The UC Reimagining Refuge Network invites proposals for scholarly, activist and/or creative projects that critically address the impacts of current US (and global) immigration and asylum procedures, creatively construct a vision for the future of US migration and asylum, and/or identify pathways to just futures for 21st-century migrants. Recipients may propose traditional research projects, art, films, or community-based programs, reaching scholars, policymakers, activists, and/or migrant communities themselves. Recipients must be based in California, but projects may address these issues in California and/or in comparative or transnational contexts.

Eligibility

Grants are open to: 

1. Artists, activists, and/or NGOs based in California

2. Graduate students enrolled at the University of California (any campus) who have completed coursework for their area of study as of Fall 2026.

3. Faculty employed at the University of California (any campus) as of Fall 2026. Priority is given to un-tenured faculty.

Prior award recipients are not eligible for future awards.

Background

Recent federal policy and local policing in the US have been dominated by the vilification, exclusion, caging, and banishment of (im)migrants. Meanwhile, community-based organizations, artists, and immigrants continue to defy such exclusion and strive to build more just futures. There is an urgent need for scholars to work with migrant communities to imagine and develop applied solutions to the current assaults on migrants and forge new forms of refuge.

Funded by the University of California Office of the President (UCOP), Reimagining Refuge: California for Just Migrant Futures is a four-year initiative (2025-2028) aimed at establishing a network of emerging research, arts projects, activism, and community-based programs that critically analyze the current US migration regime and identify paths to migrant justice, particularly those rooted in California. Our projects center migrant perspectives, agency, and epistemologies and are led by California’s immigrant scholars and communities. 

Grant Amount

The maximum amount per award is $10,000. The grant can be used to complete an entire project, to provide seed money to start a larger project, or to accomplish smaller tasks of a larger project. We are especially interested in projects that engage communities as partners, are led by activists, artists, or scholars from immigrant families, and/or involve (im)migrant populations of California. We prioritize projects that include a “reimagining refuge” component to their work, broadly defined. Due to the competitive selection process, the final amount awarded may be less than the proposed budget. All funds must be spent by June 30, 2027.

Funds may support arts materials, research travel, books, living expense stipends (as taxable and financial aid reportable income), or other research or project-related expenses. Please note that any equipment purchased must be pre-approved and will be considered the property of the University of California (grants may not be used for the purchase of equipment, books, and/or materials for personal use).

Expectations & Outcomes

1. Each grantee will share a final product with the network no later than June 30, 2027. Products may include scholarly papers (such as whitepapers, journal articles, book chapters, etc), policy briefs, artwork, films, plays, poetry, best practices graphics, advocacy and know-your-rights toolkits, or community-based programs or interventions, among others. As appropriate, final projects may be posted on the UC Reimagining Refuge website.

2. Grantees are invited to participate in Reimagining Refuge Network events via Zoom and/or at the partnering UC campuses during their funding period. Events may include working groups, workshops, invited talks, symposia, or project exhibits. Grantees are encouraged to share their work (completed or in progress) with one another and the public, generating a diverse array of rigorous evidence and best practices to build a more just migration system in California, the US, and beyond. Funds for travel to events will be included in the total grant amount.

Note: All research involving human subjects must be reviewed by a UC Office for the Protection of Human Subjects (IRB).

Application Checklist

The application form includes the following:

1. Name & contact information of primary contact and any collaborators

2. Project title

3. 1-2 sentence project description

4. Proposal: ONE attachment, in PDF format, including the following items. Please title your file Lastname_Firstname.pdf

1. Project description, specifying plans and motivation, outcomes these funds will make possible, and how the project contributes to "reimagining refuge" (500-700 words not including references), 

2. Briefly describe your personal background and motivations for this project, without disclosing sensitive information (100-200 words),

3. Budget overview including total amount requested and how budget will be allocated (no explanations or details needed, one page max), 

4. Brief list of existing sources of funding and amount (½ page max) and 

5. CV (3 pages max). For activists/artists, either include a CV of the lead individual or a short bio of the organization and its recent work.

5. For UC graduate students only:

• Signed support form from UC faculty advisor