CDSC

The Caribbean Digital Scholarship Collective offers a series of programs aimed to nurture digital scholarship in and for the Caribbean.

Contact Us

  • contact@cdscollective.org
Micro-grants


Computational research and public humanities projects are the core exercises of digital scholarship. The production of digital scholarship projects in the Caribbean region and/or by Caribbean Studies scholars needs to overcome five common obstacles: lack of funds, lack of training, lack of guidance, lack of teams, and lack of time. To foster the work of digital scholarship in the Caribbean from independent groups, the CDSC offers micro-grants to support a wide range of projects that can elevate Caribbean digital scholarship, including online catalogs, digitized collections, apps and digital tools, pedagogical platforms, spatial analysis, textual analysis, e-learning, and public outreach efforts, among others.

The CDSC micro-grant program works as a condensed version of traditional start-up and implementation grants. The program offers three rounds of micro-grants, from 2023 to 2025. The program supports at least five (5) projects each year, offering financial resources ranging from $1,000 to $20,000, depending on need. Each awardee can also receive light mentorship by the CDSC.

General Requirements

Applicants must submit a proposal explaining the project scope; intellectual contributions; engagement with digital methods and tools to advance research, teaching, learning, and/or public engagement; a plan of execution; and projected deliverables. Applicants will also need to submit an itemized budget and budget rationale. The length of the proposed project and deliverables should be completed within 12 months.

Eligibility

  • Individuals and groups from educational, research, and community organizations working in Caribbean Studies and based anywhere in the world.
  • Independent scholars anywhere in the world working in Caribbean Studies.
  • Caribbean-based scholars who are working on any area related to Digital Scholarship.

The CDSC will prioritize individuals, groups and/or work representing the Caribbean regions and its global diasporas.

Mentorship

The CDSC will assist applicants when needed in preparing the proposal. The CDSC will host information webinars before the application deadline to answer applicants' questions. The committee might pair the awardees with mentors who will help awardees determine how best to use their resources, scope properly and make recommendations.

The CDSC has partnered with Performant Software for a discount for some types of projects. If needed, applicants can hire Performant to execute their project. If Performant is not the right fit for your project, we will help you connect with other contractors in our network. In addition, the CDSC will provide some mentorship and project management support for awardees throughout the completion of their projects when needed.

Evaluation and Selection

A committee will review the applications and select the awardees. The CDSC microgrant program coordinators, a CDSC rotating member, and a rotating external jury member will form the committee.

The committee will evaluate proposals using the criteria designed for archipelagos journal. As opposed to archipelagos submissions, proposed projects for the micro-grant do not need to be in an advanced stage. We welcome original projects at any stage, from inception to currently in development.

Grantees Expectations

The CDSC expects grantees to present their projects at the TCD conference. Grantees should be amenable to having their projects featured on the CDSC website, social media, and other communications; acknowledge the CDSC's support in their public-facing materials; and participate in public events about the micro-grant program.

Grantees will be expected to participate actively in a cohort with other grantees. More often than not, digital scholarship projects overlap with others, and a shared pool of knowledge and a common space will benefit everyone. Based on other fellowship and grant programs, we hope being part of a cohort will help build community, support troubleshooting, and benefit the grantee's projects.

Resources

Archipelagos Journal
Digital Library of the Caribbean
Directory of Caribbean Digital Scholarship
Writing a Grant Proposal, Yale Graduate Writing Lab
Planning and Writing a Grant Proposal: The Basics
Application tips for Grant Writing, NEH

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Program coordinators: Alex Gil and Andreina Soto