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About
Regional Development Grants provide funds for special projects within the regions that aim to benefit the scholarly and professional life of AAR members and do the work of the AAR in the regions.
Grant proposals must demonstrate coordination with regional leadership, documented through a letter of support or approval from the appropriate regional organization. Grants will be awarded to either an individual or a collaborative group. Proposed project must align with at least one of the following priorities:
- Benefit to the Region – Strengthens the regional AAR community through collaboration, engagement, or sustainability efforts.
- Replicability Across Regions – Serves as a scalable model that can be adapted and implemented in other AAR regions.
- Advancing the Public Understanding of Religion – Supports projects that directly or indirectly foster broader engagement with religious literacy, public dialogue, or education beyond the academy.
Grants will support:
- Seed funding for new, sustainable regional initiatives that can continue beyond the initial grant period.
- One-time special projects that directly enhance the vitality of AAR’s regional activities and/or support public engagement with religion.
- Workshops, training programs, and innovative regional events aligned with the grant’s priorities.
Maximum grant amount: $3,500
Criteria
- Applications may be submitted by an individual or a collaborative group.
- A collaborative group must apply through an AAR member designated as a Project Director.
- The applicant/Project Director must have current AAR membership and maintain it throughout the grant period.
- Grants will not be awarded to the same applicant in consecutive years.
- A letter of support or approval from the regional leadership must be included.
AAR members who meet the eligibility requirements may submit more than one proposal and may apply to more than one grant program. However, the same grant proposal may not be submitted to more than one grant program. If selected, only one grant proposal will be funded to a member who submits multiple proposals or to multiple programs.
Ineligible Expenses:
- Indirect or overhead costs
- Donations
- Research assistance or release time — unless directly related to the funded project.
- Travel to the in-person AAR Annual Meeting, including lodging, ground transportation, meals, or other related expenses
- Note: Up to one quarter (¼) of the grant amount ($875) may be allocated toward registration fees for regional meetings if such participation directly supports the project.
How to Apply
Applicants must submit a completed application form and required materials through the AAR Grant Application Submission System by the deadline.
Applications for collaborative projects must be submitted by the Project Director.
Late, emailed, or incomplete application or materials cannot be accepted.
Application Materials
Applicants should be prepared to upload the following required materials, all of which must be compiled into a single document in PDF or Word format::
1. Cover Page
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- AAR Region
- Project Title
- Grant Type: Individual or Collaborative
- Grant Priority/Priorities (Benefit to Region; Replicability Across Regions; Advancing the Public Understanding of Religion)
- Applicant’s Name
- Applicant’s Institutional Affiliation (if applicable)
- List of Collaborators & Contact Info (for collaborative projects)
- Requested Grant Amount ($3,500 max)
2. Letter of Support or Approval from Regional Leadership (Chief Regional Officer)
3. Project Abstract – 150 word description of the project
4. Project Proposal (1,000 words max)
- Description of project goals, activities, and expected impact
- Explanation of how the project meets at least one of the revised funding priorities
5. Project Replicability Statement (250 words, required only if “Replicability Across Regions” is selected as a funding priority)
6. Project Timeline
- Outline of major milestones and completion dates within the award year
7. Project Budget
- Completed budget template (use the template provided)
- 1-2 page narrative description of the expected costs (USD) related to the project. Budget should include other sources of support—e.g., funds granted by your institution, funds requested from outside agencies—and indicate the total award amount sought from the AAR.
8. Signed Consent:
- Signed consent for use of final project report by AAR within AAR publications/social media. The signed consent should include the following: “AAR works to raise the visibility of religious studies scholarship. Project participants permit AAR to use portions of the final report, including documentation or illustrations, in AAR publicity (online communications and social media), with appropriate attribution.”
The signed consent must be included as a separate document/page.
Additional materials cannot be accepted.
Selection Process
All eligible grant proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by a jury comprised of the AAR Regions Director and two jury members using the following criteria:
- Benefit to Scholarly and Professional Life in the AAR Region
- Adequacy of the overall work plan, including goals, objectives, and time frame for the completion of the project
Application Status Notification
- Notification of application status is typically sent to the applicant/Project Director in January.
Grant Award Period
- For awarded projects, expenses can be undertaken anytime within the calendar year of the award year.
- The grant period starts on January 1 and ends on December 31. Successful applicants will have the entire calendar year to complete the grant funded activities.
Grant Winner Expectations
- Grantees must maintain AAR membership throughout the grant period.
- For awarded individual projects, grant funds will be remitted to the individual grantee.
For awarded collaborative projects, grant funds will be remitted to the Project Director.
Note: For awarded projects, grant funds cannot be remitted to a grantee’s institution, a collaborator or someone other than the individual grantee/Project Director. - The grant funds will be made payable to the individual grantee/Project Director in the form of an electronic funds transfer.
- For awarded projects, grant funds will be disbursed until June 30 of the award year.
The required forms must be submitted to AAR Accounting by May 31. - The AAR will issue the individual grantee/Project Director a Form 1099 in the amount of the grant for income tax use. The individual grantee/Project Director will be responsible for any applicable income taxes due on the grant revenue.
- A final report is due within 30 days of completion of the grant. By January 31 of the following calendar year, the individual grantee/Project Director must submit the required grant reports.
Grant Reports
Grant recipients must submit the following reports by January 31 of the following calendar year:
- A narrative description of the project/research supported by the AAR grant and outcomes
- A financial report detailing expenses
Questions
For any questions, please contact us at grants@aarweb.org.