The Black Mountain Institute Faculty Research Awards are designed to recognize faculty in UNLV's College of Liberal Arts, the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, and the College of Fine Arts, who have established a record of research and creativity and whose current project intersects with Black Mountain Institute’s mission statement (below). This award is open to faculty in the colleges listed above who have tenure and who are at the level of Associate Professor.
Awards will range from $1,000 - $3,000. Awards are meant to be used during January - June of 2026. Awards may be used for projects that qualify toward requirements of promotion in the applicant’s discipline and/or program. Awards are selected by a review-committee composed of BMI staff and community members.
Applicants must submit a 1-2 page proposal outlining how their project connects to BMI’s programs and mission along with a brief, narrative budget detailing how funds would further their research; they must also supply a CV. Questions should be directed to blackmountaininstitute@unlv.edu.
Please note: the awards are issued in a lump sum ahead of the proposed research. No reimbursements will be made. Successful applicants are responsible for using the funds as described in their application. One application will be considered per applicant.
Successful applicants will be asked to participate in a public program about their research in the fall semester following their award year. (So, successful applicants in the 2025 application cycle would participate in a program in fall 2026.)
BMI's Mission Statement: Black Mountain Institute at UNLV champions writers and storytellers through programs, fellowships and community engagement. We make space for meaningful collaborations and conversations; we understand service as vital. We ask questions about access, the environment, and labor. We find our home in Las Vegas–a place of hospitality in the middle of a desert. Between the manufactured and natural, urban and wide expanse, built and rebuilt, bounty and scarcity, we live within narratives of destruction and preservation. From the brightest spot on the planet, Black Mountain Institute amplifies writing and artistic expression to connect us to each other in the Las Vegas Valley, the Southwest, and beyond.
Are you interested in collaborating with The Beverly Rogers, Carol C Harter Black Mountain Institute on an event, program, or project? If you're looking to partner on a community-driven event or program that serves audiences in Las Vegas or Southern Nevada, you've come to the right place! We are always interested in partnerships with individuals, arts groups, and organizations throughout the region that align with BMI's mission.
Currently, we are considering project proposals that reflect one or more priorities in the BMI mission statement, and that are seeking funding in an amount of up to $2,000. Please note all programs must be free and open to the public.
Some notes about successful applications: Community Partnerships are not intended to act as individual artist grants, or to support individual art projects. For example, a Community Partnership might support a local film festival, but not an individual film project; a Community Partnership might support a writing workshop, but not an individual book project. Successful applications also include budgets that prioritize the program components -- like materials, venue, etc. -- over or alongside payment to the organizer, applicant, or teaching artist.
As of fall 2025, BMI asks that individuals and organizations who have successfully applied for community partnerships during the last two cycles please wait until fall 2026 to apply again.
This form will be open from July 14, 2025 until September 8, 2025, for queries relating to programs that will take place between October 2025 and June 15, 2026.
Applicants will be notified of their status no later than October 10, 2025.
Note: BMI formerly ran a separate form for graduate students at UNLV; there is now only one application for community partnerships, which is open to all applicants who meet the above criteria.
For emerging and distinguished writers who have published at least one book with a trade or literary press, this fellowship includes:
- compensation of $46,500 paid over a nine-month period;
- a nine-month-long letter of appointment (the fellowship was previously only one semester in length);
- eligibility for optional health coverage;
- office space in the BMI offices on the campus of UNLV;
- housing (fellows cover some utilities) in a unique and vibrant arts complex in the bustling district of downtown Las Vegas—home to The Writer’s Block, our city’s beloved independent bookstore; and
- recognition at BMI as a “Shearing Fellow.”
While there are no formal teaching requirements, this is a “working fellowship” located in Las Vegas. BMI’s visiting fellows will maintain office hours (10 per week), and will offer regular service to the community. In addition to the primary goal of furthering one’s own writing during their term in Las Vegas, visiting fellows are expected to engage in a substantial way with BMI’s community, in ways that connect to their interests and skills. Upon acceptance into the program, each fellow will craft a plan in partnership with BMI. This is equally weighted against the writing sample and proposed literary project for the residency. Here are some examples of activities a visiting fellow might pursue:
- Offer readings, craft talks, and other public presentations to the readers and writers of UNLV and Southern Nevada.
- Offer workshops or seminars.
- Curate events or programs.
- Provide support to one of BMI’s publications (e.g. judge contests or consult on editorial processes).
Please feel free to move beyond these examples in your application – BMI wants to find new ways to serve the Las Vegas community, especially beyond the UNLV campus.
Application details
Please submit:
- A one- to three-page personal statement,* which includes 1) your interest in being part of the Las Vegas literary community, 2) a practical description of how you envision fulfilling your service hours and engaging the Las Vegas community, and 3) the writing project(s) you will work on while in residency.
- A writing sample (10 pages maximum,* double-spaced, 12 pt. font).
- A résumé or CV.
*Please respect the committee’s time by observing these guidelines and page limits.
Finalists will be asked to send copies of their books. (Applicants must have at least one book published by a trade or literary press.) Candidates are selected by a committee of staff and community members at BMI.
Note: Successful applicants will be asked to meet virtually with BMI staff to develop programming for the following season of events, before their fellowship term officially starts.
For more information, please consult our Fellowship FAQs.