Funding Opportunities

The School of Education offers several grants and awards to help spur and support student and faculty research. Calls are released to faculty and students by email and submissions are due to the Associate Dean for Research. For questions about grant requirements, submissions, and deadlines please contact Beth Ferri, Associate Dean for Research at baferri@syr.edu or 315.443.1465.

SOE Signature Seed Grants for Faculty

Signature Seed Grants are intended to provide seed money to support SOE faculty in developing signature-focused collaborative research projects. Proposals must:

1. Make an explicit connection to one (or more) SOE signatures (Antiracist and Inclusive Pedagogy and Practice; Digital Pedagogy and Practice; Experiential Pedagogy and Practice)

2. Involve collaborative partners with appointments in two (or more) programs/concentrations within the School.

Additional points can be awarded for projects that cut across multiple signatures and/or that are tied to a clear plan to pursue external funding.

• Opportunity opens: Late March

• Proposals due: Late April

We expect that by providing SOE faculty members a sustained research development program over a several year period, as well as expanding the available incentives and supports for all SOE faculty members, that the number of submitted SOE external funding proposals will increase, as will the success rate for funded proposals.

Awards of up to $5,000 are available.

Proposal Preparation Guidelines

• Applications must be submitted via email, as a single attached document (no ZIP files, please).

• Proposals must include project title and names of faculty member collaborators.

• Proposal narratives should not exceed 1200 words (excluding references), single spaced, 12 point font)

• Proposals should include:

  • Introduction and problem statement

  • Foci of the research or creative work, rationale/significance, and key research questions

  • Explicit connection to one or more SOE signatures

  • Statement about how each collaborator will contribute their expertise

  • Budget rationale and timeline

  • Plan for using this seed grant to secure internal or external funding

  • References

Review Criteria

• Clarity and merit of the proposed project (10 points)

• Budget rationale and justification (5 points)

• Potential of the contribution to amplify SOE signatures (10 points)

• Feasibility of timeline and plan for collaboration (5 points)

• Plan for securing internal and/or external funding proposal (5 points)

Joan N. Burstyn Endowed Fund for Collaborative Research in Education (Grad Students w/ Faculty)

Emerita Professor and former Dean Joan Burstyn fostered collaborative projects between graduate students and faculty at the School and with alumni in the field of education. In keeping with this tradition and Professor Burstyn’s continuing work in the field, this award is available to support research and/or creative projects by SOE graduate students working collaboratively with faculty. The $2,500 award will specifically support the team’s proposal for the following:

• A creative and collaborative project undertaken jointly by School of Education graduate student(s) and faculty member (and possibly including alumni) for research in the field of education

• Expenses related to the conduct of the research and the dissemination of results, including the reporting of project results to the Associate Dean for Research for internal dissemination.

Criteria: The proposal should be limited to 2,000 words (not including appendices) and shall
include and be evaluated on the following:

• Clear demonstration of collaboration;

• Rationale for project, including problem statement;

• Significance and/or potential of expected outcome(s);

• Congruence of project with SOE mission;

• Concise descriptions of researchers and other people involved;

• Timeline of project activities that outlines activity completion within one calendar year;

• Appropriate mechanisms for evaluation, dissemination, and timely submission of a final report;

• Suitable budget & expenses;

• Letter in packet co-signed by faculty member and student(s), detailing how each team
  member will be involved in the project.

SOE Graduate Student Research and Creative Grants

This grant supports School of Education graduate student research and/or creative projects. This work does not have to be done in collaboration with a faculty member. Student awards will be $250-$1000, depending on the quality of the proposal and available funding. Each proposal will be reviewed independently by at least 2 SOE faculty members.

Proposal Preparation Guidelines

1. Project narratives and appendices should be submitted via email as a single attached file.

2. Proposal narratives should be limited to 2,000 words, not including appendices.

3. Appendices should include one page each for a) references, b) timeline, c) budget, and d) researcher qualifications.

4. Proposals should include a one-page letter of support from a faculty member serving as advisor or research mentor (this document can be sent separately).

5. Proposals will be evaluated on the following dimensions: rationale for the study; hypothesis/problem statement; rigor of design, method(s) of inquiry, & analysis; match between methods & expected outcomes; significance or potential for contribution; and reasonable timeline & budget.

SOE Internal Grant Calendar

University Funding Opportunities

For Faculty:

• Office of Research Internal Grant Programs

For Graduate Students:

• Graduate Student Organization Travel Grants are competitive awards that defray the cost of attending academic and professional conferences for graduate students.

For Undergraduate Students:

• Summer Research or Creative Stipends for Undergraduates provide up to $2000 of competitive funding for students working under the supervision of a faculty member.

• The Renee Crown University Honors Program is one venue through which undergraduates are supported in conducting research.

• The SOURCE supports diverse undergraduate participation in faculty-guided scholarly research and creative inquiry.