Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Grant

Research, Scholarship, and Creativity (RSC) Grant

The deadline is March 15, 2025 by 5:00PM

Grant Description

Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Grants support faculty members in their research and creative work. Course improvement projects will not be considered (expenses for such projects should be covered by departmental budgets or other sources). These grants are designed to help applicants make progress towards the production of some tangible result (e.g., the publication of a peer-reviewed article, chapter, or book; or an exhibit of works of arts). Private, personal creativity projects will not be considered. Applications from faculty at all career stages are encouraged. 

Proposal Requirements

Proposals must be submitted via the Google Form application. The questions are as folllows:

  1. Faculty Information
    1. Name, Email, Rank/Status, Department/Program
    2. Brief biography of faculty participant(s) and explanation of how this project fits into their career trajectory. (150-400 words)
    3. CV (upload file)
    4. Administrative Assistant name
  2. Project Information
    1. Project Title.
    2. Project description: Briefly describe the background of the proposed research/creative project, its relationship to existing scholarship in the field, and the central questions that you will explore during the grant period. (300-700 words)
    3. Project design: Briefly describe your project design and activities you'll undertake during the grant period. If you will be working with a student, describe the nature of that collaboration. (300-700 words)
    4. Outcomes. What are the anticipated outcomes for this project? Where do you anticipate publishing, presenting, exhibiting, or otherwise disseminating this project? (200-350 words)
    5. Feasibility. What is the time period for your proposed work (summer, summer and academic year, academic year only)? Please explain how the proposed work is appropriate for the planned time frame. (200-350 words)
    6. Budget Rationale. Provide a justification for any project expenses for which you are requesting funds. If you are only requesting summer stipend, leave this question blank.
    7. Budget Spreadsheet. Fill out budget from this RSC Budget Template and upload the file with your application.
  3. Additional Information
    1. Have you received a Presidential or RSC grant before?
    2. If you answered "yes" above, please indicate when you received the award(s) and briefly summarize the project outcomes.
    3. Have you applied for or received funding from another source to support this project?
    4. If you replied "yes" to the previous questions, please describe the status of the funding and how it will affect/complement the RSC or Presidential grant, if awarded.

Criteria for Selection

In assessing the applications, the committee looks for:
  • Evidence of exceptional merit
  • Compelling project design
  • Contextualization of your work within the field
  • Feasibility of the proposed project

Project Requirements

In preparing their applications, faculty should keep the following in mind:
  • Grants will be awarded for up to $1500 in project costs.
  • Grants also include summer faculty stipend of $600. 
  • Faculty may choose to allocate part of all of their stipends to project costs.
  • Applications will be accepted for stipends + project costs or for stipends only.
  • Joint applications are accepted, but $600 stipend will be divided among the faculty members.
  • RSC grants are awarded through a competitive process. The review committee may or may not have representatives in your field, thus your proposal should be written for a broad audience.
  • Grant recipients need to get IRB approval if their research involves human subjects and IACUC approval for animal research.
  • Award funding begins June 1.

Eligibility

  • A faculty member cannot receive both the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity grant and the Presidential Faculty/Student Collaboration grant in the same year.
  • Awards may be used as matching funds for outside support awarded to the faculty member.
  • Applicants whose previous grant reports are past due will not be eligible to apply.
  • Priority will be given to quality proposals submitted by candidates who have not been funded through a Research, Scholarship, and Creativity grant in the previous two years.

Budget Guidelines

  • Project costs may include:
    • Registration fees for workshops, seminars, online courses, and webinars that advance faculty member’s preparation for research
    • Specialized training (e.g. how to use new instruments/equipment)
    • Outside guest experts that support scholarly development
    • Materials and supplies 
    • Travel to further a line of inquiry (e.g. visit an archive, undertake an ethnographic project, use lab equipment not available at Gustavus)
    • Fees associated with collecting primary materials
    • Publishing fees
    • Student research assistant hours (pay rate is set by the College)
    • Research participant incentives
  • Project costs may not include:
    • Workshops, seminars, or meetings for which participants are given a stipend by an outside granting agency
    • Registration or travel to faculty member’s professional conference (see Travel Fund)
    • Stipends to Gustavus Adolphus College staff or students
    • Guest lecture honoraria (These should normally be supported through departments and programs)
    • Entertainment

Expectations of Grant Recipients

  • To receive the summer stipend for work completed outside of faculty contracts, faculty must complete a verification of work by September 15, 2025.
  • Spending should be completed and a final report of grant activity should be submitted by February 1, 2026; extensions must be requested in writing by January 15, 2026. Failure to submit the final report will disqualify recipient(s) from receiving other internal grant funding.
  • Grant recipients may be expected to write a note of appreciation and brief summary of their project to a donor who has contributed to the endowed funds that support this grant.
  • Grant recipients may be asked to serve as a reviewer for future grant cycles.