Office of Faculty Affairs Solicits Proposals for Faculty Policy Development Grants

The Office of Faculty Affairs is offering Policy Development Grants of up to $4,000 to support the alignment of unit-level policy with the UAKU collective bargaining agreement, once ratified and approved.  These grants aim to support the creation and revision of policy within academic departments and research centers across the Lawrence and Edwards campuses.  

We recognize the unit’s overall policy development work will include multiple stages and will be inclusive of the various faculty and academic staff roles within the unit. The mini grant resources may be used to support the broader scope of work undertaken by the unit or for a specific need related to the policy development work.  

Any KU-Lawrence or Edwards academic department, school, or research center is eligible to apply. Proposals may be submitted by the unit leader or a designated representative from the department, school, or center. If the proposal is not submitted by the unit leader, their endorsement will be required for the proposal to be considered. 

Priority will be given to proposals submitted by May 1. After this date, proposals may be considered on a rolling basis, contingent upon the availability of funds. 

For the purposes of this mini grant, we are interested in knowing how you would envision using these funds to support your process. We ask that your proposal focus on how you intend to use the funds and the scope of the work associated with the use of the funds.

Although there are still steps to complete before the contract is finalized, the Office of Faculty Affairs is preparing to have resources ready through the transition to a unionized environment. 

Use of Funds

Examples of how grant funds can be used include, but are not limited to:

• Supplemental summer salary for team members.
• Supplies (including food) for meetings or retreats for team members or the department/unit as a whole.
• Graduate or undergraduate student support for policy work.
• Books or publications on best practices for policy development.

Proposal Requirements

Proposals should include the following:

• Scope of mini grant project: Describe the scope of work that will be supported by the mini grant funds.  Please explain what policies will be created or revised, what revisions will entail, and how these changes incorporate alignment with the UAKU collective bargaining agreement. 
• Who is involved: Please provide name(s) and role(s) of those in the unit and the work they will be undertaking that is funded by this mini grant.
• Mini grant project timeline: Please explain when the work specific to the scope of the mini grant will take place and when each aspect of the work will be completed.
• Budget justification: Provide the total amount of funds being requested (up to $4,000) and a brief explanation of how the funds will be spent.  

Application Process

Proposals can be submitted via this survey link. Priority will be given to proposals submitted by May 1. After this date, proposals may be considered on a rolling basis, contingent upon the availability of funds.