Proposal Process

Individual students or groups of students may apply for a grant by writing a proposal document (see important details below). Proposal budgets must include supporting funds from an academic department, negotiated via the faculty project sponsor.

Read the following information with care. We also encourage you to read examples of previously approved grants.

Grant proposals fall into two categories: (1) Travel to a professional conference to present findings or (2) materials to support a research project. The Undergraduate Research Celebration committee does not consider proposals requesting stipend funds for internships of any kind.

Proposals must be authored by students and revised in collaboration with their faculty mentor. Proposals are only considered PRIOR to student travel and/or start of a reseach project. The committee cannot consider proposals submitted after a conference trip or start of a research project. Please plan ahead.

Conference Travel to Present Research or Creative Work — If approved, we will award individual students no more than $1,000 for US travel -or- $1,200 for international travel per academic year.

Student proposals must include the following elements:

Each student must craft an individualize 2-3 page proprosal. For a group proposal, each student must complete an individual document. Students may not copy text directly from each other's statements. However, they can discuss the drafting process and peer-edit each other's work. Complete your proposal using the template linked here.
- Include a standalone sentence/bullet point at the beginning with your departure date/time from campus and return date/time + conference location. This is required for calc+approval of their hotel and food budget line items as aligned with college travel policies.
- What conference is this, what is its significance/reputation to/in the field?
- What was the research conducted (short paragraph, general audience summary with relevance in context), your contribution, and how long have you participated in the research?
- Describe the specific aspects of your participation in the conference. Feel free to cite items from the conference program, if available online.
- Describe the professional development gains from the experience.
- Describe the academic learning gains/aspects of the experience.
Indicate whether or not your faculty sponsor is accompanying you to the conference.
Proposals for students to simply attend conferences, but not present research or creative work are rarely supported by this program.
Propose a travel budget, including meals, transportation, lodging, and conference registration. Consult the Per Diem Rates to determine the maximum allowance for meals and lodgings in your travel destination. We typically expect students travelling together to share lodgings and encourage you to seek nearby lodgings if the conference hotel charges excessive rates.
Proposals requesting funds for airfare must be submitted to the committee in its final form at least six weeks prior to dates of travel. Any proposals submitted beyond this deadline will not receive budget support for airfare. In most cases, proposals require several drafts before reaching its final form. Student proposals should be submitted as soon as possible to allow for this revision process. Faculty advisors also require sufficient time to prepare letters of support that are required before a proposal will be considered by the committee. Faculty must consult with their home departments to secure some budget contribution in support of the proposal.
Once a proposal has been approved, students whose project includes travel should follow the Guidelines Regarding Funds for Student Travel. You will only be reimbursed for receipted expenses, such as receipts for meals, transportation, lodging, and conference registration. All food receipts must contain itemized bills; alcohol will not be reimbursed by the college.

Materials to Support Projects beyond Coursework Assignments — If approved, we will award individual students no more than $500 per academic year.

Student proposals must include the following elements:

Each student must craft an individualize 2-3 page proprosal. For a group proposal, each student must complete an individual document. Students may not copy text directly from each other's statements. However, they can discuss the drafting process and peer-edit each other's work. Complete your proposal using the template linked here.
Specify the nature of the research, scholarship, or creative work to be conducted through a brief but comprehensive narrative, written to a general audience.
Discuss the potential benefits of this experience, including your development as a scholar in the field of study as well as the impact on your future goals.
Provide a time-line for the work being proposed, including a projected outcome or goal for the work.
Propose a budget for the project. We support the purchase of consumable supplies (such as laboratory kits, survey instruments, or books) used by the student, rather than the durable materials that are housed in the department for this and future projects.
Proposals associated with course-related work, senior projects, etc. receive much lower priority consideration and it is required that the host academic department/program contributes most of the budget for these requests.
Indicate any additional sources of funding (either in process or approved) as well as whether or not you are considering submitting any other grant proposals. A higher priority will be placed on proposals that lack other potential sources of funding, either through departmental funds or other college initiatives.

Role of Faculty Sponsors

Faculty sponsors must submit a brief letter of support indicating the value of the proposed program and their willingness to mentor the student. The faculty sponsor will oversee the use of the awarded funds.

At the conclusion of travel/project, participating students are required to submit a ~2 page reflective essay describing the travel expeirence/project results. This statement must also describe professional, academic, and personal gains.

Grant proposals must be submitted electronically to Dr. Lon Porter, Chair of the Undergraduate Research Celebration Committee. Please consult with Dr. Porter prior to submitting your complete proposal. Proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis and may be submitted at any time during the academic year. The committee requires a minimum of two weeks to seek proposal revisions and deliberation for most proposals.

This grant program does not support summer projects, summer internships, or student stipend funding. Please consult other sources, such as the Dill Fund, for these requests.