cell and Developmental Biology*
• Robert Duncan, Neuroscience
• Megan Ewing, Germanic Languages and Literatures*
• Paul Fleming, Health Behavior & Health Equity*
• Christine Freeman-Basmajian, Immunology*
• Irene Hwang, Architecture*
• Elizabeth Jahn, Sociology*
• Sean Johnson, Astronomy and Astrophysics*
• SE Kile, Asian Languages and Cultures*
• Zachary Landis-Lewis, Health Infrastructures and Learning Systems*
• Mike Liemohn, Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering*
• Ann Miller, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology*
• Chauncey Monte-Sano, Educational Studies*
• Bethany Moore, Microbiology and Immunology*
• Sheila Murphy, Film, Television, and Media
• Susan Najita, American Culture*
• Alison Narayan, Chemical Biology
• Rushika Patel, Nursing, School of*
• Natasha Pilkauskas, Public Policy, Ford School of*
• Acrisio Pires, Linguistics
• Jeff Rual, Molecular and Cellular Pathology
• Joann Sekiguchi, Human Genetics
• Yatrik Shah, Cancer Biology*
• Elizabeth Speliotes, Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)*
• Serife Tol, Mechanical Engineering*
• Deborah Watkins, Environmental Health Sciences*
• Chase Weidmann, Biological Chemistry*
• Kyle Whyte, Environment and Sustainability, School of*
• Jenny Wilson, Mathematics
• Jason Young, History*