$220,000 Awarded for Arts and Humanities Research Grants for Early Career Faculty

The Arts and Humanities Research Grants for Early Career Faculty initiative will provide ten grants of $22,000 each over an eighteen-month term to support research by tenure-track, assistant faculty members in Texas-based departments or schools of social work.

“The vision for this initiative is to advance understanding of how creative, narrative and cultural practices can foster emotional resilience, reduce stigma and strengthen community well-being, while also supporting early-career scholars as they develop independent research agendas and progress toward tenure,” said Rick Ybarra, senior program officer at the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health.

“Arts- and humanities-based approaches are not ancillary to mental health practice—they are central to how individuals and communities make meaning, heal, and build resilience,” said Allan Cole, PhD, Dean of the School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin. “This initiative translates that understanding into action by investing in scholarship that directly connects creative practice with measurable community impact and practical tools for the field.”

“Building on the Hogg Foundation’s long history of strategic investment in mental health research and innovation across Texas, this initiative reflects our continued commitment to supporting emerging scholars and advancing new approaches to understanding well-being,” said Dr. Octavio N. Martinez, Jr., executive director at the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health.

The selected research will examine the role of community-based interventions in supporting emotional regulation, identity expression and social connection. These projects are grounded in active collaboration with researchers and community members throughout Texas.

“Using a framework known as Community Based Participatory Arts Research, awardees will include community members and other stakeholders in the research process,” said Kelley Glover, PhD, Research Fellow at the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health. “It is incredibly important to recognize and maximize their individual and collective contributions.”

In addition to producing rigorous scholarship, the initiative is designed to generate insights with lasting value that can inform both academic fields and the communities involved.

A central goal of the initiative is to develop accessible models, toolkits, and recommendations that support the implementation of arts- and humanities-based approaches to mental health and well-being in community settings, including libraries, schools, cultural organizations, and other community partners.

The ten new grantee partners are:

• Natalie Bradford, The University of Texas at San Antonio Department of Social Work
• Yun Chen, The University of Texas at Arlington School of Social Work
• Kenya Johnson, University of Houston Downtown Department of Social Work
• Toni Moreno, Texas State University School of Social Work
• Maryam Rafieifar, The University of Texas at Arlington School of Social Work
• Melissa Torres, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Social Work
• Jennifer Vasquez, Texas State University School of Social Work
• Yao Wang, The University of Texas at Arlington School of Social Work
• Minzhi Ye, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Social Work
• Yuanjin Zhou, The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work

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