A. Grant Program Overview

The Small Grants Program (SGP) provides funding to assist faculty with the completion of a project for which other funding sources are not available. This program does not fund new projects. For new project funding, refer to the Seed Grant program. This program has been changed to a rolling deadline effective September 1, 2024.  Please note that while the deadline is rolling, a budget per semester will be set, and the CRC will no longer accept applications once funds are expended. 

B. Award Information

Award Amount: Up to $5,000 per award.

Award Distribution:  Funds will be disbursed on a cost-reimbursable basis throughout the award period in accordance with university policies.

Requirements:

• Proposal Submission: The Small Grants Program application will request general information about the proposed project, with a series of questions instead of a formal proposal. Questions are listed in section E. Proposal Preparation Instructions below. The proposal will either be approved or declined for funding.
• Progress Reports: Awardees must respond to the post-award progress report, emailed at six months post-award.

Restrictions:

• SGP grants do not support faculty salaries.
• Generally, PIs will not be awarded more than one CRC grant during an academic year.  Exception: Faculty who are eligible to apply for the First Year Assistant Professor program this year (Academic Year 2024-2025) may also apply for an SGP in the same academic year.
• Note: Book subventions are considered an allowable expense for SGP proposals.

C. Eligibility

• Participation is open to all full-time, active-status FSU faculty who are eligible to apply for CRC funding. Please refer to the Job Code Eligibility list for specific information.
• Visiting professors, whose only reason for being labeled “visiting” is the expectation that they shortly will attain permanent residency status, are eligible to apply for this award. Full-time, active status must be achieved by the award date in order to receive funding.
• Two-year hiatus: Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-PIs who received SGP funding in academic years 2022- 2023 or 2023-2024 are not eligible for consideration in this year's SGP award competition.
• Students and post-docs are not eligible to be a PI or Co-PI on CRC grants.
• No more than 5 Co-PIs may be included on each proposal (LIMIT: 1 PI + 5 Co-PIs = 6 "named" personnel per proposal).
• FAMU-appointed Engineering faculty members are eligible to apply for funding from the CRC.

D. Important Dates for the 2024 - 2025 Round

Proposal Deadline: Beginning September 1, 2024, this program has a rolling deadline.

Award Notification: Award notifications will be made within 30 days following a submission.

Award Period: This is a one-year award with the award period subject to the determined award start date.

​E. Proposal Preparation Instructions

• Only one proposal per applicant may be submitted in a given academic year; a Co-PI may not submit a separate application as a PI within the same competition round.
• The questions must be answered in clear, concise language so that reviewers from any discipline will be able to understand; field-specific jargon and acronyms are discouraged unless they are plainly defined within the proposal text. TIP: Have a colleague or friend that is unfamiliar with your work read your answers for clarity. The Research Development Coordinator for your area may also be able to assist with this.
• Proposals with incomplete information in required fields will not be able to submit until all required fields are completed; any required fields left incomplete will result in the proposal being disqualified from competition.

-- PROPOSAL APPLICATION --

Applicants must complete the application for the Small Grants Program using the InfoReady Submission Portal. All sections must be completed to submit your application. If you would like to make changes to your application after you have submitted it, contact the Internal Funding Program Coordinator. Changes cannot be made to an application once the submission deadline has passed.

-- CURRICULUM VITAE --

The Curriculum Vitae Template provided by the CRC is the preferred format for internal funding competitions. If you choose to not use this specific form, your CV must contain the following information: Education from baccalaureate-level forward including Institution, Degree, Field of Study, and Completion Date; Previous Positions; Publications related to the proposal; and Research Support including completed and ongoing grants related to the proposal. You may also include other data pertinent to the research or activity proposed. Regardless of which form you use, the CV must be no longer than 2 pages at no less than 11 point font, with 1" margins, in Arial or Times New Roman font.

To view CV examples, please click on the subject area that is closest to your field of research: Arts, Engineering, Humanities, and STEM.

IMPORTANT:  A CV must be included for the PI and all Co-PIs indicated in the Proposal Text and application portal. 

Note:  Beginning in January 2025, a downloadable CRC CV will be available through FEAS.

-- BUDGET --

This section must be completed by utilizing the portal application. The maximum award amount is $5,000. Use the tips below as a guide for your specific budget items:

• Faculty salary is not allowed in this program.
• Small Grants Program funds can be used for student stipends, production of project-related materials, photocopying, and/or a variety of other project-related expenses.
• Project-related travel is allowed; however, travel is restricted to necessary and direct support of the research conducted as part of the proposed project. Conference or workshop attendance for the purpose of presenting research or creative activities is not permitted. Any travel included in the proposal must be accompanied by a detailed description stating the dates and locations of the travel, transportation and lodging estimates, and justification for the necessity of the trip. If awarded, any travel plan alterations must receive prior approval by the CRC before the travel occurs.
• Funding for student travel is not permitted on CRC grants.
• Equipment purchases, including computers and computing equipment, are not allowed on this grant.
• The CRC will support a stipend for a student hired on an SGP grant; however, CRC grants do not support tuition or matriculation fees.
• Please fill out the Small Grants Program Budget Form and attach it as a .pdf in the Budget section of the grant application.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  CRC grants are awarded in part based on the appropriateness and feasibility of the proposed budgets. Approved budgets must be followed as proposed/awarded unless a budget amendment request is approved in advance by a representative of the CRC.

-- PROPOSAL QUESTIONS --

The proposal consists of a series of questions about the research project. Answer each question thoroughly in 250 words or less.

1. Describe the project or issue to be accomplished with this funding request; content must include clear evidence that the majority of the creative or scholarly work has been completed.
2. Describe the methods that will be undertaken during the award period, including scientific or creative objectives, data or materials to be used, and methods of analysis or performance of the project. This should be clearly understandable by those not in the PI’s field.
3. Describe how these funds and the completion of the proposed project will enhance your current prospects for future external support and/or funding.

-- PAST, CURRENT, AND PENDING CRC GRANTS –

Applicants must list all internal and external (past, current and pending) grants awarded to the PI and any Co-PIs within the last 5 years. CRC grants must be included: AHPEG, COFRS/SRS, EIEG, FYAP, Seed, PG [sunsetted], MDS [sunsetted], SGP, or Honorary awards. Please list the outcomes of the funding, including any pending research and creative results, and any external awards, fellowships, publications, etc. obtained as a result. Use of previous CRC funding is one factor in the evaluation of this proposal. Failure to include applicable CRC awards will result in proposal disqualification. Upload this history as a PDF in the Past, Current and Pending Grant History section of the SGP application.

Grants to include:

• All current external grants (federal/state or other) and all current CRC grants
• All pending external grants (federal/state or other) and all pending CRC grants
• All grants and awards - both external and CRC - you have received in the past 5 years, and
• Any grants you plan to submit in the near future.

Information to include about each grant:

• Grant Title
• Source of Support
• Grant Start Date
• Grant End Date
• Time Commitment %
• Award Amount
• Outcomes (proposals submitted, publications, awards, etc.)

To search the last 5 years of CRC award history, reference this table: Prior CRC Award History Search Tool . The table is searchable by FSU employee ID, and has all the grants listed for both PIs and Co-PIs. 

​F. Research Compliance

• Research activities requiring compliance review and approvals (such as Human or Animal Subjects, DNA, RNA, Hazardous Materials, or Marine Lab facilities) require the completion and submission of forms to the appropriate FSU department or group. You must seek and receive approval before such research is attempted and before any funds can be released, if awarded. See Human Subjects, Animal Care and Use Committee, Environmental Health & Safety, or Research Compliance for other compliance requirements that may apply to your research or performance plan.
• You may pre-apply for Human Subjects or Animal use approval prior to funding notifications. While not required in advance, having prior approval will prevent delays in receiving grant funds, if awarded.
• If you have already received approval for proposal-related certifications, you may include the approval paperwork in the appendices of your Proposal Text.
• For more information about the requirements of each Research Compliance area, see our FAQs.

G. Proposal Submission Process

• Applicants must complete the application for the Small Grants Program using the InfoReady Submission Portal. All sections must be completed to submit your application. If you would like to make changes to your application after you have submitted it, contact the Internal Funding Program Coordinator.
• Once the proposal is submitted, the selected Director(s)/Chair(s) and Dean(s) will be contacted automatically via email for approval of the submission. Please provide sufficient time for electronic approvals prior to the proposal deadline. It is advisable to check on the availability of those who are required to approve your application if you are intending to submit close to the deadline. Directors, Chairs, and Deans have 24 hours after the proposal deadline to electronically approve applications. Submissions that lack the necessary approvals within the provided time will be disqualified and will not be reviewed.
• If you need assistance with completing any of these forms and want a staff member from your department to assist you, you can grant access to them by adding a “proposal contact” to your application.  Any staff who will be assisting with the administration of this award, if granted, should also be added as a proposal contact.

H. Proposal Review Process

• The SGP review subcommittee consists of selected FSU faculty currently serving on the CRC.
• Reviewers will use the SGP Reviewer Guidelines for scoring the proposal. 
• As part of this evaluation, reviewers will take note of the external proposals submitted by the PI and any Co-PI(s) as a result of previously awarded CRC funds.
• Each reviewer will provide written feedback, not just a numeric score, which will be shared with the PI. Reviewer identification will not be released to the applicants.
• The CRC makes final funding decisions based on the funding allocated to the program, the number of proposals received, and merit scores of each proposal.

I. Required Post-Award Activities

• If awarded, any research compliance items must also be approved prior to award activation.
• All necessary forms must be received by Internal Funding Program Staff no later than 60 days following notice of award; failure to submit these documents in a timely manner may result in the withdrawal of the award.

J. Award Terms & Conditions

Faculty and their departments must adhere to the Terms and Conditions outlined and accepted in the award application. The Standard CRC Terms + Conditions of Award document can also be found in the program documents.

K. Grant Close-Out and Reporting

• Sponsored Research will begin financial closeout of the award will automatically within 60 days following the award period end date.
• Time extensions are permitted but require the prior approval of the CRC. Additional information can be found in the Standard CRC Terms + Conditions of Award document.
• The PI of the project will be required to respond to a short project outcome survey via email 6 months after the award end date. Surveys will allow faculty to identify the proposals, publications, exhibits, presentations, and/or other external funding outcomes resulting directly from CRC-funded awards.

L. Return of Funds

• Recipients of an SGP award, or their department, must notify the CRC Program Coordinator as soon as possible if they also have been awarded similar funding from another source.
• In the event that an SGP recipient leaves the University, involuntarily or voluntarily, prior to the end of the award period, the awardee’s Dean or Department Chair must notify the Internal Funding Program Manager and return the award funds to the CRC. 
• Faculty members who receive CRC funds during a sabbatical will be asked to repay those funds if they leave the University during the year following the award.
• The balance of any remaining award funds will be returned to the CRC general fund at the conclusion of the award period.