Grant Program for Diverse Voices
The MIT Press Grant Program for Diverse Voices supports new work by authors who bring excluded and chronically underrepresented perspectives to the fields in which the Press publishes across the sciences, arts, and humanities.
The Grant Program provides eligible authors with support for research and writing as well as an opportunity to publish with the MIT Press. We encourage authors with strong book proposals who come from diverse backgrounds underrepresented in their field to contact the relevant MIT Press acquisitions editor (see below for further details). We are particularly interested in supporting authors who have significant personal experience or engagement with communities that are underrepresented in scholarly publishing.
Established in 1962, the MIT Press embraces nuance, complexity, and intellectual freedom. We believe in the power of sharing knowledge and bold ideas. Our rigorously peer-reviewed, high-quality publications are distributed worldwide, reaching the global research community, general readers, and the media. We publish more than 350 books annually, and in the last 10 years have licensed more than 2,300 translations in 45 languages. By publishing diverse and underrepresented perspectives, we enrich public discourse and advance knowledge of the world and one another.
News
The MIT Press announces Grant Program for Diverse Voices recipients for 2024
From a scholarly monograph on Haitian language to a feminist history of social media photography, grant recipients bring new perspectives to the world through the MIT Press.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How does the grant application process work?
A: As with all prospective MIT Press publications, the first step is for authors to submit a query directly to the MIT Press acquisitions editor in the field in which the author publishes. A list of Press editors and publishing fields is available here. If the editor sees that the query is a good fit with the MIT Press publishing program, the author will be asked to submit a proposal, which will then be reviewed by peers. Proposals should follow the standard MIT Press guidelines, which can be found here. After a proposal has received positive peer reviews, acquisition editors will apply for a grant on behalf of eligible authors.
Q: Who is eligible for a grant?
A: Grants will be awarded to authors who are underrepresented in their field worldwide. Both current and prospective authors with strong proposals for a book-length work who have significant personal experience or engagement with communities that are underrepresented in scholarly publishing are encouraged to contact the MIT Press acquisitions editor in the field in which the author publishes to discuss their work.
Q: What do grants support?
A: Grants are paid directly to authors and may support a variety of needs. Applicants will be asked to describe their need; our goal is to provide the support authors require to create their work. For example, funds might support research travel, copyright permission fees, parental/family care, developmental editing, and other costs associated with the research and writing process.
Q: Is there a deadline for grant applications?
A: No. Grant applications are accepted on a rolling basis and will be evaluated in the fall. We will also consider time-sensitive applications when needed.
Q: Who makes the grant awards?
A: Grant winners are selected by the Grant Program for Diverse Voices Committee. The Committee is composed of: Amy Brand, director and publisher, the MIT Press; Gabriela Bueno Gibbs, assistant acquisitions editor, the MIT Press; Rockelle Henderson, president and chief executive officer, Rock Inked; Victoria Hindley, acquisitions editor, the MIT Press; Gita Manaktala, editorial director, the MIT Press; Robert Prior, executive editor, the MIT Press; Noah Springer, associate acquisitions editor, the MIT Press.
The Grant Program is supported by the Press’s Fund for Diverse Voices, a gift fund that helps grow the publication of new books by underrepresented groups at the MIT Press.
Q: What is the award selection criteria?
A: Grants are competitive and limited by available funding resources. The Press will award as many grants per calendar year as funding can support. Grants will be assessed on the following criteria:
—strength of proposal by a current or prospective author who:
—is underrepresented their field;
—has significant personal experience or engagement with communities that are underrepresented in scholarly publishing;
—has limited access to or no other source of financial support.
Q: How much will grants be?
A: As of 2022, we are delighted to share that the Grant Program has received significant funding and we can now offer awards ranging from $500 to $15,000 for exceptional projects that demonstrate both merit and positive impact. As the fund grows, larger awards may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Q: Are there any stipulations tied to accepting the grant award?
A: Grants support scholarship that will be published by the MIT Press.
Q: How can I support the Grant Program for Diverse Voices?
A: The MIT Press is committed to growing the publication of new works by excluded and chronically underrepresented authors from across the sciences, arts, and humanities. The Fund for Diverse Voices supports the MIT Press Grant Program for Diverse Voices.
In addition to the Grant Program for Diverse Voices, the Fund for Diverse Voices also enables the Press to offer competitive advances to accomplished authors, cover the cost of high-quality production features (e.g. color images, or commissioned art) that may not be financially feasible otherwise, and ensure that these works reach the widest readership possible through expanded marketing efforts.
Your gift to the Fund supports the research, writing, and publication of exceptional scholarship from underrepresented authors. Learn more here.
Q: How can I share news about this grant program with others?
A: Please spread the word about the grant program by clicking on the social media icons below and by following the MIT Press on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn at the handle @MITPress.