A central motivation for Rural Humanities is to help humanists imagine the multiple, dynamic ways in which humanistic modes of inquiry – our research, our questions, our passions, and our commitments – can form an interface between the university and rural communities, particularly those that often seem at the greatest remove from our campuses.
Rural Humanities Projects
Rural Humanities aim to organize and coordinate the already existing Cornell faculty engagement, teaching, and research around “rural humanities” and forming them into a visible program that reaches from the community to the classroom and the conference room.
Faculty Grants
Up to $10,000 in funding for Cornell faculty working on public and engaged humanities projects. This initiative ended at Cornell on June 30, 2025.
Student Funding Opportunities
Up to $1,000 of funding for Rural Humanities invites student (both undergraduate and graduate) working on research, public humanities, community-engaged projects, and public-facing events that focus on rural New York State. This initiative ended at Cornell on June 30, 2025.