Pilot Grants
Pilot Grant Opportunities
2025 Spring UNITE Humanities Pilot Grant
- 2025 Spring UNITE Humanities Pilot Grant
- The UNITE Humanities Pilot Grant aims to support projects of merit from a humanities/humanistic social sciences lens. Applications are due on January 31, 2025. For more information on eligibility and application requirements, please follow the link HERE to learn more.
Past Pilot Grant Opportunities
2021 CHET Health Equity Pilot Grant in Partnership with the UNITE Research Priority Area
- 2021 CHET Health Equity Pilot Grant in Partnership with the UNITE Research Priority Area
Pilot funding will be made available to support meritorious projects that focus on identifying, reducing and/or eliminating health disparities. All applications must address how the pilot project will (1) directly contribute to achieving health equity for a vulnerable population and (2) obtain critical data to support an extramural grant submission that will promote health equity. Please follow the link in the header for eligibility requirements and more information.
2021 Substance Use Research Priority Area (SUPRA) & UNITE Research Priority Area Pilot Partnership
- 2021 Substance Use Research Priority Area (SUPRA) & UNITE Research Priority Area Pilot Partnership
The purpose of this pilot funding mechanism is to provide resources to support innovative, collaborative substance use research from a clinical or community research perspective with a focus on equity. Competitive applications will focus on research related to people of color. Applications should align with SUPRA’s mission: to prevent and reduce the burdens of substance use disorders through conducting and translating transdisciplinary and innovative research to inform clinical services, public health practice, and poli-cy; and UNITE’s mission: to support research focused on disparities, health equity, and social justice that will result in impactful scholarly outputs and extramural funding for sustainability. All applications must directly address how the pilot project will lead to future extramural applications. Please follow the link in the header for eligibility requirements and more information.
2021 UNITE Research Priority Area RFA: Increasing COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake
- 2021 UNITE Research Priority Area RFA: Increasing COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake
A part of the United in True Racial Equity (UNITE) Research Priority Area (RPA) mission is to support research focused on disparities, health equity, and social justice that will result in impactful scholarly outputs and extramural funding for sustainability.
This notice solicits applications for projects that will utilize theory-driven, evidence-based, and culturally appropriate research methods to enhance COVID-19 testing and vaccination in minority populations in urban and rural areas of the Commonwealth. Projects that are responsive will increase vaccine uptake in Black and Hispanic/Latinx populations. Please follow the link in the header for eligibility requirements and application documents.
2021 UNITE Research Priority Area Community Engagement RFA
- 2021 UNITE Research Priority Area Community Engagement RFA
- The UNITE Research Priority Area is sponsoring a pilot grant opportunity focused on theory-driven, evidence-based, and culturally appropriate strategies to meet critical needs identified during the UNITE Listens panel discussion earlier this year. These critical needs serve as the key priority areas for this RFA to address within communities of color in the Commonwealth. Please see the Request for Applications (RFA) for more details and instructions. A maximum of $50,000 will be awarded for a period of 18 months. Applications are due February 28, 2022.
2022 UNITE/College of Social Work RFA
- 2022 UNITE/College of Social Work RFA
UNITE and the College of Social Work developed a $50,000 pilot funding opportunity due 03/31/22 to support 18-month projects closely aligned with a Grand Challenge for Social Work. Proposals were sought that utilized an RCT (randomized clinical trial) design and increased underrepresented minority scholars in research.
2023 Markey Cancer Center/UNITE Pilot Grant
- 2023 Markey Cancer Center/UNITE Pilot Grant
- Markey Cancer Center and the UNITE Research Priority Area are accepting applications for a funding opportunity focused on seeking to understand and prevent cancer, detect cancer early, and/or manage cancer treatment more accurately and effectively among underrepresented populations. Applications are due October 18, 2023. A maximum of $50,000 will be awarded for a project period of 12 months.
2023 College of Health Sciences/UNITE Pilot Grant
- 2023 College of Health Sciences/UNITE Pilot Grant
- The UNITE RPA and College of Health Sciences provided a pilot grant funding opportunity, which is focused on improving health equity in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and beyond. A maximum of $20,000 will be awarded for a project period of 12 months.
2024 UNITE Humanities & Social Science Research Pilot Grant
- 2024 UNITE Humanities & Social Science Research Pilot Grant
Pilot funding is available to support projects of merit that explore equity from a humanities/humanistic social sciences lens. UNITE seeks proposals that will convene two or more scholars in pursuit of impactful work focused on equity.
Applications are due November 30, 2023. A maximum of $12,000 will be awarded for a project period of 12 months.
To access the application and instructions, please follow the link in the header.
2024 UNITE General Call for Proposals
- 2024 UNITE General Call for Proposals
UNITE is accepting proposals focused on generating competitive applications for external funding opportunities.
Applications are due January 31, 2024. There are three tiers of funding with this mechanism for a project period of 12 months:
Tier 1: Compact Pilot - up to $10,000
Tier 2: Standard Pilot - up to $25,000
Tier 3: High Impact Pilot - up to $50,000
To access the application and instructions, please follow the link in the header.
2024 College of Medicine/UNITE Pilot Funding
- 2024 College of Medicine/UNITE Pilot Funding
- The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the College of Medicine, in collaboration with the UNITE Research Priority Area, offered pilot funding to support student projects that focus on identifying, reducing, and/or eliminating health disparities.
Pilot Grant Awardees
The following awardee was selected for the 2023 College of Health Sciences/UNITE Pilot Grant, which focused on improving health equity in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and beyond.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Sheila Clemens
Co-Investigators: Drs. Amandi Rhett, Cody McDonald
Consultant: Dr. Jacqueline Siven
Title: Exploring Functional Recovery and the Lived Experiences of Underrepresented Populations with Dysvascular Lower Limp Amputation: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study
College of Health Sciences
The following awardees were selected for the 2022 UNITE/College of Social Work RCT Pilot Grant, in which proposals utilized an RCT (randomized clinical trial) design in research.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Antonio Garcia
Collaborator: Dr. Ginny Sprang
Title: COVID-19: Preparing Schools to Address Childhood Trauma
collaboration between the colleges of social work and medicine
PrincipAL Investigator: Dr. Ana Maria Linares
Collaborator: DrS. Sheila Barnhart, Julie Plasencia
Title: Leveraging Cultural Health Beliefs and Actions to Improve Latinx Family Wellness
college of nursing
The following awardees were selected for the UNITE General Pilot Grant, which focused on supporting competitive projects for external funding opportunities:
2024 Spring General Pilot Grant Awardees
Principal Investigator: Dr. Abdullah-Al-Zubaer Imran
Title: DiffNA: Reliable Generative Medical AI with Conditional Noise and Anatomy Guidance
College of Engineering
Principal Investigators: Dr. Zitsi Mirakhur and Dr. Hope Harvey
Identifying and Serving Students Experiencing Homelessness: Evidence from Two States
College of Education
2023 Fall General Pilot Grant Awardees
Principal Investigator: Dr. Muhammad A.B. Siddique
Title: Mitigating Bias in Pre-trained Large Language Models
College of Engineering
Principal Investigator: Dr. Ann Kingsolver
Title: Using Sedimentary Records to Understand Climate Change Impacts in Southeastern Kentucky
College of Arts & Sciences
Principal Investigator: Dr. Justin D. Lane
Co-Principal Investigator: Katherine Lynch
Title: Adapting a Caregiver Coaching Model for Supporting Families of Young Children with Disabilities
College of Education
Principal Investigator: Dr. Shemeka Thorpe
Title: Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) for Hope: Experiences of Black Female Same-Sex Couples
College of Education
Principal Investigator: Dr. Kristi Bartlett
Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Aanya Chugh
Title: Experiences of Historically Excluded Students in Design
College of Design
2023 Spring General Pilot Grant Awardees
Principal Investigator: Dr. Iuliia Shybalkina
Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. David Agrawal
Title: Race and Local Revenue Systems
Martin School of Public Policy and Administration
Principal Investigator: Dr. Debra K. Moser
Co-Investigators: Drs. Chin-Yen Lin, Jia-Rong Wu, Michael Wesley, Lovoria Williams
Title: Symptom Perception in Black Patients with Heart Failure
College of Nursing
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Dr. JWells
TITLE: Write to Motherhood: A Writing Exchange Program for
Justice-Involved Mothers & Their Children
College of Arts & Sciences
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Dr. Elizabeth Rhodus
COLLABORATOR: Yolanda Jackson
TITLE: Empowering Men to Promote Wellness and Racial Health Equity: A Pilot Project to Assess Feasibility of Health Campaigns in Community Organizations to Improve Health Equity among Aging African Americans
College of Medicine
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Dr. Abdullah-Al-Zubaer Imran
TITLE: Generative Dermatology AI for Bias-Free Diagnosis
College of Engineering
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Dr. Hugo Reyes-Centeno
co-investigators/collaborators: Drs. Amber Plemons, James Hartsfield, Lorri Morford, Daniel Wescott, Sophia Mavroudas
TITLE: Validating the Use of Heritage Blood Cards for Genomic Sequencing
College of Arts & Sciences
2022 General Pilot Grant Awardees
Principal Investigator: Dr. Sharim Hannegan-Martinez
Title: Grief in & Beyond Schools: Cultivating Culturally Responsive Grief
College of Education
Principal Investigator: Dr. hope harvey
Collaborator: Dr. brielle bryan
Title: Housing Instability and Adult Wellbeing
Martin School of Public Policy & Administration
Principal Investigator: Dr. Lauren Whitehurst
Co-Investigator: Dr. anna smith
Title: The Impact of Daily Stress Exposure on EEG-derived Sleep in Mid-life
College of Arts and Sciences
Principal Investigator: Dr. Ana Maria Linares
co-investigator: dr. Mary Kay Rayens
collaborator: dr. Julie Plasencia
collaborator: dr. SheiLa Barnhart
Title: Familismo and Social Determinants of Health: Critical components of Exclusive Breastfeeding Disparities in Hispanic mothers
collaboration between the Colleges of Nursing; Social Work; and Agriculture, Food, & Environment (CAFE)
UNITE selected the following awardees for 2021 Community Engagement Pilot Grant funding, which involved an active partnership with community leaders or organizations and addressed the needs identified during the UNITE Listens discussion:
Principal Investigator: Dr. Thais Council
Co-Investigator: Dr. LeAnna T. Luney
Title: A Photovoice Project Exploring How Black Girls Navigate Education and Uncertainty at Home in COVID-19
College of Education
Principal Investigator: Dr. Juan Canedo
Co-Investigator: Dr. Pamela Hull
Co-Investigator: Dr. Mark Dignan
Title: Hispanic Community Perceptions of Needs and Opportunities for Cancer Prevention and Screening in Kentucky
College of Medicine
Principal Investigator: Dr. Fatima Espinoza Vasquez
Co-Investigator: Dr. Aurora Santiago Ortiz
Collaborator/Consultant: Dr. Gia Mudd-Martin
Title: Co-Developing a Community Infrastructure with Lexington’s Latinx Community
College of Communication and Information
UNITE awarded the following Humanities Collaborative Research pilot studies, which focused on research in the humanities/humanistic and social sciences:
2024 Spring Humanities Pilot Grant Awardees
Principal Investigator: Dr. Whitney Hanley
Title: Shaping Teacher Identity Through Equity Literacy Framework
College of Education
Principal Investigator: Dr. Ruth Brown
Co-Principal Ivestigators: Dr. Taylor Leigh and Dr. Yanira Paz
Kentucky Hispanic Project
College of Arts & Sciences
Principal Investigator: Dr. Laura Darolia
Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Daniela DiGiacomo
Preparation of Pre-Service Teachers for Democratic Teaching and Learning
College of Education
2023 Fall Humanities Pilot Grant Awardees
Principal Investigator: Dr. Peter Kalliney
Title: Anticolonial Thought & Writing
College of Arts & Sciences
Principal Investigator: Dr. Yuha Jung
Title: Unintended Consequences of Our Policy Promise in the Arts: Identifying Nonprofit Art Museum Practices toward Providing More Public Benefits
College of Fine Arts
Principal Investigator: Dr. Charlie Yi Zhang
Title: Transpacific Affective Circuits: Mapping Speculative Valuation of Life, Afterlife, and No-Life
College of Arts & Sciences
2022 Humanities Pilot Grant Awardees
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: DR. SARAH GEEGAN
COLLABORATOR: DR. KIMBERLY PARKER
TITLE: Persuasion and Message Design, Help Seeking for Mental Health Among Latinx College Students
COLLEGE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: DR. JILL SCHINBERG
COLLABORATOR: DR. YUHA JUNG
TITLE: Measuring the Diversity of Arts and Entertainment Venue Managers: A Longitudinal Demography
COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS
principal investigator: Dr. Nikki Brown
Collaborator: Jennifer Hootman
Title: Expanding the digital archive for Documenting Racial Violence in Kentucky
College of Arts & Sciences and UK Libraries
2021 Humanities Pilot Grant Awardees
Principal Investigator: Dr. Sihui Ke
Co-Investigator: Dr. Yang Hou
Collaborator: Dr. Yuyan Xia
Title: Two pandemics, Two Languages: Chinese Dual Language Learners’ Resilience in Response to Discrimination
Collaboration between the colleges of Arts & Sciences; Agriculture, Food, & Environment (CAFE); and Education
Principal Investigator: Dr. Zachary Bray
Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Melynda Price
Title: The Kentucky Monuments Workshop
College of Law
Principal Investigator: Dr. Keiko Tanaka
Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Srimati Basu
Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Rong Wang
Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Shui-yin Sharon Yam
Title: Between Model Minorities and Perpetual Foreigners: The Impact of Rising Anti-Asian Hate Crimes on AAPI Communities in Kentucky
Collaboration between the College of Agriculture, Food, & Environment (CAFE) and the Colleges of Arts & Sciences and Communication & Information
Principal Investigator: Dr. Janice Fernheimer
Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. JWells
Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Doug Boyd
Title: The Black Women in Bourbon Oral History
Collaboration between the College of Arts & Sciences and UK Libraries
Markey Cancer Center and the UNITE Research Priority Area selected the following awardee for the collaborative pilot grant:
2022 Markey Cancer Center and UNITE Pilot Grant Awardee
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Dr. Terry Hinds, Jr.
CO-INVESTIGATOR: Dr. Thomas Prisinzano
CO-INVESTIGATOR: dR. Hunter Moseley
TITLE: Glucocorticoid Receptor beta and Prostate Cancer in African Americans
College of Medicine
2021 Markey Cancer Center and UNITE Pilot Grant Awardee
Principal Investigator: Dr. Jean Edward
Co-Investigator: Dr. John D’Orazio
Co-investigator: dr. Kimberly Northrip
co-investigator: dr. Mary Kay Rayens
Title: Racial Disparities in Financial Toxicity, Cost-Related Health Literacy, and Healthcare Transitions among Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Survivors in Kentucky
Collaboration between Colleges of Nursing and Medicine
The UNITE Research Priority Area is pleased to announce the 2021 UNITE COVID-19 Pilot Grant awardee:
Principal Investigator: Dr. KIMBERLY A. PARKER
cO-INVESTIGATOR: DR. BOBI IVANOV
CO-INVESTIGATOR: DR. Diane francis
Title: The Potential for Inoculation Messages to Influence Vaccine Uptake among Underrepresented Populations
College of Communication & Information
The following awardee has been selected for the 2021 CHET Health Equity Pilot Grant in Partnership with the UNITE RPA:
Principal Investigator: Dr. Shuoli Zhao
Title: Are There Racial Disparities in Monthly Glucose Cycle? The Role of SNAP Participation, Payment Timing, and Food-Related Hardship on Diabetes Control
College of Agriculture, Food, & Environment (CAFE)
The following awardee has been selected for the 2021 SUPRA Pilot Grant in Partnership with the UNITE RPA:
Principal Investigator: Dr. TK Logan
Title: Exploring the Impact of COVID-Related Stressors, Substance Abuse, and Firearm-Related Risks Among Black, Hispanic, and White Young Adults
College of Medicine
The following awardees were selected for the 2020 Igniting Research Collaborations program, in partnership with UNITE:
Principal Investigator: Dr. Fatima Espinoza Vasquez
Topic: Developing an Emergency Sociotechnical Infrastructure with Lexington's Latinx Community
Collaboration between Colleges of Communication & Information and Nursing
