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.

University Funding Opportunities

Faculty Opportunities

• Collaboration for Unprecedented Success and Excellence (CUSE) Grants are intramural grants administered by the Vice President for Research that are intended to enhance interdisciplinary collaborations, grow the research enterprise, and enhance scholarship at Syracuse University in order to increase extramural funding and high-quality scholarly output.

Graduate & Undergraduate Opportunities

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

School of Education Funding Opportunities

Faculty Opportunities

SOE Signature Seed Grants

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.

Faculty members awarded seed grants will be expected to maintain active participation in the research development colloquia and/or one of the SOE research study groups throughout the two stages of the grant. The colloquia will consist of an intentional series of research-focused workshops, professional development activities, as well as individual and small-group opportunities throughout the fall and spring semesters. The primary purpose of the colloquia is to increase faculty awareness, knowledge, and skills requisite to developing successful external funding proposals.

Stage One:

• Up to $1,500 of graduate student hourly support to develop a submission for internal funding in the first year of the grant. The graduate student hourly support can be utilized at faculty discretion throughout the academic year or summer and will culminate in submission of an internal CUSE grant funding
• $500 to be used for professional expenses upon successful submission of an internal CUSE grant proposal.

Stage Two

• Up to $1,500 of graduate student hourly support to develop a submission for external funding in the second stage of the grant, which will occur within two years of the end of the first stage of the grant. The graduate student hourly support can be utilized at faculty discretion through the academic year or summer and will culminate in submission of an external funding proposal.
• $1,000 to be used for professional expenses upon successful submission of an external grant proposal.

Proposal Preparation Guidelines

• Applications should be submitted via email, as a single attached file (no ZIP files, please).
• Cover sheets should include names, department affiliation, and contact information for the primary faculty member, as well as any collaborators.
• Proposal narratives should not exceed 2 single-spaced pages, with 1-inch margins and 11-point Times New Roman font. Proposals should describe the foci of the research or creative program that will be developed through the two stages of the grant, including identification of the type of internal CUSE grant funding being sought and potential external funding opportunities available.
• Appendices should be included, of up to one page each, for the following: (1) timeline, (2) description of how the graduate student support will be utilized, (3) references, and (4) 1-page abbreviated curriculum vitae each for faculty, and any collaborators.

Each application will be read and reviewed by at least two SOE faculty members serving as peer reviewers using these criteria:

• clarity and merit of the proposed project identifying specific funding opportunities (5 points);
• feasibility of the work plan culminating in submission of internal and external funding proposals (5 points);
• achievability of plan for utilization of graduate student support (5 points);
• potential to enhance faculty research or creative work, noting any potential collaborations (5 points).

Graduate Student Opportunities

Joan N. Burstyn Endowed Fund for Collaborative Research in Education

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.

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