SUBJECT: Strategic Initiative Fund

Dear Colleagues,

We are excited about the opportunity to advance the University of Michigan’s mission, realize the Look to Michigan Vision, and create transformational change through the Strategic Initiative Fund! The fnd aims to accelerate ideas that meet our institution’s vision, creating broad or deep impact, and proposals may address opportunities in education, research, scholarship, creative practice, or service to our community.

Any faculty or staff member may submit a proposal for any of the tiers of support and the deadline is February 9, 2026. Please note that the Dearborn campus is being considered as one unit for this process, so the required “endorsement from your unit leader” means endorsement from the chancellor. With that in mind, an endorsement from the chancellor will require that the faculty or staff member adhere by the following deadlines:

Your first draft should be submitted to Carrie Shumaker ([email protected]) no later than 5pm on Monday, January 12. This early deadline will accommodate external feedback from Ann Arbor, potentially providing an opportunity to strengthen the proposal.

Your final draft, including budget, should be submitted to Carrie Shumaker ([email protected]) no later than 5pm on Monday, January 26.

As a campus, Dearborn will submit the best proposals that align with the funding priorities, meet the application criteria, and have the potential to make a major impact. Proposals that are not forwarded will receive notification, so that the proposer can make changes for the next round of funding. Please note that for proposals involving research or creative practice, the Office of Research has limited support for budget development.

Thank you for all you do to support the mission of UM-Dearborn! We look forward to seeing your bold ideas realized through this funding.

Sincerely,

Ghassan Kridli
Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs

Carrie Shumaker
Vice Chancellor for Information Technology and Chief Strategy Officer

Joan Remski
Interim Vice Provost for Research and Dean of Graduate Studies