Internal funding opportunities that seek to support, facilitate and enhance research and promote creative activity are now accepting proposals for their latest cycle of funding.
The VCU Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Fund, VCU Momentum Fund and VCU Quest Fund, support, facilitate and enhance research, creative activity, or innovative projects across all disciplines and areas of research and are now open for submissions. The VCU Breakthroughs Fund will be announced and accepting applications in the coming Spring semester.
Now in its fifth cycle of funding, these opportunities serve as seed money, or catalytic funding, to enable projects that will eventually seek larger external grants. The funds allow faculty to hone their projects, gain valuable experience and breakthroughs, so they are optimal candidates for external grants.
“These internal funding opportunities are a commitment from the VCU Research and Innovation enterprise to our researchers,” said P. Srirama Rao, Ph.D., vice president for research and innovation. “These funds have a proven track record of creating new knowledge, advancing innovation, and leveraging public-private partnerships, as well as leading to increased extramural funding. We also know that when we invest in our research faculty, staff and experiential learning for students, we increase our ability to address society’s most pressing challenges.”
Over the past five years, the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation’s internal funding program has supported over 160 research projects, each research focus mirroring the wide array of expertise found across our university and faculty. From developing drug therapies to combatting substance use disorders, virtual reality and artificial intelligence solutions, to expressive arts, dance, movement and film, each project shares the common goal of advancing knowledge and improving the human condition.
As with many other institutions, VCU has had to face the uncertainty of federal research funding, including the cancellations of awards. Unfortunately, this resulted in an inability to fund for Round Four submissions. However, Round Four applicants are encouraged to consider updating and resubmitting their projects for this next round of internal funding where possible while also incorporating the feedback received from their submission.
While eligibility criteria vary for each of the funds, all VCU full-time faculty, regardless of discipline, tenure, school or college, are encouraged to explore the opportunities and consider applying.
For a detailed description of each fund’s purpose, eligibility requirements, proposal details, deadlines and the application process, visit https://research.vcu.edu/about/srpp/funding/. For other information and questions, contact ovprifunds@vcu.edu.
VCU Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Fund
Through a partnership between the Office of the Provost and the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation, the VCU Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Fund is designed to support, facilitate and enhance the creation, production and dissemination of arts, humanities and social sciences research and creative activity at any stage of development, including initial or mid-stage project development, presentation or performance, and final publication.
Award details: up to $10,000 total for 12 months.
Deadline to submit: February 13, 2026
Award start date: May 15, 2026
VCU Momentum Fund
The VCU Momentum Fund promotes impactful interdisciplinary research by providing multi-principal investigator research teams with support to prepare and submit competitive, external, multi-component large-scale proposals. Examples include, but are not limited to, large funding opportunities from federal agencies (e.g., National Institutes of Health P- or U-series mechanisms, National Science Foundation Gen4 Engineering Research Centers, NSF Science and Technology Centers, Department of Energy’s Energy Frontier Research Centers) or foundations (e.g., Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and MacArthur Foundation)
Award details: up to $225,000 for 24 months
Deadline to submit: February 13, 2026
Award start date: June 30, 2026
VCU Quest Fund
The VCU Quest Fund affords all faculty an internal funding opportunity to support new, emerging or continuing research. Research proposals that advance any discipline and area of research focuses are appropriate for consideration. Requests for grant support may be based on a broad array of needs, from restarting an inactive research program to pilot studies that would produce preliminary results on which external grant applications could be based. Proposed work that helps advance transdisciplinary research, multidisciplinary research and cross-campus collaboration, as well as research that has the potential for translation to practice or market, is especially encouraged.
Award details: up to $50,000 (inclusive of 25% required unit cost share) for 24 months
Deadline to submit: February 13, 2026
Award start date: June 30, 2026