Northern Illinois University
Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language and Literacy

In the 2025-2026 academic year we offer grants to support CISLL faculty and student affiliates totaling up to $15,000. For faculty affiliates, the aim is to support the completion of a proposal for an externally funded grant with indirects.

For faculty affiliates, there will be awards of up to $11,000 available. Depending on the proposals submitted, funds may be awarded to more than one proposal up to $11,000 (e.g., two awards at $5,500 or three awards of varying amounts that add up to $11,000). For student affiliates, funds may be awarded to more than one proposal up to $4,000.

Examples of the types of support that can be provided with this award include funding a graduate student, a course buyout, half-summer funding, or a grant consultant. Affiliates who are awarded this grant will be expected to:

• Attend CISLL virtual writing retreats
• Submit a grant proposal to a federal agency and to officially note CISLL as associated with the grant.
• Share an informal report of progress including empirical findings at the CISLL annual Reading Day retreat (to be held May 1, 2026). If presentation at the retreat is impossible due to conflicts, awardees will be required to present their project with CISLL in some form during the spring 2026 or fall 2027 semesters, e.g., during our fall/spring show and share events.
• Be interviewed for our podcast, CISLL Presents: A Language and Literacy podcast.

Further information and application information for the PoP grants are available on the faculty and student affiliate application web pages.