Discover Funding Opportunities

In partnership with the American Catholic Historical Association, the Cushwa Center has established the Cyprian Davis, O.S.B., Award recognizing works in progress that promise to make significant contributions to the study of the Black Catholic experience in North America and the Caribbean from the colonial period to the 20th century. This award celebrates the life and legacy of Father Cyprian Davis, O.S.B. (1930–2015), a Benedictine monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana, respected academic, and beloved teacher and lecturer. Father Davis served as archivist for the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus, of which he was a founding member in 1968. Among his six books, The History of Black Catholics in the United States (Crossroad, 1990) won the John Gilmary Shea Prize for its groundbreaking contribution. Father Davis' comprehensive history helped restore the stories of Black Catholics to the writing and teaching of U.S. Catholic history and continues to inspire new scholarship on African American Catholicism. The center invites applications from scholars of any academic discipline. In addition to receiving a cash award of $1,000, each year's Davis Award recipient is invited to the annual meeting of the American Catholic Historical Association to be recognized along with other honorees of the association.

Newly launched in 2025, Gustavo Gutiérrez Research Awards honor the life and legacy of Rev. Gustavo Gutiérrez, O.P. (1928–2024) by supporting projects in theology, history, and the social sciences that engage or take inspiration from Gutiérrez's work on the preferential option for the poor. Considered by many to be the father of Latin American liberation theology, Father Gutiérrez served as a member of the faculty of theology at the University of Notre Dame from 2001 until 2018. His pioneering theological methodology, which takes a commitment to the poor as the starting point for reflection, is widely recognized as one of the most significant contributions to Christian theology in the 20th century. The awards recognize and support works in progress either directly related to Gustavo Gutiérrez's theology or broadly taking inspiration from his work on the option for the poor. Priority research areas include Gutiérrez's theological legacy, historical studies from the perspective of poor and excluded communities, and interdisciplinary engagement with the reality of poverty in the Americas. This program is open to scholars at Notre Dame as well as those outside the University, including faculty, independent scholars, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students.

In honor of Linda and Richard Kerber's enduring support for scholarship in the history of women, the Iowa Women's Archives announces a grant of $1,500 to fund travel to Iowa City, Iowa, to conduct research in the Iowa Women's Archives. The grant is intended to offset travel and lodging expenses of researchers whose work will benefit from using collections in the archives. The strengths of the Iowa Women's Archives include rich collections on the history of the women's movement, political activism, African Americans, rural women, and Latinas, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries. The collections are global in scope. Grant recipients are expected to donate a courtesy copy of any publications that make use of the collections, and to acknowledge support of the Iowa Women's Archives in any theses, dissertations, and publications. Applicants from a variety of backgrounds are welcome, including graduate students, academic and public historians, and independent researchers and writers, although preference will be given to graduate students.