Funding Sources for Faculty

The College provides a generous range of support options for faculty to pursue and develop their teaching and research throughout their career.   

Funding Sources

Access to any of these funding sources does not prohibit faculty from applying for, or receiving, external or internal grants to carry out their pedagogical, scholarly, or creative work.

HART Funds

Faculty in tenured, tenure-track, professor of instruction, physical education, special appointment, and visiting positions (as defined by the Faculty Handbook) of half-time or greater, will be allocated $4,000 of HART funds in each fiscal year (July 1 through June 30). Faculty with professorships providing endowed funds for research and travel, pre-tenure faculty with startup funds, and faculty holding postdoctoral positions with a dedicated research allowance will be eligible for one conference trip, up to $4,000 from HART funds annually.  Faculty members who anticipate that their research and conference/travel costs will exceed the $4,000 HART allotment can submit a Supplemental Funding Request (check the appropriate box on the Research or Travel Form) or may seek supplemental funding through the Faculty Teacher-Scholar Award Program.

Normally, lecturers are not eligible for professional development funds; however, you may reach out to your associate dean to explore options for support. Emeriti faculty are eligible for up to $2,500 reimbursement annually for a professional conference when presenting their scholarship.

Startup for Pre-Tenure Faculty

Start-up funds are to be used to support the development of your scholarly or creative work. All research travel, equipment and supplies, expenses related to publication or exhibition (e.g., subventions, indexing costs, expenses related to exhibits, etc.), books, and other needs appropriate to the development of your research/scholarly/creative work will be paid for by your start-up funding for your first four years at Hamilton. Pre-tenure faculty with startup funds will be eligible for one conference trip up to $4,000 from HART funds annually. 

The employment contract for a tenure-track position on a normal tenure clock will outline a four-year startup budget plan for each academic year based on discussions between the candidate and the associate dean of faculty. The associate dean for academic finance and resources will allocate the startup funds for each of the four years. Rollovers of startup funds from year-to-year or beyond the fourth year are not permitted. That is, money unspent at the end of each year will normally not be available in subsequent years. However, the Dean’s office will consider two types of exceptions by application, dependent on fund availability:

• Requests for advances on yearly startup allocations from future years. These requests will be reviewed on a rolling basis by your associate dean;
• Requests to ease the transition from year 1 to year 2 of startup eligibility. These requests must be sent to your associate dean by April 1 in the first year of startup eligibility. Decisions will be based on the first-year record of spending and the availability of DOF funds.

Access to the fourth year budget of the startup is contingent upon successful reappointment.

Endowed Professorships

Faculty members who have funds dedicated for your specific use through an endowed professorship, will draw on those endowed funds to support your work first. Faculty with professorships providing endowed funds for research and travel are eligible for one conference trip, up to $4,000 from HART funds annually. Endowed professorship funds allocated on an annual basis normally do not roll over from year-to-year and must be spent during the academic year for which they are allocated.

Postdoctoral Appointments

Postdoctoral appointments come with annual allocated funds for research purposes. In addition, faculty holding postdoctoral positions will be eligible for one conference trip, up to $4,000 from HART funds annually. Support for professional development will be covered by funds dedicated to the postdoctoral position first. 

Competitive Internal Awards

Faculty are also eligible to apply for competitive internal grants (Faculty Teacher-Scholar Awards (FTSA), Faculty Pedagogical Awards, supplemental sabbatical funds, Grants Activity Funds, etc.). These awards are advertised during the academic year or at the appropriate time in a faculty member’s eligibility (e.g., supplemental funds for sabbatical support). Timelines for spending are specific to each award (please inquire with your associate dean). Annual deadlines for competitive awards are: FTSA (December 1 and March 31 annually), Pedagogical Awards (March 31 annually), sabbatical and GAF supplemental research and salary support for an upcoming sabbatical (December 1 for faculty on sabbatical the following academic year). The Grants Activity Fund may also be considered on a rolling basis with a faculty member’s grant activity.