McGill representatives from the Office of the Provost and School of Social Work visit Howard University to advance partnership planning under McGill's Action Plan to Address Anti-Black Racism, pictured here with Phylicia Rashad, Dean Emerita of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts.
Cultivating Black Possibilities, Advancing Black Scholarship, and Fostering Black Communities at McGill and beyond.
Black Impact Funding is a funding model developed through the Black Inclusion, Success, and Strategic Initiative (BISSI) within the Equity Team of the Office of the Provost to support projects, events, and initiatives across McGill that advance the University’s Action Plan to Address Anti‑Black Racism. The model replaces the previous Faculty-based allocation structure with a more accessible, impact-driven approach while retaining effective Faculty-led practices.
This initiative prioritizes projects that are collaborative, publicly engaged, and oriented toward meaningful impact across student life, teaching, and research.
Black Impact Funding is organized around three funding streams, each with clearly defined criteria. It supports work rooted in Black knowledge systems, lived experience, and community engagement that advances Black scholarship, strengthens Black communities, and promotes institutional accountability. The model ensures consistency, transparency, and alignment with Action Plan priorities.
Explore each stream below to find the right fit for your project, including eligibility, deadlines, and how to apply. Before submitting an application, please also review the Governance and Review section, which outlines the review process, applicant responsibilities, and compliance requirements.
Stream A: Student Experience
Purpose
This funding stream supports Black students in accessing opportunities that strengthen their academic, professional, and community trajectories. It supports Black students wishing to attend and/or present at academic conferences, participate or organize discipline-specific networking opportunities, or take advantage of paid research internships.
Eligibility
Black students at any level enrolled full‑time at McGill may apply (includes students carrying a reduced course load, but who are deemed full time).
Funding Category
Travel and Participation (up to $ 1,500)
Supports:
- Conference attendance
- Participation in workshops, institutes, or networking opportunities
- Experiences/events that contribute to academic growth and career development
- Paid undergraduate research internships with McGill academic staff (of up to 50% of costs)*
* Note that for paid undergraduate research internships, the funding limit is increased to $3,000 or up to 50% of the cost, whichever is less.
Eligible Expenses
- Travel and accommodations
- Conference or workshop registration fees
- Accessibility related expenses
- Space booking and audio-visual equipment
Please note that Awardees are responsible for managing their own administrative and financial activities, and must:
- Ensure up-to-date banking information/direct deposit in Minerva
- Submit all receipts and proof of payment along with the report
Ineligible Expenses
- Equipment purchases
- Food or incidental expenses
- Other out of pocket expenses
Deadlines
Intake One: Sept 21, 2026
Intake Two: Oct. 16, 2026
Intake Three: Dec. 7, 2026
Terms and Conditions
- One award per student per academic year, up to twice per degree, with priority being granted to first-time awardees
- Proof of acceptance or registration required for conferences
- Applicants arrange their own travel and must follow the McGill travel guidelines.
- Post‑activity report due within 45 days of activity
- Retroactive funding is not permitted
- Students should not pay out of pocket until confirmation of award is announced.
Stream B: Engagement and Exchange
Purpose
This funding stream creates opportunities to deepen understanding of Black life, histories, and futures within the broader McGill community while creating meaningful opportunities for engagement with Black scholarship, expertise, and experience.
Eligibility
Open to all McGill faculty and staff, individually or as a group (groups may include student members). This funding is intended to support projects and events that contribute to the entire McGill community’s shared learning, dialogue, and the engagement with Black knowledge.
Engagement and Exchange (up to $3,500)
Supports the sharing of Black knowledge, expertise, and experience via one or more of the following:
- Hosting an event featuring a Black guest speaker or other visitor (e.g., scholar, practitioner, community member, artist). This might include symposiums, interactive workshops, guest speaker, roundtables, or classroom guest lecturers.
- Class trips or visits to sites of interest tied to Black knowledge, including social, cultural, intellectual and community spaces.
- Mobilizing Black-led research to broader audiences within or beyond McGill, including through arts-based or experiential approaches, or acquisitions (e.g. library catalogue, art acquisition, etc).
- Curricular development such as: Initiatives within teaching communities, and course revisions to integrate Black knowledges.
Eligible Expenses
- Honoraria or stipends for community collaborators, speakers, or knowledge holders
- Artist fee, curricular/resource cost,
- Teaching and/or Research Assistant for course revisions and development
- Salary for student internships
- Accessibility related expenses
- Space booking and audio-visual rentals
- Accessibility related expenses
- Community developed curricular resources
- Travel and accommodations
- Library acquisitions
Ineligible Expenses
- Equipment purchases
- Food or incidental expenses
Deadlines
Intake One: Oct. 16, 2026
Intake Two: Dec 7, 2026
Terms and Conditions
- One award per academic year per applicant or team
- Final report and financial reconciliation due within 45 days of completion of project
- Unused funds must be returned
- Retroactive funding is not permitted
- Successful applicants are encouraged to consult McGill’s Accessibility Toolkit and Resources in the design of their research program.
Please note that Awardees are responsible for managing their own administrative and financial activities. All receipts and proof of payment must be submitted along with the report.
Stream C: Community-Engaged Research
Purpose
This funding stream is designed to support Black researchers in the development of new or ongoing community-engaged participatory research initiatives that are grounded in Black lived experience and responsive to the priorities of Black communities. In alignment with the Scarborough Charter and McGill’s Action Plan to Address Anti-Black Racism, the stream prioritizes research that advances knowledge production, knowledge translation, and knowledge mobilization in ways that deepen understanding of Black life, histories, and futures. Supported projects are expected to demonstrate meaningful engagement with Black communities, scholars, and practitioners, and to contribute to dismantling anti-Black racism through inclusive, community-informed, and impact-oriented research practices within the broader McGill community.
Eligibility
Open to all faculty and staff, this funding is intended for research projects and initiatives that contribute to shared learning, dialogue, and the engagement with Black knowledge. Research projects led by Black applicants or meaningfully grounded in Black communities, scholarship, and partnerships will be prioritized.
Community-Focused Research (up to $5,000)
Supports the development or advancement of a research project, whether ongoing or new (including a project component), that meets one or more of the following criteria:
- Advances scholarship with Black communities, diasporas, and lived experiences
- Engages Black theoretical frameworks, methodologies, or ways of knowing
- Involves collaboration with Black communities, organizations, or partners
- Involves mobilizing/sharing research knowledge to the Black communities at the center of community-engaged research
- Is grounded in one or more disciplines across any faculty or department, and involving one or more research approach, construed broadly (quantitative, theoretical, archival, community-based…)
Note: This stream does not fund individual faculty research in isolation or faculty conference travel.
Eligible Expenses
- Salary for student Research Assistants
- Salary for student internships
- Honoraria or stipends for community collaborators, speakers, or knowledge holders
- Travel and accommodations for invited guests (e.g., scholar, practitioner, community member, artist)
- Accessibility related expenses
Ineligible Expenses
- Individual faculty travel for research or conference attendance
- Food or incidental expenses
Deadlines
Intake One: Oct. 16, 2026
Intake Two: Dec 7, 2026
Terms and Conditions
- One award per academic year per applicant or team
- Final report and financial reconciliation due within 45 days of completion of project
- Unused funds must be returned
- Retroactive funding is not permitted
- Successful applicants are encouraged to consult McGill’s Accessibility Toolkit and Resources in the design of their research program.
Please note that Awardees are responsible for managing their own administrative and financial activities, and must:
- Appoint a project lead and communicate that to the Black Impact Funding administrator
- Submit all receipts and prove of payment along with the report
- Provide a FOAPAL for a fund into which their award can be transferred.
Governance and Review
Applications are reviewed by a committee composed of faculty, staff, and student representatives, alongside leadership from Black Inclusion, Success, and Strategic Initiatives (BISSI). The committee ensures that funding decisions reflect both community-informed perspectives and institutional priorities.
Project Scope and Timeline
- All funded activities must be completed within the University’s fiscal year (May 1 to April 30).
- Applicants should propose initiatives that are realistic in scope and can be fully delivered within the funding period.
- Projects with significant coordination requirements (e.g., large-scale events, partnerships, or multi-phase research activities) must include a clear timeline and implementation plan.
Student-Specific Requirements (Stream A)
- Students applying for internship-related funding must identify and confirm a supervisor or host organization (summer experience) at the time of application.
- Applications should clearly outline the structure, duration, and expected outcomes of the experience.
Financial and Administrative Readiness
- Applicants must demonstrate the ability to manage/allocate funds in accordance with McGill’s financial guidelines; This includes identifying the Administrative Coordinator who will be supporting the project or initiative.
- A clear and itemized budget is required at the time of application.
- All expenses must be eligible, properly documented, and incurred within the approved funding period.
Accountability and Compliance
- Funded recipients are expected to adhere to all program guidelines, timelines, and reporting requirements.
- Failure to comply may result in ineligibility for future funding.
Committee Composition
- Associate Director, Black Inclusion, Success, and Strategic Initiatives (Chair)
- Two representatives of recognized McGill Black student groups
- Two faculty members appointed by the Dr. Kenneth Melville McGill Black Faculty and Staff Caucus
- One staff member
Decision-Making
Funding decisions are final and based on:
- Alignment with McGill’s commitments to addressing anti-Black racism
- Contribution to scholarship, community engagement, and student experience
- Feasibility and readiness of the proposed initiative
- Availability of funds
Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality
Committee members are required to disclose any real or perceived conflicts of interest. Members will recuse themselves from the review and decision-making process for any application where a conflict exists. All application materials and deliberations are treated as confidential.