Foundation Activity Grants

Submission Deadlines:

November 14, 2008, 5pm for Winter Quarter

February 20, 2009, 5pm for Spring Quarter

Foundation Activity Grant Writing Workshops:

Olympia Campus:  Tuesday, November 4, 2008 and Thursday, November 6, 2008, 4:30pm - 6:00pm, SEM 2 A1105                                                             

Tacoma Campus: Tuesday, November 4, 2008, 1:30pm - 3:00pm

Foundation Activity Grants are offered by The Evergreen State College Foundation Board of Governors and administered by the Academic Grants office. This program supports the projects of individual students, student teams and student-faculty teams. Activity Grant projects are usually carried out in conjunction with academic programs and all projects must have at least one faculty sponsor.

In the past, the program has supported a variety of efforts, including theatrical productions, art projects and exhibitions, scientific research, video and film productions, student literary magazines, and expenses for students to attend professional conferences and present their work. Demand is high for these grants. The Foundation can award about 15 to 20 grants each year, up to a maximum of $1,000 per student. A team of two students may apply for a maximum of $2,000. Teams of three or more students may apply for a maximum of $3,000.

Application procedures

To apply, submit an application packet by 5pm on the applicable deadline date. The entire application packet must be typed. It must include:

• A completed Foundation Activity Grant application form. An electronic copy of the form may be downloaded here: (Word | PDF). To fill in the form using Word software, type your entry in the gray shaded fields. Use the tab key or your mouse to move between fields. (On some versions of Word, you may need to turn off the document's protection. From the Tools menu, select "Unprotect Document.") Provide your current contact information, especially an e-mail address that you check regularly.

• A two-page proposal narrative that includes:
  • A brief project description with a timeline specifying key milestones and anticipated completion date.
  • An explanation of how the proposed project is important to the applicant's Evergreen career (or the careers of the applicant team): What education or experiences qualifies the applicant to complete the project? How will the project enhance the applicant's knowledge and abilities? How will it further the applicant's goals for future work (academic, personal, volunteer, or employment)?
  • A discussion of how the applicant will hold to one or more of Evergreen's five core teaching and learning values in completing the project: interdisciplinary study, collaborative learning, learning across significant differences, personal engagement, linking theory with practical applications.
  • An explanation of the project's significance. Some things to consider: What questions will the project attempt to answer? What broader needs will it address - at Evergreen or beyond the college? What will be the project's legacy - intellectual, social, or artistic?

• A budget with enough detail for a reviewer to understand the major costs of the project. The budget should include enough information about how costs were determined for reviewers to assess if the requested award is reasonable and necessary.

Note: Activity Grants are not designed to fund student equipment, software or instrumentation purchases (i.e., items that will continue to have significant "shelf life" after the end of the grant, such as computers, cameras, GPS instruments, etc.). Grant recipients should plan projects that will make use of college equipment, software and instrumentation available for student use. An exception to this could include projects where an applicant proposes to build a piece of equipment as part of the project learning outcomes.

Complete applications include all the information requested on this form.  Additional supporting materials are not required, but you may submit slides, photographs, portfolio samples, etc. for review. If you submit anything you want back, please indicate so with a note on the item itself. It is up to you to pick up those items after grants have been announced. Items may be claimed from Dorothea Collins in SEM II D3105, ext. 6640.

Submission Guidelines

E-mail submissions are preferred. Send your electronic applications to actgrant@evergreen.edu. You may also submit a hard copy of your application and/or any supporting documents in person or by regular mail to Dorothea Collins, SEM II D3105. Your application must be received by the deadline date at 5pm. The 5pm deadline is firm. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Grant awards will be announced during the first week of winter and spring quarters.

Samples of successful past applications

The following link provides examples from proposals that were awarded in previous quarters.  Please note, these proposals do not include the required Foundation Activity Grant Application Forms of individual students; instead a page was inserted with title and name(s) of submitting student(s). Be sure to submite the required form with your narrative and budget!

We thank all students who graciously allowed us to post their proposals as samples.

Samples of Several Successful Foundation Activity Grant Applications