Faculty Research Grants

The Calvin Alumni Association Board offers the Faculty Grant Program in order to promote and encourage Calvin College faculty members in their service and research interests, further Christian scholarship, and add value to the classroom and benefit Calvin students.

Since 1970, over $600,000 has been awarded by the Alumni Association. In the 2009-2010 school year, $25,000 will be awarded.

Any full-time member of the Calvin College teaching faculty (including shared and reduced load positions) may apply for a Calvin Alumni Association Faculty Grant. The following procedures, criteria, and conditions apply to the program.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE
1. The application must provide the information requested on the Grant Cover Page (Word; 1 page) and Grant Application Questions (Word; 3 pages max) documents. No separate cover letter is needed.

2. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Monday, January 11, 2010. They must be submitted to Susan Buist, program coordinator (x6-8520), or Michael Van Denend, Executive Director of the Calvin Alumni Association, via alumni@calvin.edu or the alumni office.

3. Applications will receive an initial review by the Dean of Research and Scholarship and a screening committee of the Alumni Board. Based on this initial consideration, a subset of applicants will interview with members of the board. Applicants will be informed of the status of their application by January 30, 2009.

4. Selected applicants must be available for an interview with the Faculty Grant Committee on the afternoon of Thursday, February 11, 2010.

5. All applicants will be notified of the results of their grant application by February 26, 2010.

AWARD CRITERIA
To guide the selection process, these criteria will be used to determine which requests will be funded:

1. Alumni Association grants are available to support expenses related to faculty research or service projects. Potential uses for Alumni Association grants include:

• Travel expenses to archives, libraries, and historical sites for on-site research
• Salary stipends for student research assistants
• “Service project” collaborations between Calvin and an outside group (e.g. nursing fair, computer classes)

2. Grants will not be made to fund any of the following:

• Faculty salary stipends
• Projects in pursuit of an academic degree
• Curriculum development
• Membership fees for professional organizations
• Major equipment purchases (e.g. machines, computer software)
• Support for family members on sabbatical trips

3. Preference will be given to projects in which grant recipients can articulate benefit to students, either directly via work with student assistants or indirectly via enhanced classroom instruction.

4. Student researchers will be funded at the standard campus rate. For summer research, applicants should compare the job requirements to other summer research fellowships (McGregor and Science Division) and pay accordingly. For school year research, applicants should check with the Jobshop for appropriate pay rates for such a position.

5. Preference will be given to projects that do not fit the criteria of other Calvin grants (e.g. science division fellowships, McGregor grants, provost’s supplemental travel fund).

6. Grants are limited to a maximum of $5,000 per project. Some applicants may receive partial grants.

7. Up to $500 of the grant request may be for equipment/supplies (e.g. chemicals, cassette tapes for interviews, photocopies at a research library) which would be necessary to carry out the project.

8. Preference will be given to applicants who have not received Alumni Association grants in the preceding two years.

Please note: Faculty involved in the planning of research that involves human subjects in any way, from interviews or questionnaires to medical proceedures with living persons or bodily substances, must submit a research proposal to the Institutional Review Board (IRB). The board is mandated by governmental agencies to review and approve research with human subjects using one of the following processes: 1) Provide an exemption, 2) Conduct an expedited review approval, or 3) Approve the project after full review. As a small board which meets regularly, this committee is committed to facilitate the advancement of faculty research programs as quickly and easily as possible." For forms and information see www.calvin.edu/admin/provost/irb/

AWARD CONDITIONS
1. Funds will be sent to grant recipients during the first week of April 2009 unless other arrangements are made with the treasurer of the Alumni Association, Todd Lohman, in the College’s Financial Services Office. All grant support must be withdrawn by June 30, 2010. Grants not collected by this deadline will be forfeited, and the funds will revert back to the Calvin Alumni Association.

2. Each grant recipient must submit a grant report to the Alumni Board. The report, limited to two pages, should include (1) an abstract summarizing the results or progress of the project and (2) a statement of how Association funds were used. Grant reports must be submitted to Susan Buist prior to September 3, 2010 (or within one month of project completion for projects that extend past this date). If a report is not submitted, future applications by the grant recipient for an Alumni Association Faculty Grant will not be considered. The report should be written for a general audience. The Calvin Alumni Association may also ask faculty to be interviewed about their projects for Calvin publications and be available for presentations about their research.

3. The Calvin Alumni Association encourages grant recipients to return to the Alumni Association a pro rata share of any net revenue derived by projects funded by a grant. These revenues will be used to fund future grants.

APPLICATION FORMS
Download these two forms (Word documents):
Grant Application Cover Page
Grant Application Questions

Also available:
Grant Application Instructions (same as information listed above)