The maximum annual award is $10,000 per applicant. Faculty may only be awarded this grant once per academic year. Applications are due October 15, March 15 and June 15. 

• Northwestern applying faculty must be full-time, benefits-eligible, tenure-line or clinical/instructional and can apply individually, in partnership with another faculty or staff member, or as a representative of a specific Northwestern program, department or group. Priority will be given to first-time applicants and applicants who have not received Northwestern Buffett funds in the past. 
• The Northwestern Buffett Global Collaboration Grant is open to any geographic region. These grants can also be used to facilitate partnerships between faculty members at Northwestern (Evanston/Chicago) and Northwestern Qatar.

• Awarded grants must be used within one year. Recipients must submit a report upon completed use of the award funds.
• Recipients are expected to acknowledge Northwestern Buffett in all publications that result from their receipt of this funding. They are also expected to provide Northwestern Buffett a copy of any book or article that culminates from our support, even if also supported by other funding, and to notify Northwestern Buffett of any news articles or media appearances.

These awards may not be used to: 

• Support the continuation of established ongoing relationships or projects 
• Purchase research equipment 
• Cover faculty salaries or living expenses 

• Global collaboration: Preference is given to initiatives that can contribute to building institutional or community-based relationships and/or advancing impactful global research. 
• Relationship to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs): Awarded proposals strongly and explicitly connect to one or more UN SDGs. 
• Interdisciplinarity: Preference will be given to projects that cross and integrate different disciplinary perspectives and show a strong commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration. 
• Well-thought-out plan: Applicants should include a description of the planned activities, previous engagements with the proposed global collaborator and a detailed and current budget. 
• Ethical practice: Proposed projects, programs, or other activities must also align with Northwestern’s Principles of Ethical Practice.  

Applications are due October 15, March 15 and June 15.

Applicants must complete the application form. A committee organized by Northwestern Buffett will decide on awards and notify winners. You may review a pdf of the full application before applying.

Please contact Northwestern Buffett's Senior Program Coordinator for Global Collaboration Andreea Micu with questions.

Jennifer Lackey (Philosophy, Weinberg College) received a grant in 2023 to collaborate with Professor Veli Mitova from the University of Johannesburg and Professor Cameron Boult from Brandon University to host a conference that will focus on how First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada have suffered epistemic disempowerment as a direct result of the Canadian Government’s efforts at assimilation. This conference will take place at Quamajuq in Winnipeg, Manitoba, home of the largest collection of contemporary Inuit art in the world, and a site of epistemic reparations.

Lydia Barnett (History, Weinberg College) received a grant in 2023 to collaborate with Professor Veli Mitova from the University of Johannesburg and Professor Cameron Boult from Brandon University to host a conference that will focus on how First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada have suffered disempowerment as a result of the Canadian Government’s efforts to foster assimilation. This conference took place at Quamajuq in Winnipeg, Manitoba, home of the largest collection of contemporary Inuit art in the world and a site of epistemic reparations.

Erin Delaney (Pritzker School of Law) received a grant in 2023 to advance the Constitutional Heroines Project, which explores the role of female judicial leadership in comparative constitutional governance. With the grant, Erin was able to facilitate an in-person gathering of over sixty scholars from around the world to collaborate in documenting ideas about institutional leadership and notions of female and feminist leadership.

Jordan Gans-Morse (Political Science, Weinberg College) received a grant in 2022 in support of his project on “Collecting Real-Time Data During Wartime” in collaboration with Tymofii Brik from the Kyiv School of Economics in Ukraine. With our support, Jordan conducted five different surveys on local Ukrainian perspectives on issues relating to the Russian-Ukraine war.  The surveys serve to bring in resources to Ukrainians, allow the research team to gather information for those seeking to provide aid to Ukrainians, and facilitate the collecting of data for policy-relevant academic projects on topics such as the influence of Russian state propaganda and more. 

Masi Asare (Theatre, School of Communication) received a grant in the spring of 2021 to host Vishal Bhardwaj, a major figure in Bollywood and the arts and culture sector in India more broadly. A film director, screenwriter and producer, his creative expertise also extends to work as a music composer and vocalist creating evocative scores for films and for the theatre. This virtual visit enabled Bhardwaj to connect with students and faculty in the departments of theatre, radio/television/film, and Asian languages and cultures. The visit included a musical theatre master class, individual virtual classroom visits, and a film screening and public Q&A. 

Thomas Geraghty (Pritzker School of Law) hosted Justice Mumbi Ngugi, a judge who serves in the Anticorruption and Economic Crimes Division of the High Court of Kenya. Ngugi is a long-term advocate for the human rights of women and children, housing rights of the urban poor, and rights of persons with albinism in Kenya. Ngugi’s visit included a webinar on February 21, 2021, which was open to all members of the Northwestern community and to the broader public.