Funding
Applications opened January 2, 2026.
Deadline for spring grants is April 10, 2026.
Award decisions will be shared in mid-May 2026.
2025 IRR and ILS Launch University-Wide Research Themes
The Initiative — global in scope, comparative and interdisciplinary in its approach — fosters anti-racist scholarship and artistic production by engaging with scholars, teachers, students, writers, and artists whose work
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examines various configurations of race and racism within their historical contexts and in its current multiracial complexities
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studies the relationship between race and inequality
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recovers narratives of resistance
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celebrates the contributions of people of color voices to the construction of our communities
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recovers and preserves oral histories and conducts heritage preservation
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examines and dismantles barriers to economic opportunities for communities in and around Notre Dame and South Bend areas.
This year, the Initiative will highlight scholarship amplifying two key research themes: multiracial democracy and the racial wealth gap.
Theme 1: Multiracial Democracy and Resilience
Guiding Questions:
What are the requirements of a fully functioning multi-racial and multi-ethnic democracy? What are the barriers to achieving and sustaining one? Are there any historical examples or contemporary best practices that contribute to our understanding of multi-racial democracy? What are the contributions of historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups to national democratic projects? Does the concept of democracy need to be re-theorized to ensure equal access to political power? What role have the arts played in both promoting and thwarting efforts toward multi-racial democracies? How will we, individually and collectively, prepare to participate in a multi-racial and multi-ethnic democracy? These questions and more animate this research theme.
In this theme, we examine the ways that multi-racial and multi-ethnic democracies have dealt with systemic barriers preventing full participation in society, while looking to build new systems, frameworks, and practices that prepare scholars and students for a more demographically pluralistic society that is inclusionary and future-facing. Successful grant applications will explore these and/or similar questions that will impact not only the Notre Dame community, but the greater South Bend, the Midwest, or national discussions.
Theme 2: Race, Wealth, and Resilience
Guiding Questions:
What is the historical role of race in the creation of American wealth? What are the racial implications of government policies, tax codes, and penal codes? What role does the banking system play in the racialized creation and distribution of wealth? Likewise, what role do the arts play in the same? And equally as important, what policies and practices will aid in the creation of wealth for racially marginalized people and communities? What role should education, employment, or the government play in closing the wealth gap? What role should reparations play in the same? These questions and many more animate this research theme.
This proposed research theme’s approach assumes that there is no lack of resources or wealth in the United States and that efforts to secure solutions and innovative strategies can create societal changes to restore and repair historical transgressions and harm.
Research Grants
In keeping with the mission to combat systemic racism and support communities of color, the Initiative on Race and Resilience provides research grants (up to $5,000) for affiliated faculty and graduate students pursuing these race-related research themes. Both individual and collaborative projects are eligible. This year, a significant portion of our grant resources will be awarded to projects that examine facets of multiracial democracy and the racial wealth gap.