I. OBJECTIVE
The mission of Boise State University’s Osher Institute Faculty Grant Program is to promote research and scholarly projects at Boise State University. A secondary objective is to engage university faculty with the Osher Institute.
II. ELIGIBILITY
A. Any full time tenured, tenure-track, or research faculty member may apply.
B. The program is open to members of any department.
C. Each applicant must have support of his or her department chair.
III. DETAILS OF THE PROGRAM
Grant recipients will be provided with support for their research, project, or scholarly work in the form of up to $5,000 in grant funding, to support the submitted budget. Smaller grant applications are welcome. It is acceptable for multiple applicants to collaborate on a grant application. Grant recipients may use the grant to forward their scholarly research by any means described in the project application and approved by the selection committee. Student involvement is encouraged. The grants are residential. It is acknowledged that there may be a need for occasional travel related to the pursuit of a grantee’s work but it is assumed that the majority of the grant period will be spent in residence at the university. It is also assumed that the scholarly or creative work will be performed by the grant recipient or students under his or her direction, and not sub-contracted. Applicants requesting funds to be used to buy out course time must have department chair approval that indicates substitutes are available to make a buyout feasible. In addition to pursuing their respective projects, grant recipients will be expected to make their scholarly activities accessible to Boise State University students and members of the Osher Institute. The means by which this is achieved will vary according to the nature of the project. After completion of their project, grant recipients are expected to share the outcome of their work with the Osher member audience. This may be in the form of a lecture about the project and its larger context, or in another appropriate format. If this proposal is a component of a larger project, or preliminary work needed to justify application for a larger grant, the outcome or deliverables paid for with this grant must be clearly defined as a distinct sub-project that can be explained to the Osher audience.
IV. PROCEDURES
Applicants must submit an electronic copy of their proposal to the Director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute by March 1, 2015.
A. PROPOSALS
Proposals should not exceed five pages (single spaced, 12 pt. font), excluding CV and letters of recommendation. Additional information that might be helpful to the selection committee may be placed in an appendix. Proposals must include the following:
1.Project narrative(maximum of three pages). In clear, non-specialist language, describe the project and how it relates to the program’s mission and the evaluation criteria outlined below.
2.Budget/Budget Justification/Timetable(maximum of two pages). Requests for up to $5,000 to cover project expenses may be made. Funding is intended to defray expenses related to the proposed project; it is not a stipend. Please clearly identify other sources of funding, the amounts, and the status of that funding in the budget worksheet.
3.Current CV for the applicant (Committee may request one page maximum).
4. Two letters of recommendation that speak to the merits of the project and the ability of the applicant to complete the proposed. One of the letters should come from the applicant’s department chair; each letter must include the author’s contact information.
B. EVALUATION
Proposals will be evaluated by a selection committee comprised of individuals from the Osher Institute community and the Osher Advisory Board. The following criteria will be used to evaluate the proposed work:
o The overall merit, creativity or uniqueness of the proposal and its significance for the university and the wider community
o Interest or appeal of the project to the Osher Institute audience
o A suggestion of how to share the project work and outcome within the university and with the Osher Institute audience
o The coherence and intelligibility of the proposal narrative and budget justification
o Feasibility of budget/budget justification
o A clear relationship between the budgeted expenditures and the proposal outcome
o Collaboration among students, faculty, disciplines or colleges
o Likelihood of success
Awardees will be notified by April 15, 2015.
V. FOLLOW UP ACTIVITIES
Grant recipients must submit a brief update six months after receipt of the grant funds. In addition, and within one month of the conclusion of the grant period, the grantee must provide the Institute with a one-page summary of the grant project. Reports should be sent to the Director of the Osher Institute. Grant recipients will define presentation format for sharing the outcome with the Osher membership during the subsequent academic year.
