Course Connections

About

Faculty and instructional staff play an integral role in helping students develop their cultural values and their life-long relationship to the arts. Course Connections funding supports faculty and staff who are seeking to incorporate arts-based learning into the curriculum of any undergraduate course at U-M. Students often indicate that their “most meaningful arts experience” at U-M occurred when a professor took the class to see a performance, visit an exhibition, or meet with a visiting artist.

Up to $500 may be obtained through Course Connection grants to support course-related arts learning activities. These funds may be used for admissions to museums and performances, workshops by visiting artists, and course projects, such as theatrical performances, exhibitions, etc. For projects that are integrated into more than one course, funding of up to $800 will be considered. Please note: Grant funds cannot be used to pay for refreshments.

Faculty can also apply now for Course Connections funding for activities in the Fall 2023 semester that connect your course with the Fall 2023 Theme Semester, "Arts and Resistance." Help your classes explore how the visual, performing, and literary arts play a central role in shaping cultural and political narratives. Proposals associated with Arts and Resistance have the potential of being funded for up to $1500 through Course Connections.

Note: Each faculty member may only apply for project funding twice each semester.

Who may apply?

Any faculty member, staff member, or graduate student instructor may apply for Course Connection funding!

For additional funding, consult our list of Other Sources available for both undergraduate and graduate classes.

Already Received Funding?

Your feedback is very important to us. It helps us see how well our funded programs are received on campus and the effects they have on the university population. If you were an applicant to or particpant in the program, please fill out a feedback form.

Funding Process

If granted funding, we will request the appropriate financial chartfields from your departmental administrator. Funds will be transferred directly from Arts at Michigan to your department and a record of the transfer will be sent to the administrator. Please allow 4 weeks from the time you apply to complete this process. Applying early is the best way to receive your funds on time!

We ask you to incorporate the Arts at Michigan logo in any printed or web material (flyers, posters, programs, websites, etc.) associated with your Course Connections funded activity. Logos can be obtained from our marketing page.

You and the student participants will also will be asked to complete brief Course Connections feedback forms. These forms allow us to continue our grant funding programs.

When planning ongoing or annual activities for your classes, speak with your department about incorporating those elements into the curriculum and/or being supported by course or lab fees. Course Connections is designed to fund activities that will complement the core curriculum and expand upon the traditional classroom experience. If an activity is a mandatory or central element in the curriculum for a recurring course, it may not be the best fit for Course Connections funding.

Applying

  1. Apply online through the Course Connections Application Form
  2. Complete all fields
  3. For those needing transportation funding as well, please be sure to mention this under the “Activity Costs” section of the online form

If you have additional questions please contact Joe Levickas, or by phone at 734-764-6413.

Deadlines

Course Connections applications will now be accepted and reviewed at four deadlines throughout the academic year (see dates below), and a limited amount of funds is available each round. Applications may be submitted at any time, but will be reviewed the week after the closest application deadline. Recipients will receive notification of funding no later than the listed notification date. To be eligible during a cycle, your application must be received before the application date of that cycle, and your proposed event/activity must be scheduled for a date after the Notification date. We are not able to fund retroactively.

Application Deadline Notification Date
Friday, August 19, 2022 Monday, August 29, 2022
Friday, September 30, 2022 Monday, October 10, 2022
Friday, December 2, 2022 Monday, December 12, 2022
Friday, January 27, 2023 Monday, February 6, 2023
Friday, February 24, 2023 Monday, March 6, 2023
Friday, April 28, 2023*** Monday, May 8, 2023***

*** An additional review cycle has been added during Spring 2023 for faculty to apply for a Course Connections Grant to fund activities in the Fall 2023 semester that connect to the Fall 2023 Theme Semester, "Arts and Resistance." Only Arts & Resistance applications will be reviewed for this deadline.

If you have questions about Course Connections, please contact Joe Levickas at levickas@umich.edu.