Call for Proposals: OSUN Student-led Initiative Grants

Deadline: November 19, 2020

The OSUN Human Rights & the Arts Center at Bard College invites applications for micro-grants to students pursuing campus- and community-based initiatives in human rights and the arts. The goal of this grant program is to support students at OSUN institutions who seek to create or extend projects in human rights and social justice, particularly those with an artistic dimension, that are based in the institution or the community (or beyond). 

Eligibility

Any currently-enrolled undergraduate or graduate student in any of the partner institutions of the Open Society University Network (OSUN) are eligible to apply.

Projects that are incorporated into class curriculum or involve all of the students in a particular class are eligible for support.  

Projects that strengthen connections across OSUN institutions are encouraged but not required.

Grants Details

Applicants will be notified of selection committee decisions by December 15, 2021.

Successful applicants for the Spring-Summer 2022 cycle will receive up to a $1,000 stipend in support. These funds can be used to cover relevant purchases and other expenses in pursuit of a student-led initiative. All expenses must be pre-approved through the application process (or subsequently amended) and executed between January 30 and August 30, 2022.

Awards to projects with high material expenses will be issued as a form of advanced payment to cover the project expenses.  Awards to projects with little or no material expenses will be issued as a stipend.  Please note that stipends may be considered taxable income and will be the award recipient’s responsibility to declare appropriately.

All grant recipients will be required to write a brief grant report and the end of their project, which will include a narrative description of the project outcomes and a final expenditures report.

Direct questions should be sent to [email protected].

Application Procedure

Eligible students interested in applying should submit the following materials via this 2022 CHRA Student Led Initiative Microgrant Application portal no later than 11:59pm EST on November 19, 2021. Please include your full name, program/department and institutional affiliation, the administrative point-person at your institutions, faculty advisor, and project title in the header of uploaded material. 

  1. Initiative Summary (250-word limit): This abstract should explain the objective, outputs, and significance of your initiative.
  2. Proposal Narrative (250-word limit): This narrative should detail the specific components of your initiative that you are applying to receive funding for and what the expected outputs (if any) are.
  3. Budget Expenses and Justifications (1-page limit): Please divide this budget by location of expenses, and type of activity therein (e.g., airfare, lodging, meals, access fees, etc.).

Expectations

  • Understand that award payment can take up to six weeks after the award letter is issued to be fully processed. The project activities should be proposed with that timeline in mind.
  • Adhere to the proposed budget submitted with their grant application.
  • Adhere to OSUN policies related to research-related purchases and other expenses.
  • Submit an interim report narrative and expenditures sheet via the requisite google form by May 1, 2022, accounting for the use of the grant award and summarizing the outputs that may have resulted.
  • Submit a final report narrative and expenditures sheet via the requisite google form by August 30, 2022, accounting for the use of the grant award and summarizing the outputs that may have resulted.