Humane Genomics Education Award (HGE)

Deadline 1 June 2026                                 Awards announced 1 July 2026

The American Genetic Association provides HGE grants to support humane genomics education, aiming to enhance student understanding of genetics and combat bias within genetics and evolutionary biology. 

Overview

The Award for Humane Genomics Education is a pilot program from the AGA to support educational activities and initiatives that improve genetics education and promote 'Humane Genomics'. 'Humane genomics education' is an approach to teaching modern genetics and genome science that improves understanding of genetics, decreases students' acceptance of non-scientific notions of genetic essentialism, and reduces racial bias by dismantling persistent misconceptions about race and genetics. As developed and described by Donovan et al (2024), humane genomics education focuses on teaching the complexity of human genomics that is not captured by a basic introduction to Mendelian genetics. This approach focuses on describing the distribution of genetic variation within and between populations and the multifactorial basis of complex human traits, including polygenic inheritance and genotype by environment interactions. Integrating these principles provides a comprehensive understanding of human diversity that directly counters the deterministic narrative that human traits and social identities are fixed, inevitable products of our DNA.

Purpose

The Award for Humane Genomics Education is a pilot program from the AGA to support educational activities and initiatives at the high school or undergraduate level that promote understanding of human genetics and genomics. Potential grant-supported activities could include, but are not limited to, curriculum and course development, continuing education for instructors, development of educational resources, travel to workshops, and support for guest speakers.

Eligible Applicants

Professional educators teaching at the high school and undergraduate levels, including 2-year and 4-year institutions. It is anticipated that applicants will be currently teaching classes in Biology, Genetics, Molecular Biology or Biological Chemistry, or expect to be teaching in these areas in the near future. However, interdisciplinary teams that include educators working in other areas are welcome. Applications from instructors at under-resourced institutions are particularly encouraged to apply.

Award Details

Funding Amount: Applicants may request up to $2,000 to be encumbered within 12 months of the award.

We anticipate awarding a total of $4,000 this year.

Award Requirements: A ~1-2 page final report summarizing activities and outcomes to be published on the AGA Blog.

Due to the large number of applications we anticipate to receive and evaluate, there will be no individual feedback for unsuccessful proposals.

Guidelines

Applications should describe the activities or products that will be supported through the grant, the specific learning objectives or educational goals to be served, and how the activities will advance the HGE award goals. The application must describe the intended beneficiaries of the program, including the numbers of students and faculty that will be involved or that will benefit from program activities. Applicants are encouraged to include descriptions of how the awards complements existing programs or resources and how the applicants will build on or extend program activities after the end of the award period. Note that although formal assessments of impacts and outcomes are strongly encouraged, the program will not support educational research or other studies involving human subjects.

Prepare your application using the attached form and submit as one PDF file.  Replace the header identifier “HGE2026_LASTNAME_Descriptor” with your last name and a short project descriptor (e.g., HGE2026_SMITH_ProjectName).  Submit your application through https://drive.google.com/open?id=19OxMJwBa08W4QaDl92xaDRNIhJET1X1s_oxnbIRy3lU&usp=chrome_ntp

Save your application to the SAME NAME as the header title (e.g., HGE2026_SMITH_ProjectName).  Please use this name in all correspondence.  Expand boxes as needed. 

References:

Donovan, B. M., Weindling, M., Amemiya, J., Salazar, B., Lee, D., Syed, A., ... & Snowden, J. (2024). Humane genomics education can reduce racism. Science, 383(6685), 818-822.