I‧CARE Service Projects Funding Application Guidelines
1. Pre-Submission Information
1.1 Purpose of Funding
I‧CARE Service Projects Funding aims to promote students’ development through participation in social services projects. Our vision is to facilitate students’ initiatives characterised by passion and commitment to serve the local, regional and international communities, leading to sustainable personal growth and cultivation of social elites as global citizens.
1.2 Categories of Funding
Two types of funding are available for application: Main Round Applications and Small Grant Applications:
Main Round Applications are open twice a year, and are open to all CUHK undergraduate/postgraduate students, as well as colleges, academic, research, and administrative units.
Small Grant Applications are open year-round and are only available for individual CUHK undergraduate/postgraduate students, or registered student assoications formed by them, with the maximum amount awarded for each application capped at $3000. The total budget of the proposed project should not exceed $15,000.
1.3 How to Submit
A complete Service Projects Funding application should contain the application form, accompanied by a full funding proposal. Please refer to Section 2.3 for the recommended contents for the proposal.
Applications from student(s)/student groups, colleges, academic, research, or administrative units should be sent directly to I‧CARE Office at Room 504, Wong Foo Yuan Building. The e-version of application from, project summary and proposal should be submitted to .
For projects initiated and implemented by students/student groups, advisory support from ONE full time staff member at Terms A must be attained. Such staff will be the advisor of the project and will be responsible for: a) being the holder of the project’s financial account; and b) providing professional advices and support to the project.
Please note that the application will not be considered if the primary student representative is expected to graduate before the completion date of the proposed project.
Please refer to the I‧CARE website for application deadlines. The starting date of the proposed project should be at least two months after the date of deadline for Main Round Applications and one month after the date of submission for Small Grant Applications.
Applications must be submitted in their entirety. Extensions are generally not granted for supporting documents that are not completed at the time of application. Early submission of applications will also allow sufficient time for follow-up enquiries from the selection committee if necessary.
Consultation with I.CARE managing office is encouraged. Applicants can seek advices on directions, project implementation, ethics, etc. in project planning and proposal writing. Appointments can be made directly with the managing office through email and telephone.
1.4 Proposal Processing
i) Review Criteria
Only social service projects will be accepted for application. In considering a proposal, due consideration will be given to, inter alia, the following factors wherever applicable:
(a) the degree of students’ initiative and participation;
(b) the degree of innovation of the project;
(c) the degree of understanding on the background of the served communities;
(d) cost-effectiveness and efficiency;
(e) whether the project encourages inter-disciplinary collaboration;
(f) potential impact on societal issues or problems;
(g) power to draw socio-cultural, educational and policy implications;
(h) sustainability and continuation of the project;
(i) number of beneficiaries;
(j) level of support from other source(s).
Only projects which have clear objectives to provide human-targeted services as well as promote wellness of human life will be supported. Projects with a political/social advocacy focus will not be considered.
In addition to the above criteria, advantages will be given to project covering one or more of the I‧CARE themes in the framework for whole-person development:
I - Integrity and Moral Development
C - Creativity and Intellectual Development
A - Appreciation of Life and Aesthetic Development
R - Relationships and Social Development
E - Energy and Wellness
In order to promote interdisciplinary participation, submissions for Main Round Applications should make sure that students from any single major programme should not make up more than half of all participating students. Exemption can only be made if the applicant can demonstrate conclusively that it cannot be followed. Submissions for Small Grant Applications are not bounded by this requirement.
ii) Review Process and Award Recommendation
Submissions will be reviewed by a selection committee formed by members of the Steering Committee. The selection committee may invite experts with special knowledge of the areas related to the proposed services projects to give comments on the proposal. A reviewer cannot review a proposal if it involves individuals with whom he/she has a disqualifying conflicts of interest, such as a close relative, current or former collaborator, or current or former student/advisor.
Applicants for Main Round Applications may be requested to give a presentation in front of the selection committee. If the selection committee decides a proposal is impressive but require a significant alternation to be accepted, the applicant may be requested to make revisions to the proposal during the review process.
Applicants will be notified when a decision has been made (whether an award or a declination). Generally, funding decisions are made in four to eight weeks of the closing date unless further information is required.
iii) Reporting Requirements
For projects that last more than six months, an interim report is required. An interim report should be submitted within one month after the first half of the project duration; e.g. if the project lasts from January to September, the interim report should be submitted by the end of May. An interim report may be required at one or more stages.
A written final report is required upon completion of the entire project (or a progress report at the end of each academic year, in the case of a continuous project). It should be submitted within one month after the completion of the project. A presentation may be required at an annual symposium and/or closing ceremony. The Steering Committee may make use of materials resulted from the project in future I‧CARE publications.
2. Application Preparation Instructions
2.1 Project Summary
The project summary should be a one-page self-contained explanation of the activities that would be carried out if the proposal were funded. It should include a statement of purpose and a description of activities to be employed. It must clearly state the expected broader impacts. It should be informative to other persons working in the same or related fields, and comprehensible to a lay reader as much as possible.
2.2 Project Proposal
i) Format of the Proposal
The proposal must be readily legible. For typeface, use Arial, Courier New, Helvetica, Times, or Times New Roman at a font size of 11-14 points. Margins, in all directions, must be at least an inch. Line spacing is at the discretion of the applicant.
ii) Proposal Contents
The proposal should include the following components:
(a) Project Aims and Objectives;
(b) Project Background;
(c) Project Description;
(d) Implementation Plan;
(e) Anticipated Results and Broader Impacts;
(f) Monitoring and Performance Evaluation;
i. Possible limitations, social/economic burdens and other side effects to the beneficiaries and the community
ii. Suggested solutions to remedy the limitations and reduce the side
effects
(g) Management and Administration
i. Information About Project Organisers
ii. Information About Project Advisors;
(h) References Cited;
(i) Budget;
(j) Current and Pending Support;
(k) Declaration of Potential Conflicting Interests;
(l) Protection of Participants and Service Recipients.
Please note that it is a requirement for all applications to have at least one advisor (e.g. the endorsing professor) from college, academic, research, or administrative unit to assist the students.
For projects organized with non-CU bodies, applicants must indicate clearly total amount of CU students taking part in the project. Proofs of CU student identity might be required.
If a project includes any medical advice being given by student participants, such as Body Mass Index, they MUST go through adequate trainings to equip them with the relevant knowledge and practical skills.
iii) Ethical Issues in Service-Learning
The proposal should clearly state the ethical considerations that have been made in the design and implementation of the proposed service activities. Participants should be provided with proper training to equip them with the technical know-how of the specific services to be provided, as well as a broader understanding of the societal context the project is situated within.
They should be prepared to treat service recipients with respect and understand the limitations of the project. The proposal should also address the potential psychological burden the proposed service activities may place on students as well as possible means to prevent or reduce the potential psychological harm.
3. Budgetary Guidelines
3.1 General Guidelines
Guidelines included in this section are based on past allocations and are not intended to limit your requests. Applicants may request funds as long as the item and amount are considered necessary and reasonable. Amounts and expenses budgeted should also be consistent with relevant campus-wide policies and procedures in expenditure and procurement.
The Steering Committee encourages sustainable procurement and environmental responsibility.
For projects organized with non-CU bodies, a detailed budget which lists all items and costs incurred is required. The applicants should highlight the items and their costs being borne by the CU correspondents. A total cost of all CU-borne items should be provided at the bottom of the budget.
3.2 Salaries and Wages
As a general policy, funding cannot not be used to provide any salary compensation or other monetary reward for current faculty members or supporting staff, or the recruitment of new faculty members or supporting staff.
Monetary reward for student volunteers in the form of daily/hourly student helper payment is generally not granted. General operating expenses for student organisations are also not covered.
Honorarium for professional services provided by non-CUHK participants is potentially acceptable if deemed necessary.
3.3 Purchases
Funding may be used for minor equipment necessary for completion of the project, but not for purchase of capital equipment (e.g. the cost of film but not the cost of the camera).
Funding may be used to purchase educational materials as long as no infringement upon copyright is resulted.
Purchase of prizes to be used as incentives is generally discouraged.
3.4 Travel
For local travel, funding may be used for group transportation to and from a service project or field trip for service recipients. Travel costs for volunteers alone, however, are not covered.
For overseas travel, funding cannot be used to cover more than half of the overseas expenditure (including but not limited to passage, accommodation and other local costs directly related to student participant support). Applicants are recommended to seek support from other sources.
3.5 Participant Contribution
If the proposal includes a required contribution from the participants, arrangements should be made to support participants in need.
3.6 Enquiry
Please visit the following website for details:
http://www4.cuhk.edu.hk/icare/index.php/en/open-applications-for-imcare-social-service-projects-funding
For enquiries, please contact the I‧CARE office at 3943 3714, email to prissham@ cuhk.edu.hk, or visit us at Room 603, Hui Yeung Shing Building.
4. Policy on Non-local Services
In light of the increased of number of non-local projects funded by the I.CARE Service Project Scheme and the adoption of the “Guidelines for Monitoring and Supporting Activities for Students” by the University, the I.CARE Managing Office proposes the following policy adjustment to be made for the supporting of non-local service projects.
4.1 General Reporting
4.1.1. Projects under the I.CARE Service Project Scheme will be considered as official student activities coordinated by the University and must follow the “Guidelines for Monitoring and Supporting Activities for Students”. All overseas activities must follow the reporting and safety arrangement listed in the guideline. The Senior Managing Officer of the I.CARE Programme will serve as the endorsing unit head for the purpose of fulfilling the required reporting procedures.
4.1.2. Applicants MUST complete and submit the “Agreement and Statement for I.CARE Service Project Scheme (Non-local Project)” (“Undertakings” hereafter) alongside the application form and proposal. Without the Undertakings, no funding will be allocated to any successful applicant.
4.2 Safety
4.2.1. Applicants MUST constantly check for travel warnings hoisted against the destination of the project. They should avoid any visit if the RED or BLACK travel warning is hoisted by the Outbound Travel Alert System. Visits should also be avoided when the security and/or health condition is unsafe, as advised by the Bureau of Consular Affairs, the U.S. Department of State and/or the World Health Organisation (W.H.O.).
4.2.2. The University covers the insurance of the students and accompanying staff for their schedule of the proposed project. They MUST purchase additional insurance if their visits are beyond the proposed schedule of the project.
4.3 Funding and Supervision
4.3.1. To ensure the quality and efficacy of funded projects and to ensure the proper allocation of funding among them, an upper limit of $300,000 will be set as the maximum total budget for each of the non-local projects. Overseas activities unrelated to service provision (such as sightseeing and other cultural activities) will not be funded. These activities plus travelling time should not take up more than 25% of the overall schedule of the overseas duration of project unless otherwise approved by the I.CARE Managing Office.
4.3.2. For projects initiated and implemented by any college/department/unit of the University, ONE full time staff member of the unit MUST be arranged to present in any overseas activities for supervisory purpose if 10 or more students will participate in it. The costs incurred for such purpose should be borne by the unit. The staff member will serve in terms of a duty trip and receive cost coverage from the I.CARE Programme.
4.3.3. For projects initiated and implemented by students/student groups, advisory support from ONE full time staff member at Terms A must be attained. Such staff will be the advisor of the project and will be responsible for: a) being the holder of the project’s financial account; and b) providing professional advices and support to the project.
4.3.4. The I.CARE Programme may appoint a staff member to participate in any funded overseas activities for supervisory purpose, upon consultation with the responsible units/students.
4.4 Clinical or other Health Related Practice
4.4.1. If a project includes any clinical practice component, at least ONE medical doctor/nurse/person with valid license to conduct clinical practice at the project location should be present throughout the entire duration of the activity.