The University of Utah’s Federalism, Law, and American Governance Initiative (FLAG) is accepting applications for its inaugural Research Grant Program, which will support research by scholars across the university on federalism and related questions of American governance.
Approximately 15 grants of up to $5,000 each are expected to be awarded. Applications are due Dec. 1, 2026.
The grant program is the first major undertaking of FLAG, a presidential initiative created to bring together faculty, students, and public leaders to examine questions of federalism, constitutional structure, democratic institutions, and American governance.
“You don’t need to be a constitutional lawyer to do important work on federalism,” said Paul Cassell, who co-directs FLAG with fellow S.J. Quinney College of Law professor Jason Iuliano. “Some of the most interesting questions about how authority is divided, whether in health care, occupational licensing, energy, or technology, are being asked by economists, philosophers, historians, and scientists. We want to support that work, whether it’s a promising early idea or part of a larger research agenda.”
FLAG is intentionally interdisciplinary. Its scope extends beyond constitutional law to questions about how authority is allocated across levels of government, how institutions interact, and how differences among states shape public policy.
Building a universitywide community
FLAG launched in January and operates at the university level rather than within any single college. Through research grants, faculty fellowships, visiting scholars, public events, student programming, and interdisciplinary partnerships, the initiative aims to connect existing expertise across the University of Utah while opening new avenues for scholarship and discussion.
“Universities are at their best when they bring people together to examine important questions from different perspectives and across disciplinary boundaries,” President Taylor Randall said. “FLAG will create new opportunities for our faculty and students to engage seriously with questions about our constitutional system, institutions, and public life.”
FLAG will also bring judges, policymakers, and other public leaders into those conversations, so that people from different intellectual traditions and points of view can take up questions of constitutional governance together.
Grant application information
Full-time faculty members (both tenure-line and career-line), postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students are eligible. Individual and collaborative projects are welcome.
Grants cover a one-year project period. FLAG expects to announce awards on Jan. 11, 2027. Priority will be given to projects designed to produce publishable scholarship.
Applications consist of a 100-word abstract, a project proposal of no more than two pages, CVs for the project investigators, and an itemized budget. Applications for the FLAG Research Grant Program are due Dec. 1, 2026. For full eligibility requirements, application instructions, and information about allowable expenses, visit https://federalism.utah.edu/research-grants.