ACLS Opens Luce/ACLS Collaborative Grant in China Studies Competition

With the generous support of the Henry Luce Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies is now accepting letters of intent for the Luce/ACLS Collaborative Grant in China Studies. Part of the Luce/ACLS Program in China Studies, the Collaborative Grant aims to support innovative pilot initiatives that address pressing needs within the field of China studies.

Between 2021 and 2023, ACLS convened more than 100 scholars, administrators, journalists, librarians, curators, and other stakeholders to identify critical challenges in the field of China studies. In response, ACLS launched the Collaborative Grant program to support projects that will research and implement solutions that strengthen the scholarly infrastructure of the field.

Project teams may apply for a grant of up to $120,000 to design and pilot initiatives over a period of 12-18 months. Proposed projects must aim to produce scalable and sustainable outcomes that drive long-term change. Such outcomes may include pilot graduate training programs, open access digital platforms, cross-institutional partnerships, or OER materials that respond to current needs.

All project teams applying for the Collaborative Grant must submit a letter of intent by March 31, 2026. Following committee review, selected teams will be invited to submit full proposals by June 11, 2026.

Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals that address the following priority areas:

• Enabling Productive Engagement – Building capacity among China scholars and academic institutions to engage policymakers, civil society organizations, and public discourse around China-related issues.
• Teaching and Curricular Resources – Developing and enhancing course syllabi, teaching resources, and pedagogical materials that diversify undergraduate and graduate curricula on China.
• Open Access Resources – Expanding open access digital resources for teaching and research through digitization, preservation, and platform development, including increased accessibility to existing digital databases and strengthening print collections.  
• Language Training – Expanding access to language training, especially for less commonly taught languages (e.g., Tibetan, Uyghur), for students and faculty at under-resourced institutions while building on new technology and best practices for language pedagogy and remote instruction.
• Research Innovation – Training programs or resource development to address methodological gaps in traditional graduate education and provide emerging China scholars with skills and models for innovative, cross-disciplinary research.

Project teams may comprise up to six experts in the field of China Studies. The project’s principal investigator must have a PhD in the humanities or social sciences or equivalent and be based in the US or Canada. Application materials must be submitted through the online application form. The deadline for submitting the mandatory letter of intent is March 31, 2026, 9:00 PM EDT.