Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Grants

Grant Deadline is April 15, 2024!

Summary

The Academy solicits innovative and impactful proposals that further the Academy’s goals of fostering a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive scientific community consistent with the Academy’s statement reiterated below.

Integral to the Indiana Academy of Science’s mission is a commitment to fostering a culture of inclusion and equity within the Academy and embracing diversity, in all its forms. This commitment is founded on the belief that meaningful scientific progress requires the contributions of divergent ideas and points of view that are possible only when all voices are valued. Our goal is to promote an environment in which all individuals share a sense of belonging, feel respected, are treated fairly, are provided opportunities to develop professionally, and can excel in their chosen career paths. We seek to remove barriers to this goal, including those grounded in the structural inequities within our own institutions, organizations, and society. To achieve this, we will share scientific ideas across the spectrum of our disciplinary perspectives and promote collaborative and interdisciplinary research and science education. In doing so, we will empower one another as we engage with a global network of scientists and our statewide community.

As the funds available to support projects are limited, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee strongly encourages novel programs that have the broadest possible impact. Examples of projects could include campus climate surveys, funds to implement inclusive practices/programs, or pay for students to attend conferences, etc.

Supported programs will have a period of performance of one year with a possibility of renewal.

Program Background

The DEI grant program was initiated as one aspect of the Academy’s Strategic Plan for DEI by the standing DEI committee in 2021.

Eligibility

Applicants must be formally affiliated with not-for-profit organizations, usually as employees or as faculty/employee-sponsored students or interns. Individuals meeting any one of the following criteria are eligible to apply for research grants:

• Members of the Academy in good standing during the preceding year and at the time of the application.
• Recently joined members who have never previously applied for a DEI grant from the Academy.
• Students, interns, postdoctoral associates, non-permanent faculty members, or other applicants not otherwise chiefly responsible to the organization for the project must have a sponsor who is responsible to the organization for the project and is an IAS member. Grants to students or interns are made to the applicant organization for use by the student/intern on the condition of faculty sponsorship. For this reason, the award will be made in the sponsor’s name and that sponsor will be responsible for meeting all conditions of the grant award. Consequently, it is essential that the sponsor review the proposal carefully prior to its submission.

**If you would like to apply for this grant but cannot afford the IAS membership fee, please contact the IAS DEI committee to inquire about requesting a waiver of the membership fee.

Awards will be made to the parent organization, not to an individual. Therefore, each application must be signed by the organization’s official with the authority to approve the request (e.g., President, Executive Director, Chief Academic Officer, College or University Research Officer, etc.) and commit the organization to the conditions of the award.

Application Procedure

Use the Google Form here to submit your application.  All materials must be submitted as listed below through the Google Form.

• Proposals and all supporting information (including the cover page) should be submitted as a single document saved as a pdf file in the format of: “ApplicantLast_ApplicantFirst_DEIGrantSpring2024.pdf”.
• Please be sure that all necessary information is included with the application as incomplete files are unlikely to be funded.
• Questions about the online application should be directed to the DEI Committee chair (IndianaAcademyDEI@gmail.com) or for technical issues contact IAS Webmaster Wes Tobin at (contact@indianaacademyofscience.org).

Each proposal should be brief but complete and must include the following information arranged in the following order, with each new section beginning on a new page:

1. A SIGNED LETTER, on institutional letterhead, from the person authorized to make grant-related commitments on behalf of the organization. This letter must include the name, mailing and email addresses, and position/title of the individual.
2. An ABSTRACT of no more than 300 words.
3. A NARRATIVE of no more than five pages (single spaced with double space between paragraphs, 10-12-point font, 1” margins). This section must describe the problem to be addressed or program to be implemented. Examples of projects could include campus climate surveys, funds to implement inclusive practices/programs, pay for students to attend conferences, etc. The NARRATIVE should:
   1. Provide a rationale/demonstrated need for the proposed project, including a review of relevant literature,
   2. state the project objectives, scope of the problem, and methodology to be followed,
   3. describe the outcomes to be achieved and how those outcomes will be measured,
   4. and provide a timeline outlining how the project will be completed within the funding period. This is an important part of the proposal and will be scrutinized by the reviewers. Applications with a narrative exceeding five single-spaced pages may be returned without review.
4. A REFERENCES CITED page listing all literature cited in the application.
5. A detailed BUDGET. The budget ($3000 maximum) may include:
   1. supplies,
   2. travel expenses, including room and board and meeting registration fees,
   3. wages and salaries for students, project assistants (applicants and sponsors are not eligible for salary support),
   4. durable equipment [Please note that requests that focus on equipment are discouraged in general and those proposing to spend over half the request on equipment will receive low priority. Only equipment required specifically for the proposed project will be considered, requests for consumer electronics commonly available from other sources (e.g., video recorders) will receive lower priority, and requests for computers will not be considered],
   5. consulting fees, and
   6. other expenses, as appropriate.
   7. The budget must also describe the expected or actual source of funding for resources essential for the project not included in the request to the Academy.
   8. It is essential to understand that enough detail must be provided to allow members of the DEI Committee to evaluate the appropriateness of each element of the budget. The Committee may delete items from the request that it feels are not justified as long as it believes the project would not be unduly impaired; such a conclusion usually results in the application’s rejection. Consequently, it is essential that each item be explained and justified for the request to receive full funding.
   9. The budget may NOT include funds to support administrative or overhead/indirect costs.
6. Copies of APPROVED AND SIGNED INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD FORMS if the proposed project would involve collection of human data for presentation/publication, a statement of institutional exemption from such a review signed by the appropriate official, or a written explanation of the process by which IRB approval will be obtained. Applications that require IRB approval but are submitted without a plan for IRB approval will not be reviewed. Funds will not be dispersed to grant recipients until IRB approval documentation is provided. In situations where a review board does not exist within the applicant organization, consult the chair of the DEI Committee for directions and assistance. It is the responsibility of the applicant to at all times follow the appropriate ethical, legal, and procedural guidelines mandated by the institution, government, and professional societies.
7. If appropriate, a brief PROGRESS REPORT for request for additional funds to continue a project completed under a previous award. Such reports may refer to the original application and may summarize the final project report submitted to close a previous grant, but they must stand on their own as the rotating membership of the Committee ensures that not every reviewer will be familiar with the earlier work.
   1. This report should specifically justify the request as well as provide evidence of efforts to find other sources of support. Given the Committee’s preference for start-up projects, renewal requests often receive a lower priority.

Review Criteria for DEI grant proposals

Every application is reviewed by the DEI Committee. The results of their discussions determine which requests will be awarded and for what elements of the request. The Committee chair will inform applicants by email of the Committee’s final decision and will contact the Academy Treasurer who will then mail award checks to the official identified in the application. The review process is normally completed within six weeks of the application deadline. The decision of the Committee is final and all questions concerning awards and the decision process should be directed to the Committee chair.

In reviewing proposals for possible support, the DEI Committee will consider the following criteria:

• Attention to the information requested in these guidelines.
• The merit of the proposed project. The applicant must explain the significance of project’s objective(s) and the relationship of the proposed work to relevant scholarship and, when relevant, previous or ongoing efforts to address the project’s objective(s).
• The appropriateness of methodology to the problem addressed.
• The mechanism by which project outcomes will be assessed.
• A budget commensurate with the level and scope of the proposed activity and adherence of budget to limitations and preferences listed in the Budget section of these guidelines (above).
• The proposal should include assurances that funds for the proposed project are not already available to the applicant.

It is an objective of the DEI Grants Program to support as many meritorious projects as the limited funds available permit. No grant, however worthy, may request more than $3,000; proposals requesting more than this amount will not be reviewed.

Preferences in awarding grants will be given to

• Projects that promise to contribute specifically to the State of Indiana. Projects to be completed outside Indiana will be considered, but proposals for work outside of the state should explain the necessity for leaving Indiana.
• Applications from Academy members who have limited access to other funds and that describe attempts to gain other or additional sources of funding.
• Start-up requests that demonstrate potential for future funding.
• Projects that contribute directly to the education or development of Indiana student scientists, particularly those from diverse backgrounds.
• Modest requests, owing to the limited funds available and desire to help as many scientists as possible.
• Proposals written to be understood by Academy members representing a wide range of disciplines.

Post-award Expectations

1. A final PROGRESS REPORT should be submitted no later than 60 days following the end of the grant period. This report should include the following:
   1. An accounting of how the funds were used, signed by an institutional official.
   2. A description of the project outcomes/accomplishments, including a description of assessment results.
2. Presentation of the project in a talk, poster, or workshop at the annual Indiana Academy of Science Meeting immediately following the granting period is expected. If you feel your project is not suitable for a presentation, please reach out to us to request an exception.

DEI Grant Request for Proposals: Deadline April 15, 2024