Mini-Grant Proposal Guidelines

Introduction

Mini-Grant proposals may be funded up to $1500 per individual student in support of supply and (or) equipment purchase, and (or) student travel to museums, libraries, research sites, concerts, workshops, academic conferences and professional meetings.  Mini-Grant projects maintain the same overall goals as Traditional Grant projects, but are generally of more limited scope.  Projects requesting more than $1500 per individual student in funding must apply for a Traditional Grant.  Furthermore, if, in the opinion of SRCI committee, a project's complexity requires review under the more rigorous stipulations of the Traditional Grant process (regardless of the dollar amount requested), the applicant(s) may be requested to re-submit his or her (their) application(s) to the latter process.  Students may be associated with only one Mini-Grant or one Traditional Grant application at a time under consideration by the SRCI committee.

An advisory committee appointed by the President or Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs will evaluate proposals on the basis of quality and distinctiveness, contribution to knowledge and to student learning, and consistency with the mission and vision of the University.

Preference will be given to those proposals which are broadly multidisciplinary, though projects which represent outstanding achievement within a single discipline are also strongly encouraged.

Multiple performers, presenters, or researchers involved with a successful Mini-Grant application may choose to fund the costs associated with one student, or apply as a group and divide the award.

 

Mini-Grant Eligibility

Students must play the role of primary investigator, creative agent, principal author, etc.

Students must be admitted to SVSU and may be either undergraduate or graduate students.

Enrollment at application and throughout the duration of the proposed work or activity must be at least half time during the academic year (6 or more credits per fall and winter semesters for undergraduate students; 3 or more credits per fall and winter semesters for graduate students).

Students must be in good standing with the University.

 

Mini-Grant Proposals

Students may submit electronic proposals as individuals or in teams. However, all projects will require faculty or staff endorsement.

Mini-Grant proposals must include the following:

  • a 2-3-page description of the supplies and (or) equipment to be purchased, and (or) the travel to be taken to a museum, library, research site, concert, workshop, academic conference or professional meeting in which the applicant is participating
  • acceptance for a performance or presentation, permission for use of a library, archives or laboratory (if limited access), or permission to conduct fieldwork  (Mini-grant proposals for travel to a conference at which a student is not presenting may be considered if there is evidence of significant academic gain based on attendance.)
  • an itemized budget for reasonable expenses (personal stipend or remuneration does not qualify)
  • for applications proposing work in a library, archives, laboratory, or fieldwork setting, a complete list of sources to be consulted or work to be conducted
  • for applications proposing work with human subjects, a complete list of individuals to be interviewed and the questions to be asked
  • a one-page letter of support from a faculty member describing the nature of the applicant’s (applicants') project, its contribution to the knowledge in a discipline, and its importance to the student’s (students’) academic or professional development.
  • statement of intent to apply for Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval (if applicable) for work with human subjects or vertebrate animals (http://www.svsu.edu/sponsoredprograms/institutionalreviewboard/responsibilitiesofirb/).  Dispersal of funds may be dependent upon IRB approval
  • a statement of other campus funding applications (if any) currently under consideration or approved
  • contact information for student(s) submitting the proposal: name(s), address(es), phone number(s), and e-mail address(es)

Notes:

All grants are contingent upon available funding.

Individual students traveling to the same conference as part of a group with substantially similar academic goals may each apply for a Mini-Grant, but should indicate the group with which they are associated and make efforts to cooperatively reduce costs as much as possible.  The combined total of their requests may not exceed an additional $1000 for each student beyond one (e.g., two students may not apply for more than a combined $2500).

Students may choose to travel to more than one conference as part of their Mini-Grant request, but must emphasize the significance of travelling to more than one conference in their application(s).  If successful, they may choose to allot their money to cover any portion of (or all of) the multiple conferences. 

Individual students may be considered more than once for a Mini-Grant during their academic careers at SVSU, but funding associated with a particular student is limited to two Mini-Grants in a 12-month period (even if a maximum $3000 per individual student is not reached).  Receipt of either one or two Mini-Grants in any 12-month period shall not preclude application for a Traditional Grant in the same period.

Mini-Grant applications may include the costs for an academic study abroad program within which a student plans to complete an SRCI project.  However, the SRCI project, as it is distinct from the academic activities of the study abroad program should be made clear, and the Mini-Grant proposal should be accompanied by a letter of endorsement from both an SVSU faculty or staff member and the study abroad program leader (if the endorsing faculty or staff member is not directly involved with the study abroad program).

Students may apply for Mini-Grants retroactively within one monthly review cycle of their participation in a project, but should provide significant evidence of academic gain.

Faculty interested in securing funding for projects involving students may wish to consult the SVSU Foundation Resource Grant Program: https://foundation.svsu.edu/resource-grant-program

Mini-Grant Timetable

Proposals must be submitted electronically (in PDF form) to srci@svsu.edu by the 1st day of each month throughout the calendar year, or the next business day if that date falls on a weekend.  An indication of whether the application is for a Mini-Grant or a Traditional Grant should be clearly indicated in the subject line of the e-mail and at the top of the PDF document.  Incomplete proposals will not be reviewed.
 

Applicants should be notified within approximately two weeks, though this process may take slightly longer in the summer months.

 

Sample Mini Grant Proposal (4,402kB)

 

Conclusion

Public recognition and promotion of outstanding student work will bring credit to the University, enhancing its growing reputation as an institution of teaching excellence which encourages and supports student innovation, originality, and excellence across a wide range of academic and professional fields.

For more information, contact Dr. Jules Gehrke, Office of Academic Affairs, (989) 964-4006.

Committee Members: Dr. Brooks Byam, Dr. Andrew Chubb, Dr. Jules Gehrke, Dr. Jane Girdham, Dr. Deborah Huntley, Dr. Kaustav Misra, Dr. Josh Ode, Dr. Gretchen Owocki, Dr. Danilo Sirias, and Dr. Daniel Cook.

 

SRCI Evaluation Criteria