Deadlines

Eligibility 

Specific eligibility requirements per grant program are below. Instructors at Columbia University and Barnard College are invited to apply to any grant category (though applicants will only receive funding for one course per teaching semester). Interested graduate students should discuss eligibility to instruct courses with their director of graduate studies. 

For Environmental Justice Course Grants:

• Co-applicants from outside the university can serve as collaborators on the course.

For Climate Humanities Course Grant:

• Co-applicants from outside the university can serve as collaborators on the course.

For Co-Production of Knowledge Course Grants:

• Projects must be led by at least two co-organizers:
  • Columbia University or Barnard College instructor
  • Outside community expert. This organizer does not have to be based in the United States
    • “Community expert” is defined here as anyone with lived experience and/or cultural knowledge of the course material subject(s) being taught, and has a trusting relationship with the Columbia-affiliated co-instructor.
    • If the partnering community expert is based outside of New York City and/or the United States, applicants should confirm the expert’s ability to join class sessions virtually on a regular basis, and should budget for at least 1 in-person class visit. Proposed course syllabi should include a description of how the expert will engage with students and course material in lieu of regular in-class attendance. 

Amount

Amounts are available of up to:

• $3,000 for Environmental Justice Course Grants and Climate Humanities Course Grants
• $10,000 for Co-Production of Knowledge Course Grants

Collaborator Compensation:

• If non-academic community collaborators are part of the project, at least half of the funds will be awarded directly to the partners.
• If a community partner is accompanying course instruction and is not affiliated with a non-profit or community based organization, adequate compensation via honorarium must be included in the proposed course budget 

Spending Requirements:

• Funds must be used within two years of award
• Funds can only be used to support direct costs, which include:
  • books, instructional and course materials
  • consultant fees
  • expenses related to meetings between co-instructors such as compensation awards and travel costs for outside collaborators
  • funding to support student activities such as field trips, materials, or research projects.
• Funds cannot be used for lobbying or political activities.
• Honoraria or stipends cannot be paid to any University faculty or staff.

Description

The Center for Science and Society at Columbia University invites University affiliates to augment and/or adapt existing Columbia courses or lead in the development of new curricular offerings in one of the three following categories: 

Environmental Justice

Courses of this type are required to investigate, highlight, and/or document the compounding relationships between social categories (such as: race, gender, economic status, indigeneity, geographical location, and etc.) and the unique connections and/or disproportionate environmental problems that people within these social categories experience. 

Climate Humanities

Incorporating social and cultural approaches into environmental and climate discussions can help critically examine taken-for-granted concepts from multiple angles and generate new forms of knowledge production. Courses in this category should center the humanities in the study of environmental problems, the climate crisis, and/or human relationships with and understanding of the environment.

Co-Production of Knowledge

Courses in this category must employ models of co-instruction between Columbia University affiliates and community knowledge holders. Particularly, they should include some component(s) of experiential, co-produced, and/or non-traditional learning built within the coursework and/or course structure. 

Apply

To apply, please submit the following as a single PDF document by 11:59PM ET on September 30, 2026 to [email protected]:

• Cover page with
  • Course title
  • Applicants, their affiliations, and email addresses
  • Course format
  • Semester to be first taught
  • Short course description. Please include any course prerequisites
• Budget and budget justification
• 500-600 word proposal discussing tentative plans and rationale for course development fund. Specific proposals should also do the following:
  • Environmental Justice: Identify environmental justice issues and/or perspectives investigated in the course and why they are important to study/discuss.
  • Climate Humanities: Summarize humanitarian perspectives and/or approaches which are to be applied to environmental subjects and the benefits of utilizing/studying these approaches.
  • Co-Production of Knowledge: Highlight featured component(s) of experiential, co-produced, and/or non-traditional learning built within the coursework and/or course structure
• Course syllabus or a document that should include
  • Main topics and the sequence in which they will be covered
  • Course objectives, including the specific skills students will gain
  • Examples of assigned readings and other course materials
  • Description of assignments on which student assessment will be based
• Instructor(s) CVs or resumes (for non-academic co-applicants)

For questions, please email [email protected].