Community-Engaged Public Scholarship Initiative
The Community-Engaged Public Scholarship Initiative (CEPSI), established through Boise State’s TRANSFORM project, recognizes and supports research that is co-generated with community partners, is of mutual benefit, and has the potential to generate positive public impact. Through this program we provide financial support for new collaborations or sustaining relationships that will support community-engaged research with non-university partners (including: non-profit organizations, community leaders, state agencies, public or private sector partnerships).
We are interested in supporting research that expands who is included in the generation of knowledge and recognizes the assets that community members bring to the development of research. We value the inclusion of partners and public impacts that have been historically excluded in academic practices.
These awards are intended to position researchers for future funding, capacity building and growth in research areas that include mutually beneficial partnerships. Publicly-engaged research can have an impact at varying scales and disciplines, with many different community partners.
To answer your questions about the program, TRANSFORM team Office Hours will be held on the following days/times via zoom:
Recipients of a Community-Engaged Public Scholarship Initiative grant will receive up to $7,500 for their proposed activities, depending upon budget request and program review. Applications and supporting materials must be received by November 1, 2024. Funds will be available on December 15th, 2024. Grant recipients are expected to budget for funds that they can spend by September 15, 2025. We expect to fund between 7 and 10 projects.
Proposal Format
Proposals should be in 11-point font single-spaced with 1-inch margins and organized as follows:
- A project description (three pages maximum, single-spaced) addressing:
a. Specific aims for the project that address program priorities summarized in the CEPSI description (e.g., build new external partnerships, sustain existing partnerships, mutually beneficial);
b. Approaches and methods that will address these aims;
Description and role(s) non-university group(s)/partner(s) play(s) in the research, and the process/approach for building these relationships;
d. Public impact of the project, and how this will be improved through this funding; e. Description and rationale for the configuration of the Boise State-based research team; f. Brief project timeline and milestones;
g. Statement of IRB review: If Institutional Review Board approval is required, this approval can be initiated following the award allocation in December 2024. No funds will be released until IRB approval is secured. - References cited (1 page maximum)
- A statement of collaboration from non-university partner(s) describing the role of the partner in the collaboration and expected impact. If more than one non-university partner is mentioned in the project description, please submit a letter from each of the partners or organizations.
- Budget and budget narrative (1-2 paragraphs). Please use the Office of Sponsored Programs “Internal budget template“. In the budget worksheet and description, please itemize proposed expenses. Provide a one to two paragraph description justifying proposed expenditures. Budgets should request up to $7,500. Applicants DO NOT need to submit the budget to pre-award.
Examples of possible budget categories include, but are not limited to: graduate or undergraduate support, faculty summer salary, travel expenses, fieldwork supplies, research supplies, workshops. We encourage you to make sure that community partners are supported via the budget, through honoraria, travel expenses, workshops, etc. All budget spending must comply with NSF spending guidelines.
Please note that the funding may NOT be used for a course buy-out in spring semester 2025 because of the compressed time between the award being granted (12/1/2024) and the start of spring semester.
Eligibility and Award Criteria
The Project PI must be a Boise State University faculty member or research staff with the eligibility to serve as principal investigator on sponsored projects. PIs can only submit 1 proposal per year but they can serve as co-PI on multiple applications.
The Community-Engaged Public Scholarship Initiative will support the development of new research collaborations, and/or projects that will deepen, sustain, or evaluate existing collaborative research. Applications will be evaluated on the quality of the proposal, anticipated impact and potential for mutually beneficial and reciprocal relationships with one or more non-university groups as well as the potential for future work (e.g., applying for additional funding, expanding breadth of projects.). This can include, but is not limited to, direct engagement with non-university group(s) in the development of collaborative agreements, research goals, questions, and/or methods, as well as incorporating community knowledge, voices and histories to research and creative practice.
For proposed work that reflects an extension of existing research collaborations, proposals should indicate the demonstrated prior accomplishments and desire to deepen, sustain or evaluate ongoing research.
Proposals should address a clear plan for one or more of the following outcomes of the award: a subsequent grant submission within a year after a CEPSI grant is complete, a presentation at a national or international conference, or publishing research findings in peer reviewed literature. Each application should also describe a timeline with expected milestones leading to the completion of proposed tasks.
Review Procedure and Criteria
Applications will be reviewed by the TRANSFORM leadership team, which will make the final decisions. Faculty members and staff who are part of the TRANSFORM senior personnel team will not apply for this opportunity.
Please submit your proposal via email to John McFarlane at johnmcfarlane@boisestate.edu. Include all documents compiled in one PDF, in the order listed above.
Inquiries
Applicants are encouraged to discuss project concepts and/or direct any proposal-related questions to Brian Wampler (bwampler@boisestate.edu) and John McFarlane at johnmcfarlane@boisestate.edu.