Introducing the 2024–2025 Breakdown / (Re)generation Grantees - Incite at Columbia University

This summer, Incite Institute set out to award $300,000 in new grants through our Breakdown/(Re)generation Project, which supports Columbia University Arts and Sciences initiatives related to breakdowns in the social and natural worlds.

At present, seemingly stable systems are undergoing profound transformations: climate change disrupts longstanding ecological balances, political shifts challenge post-World War II norms, evolving perceptions of gender reshape identity formation, and epistemic shifts redefine how we learn and create knowledge. These disruptions allow us to reimagine and reconstruct systems, institutions, and norms to promote justice and equity in society. Our interest lies not only in understanding these breakdowns but also in exploring the possibilities of (re)generation that they bring about.

After an extensive search, we’re excited to introduce you to the 2024 Breakdown/(Re)generation grant recipients. Coming from disciplines including anthropology, earth science, and gender studies—and spanning from the Arctic Circle to Mexico—these projects and their leaders demonstrate remarkable potential to address and respond to breakdowns in innovative ways.