Global Engagement Fund

Apply to the Global Engagement Fund here.

Duke Global is proud to announce the Global Engagement Fund to advance Duke University’s global strategy by supporting global research, teaching, partnership development, and scholarly engagement at Duke and abroad. The Fund is designed to encourage and strengthen global collaborations, deepen Duke’s engagement with international partners, and create meaningful global learning opportunities for students. 

The Fund encourages proposals that are strategic, collaborative, and sustainable. Supported activities may include research collaboration, course or curricular enhancement, partnership development, convenings, and other global initiatives that align with Duke’s global vision and priorities. 

The Global Engagement Fund prioritizes support for projects with limited access to other financial resources or ineligible to be fully covered through individual research accounts, departmental or school resources, and external funding sources.  

Fund Goals 

The Global Engagement Fund supports projects, programs, and initiatives that: 

  • Contribute to strengthening Duke’s global impact on Duke’s campus, virtually, or abroad 
  • Advance global research, teaching, and engagement at Duke 
  • Build or expand international partnerships and networks relevant to Duke’s global strategy  
  • Strengthen Duke’s engagement with global partners and operations  
  • Establish or develop strategic global initiatives, positioning the project for future external funding 
  • Internationalize courses or curricula in ways that deepen student learning, and/or create new opportunities for student global learning and engagement 

Priority Areas 

Priority will be given to proposals that:

  • Address pressing global issues, including but not limited to: 
    • climate change and sustainability
    • sustainable development
    • global health
  • Demonstrate interdisciplinary or cross-school collaboration of Duke faculty, staff, and/or administrative units with a global focus 
  • Leverage the humanities to strengthen historical grounding, linguistic fluencies, cultural understandings, political analytics, and/or communicative capacities 
  • Develop new or strengthen existing research networks, international partnerships, and/or global learning opportunities for students 
  • Include a clear plan for sustainability beyond the award period 

Travel or course enhancements unrelated to a broader global initiative will not be considered. 

Funding Parameters 

The Fund will make awards of between $5,000 and $50,000 per proposal with a maximum project period of two years. Disbursements will be made annually. 

Eligibility 

Regular-rank faculty and full-time Duke staff are eligible to apply. 

Faculty and staff may apply individually or as a group through a department, school, institute, center, or other recognized administrative unit. Proposals may involve faculty, staff, students and external partners in scope and implementation, but students and external parties may not apply directly. 

Review Criteria 

Proposals will be reviewed by a committee comprised of faculty and administrative staff appointed by Duke Global leadership and convened by Global Program Support (GPS). Proposals will be evaluated based on their overall merit, alignment with the Fund’s priorities, and relative to other proposals to ensure a diverse Duke Global funding portfolio. 

Application Process & Schedule 

Submission deadline is September 15, 2026.

Awards will be announced October 30, 2026. Funds will be available once a 453-XXXX fund code is created for the project.  

Required Application Materials

Please complete the following documents and upload them with your application.

Budget Template: Global Engagement Fund

Project Proposal Team Form: Global Engagement Fund

Terms and Conditions 

Awardees are required to: 

  • Use the funds solely for approved project purposes and return any unspent funds. 
  • Provide written or verbal progress updates as requested. 
  • Notify GPS of any significant changes to the project timeline, leadership, or budget. 
  • Obtain prior approval from GPS for a no-cost extension. 
  • Register all Duke-affiliated international travel in the Global Travel Registry. 
  • Comply with all Duke travel, risk management, and financial policies. Business class travel is not permitted under the award. 
  • Submit a post-project impact report within 60 days of the end of the project period.

In addition, awardees agree that news of their work may be shared through Duke communications channels, including the Duke Global website, press releases, and other publications, and may be asked to present their work in appropriate campus forums. 

For more information, please contact global@duke.edu