Student Fellowships & Grants

Initiative Grants in Undergraduate Research

Proposal Overview

The purpose of this program is to enhance research opportunities for students by providing modest support for research expenses. A carefully prepared and realistically budgeted proposal is required.

Proposal Details

The application must be accompanied by a narrative description of the project. Prepare this description in such a way that an educated non-specialist can understand it. Avoid jargon wherever possible. Narratives longer than five pages will be returned unread for editing.
  • Eligible expenses might include, but are not limited to, travel to field sites or performances, the purchase of equipment and supplies (which then become the property of Reed College), duplicating costs (an example might be large numbers of copies of a questionnaire) or audio/visual costs not provided by other Reed facilities. Requests for computing equipment and software must include a review by Computing and Information Services to ensure the materials are appropriate for the project and are not already available. Expenses that are NOT eligible include thesis duplicating, student wages (except when a student is providing a skilled service not otherwise available), or faculty stipends.
  • Projects that require knowledge of a foreign language must be supported by a description of the applicant’s training and competence.
  • The Institutional Review Board must approve of any project involving the use of human subjects. An initiative award will not be administered without this approval. 
  • This program is not related to financial aid. Applications are evaluated strictly on the basis of the strength of the proposal as research.
  • Every proposal requires a budget. Each budget item, other than routine disposables, should be carefully justified. It is expected that requests for support have been made to the pertinent department. Include any funds received from other sources in the overall budget detail.

A final report itemizing funds used should be submitted electronically to Joan Meyer, administrator of the Undergraduate Research Committe (URC) at jmeyer@reed.edu as soon as they are expended, but no later than the end of the year or graduation.

Eligibility

  • Enrolled and in good academic standing at Reed College.
  • Seniors requesting funding in support of their theses (470) will have priority.
  • For reasons of equity, grants for groundwork on an anticipated thesis project are not normally considered.
  • Student wages are eligible only in specially justified circumstances.

Note: Support is not available to fund unpaid summer internships or summer living expenses. Priority is given to those who have not previously received an Initiative Grant.

Deadline

There are two deadlines for consideration.

Fall deadline: October 10, 2012 by 4:00 pm
Spring deadline: March 13, 2013 by 4:00 pm

Please submit applications electronically to Joan Meyer, URC administrator, at jmeyer@reed.edu. Applications received after a specified deadline will not be considered until the next deadline.

Limits

Awards are limited to a total of $2,500 per year. List and justify as needed all expenses in your budget, including those that will be covered by departmental, or other, resources.

Requirements

A completed application will consist of:

  1. Application and Budget Form (download).
  2. Narrative description of the proposal (5-page maximum). This comprehensive description should address the goals, the overall project design, the methods, and the hypotheses of the research.
  3. Evaluative letter from a faculty sponsor (download guidelines).
  4. Pertinent ancillary documents in support of the proposed activity.

Application Procedure

The applicant completes the Initiative Grant Application and Budget Form and the narrative project description. These are then submitted to the faculty sponsor electronically. The faculty sponsor must review the entire grant application, provide an evaluative letter, and then email all materials directly to Joan Meyer, URC Administrator, at jmeyer@reed.edu. 

For more information on eligibility, please contact Joan Meyer (jmeyer@reed.edu) or the chair of the Undergraduate Research Committee, Paul J. Currie (pcurrie@reed.edu).