Iowa State University

Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion

Women’s and Diversity Grants Program

Guidelines

The Women’s and Diversity Grants Program is designed to support initiatives that will enrich the experiences of women and diverse faculty, staff, and students at Iowa State University. Up to $50,000 in grant funding is available in support of women’s and diversity initiatives for either one-time programming or as seed money to stimulate additional funding from other sources. Examples of initiatives eligible for funding might include:

  • Leadership and mentoring programs for women and/or diverse faculty, staff, and students
  • Curricular development projects on topics related to women’s or diversity issues
  • Invited speakers on issues of equity and diversity
  • Training and workshops for faculty, staff, and/or students

Grant proposals may be submitted by ISU faculty or staff, as individuals or as teams, and at least one of the participants is required to have faculty or staff status. Collaborative proposals are encouraged, including proposals that indicate partnerships between academic departments and other units on campus. Repeat programs are not eligible for support.

Individual grants will be awarded for up to $5,000 which must be expended during the next fiscal year. A few larger grants may be considered for proposals that include innovative partnerships between academic affairs and other campus units and that actively support Goal 4 of theISU Strategic Plan (

Grant funds can support research assistants, honoraria, teaching replacement costs, and other justifiable costs.Requests that include salary costs must also include the respective fringe benefit expenses associated with the salary.

Grants will require a commitment of funding (a percent of the total budget, matching funds, or other funding contribution) provided by the department, college, or administrative unit. These may include funding for travel, salary for release time, and other justified support.

Grant funds provided by the Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion will be transferred to a 70X (no 721) General University account established in the grant recipient’s department or unit. These funds must be expended by the end of the award period.

The following criteria will be used to evaluate proposals:

  • Positive impact on women, minorities, and under-represented groups through programmatic, curricular, and scholarly initiatives;
  • Demonstrated effect on ISU diversity, e.g., institutional change;
  • Evidence of collaboration among various units on campus;
  • Evidence of potentially broad or continuing impact;
  • Demonstrated support for strategic programs on campus or for creating new directions in existing programs;
  • Support of the ISU Strategic Plan(
  • Plan for evaluation and assessment of proposal’s impact as documented in the proposal.

An impact report will be due to the Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion no later than the end of the fiscal year of the grant award.

01-06-2016