Who is Eligible?
Teaching faculty, tenure-track faculty in their first three years at Penn State University, and graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in a program of study at Penn State University, with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Students must have formal project approval from a tenure-line faculty advisor or the head of their major or minor department who can attest to the significance of their research project and confirm that the student has achieved the requisite GPA.
Grant Amounts:
Up to $1,000 for Penn State students, teaching faculty, or tenure-track faculty in their first three years at Penn State University.
How to Apply:
Submit the following as a single PDF to sbm12@psu.edu. Deadline for submissions is October 15, 2023.
- C.V. of five or fewer pages.
- Title page containing research title and identifying the lead investigator and her or his title, collaborating investigators and the departments or units they represent. Include campus affiliation and contact information for all investigators.
- Concise 3-page single spaced (12-font) proposal (no charts or graphics) containing the following:
- 100-word abstract.
- Statement of Purpose (100 word maximum): Describe the specific aims of the proposal in non-technical language.
- Brief Background (300 word maximum): Provide a brief description of the research area, with pertinent reference notes to substantiate the relevance, importance and implication of the project to your field of study.
- Description of Activities and your expected timeline (300-500 word maximum): Describe activities you want to pursue and why you are pursuing them. Are these activities typical for the field or are they innovative? Describe the procedures to be used to conduct and complete the project, including analytical procedures (e.g. quantitative, qualitative).
- Relevance to ARC’s Mission: Describe how the proposal will contribute to the ARC mission.
- Relevant reference list or bibliography.
- Detailed budget, noting the specific funding amount requested and how the funds will be used. List the amount and source of any matching funds.
- Letter of support from the faculty advisor overseeing the research project or the Department Head. This letter may be submitted separately. Teaching faculty do not have to submit a letter of recommendation.
Africana Research Center Advisory Board members will review all complete proposals. They will consider the significance of the proposed research, the strength of the proposed methodological model, the researcher’s qualifications and preparation for the project, the strength of her or his letter of support, and the likelihood that the project will yield results that will contribute toward new knowledge suitable for publication, or provide the seeds for a major external grant proposal. Awardees will be notified by November 1, 2023.
Note: Proposals may be submitted any time prior to the published deadline. However, proposals will not be reviewed until the current published deadline. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
Funding Exceptions
Research funds may NOT be used for conference travel, tuition, faculty/staff salaries, equipment, books or solely to cover the cost of hiring a research assistant.
IRB Certification/Human Subject Participants
Awardees doing human subject research will have 60 days to submit an IRB certification or exemption letter and to sign the grant award acceptance agreement, which spells out the terms for using award funds. Subject testing may not begin before the agreement is signed, nor may expenses be accrued prior to this time. For more information on the IRB process, visit Institutional Review Board on the Research website or contact the Office of Research Protections at 814-865-1775.
Funding Allocation
Applications will be reviewed by the ARC Advisory Board. Grant awards will be decided in May and must be accepted within 60 days of notification. Awardees will have 18 months from the date of signing the grant award agreement to use their research funding for awarded projects. Funds not used by the award contract deadline will be released back to the ARC. Extensions will only be granted under exceptional circumstances.
Important Travel Information
It is REQUIRED that prior to post-docs/faculty/staff/students traveling to a foreign country, they complete the Foreign Travel Export Compliance Review Request Form. If this form is not submitted, post-docs/faculty/staff/students may not travel using any University funds and, therefore, will not receive reimbursement.
It is REQUIRED that prior to post-docs/faculty/staff/students traveling to a “restricted” destination, they complete the Travel Questionnaire for Restricted Destinations. If this form is not submitted or if the trip is not approved by the University, post-docs/faculty/staff/students may not travel using any University funds and, therefore, will not receive reimbursement.
It is REQUIRED that no less than 60 days prior to graduate students traveling to a “restricted” destination, they complete the Request for Graduate Student Travel to Countries on the U.S. State Department Warnings List form. If this form is not submitted or if the trip is not approved by the University, graduate students may not travel using any University funds and, therefore, will not receive reimbursement.
For information on why these forms are necessary, please visit Countries Considered Dangerous.