Guidelines for Proposing an Institute Scholarly Program

We are currently inviting proposals for Consortium-sponsored programming on Consortium campuses OR at the Folger for 2026-2027 and beyond. Proposals including the information below should be submitted by September 1, 2025, for possible inclusion in the 2026-2027 program year.

There are several pathways by which programs find their way to the Scholarly Program's roster. The majority of the Folger Institute’s annual scholarly programs are suggested by recent program participants, developed by the Institute’s Consortium Executive Committee (made up of representatives from over forty campuses), or proposed by the fields of study focus groups drawn from members of the CEC. We should emphasize that these sources always provide many more program ideas than the Institute can schedule and offer.

But during the Folger's major renovation and co-sponsored offsite programming, the Institute began welcoming programming proposals suitable for the affiliates of the Folger Institute Consortium and the wide range of scholarly fields in which it programs. We will continue soliciting proposals for the foreseeable future to complement those arriving as above.

Should you be interested in proposing a program to be offered by the Folger Institute's Scholarly Programs, there is a multi-step process:

Supply the information specified below by September 1 of a given year.
The collected information will be forwarded to a group that reviews received proposals on behalf of the CEC’s program planning subcommittee.
That group may invite scholars with specific expertise for advice, and they may contact proposers for clarification as needed.
That group recommends proposed programs for further consideration by the full CEC at the fall meeting.
After the meeting, the CEC's program planning subcommittee agrees on which programs it would like to offer in the coming academic year with the advice of the full CEC.
The Institute's Associate Director for Scholarly Programs contacts all those who submitted proposals with the decisions before the end of the calendar year.
Those selected for the upcoming program year begin crafting their programs, including promotional materials, reading lists, schedules, invited presenters (when applicable), etc.

If you would like for your program idea to be considered for inclusion in the annual program, be sure to submit proposals no later than September 1 in any given year for the following academic year.

Required Information

Provisional title, location, and date of program

Name of proposed director or organizer (and co-director or co-organizer, if applicable)

Please note that those proposing programs are not required to be Consortium affiliates.

Proposed program format AND mode of delivery (i.e., indicate weekend seminar or workshop, monthly colloquium, semester-length seminar, small conference, etc. AND whether in-person, virtual, or combined mode)

150-word description of proposed program. Please indicate the goals of this program and why it is suitable for the affiliates of the Folger Institute and the intended scholarly field to which it relates. For example, are there particular rare materials or collections that will be drawn upon? Heritage sites that will be involved?

Sources of potential funding or partnerships, if any, and estimated amounts (N.B., conferences normally require significant non-Folger funding)

When considering which programs fit best into the offerings in a given academic year, the Folger Institute CEC and its program planning subcommittee weigh a number of different variables, including the mix of topics, formats, and expected resources. With occasional exceptions, provisional slates of Folger Institute programs are generally scheduled well in advance of the academic year in which they are offered.

Send any questions and the initial proposal to the attention of Dr. Owen Williams, Associate Director of Scholarly Programs, via owilliams@folger.edu. He is available to answer questions at any point in the proposal process.