The E3C Innovation Fund Grant

Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to apply. Your proposal must include the following items:

• Summary (500 words or less) 
  • Context or background of your proposed or existing initiative. Is the proposal based on a unique initiative, or is it inspired by similar projects at other institutions?
  • Goals and anticipated outcomes. Approximately how many first-generation students from households of modest means do you anticipate serving through this initiative?
  • Student populations to be served by, or benefit from, the grant (demographic, geographic, region/city, grade-level, etc.)
  • Description of how the award supports Rutgers Strategic Priorities, Diversity Strategic Plan, or Academic Master Plan (Please refer to the Chancellor’s Academic Master Plan at your specific campus)
• Sustainability narrative (300 words or less) that describes plans for continued funding beyond the grant period. Additionally, please share learning outcomes for possible replication opportunities.
• Proposed budget of up to $25,000 (or up to $2,500 for student groups) and a brief description of expenses for each of the following (if applicable)
  • Personnel (e.g., .25 FTE project manager)
  • Consultants (e.g., on-campus or external contacts to engage)
  • Direct Costs (e.g., supplies, food, materials printing, technology purchases, etc.)
  • Other
• Supplemental funding description (300 words or less)
  • If applicable, indicate the estimated total funds or resources your CLU has allocated to support your project this year. Provide a brief description of those resources (e.g., personnel allocations, partial or full institutional matching, long-term financial commitments or investments, fundraising efforts, etc.).
  • Student organizations, please indicate any funds allocated to the project and the source.

• Impact on students: Will the proposed project help Rutgers University increase undergraduate/graduate enrollment and success of first-generation students from modest income and/or historically underrepresented backgrounds? Alternatively, does the proposal build institutional capacity to achieve this goal over a two to three-year timeframe?
• Alignment to Rutgers Strategic/Master Plan goals: Does the proposed work encompass efforts to recruit, enroll, support, or graduate students from modest incomes and/or other historically underserved backgrounds?
• Sustainability: Does the proposed work demonstrate promise to serve students from modest incomes over the near- (2024–2025) and long-term (2025 and beyond)?
• Demonstrated institutional investment: Does the initiative/program have dedicated or planned funds to support the continued management, implementation, and scale of this project over time?
• Community-Building: Does the proposed project or program include multiple partners across departments and/or Rutgers institutions? If new research, does it contribute new knowledge to the field?

• All Rutgers faculty, staff, and students are eligible to submit one proposal per program, department, or group.
• Joint proposals with another CLU or departments are eligible for consideration. The maximum award is up to $25,000 per project (or $2,500 for student groups). Only one submission is required. Partners must identify a primary grantee and the primary grantee is responsible for redirecting funds to their partners.
• In addition to applications for projects, programs, initiatives, etc., proposals to engage internal or external consultants in support of the outlined goal(s) will be considered. Consultant activities may include materials development and research.

Awardees will be required to:

• Submit the necessary financial documentation outlined below for payment disbursement and the appropriate unit or institutional contact to receive payments. The E3C Community and Project Manager, Tania Tabora, will liaise with the appropriate representative and will work to issue payment within 10 business days of receipt of the required documents.
  • Please indicate if the funds are to be transferred to a GL String or a Project and kindly provide the following: UDO-Location-Fund Type-Business-Natural Account-Project ID/Task if applicable
• Submit a 600-word max final narrative report detailing the project background, objectives, key accomplishments and takeaways and expenditures. The report will be due 90 days after the project-end date. Instructions on how to submit this report will be shared along with the award notification.
• Participate in one or two consultative sessions, interviews, presentations, or other light touch engagements with E3C program staff over the course of the 2024–25 academic year. 

*Grants range from $1,000-$25,000