MPower Early Scholars Investment Fund

Overview: Pivot funding of up to $50K will be made available for approximately 7 tenure-track faculty at the rank of Assistant Professor.  Funding will be prioritized for faculty whose areas of research were impacted by shifts in the federal funding environment. This could include, for example, research in the fields of health disparities, environmental justice, climate science, or other disciplines). Junior faculty who were leading or were part of grants that were recently terminated, paused or reprioritized for other areas of funding are encouraged to apply.  

Requirements: A two-to-three page proposal is required.  The narrative must describe why the funding is critical for the faculty member; how the funding will be used to strategically pivot or pilot new lines of research into more sustainable funding pathways. Identifying specific funding programs is required at the time of submission.  The proposal must identify why this bridge funding is critical to support the faculty member’s ongoing scholarly or research activities. The narrative should explain how the temporary support will sustain or advance their work and demonstrate the likelihood that the faculty member will secure new external funding, establish a stable funding stream, or achieve a key milestone in their academic career by the time the funds are spent. Proposals that promote interdisciplinary research across departments, schools, and universities (UMB and UMCP) are encouraged.

Budget: A maximum of $50K will be provided.  A detailed budget of how the funds will be used must accompany the narrative.  Recipients are required to provide semi-annual progress reports on the use of funds as well as planned proposal submissions.

Submission: All application materials must be submitted through the Infoready portal no later than January 9, 2026. Proposals will be evaluated based on the need for funding in light of the new funding environment, the proposed impact/use of the funding, and the likelihood to secure additional funding. Funding decisions are expected in late January 2026.

Award Requirements: Recipients are required to provide semi-annual progress reports on the use of funds as well as planned external funding submissions. Specified metrics on the usage of funds that must be followed will be shared in the award notification letter.  Faculty are strongly encouraged to consult with central or school-based proposal development resources to enhance proposals to external funders prior to submission.  

Submission Link for MPower Early Scholars Investment Fund – Track 1: Junior Tenure-Track Faculty
https://umd.infoready4.com/#freeformCompetitionDetail/2000155

Overview: This track is intended to provide temporary funding to doctoral candidates whose research assistantships were impacted by grant pauses, terminations or executive branch reprioritizations in the federal funding landscape. Approximately twenty 9-month Research Assistantships at Step III (advanced to candidacy) will be available for this call for proposals, inclusive of campus minimum GA stipend, fringe, and 899 (only) tuition support for Fall 2026 and/or Spring 2027. 
 

Requirements: Applicants must be advanced to candidacy at the time of application, with an anticipated graduation of Spring 2027 or earlier. A 1-2 page letter written by the student describing the need for the funding is required. The narrative must highlight how federal actions impacted the student’s funding; why the funding is critical to support the graduate student; remaining dissertation benchmarks to be completed; and the likelihood that the graduate student will complete their doctoral degree by Spring 2027. The student’s 2-page 

CV is also required.
 

The budget should request either a 9.5-month RAship funding at the Step III level (following the campus minimum stipend) or either Fall 2026 or Spring 2027 RA funding at the same rate. Half-time (10-hr) RA positions may also be requested. PIs or programs may supplement the stipend to match local norms. Follow the instructions in the linked budget template.

A support letter from the doctoral advisor shall be included with the nomination outlining the eligibility, need, academic progress, and trajectory of the student. If applicable, the letter should also reference a lack of other funding sources that can support the GA.
 

Higher priority will be given for students without available funding and who have been directly impacted by federal actions targeting UMD. State and campus actions stemming from federal actions are eligible for consideration, but may receive a lower priority score. Where alternative funding sources have been identified for the student (e.g., TA support, partial GA, etc.), explain how such funding is less suitable for degree completion. 
 

Submission: All nomination materials must be submitted through the TerpEngage Awards Portal (https://terpengage.umd.edu/gsawards/s/) for the “MPower Early Scholars Investment Fund - Track 2, Doctoral Candidates” no later than May 11, 2026. The program’s DGS/CGS should submit the nomination materials through the awards portal. Nomination materials submitted by programs may be reviewed and prioritized by the Dean of the School/College and shared with the Dean of the Graduate School for funding decisions.
 

Award Requirements: Departments are required to track and provide metrics of the awardees, including the number of graduate students supported, the number of graduate students retained or funded on new projects, the number of graduate students who complete degrees following use of this funding and the number of research outputs that occur during or after the bridge funding. Outputs include publications, presentations, patents, and submitted proposals.