Call for Proposals: Faculty Advancement Fund Grant (FAFG) for Academic Year 2025-26 Funding

Byeric_asetta On Internal Grant Announcements

The Faculty Advancement Fund Grant (FAFG) supports the scholarly and creative activities of the full‐time tenured and tenure-track faculty members. The Fund was established to enable the professional work of Emerson’s faculty in its efforts to sustain academic excellence in teaching, research/creative activity, and service. The Faculty Advancement Fund Grant supports proposals deemed likely to substantially improve the quality of research, publication, creative activities, teaching, and service that advance the mission of the College and the careers of its faculty.

Awards are administered according to the guidelines of the Faculty Development and Research Council (FDRC) in the Faculty Assembly By-Laws.

Deadlines

Upcoming Grant Period

Grants awarded for FY2026 must be conducted between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026.

Current FAFG Period

Grants awarded for FY2025 must be conducted between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025.

FAFG Funding

The Faculty Advancement Fund Grant will provide support for approved projects for amounts between $1,000 and $10,000. Applicants may request monetary support or (in rare instances) support in the form of a single course release (see “Eligible Projects” for more information). The exact type and amount of award will be determined by the project budget request, availability of funds, and recommendations made by the FDRC and the school deans to the Provost.

The FDRC reviews all FAFG applications, and makes formal funding recommendations to the Provost. The final decision for funding and determination of awards is made by the Provost.

Note: For smaller projects, faculty members should utilize the Faculty Development Fund.

Pre-Approval Form and Application Form

Please submit your Pre-Approval Notification to the Office of Research and Creative Scholarship by November 4, 2024. For information and instructions on using ORCS’s pre-approval system, please see here.

Once your request has been approved by your Department Chair and/or School Dean, ORCS will provide you with the FAFG Google Form application. Completed Google Form applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST on December 16, 2024.

Eligibility

  • All tenured and tenure-track members of the full‐time faculty and Bargaining Unit of ECCAAUP are eligible to apply for the FAFG.
  • Applicants who received an FAFG award in the year preceding their current proposal must submit a progress report with the new proposal. The progress report must inform their school dean, FDRC committee, and the Provost on the status of the previous FAFG project.
  • IMPORTANT: Faculty will not be eligible to apply if they have received two or more FAFG’s in the immediate three (3) years prior. Please contact ORCS if you require further information on FAFG awards you have received previously.

Eligible Projects

  • Research, travel, and expenses leading to scholarly, refereed publications
  • Research, travel, and expenses leading to creative and artistic works such as media productions, creative writing, performances, screenplays, exhibitions, etc.
  • Seed funding to develop research or creative scholarship that might lead to external funding.
  • Bridge funding for an ongoing project that was previously supported by external awards, while the faculty member applies for new external support (Please contact ORCS for further details).
  • Refereed conference presentations of scholarly and creative activities
  • Research staff or graduate‐student assistance for approved projects
  • Computer software, hardware, and peripheral equipment needed for teaching or research
  • Technical support for the development of new media applications in teaching Projects with significant community impact
  • Projects that enhance student life
  • Faculty leadership designed to impart new knowledge and skills to colleagues
  • Attending seminars and conferences related to new course development
  • Development of new courses including instruction materials
  • Revision or innovations in existing courses with at least 1/3 substantially new content
  • Creation of innovative faculty seminar series
  • Attending faculty development seminars and conferences to improve teaching skills
  • Course releases: when an exceptional need for additional time is demonstrated.

Ineligible Projects and Expenses

  • Activities already defined as part of a faculty member’s expected duties and responsibilities (i.e. teaching of established courses, service and committee work, etc).
  • Activities for which the faculty member is already receiving compensation, course release, or some other form of College support.
  • Proposals from faculty members who have received two FAFG awards in the previous three years (FY2023, FY2024, FY2025).
  • Additional faculty compensation during the academic year; honoraria and stipends to Emerson faculty. The use of FAFG funds for faculty summer salary is strongly discouraged.

Review Criteria

Applications will be reviewed by the FDRC using the following criteria:

  • Application is clearly written, concise, and complete.
    • The applicant’s answers are responsive to the questions, well-organized, and clear.
    • The application is not overly reliant on jargon or acronyms that may be unfamiliar to reviewers outside of the applicant’s field/discipline.
  • Adequate detail provided in project description; feasibility of project completion.
  • The applicant’s goals and plans for FAFG funding are clear and sufficiently detailed.
    • If the FAFG proposal is part of a larger project, the application makes this clear and explains the role an FAFG award would play in their plans.
    • Specific activities, benchmarks, and/or milestones are elucidated as part of the Project Description, or as an attached timeline.
    • The proposal goals seem feasible and achievable within the FAFG timeframe and the funding amount requested.
  • Applicant background information, research/scholarly agenda.
    • Applicant provides sufficient information on their scholarly/professional background and past achievements, and their qualifications to pursue the proposed project.
    • Applicant demonstrates how their proposal aligns with past work, and how it will contribute to their scholarly, professional and/or creative agenda.
  • Budget: Detail, feasibility, reasonableness
    • Budget request is reasonable, detailed, and realistic for proposed work (OR, if a course release is being requested, applicant provides adequate information on how the course release time will be utilized and why it is needed.
    • If the FAFG request is part of a larger project budget, the applicant makes clear how awarded FAFG funding would fit into the larger funding context for the project.
  • Applications that are incomplete and do not follow directions may be disqualified.
  • Costs that are deemed by the FDRC to not be relevant or essential to the proposed work will not be considered.

Additional Considerations

  • Priority consideration will be given to applicants who have not previously received an FAFG award.
  • The FDRC will give additional consideration to applicants who have not yet received first, second, or third-year tenure review, or who are under consideration for promotion to Full Professor.
  • While applicants may apply for consecutive year awards, the FDRC will carefully review proposals that are a continuation of any previously funded projects to determine if funding is appropriate.
  • Priority consideration will be given to applications that involve Emerson students as research or teaching assistants, and/or proposals that link the conduct and results of the proposed work to tangible changes and/or improvements to curricula, pedagogy, or student involvement.

Calendar

Note: Due dates that fall on a weekend or holiday will be deferred to the following business day.

November 4, 2024

  • Pre-Approval Notifications due (click here for instructions).
  • Link to the FAFG Google Form application will then be sent to recipients who have received pre-approval authorization from their cognizant dean and/or department chair.

Before December 16, 2024

  • Applicants should consult with their department chair and school dean to determine eligibility and appropriateness of their FAFG proposal idea to their research/scholarly/creative goals and the department, school, and institution’s priorities.
  • The Executive Director for Research and Creative Scholarship will meet with eligible faculty members who have questions about preparing an FAFG application.

December 16, 2024

  • Completed Google Form application is due by 11:59 p.m. EST.
  • Final reports from previously funded and completed FAFG projects must be submitted in order for applicants to be eligible for a new project award.
  • Progress reports for any ongoing FAFG award projects must be submitted in order for applicants to be eligible for a continuing or new project award.

By February 24, 2025

  • The FDRC will evaluate all proposals and make recommendations to the Provost, within the funding amount available, regarding proposal support and level of funding.

By March 21, 2025

  • The Provost, in consideration of the recommendations provided by the FDRC, will make final selections and award determinations. The Provost will notify the FDRC in writing about the final awards.

By March 31, 2025

  • The Executive Director for Research and Creative Scholarship will notify all of the applicants in writing about their applications.

July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026

  • Approved projects conducted.

June 15, 2026

  • All receipts for project expenses must be submitted via an expense report in Workday by this date, in order to ensure reimbursement by June 30, barring any other guidance from Finance.

November 1, 2026

  • Final online report due for projects conducted during FY2026.

Post-Award Management

FAFG funds awarded in the FY2026 cycle can only be utilized between July 1, 2025 and June 15, 2026. Expense reports for reimbursement must be initiated by the award recipient in Workday. ORCS will provide guidance on this and other processes as needed, and can also assist with vendor contracts, student hiring, and Workday Marketplace purchases.

Expense reports and purchases must be initiated by June 15, 2026, in order to receive payment by the end of the fiscal year (June 30), unless other guidance is issued by Finance. Any funds unused after June 30 shall revert to the College.

All publications resulting from the FAFG should contain the following acknowledgment: “This research [or project] was supported in part by a grant from the Emerson College Faculty Advancement Fund.”

All capital equipment purchased with FAFG funds are property of the College, and shall remain at the College if a faculty member leaves. Applicants should consult the Academic Affairs guidance on Faculty Travel and Research Spending before expenditures are made, in order to ensure proper procedures and criteria are met. You may also contact ORCS with questions about allowable costs. It is the applicant’s responsibility to know and follow the College’s financial policies. A list of common budget items and whether they are allowed will be provided with your award letter.

Final Progress Report Requirement

Recipients of Faculty Advancement Fund Grants must submit a final progress report, found below, by November 1st of the year their grant period ends. ORCS will email FAFG recipients with the link to the reporting form prior to this due date.

Historical Proposal Funding Trends

  • Historically, ORCS has received between 15 and 20 FAFG applications each year.
  • The total amount requested by all applicants has ranged between $92k and $150k per year.
  • On average, 60% of FAFG funds are awarded to tenure-track faculty, and 40% to tenured faculty.

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