Heidi Rennert and Erica Machulak share tips on how to ask for financial support from your institution. 

You’re probably hearing the same news everywhere: higher ed is in trouble. Recent policy changes have led to widespread media coverage of universities implementing budget freezes and other drastic measures to cut costs. Combined with social sector layoffs and mass cancellation of federal grants, many scholars at all career stages are feeling more stressed and stretched than ever. 

This puts scholars at all career stages in a sticky bind. You still need funding for all kinds of things, from direct research and conference travel to TA hours, infrastructure, and professional development opportunities. In a moment where much of higher ed is hyperfocused on scarcity, you may be wondering whether it’s even worth asking for the resources you need to thrive. 

Here’s the good news: there may be pockets of reserved funds that you can tap into. Don’t let institutional challenges deter you from advocating for yourself. Ask for what you need.

There is no disputing that widespread freezes and cuts have constrained departments and offices across the board, making it extremely difficult for administrators to launch new initiatives. Due to the long-term planning that goes into budget decisions, however, there may be funds earmarked for lines like student support, research development, event planning, or other items tied to programmatic goals that were already in the works.

The only way to know what is happening behind the scenes is to initiate a conversation. If you frame your request to align with your home institution’s goals, you may find creative solutions to get what you need. 

Three tips for asking for money and other institutional support

The key to asking for support is in making the connection between your needs and your potential champion’s goals. Here are three tips to do that well:

1. Make it specific: Keep your request brief and specific, focusing on what the opportunity is, how it aligns with your work, and what exactly you need in order to move forward. If your request is time sensitive, clarify the urgency up front. .
2. Show the value: Explain how this opportunity benefits both you and the person you are asking for support. Maybe your work connects with strategic goals outlined by your dean or provost. Maybe your department head has expressed an interest in more participation in major conferences. Find the connection that will motivate your target reader to become your champion.
3. Focus on the relationship: Frame your request as an open conversation with someone who probably wants to help you, whether or not they have the resources to do so right now. You’re asking this person to advocate for you, but you’re also inviting them into a collaborative relationship. Regardless of what they can offer in the immediate term, you’ve introduced yourself, described your goals, and identified points of connection that may lead to future opportunities. 

They might say “no,” and that’s ok.  By following the tips above, you have already created the conditions to keep the conversation going. Reply with grace by expressing thanks for their consideration and asking whether they know of any people or funding sources that you should explore—if so, consider asking for a direct introduction. Moving forward, make sure to share your wins and send updates on your progress. Keeping the lines of communication open makes it more likely that your advocates will think of you when new opportunities emerge.

Sample Email: Make the Ask

We’ve created the email template below to show how to implement our support request tips. In this example, the sender is a graduate student asking their department head for funding to participate in the Hikma Find Your Inner Founder course.

Remember to make your pitch concise, collegial, and focused on how this opportunity will help you and your target reader achieve your shared goals. 

Subj: request for professional development support

Dear Ai,

Thanks again for sponsoring the Alumni Career Panel last May. I learned a lot, and the panelists’ insights have prompted me to think more creatively about my next steps. To that end, I am writing to ask whether there might be funds available to support my participation in an upcoming one-week virtual professional development course, Find Your Inner Founder.

As you may know, I have been offering translation services on a freelance basis over the past year, and this work has made it possible for me to bridge my summer funding gaps and build relationships with scholars within and beyond our department. The Find Your Inner Founder course is designed to help emerging scholars like me learn to contextualize our skills for new professional opportunities.

I have appreciated the department’s creative approach to finding creative professional development opportunities for its graduate students over the past few years. I believe that the skills and confidence I will gain from this course align well with the department’s objectives to help its graduate students find meaningful and financially sustainable job opportunities following our degrees.

The enrollment fee for this course is $240 USD. Would the department be willing to fund some or all of this cost? With your support, I will be better prepared to explore my career options in the fall and approach my work with confidence. 

Thank you for considering my request. I hope to hear from you soon.

Thank you,

Heidi

About the Authors

Heidi Rennert is an editor and humanities scholar completing a PhD in English at the University of British Columbia, where she focuses on science, technology, and domesticity in nineteenth-century literature and culture. She is passionate about the relationships between research, storytelling, and its many publics, which she brings to her work in communications and grants development with Hikma.

Erica Machulak, PhD, is a medievalist turned entrepreneur and the author of Hustles for Humanists: Build a Business with Purpose (Rutgers University Press 2025). As the Founder of Hikma, she leads a social impact startup with a mission to mobilize scholarship for the public good through consulting, capacity building, and storytelling.