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College of Fine Arts

Mid-Career Summer Research and Creative Activities Program (MCSRP)

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Purpose

This program provides summer funding to support faculty who are seeking to advance their research, creative projects, or scholarship in preparation for promotion to Senior Instructor or Full Professor. Projects should reflect meaningful contributions to the applicant’s field and demonstrate engagement with cultural inquiry, collaborative connection, or public-facing creative practice.

Eligibility

Applicants must hold the rank of Associate Professor, Associate Professor of Practice or Instructor 2 in the College of Fine Arts. Applicants must not have received a previous MCSRP grant. Applicants may submit proposals to multiple CFA internal grant programs but may only receive one internal grant per fiscal year (June 1–May 31), excluding the Programming Grant Supporting Community Connections.

Award

Funding is available as either a $5,000 summer stipend or reimbursement of up to $5,000 in project-related expenses.

  • Stipends will be issued through summer payroll and are subject to taxes. Faculty receiving a stipend may teach no more than one regular summer session, contingent on departmental need and summer school funding availability.
  • Reimbursement requests must follow TCU reimbursement procedures and can only include expenses incurred after June 1.
  • All travel request approvals, reimbursements, and expenses must comply with College of Fine Arts and TCU travel policies. Travel and reimbursements will be processed through Concur. Please verify with your chair or director for anticipated travel requests and approvals.

**Faculty are encouraged to submit a TCU RCAF proposal to complement their MCSRP request.

Application Materials

A complete application includes:

  • College of Fine Arts Grants Cover Sheet
  • Project proposal (3–5 pages, double-spaced), including:
    • Project description, including how it will advance the applicant’s research or creative work
    • Explanation of how the project contributes to the discipline or professional field
    • Brief literature review or environmental scan situating the project within the field
    • Scope of work and timeline
    • Project goals and anticipated outcomes
  • Itemized budget
    • Justification for the budgeted expenses
  • Updated CV in TCU format

Application Procedure

Submit the complete application as a single PDF by email to Tracy Rohrer in the Dean’s Office at t.rohrer@tcu.edu.

Deadline: First Monday in April for the next fiscal year starting June 1.

Post-Award Requirements

  • A final project report must be submitted within 30 days of the project conclusion to the Dean’s Office (t.rohrer@tcu.edu), department/school Chair/Director, and Dr. Charles Freeman, Director of Research and Creative Scholarship Initiatives (charles.freeman@tcu.edu).
  • All expenses and reimbursement requests must be submitted within 30 days of project completion and no later than October 31st to ensure timely processing.
  • For reimbursement awards, all receipts and forms must be submitted by the last Monday in August following project completion. Failure to submit by deadline may subject reimbursements to income tax penalties.
  • Any changes to the approved budget or scope of work must be reviewed and approved by the Director of Research and Creative Scholarship Initiatives.