Gallaudet University Small Grants Program:
Program Description and Application Procedures
Summary of the Program
The Small Grants Program fosters the research activity of full-time Gallaudet University and Clerc Center faculty and staff, as well as University students, by supporting studies with relatively small funding requirements. Up to $2,500 may be requested by students to support projects intended to satisfy degree or course requirements. Up to $5,000 may be requested by faculty and staff for all other kinds of research. Funds may be used for such purposes as compensating research volunteers, paying for travel to data collection sites, and buying disposable supplies. Proposals for projects in all content areas and disciplines are welcome, regardless of whether the research focuses on one of the University's deafness-related research priorities. The Program also seeks to encourage broad participation in research activities, particularly by investigators new to research. Funding is competitive, and project proposals are judged largely according to criteria related to (1) a clearly articulated research focus that promises to add worthwhile knowledge to the particular field and (2) proposed research methods that suggest there is a high likelihood that project goals will be met. A panel of faculty and staff recruited from across the University assists in the review of proposed projects. Questions related to the Small Grants Program may be addressed to Dr. Leonard Kelly, Room S-429 HMB, (202) 651-5949 (Voice/TDD), Leonard.Kelly@Gallaudet.edu.
Scope of the Program
The specific focus of the funding program is research; by that is meant any investigation likely to add to the knowledge base in an academic field. Training and curriculum development projects are normally not considered research, per se. Thus, they are not supported by this funding program unless they contribute to a research purpose, for example, testing the effectiveness of one training technique compared to another. Again, the Program spans all academic disciplines and areas whether in the liberal arts, fine arts, or the social, physical, or behavioral sciences. Dissertation and thesis studies are welcome from students enrolled in Gallaudet graduate programs, as well as from Gallaudet faculty or staff enrolled in graduate programs elsewhere.
Project and Applicant Funding Limits
Projects completed to satisfy degree or course requirements, whether or not by a Gallaudet employee, are normally considered "Student" projects and can be funded to a maximum amount of $2,500 per project. In addition to this category, the Program funds other projects that are completed by full-time faculty and professional staff. These are considered "Faculty/Staff" projects and can be funded to a maximum amount of $5,000 per project. Funds may underwrite all or part of the costs of a study, provided the funding limits are not exceeded and expenditures are for allowable categories of items. Applicants may submit proposals for more than one project in a year provided that the total expenditures of the combined budgets do not exceed the foregoing funding limits.
Timing of Applications
Applications for Student projects can be received and funded any time during either semester until funds are exhausted. A portion of the total Small Grant Program funds has been set aside for this purpose in each semester of the academic year. This flexibility in the timing of funding to students recognizes the scheduling constraints imposed by courses, advisors, or dissertation committees. It also facilitates the speedy re-submission of a proposal following feedback and revision. For this reason, proposals should be submitted well in advance of program or course deadlines. Faculty/Staff applications are evaluated for funding after a single fall deadline. The exact deadline date for the each funding year appears on the GRI website at http://gri.gallaudet.edu/Funding/deadlines.php. In addition to seeking funds through this competition, when the amount of the request does not exceed $1,000, faculty and professional staff may apply for support at any time during the year. Applications for these smaller amounts of money will be considered at any time during either semester until funds are exhausted.
Funding Criteria
Following are the principal bases for judging the merit of a submitted project and deciding on its amount of funding. The first two of these criteria should be a significant source of guidance for preparing an application, particularly for writing the proposal narrative. The other two are related to some of the goals of the Small Grants Program.
Worthwhile Research Purpose. The proposal articulates a genuine research issue and makes a persuasive case that the findings from the research will constitute a worthwhile contribution to the field. When the application is by a student, there are indications that the project is likely to foster a productive educational experience.
Effective Methods. The methods of the project, related to such components as site selection, choice of archives, sample characteristics, experimental design, and data analysis, are convincingly presented in the proposal as being likely to achieve the purpose of the project with the resources and time that are available.
Priority to Developing Investigators. One goal of the Small Grants Program is to encourage research by new investigators. Because Program funds are limited, funding priority may be given to the proposals of applicants who are at the developing stage of their research program compared to applicants with more extensive research experience.
Priority to Less Recent Users. A goal of the Small Grants Program is to enlarge the pool of active investigators. Thus, funding priority may be given to proposals from less recent recipients of Program funds as opposed to investigators who have recently been awarded funding from the Program.
Who Evaluates Proposed Projects?
Proposals are reviewed by faculty and staff members recruited from a mixture of the University's academic departments and units. Reviewers will not be recruited to evaluate an application for funds for which they themselves are competing in a given year. Collectively, the group has expertise in the disciplines that generate frequent project applications. Faculty advisors may be asked to give input, and, on occasion, a reviewer may be recruited from outside of the University.
Other Related Policies
Feedback to Applicants. Applicants may request feedback from the Small Grants Program staff before they submit a proposal, and they will be offered feedback following review of a submitted proposal, whether or not the applicant is awarded funding. The principal intention of the feedback is to improve the quality of the research project.
Duration of Projects. Unless otherwise stipulated, applicants agree to expend all funds within a single fiscal year. In practical terms, this means that all documentation of expenditures must be submitted by August 31st of the fiscal year in question. Requests for reimbursements beyond that date may not be honored.
University Accounting Policies. Applicants agree to expend funds and document expenditures in a manner that is consistent with existing University accounting policies and procedures. Researchers who receive awards are responsible for learning the relevant policies pertaining to the cost categories of their projects, and Research Institute personnel will be available to advise and assist them in this process.
Allowable Program Expenditures. Under normal circumstances, Program funds can be used for the following: volunteer remuneration, payment to specialists or technicians to complete tasks not customarily expected of the investigator, disposable supplies, and travel for data collection (transportation, lodging, meals). Durable equipment and specialized software for data collection or analysis are sometimes purchased with Program funds and lent to the investigator, but only if it is determined that they are not available elsewhere on the Gallaudet campus. Expenditures expressly prohibited by Program policies include the following: salary payments to the proposing investigator(s), costs for publishing the research results, costs for typing the manuscript of the research report, costs for travel to present the results of the research, and payment to specialists for completion of work customarily expected of the investigator, such as statistical analysis.
Submission of a Final Report. The applicant agrees to submit a brief final report that reflects how the project has responded to the purpose that originally prompted the investigation and justified its funding. Applicants also agree to timely entry of project information into "The Gallaudet Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Database" for inclusion in the publication "The Annual Report of Achievements: University, Research, and Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center."
Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval. When the project involves human subjects, either on the Gallaudet campus or elsewhere, funding of a project is contingent upon approval by Gallaudet's Institutional Review Board (IRB). An IRB application or a letter of IRB approval must accompany any funding application that involves human subjects. Involvement of Clerc Center students requires additional approval from that segment of the campus.
Preparation of the Application
An application consists of the following:
When the request is for less than $1,000, the six page narrative may be replaced by a cover letter that summarizes the project and responds in brief to the first two funding criteria (worthwhile research purpose and effective methods.) The following are important considerations in preparing each component of the application:
Application Form. The Application Form of Student proposals must include the signature of the faculty member who is supervising the project. The signature indicates the faculty member's agreement that (1) the project constitutes worthwhile research, (2) the proposed methods are appropriate, and (3) the student applicant has knowledge, skills, and abilities that are sufficient to make the project a worthwhile educational experience. The signature of the Budget Unit Head is required of all proposals by Gallaudet faculty and staff, including those that are Student projects.
Proposal Narrative. The written proposal is the sole basis used by reviewers to decide the merits of the project. The maximum length of the proposal narrative is six double-spaced pages, and this page limitation places a premium on the applicant's succinct presentation of all pertinent aspects of the project. In broad terms, the proposal should have two principal sections that roughly correspond to the first two funding criteria, "worthwhile research purpose" and "effective methods." The applicant should use these criteria to perform a self-evaluation of the proposal before it is submitted.
Worthwhile Research Purpose. The Purpose section of the proposal identifies the research issue that the project will address and justifies its importance. In most cases, concepts needed for the proposal reviewer to understand the rationale for the proposed study are cited from the literature of the field. What is the uncertainty or information gap in the academic field that justifies the investigation? What is the research question that guides the project? This section should emphasize the need that will be met by the study. In addition, what will be the importance to the field of meeting the purpose of the project? The importance may be supported by citations from the literature or by a logical argument that answers the question, "So what?"
Effective Methods. The Methods section of the proposal should identify, define (where necessary), and- importantly- justify the procedures that will be used to satisfy the purpose described in the previous section. Parts of the Methods section may relate to sample or site selection: What are the characteristics of this sample or research site and why are they appropriate for achieving the purpose of this study? Other parts will pertain to data collection: What techniques will be used and why are they appropriate for responding to the research question of this project? Analysis: how will collected information be acted on and how does this approach promise to generate results that respond to the purpose of the study? Conclusions: what pattern of findings will warrant one conclusion versus another pertaining to the research issue that prompted the project initially. Sequence of Tasks: list the principal tasks of the project and estimate the dates when each will be initiated and completed, for example, "interview subjects: 3/01/01 to 4/15/01." The latter listing ought to show that completion of the project is manageable within the time available.
Budget Statement. The budget is realistic in light of the costs associated with completion of project tasks. It presents a full list of the proposed expenditures, which are (1) allowable according to Gallaudet and Program policies, (2) cost-effective, and (3) do not exceed the specified funding limit. When the requested funds are intended to support only a portion of the tasks and resources of a project, the itemized budget of the larger project should also be included. In the Budget Statement of the application, identify specific costs associated with completion of the project. Indicate the project task or tasks with which each cost is associated. Indicate how each cost was estimated or calculated. Justify each cost, that is, explain why it is cost-effective, expending an amount of money that is sufficient without being excessive. Projects may be funded for amounts that are less than requested in the project budget.
Submission of Materials
Submit five (5) copies of the Application Form, Proposal Narrative, and Budget Statement, and one (1) copy of your IRB application or approval letter (if human subjects are involved) to Room S-439 HMB.