Call for Proposals for Provost's Investment Fund

By Nina Bates
Sept. 8, 2021
To: Faculty and Staff
From: Liesl Folks, Ph.D., M.B.A. Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs  
Subject: Call for Proposals for Provost's Investment Fund
Date: Sep 08, 2021

Dear Colleagues,


I am pleased to announce that $1 million is available to award from the Provost's Investment Fund (PIF) for the fall 2021 competitive cycle.

I am seeking proposals from faculty and staff that are innovative, aspirational, and explicitly aligned with the University's strategic plan and the following institutional priorities:

  • Increasing students' success, including graduation and retention rates, especially for groups underrepresented within the relevant disciplines
  • Promoting growth and opportunities to generate new revenue for the institution
  • Expanding student experiential learning
  • Enhancing research capacity
  • Promoting diversity and inclusion

Funding requests may range from $15,000 to $100,000 per year for a maximum of two years. The initiative is expected to be financially sustainable through the generation of new resources or the reallocation of other resources after the PIF funding period.

Timeline

Please submit your proposals online through UA Competition Space no later than Wednesday, Oct. 29 at 5 p.m. The system will not accept applications after the deadline.

Proposal Workshop

We will hold a PIF Proposal Workshop on Thursday, Sept. 16, at 1 p.m. During this meeting, we will cover submission requirements, review process and funding priorities. Participants will also hear and learn from the past PIF awardees and reviewers. Please register to participate.

Proposal Review

In response to the feedback we received during the previous academic year, we will provide succinct and specific feedback for all proposals that are not funded to help teams strengthen future submissions for PIF or other funding sources.

I welcome your insights and expertise to undertake this important proposal review and invite self-nominations to serve on the PIF Review Committee. If you are interested in putting forward your name, please complete the intake form by Thursday, Sept. 30. Those who are selected to serve on the committee will receive $250 in operational support.

In fiscal year 2021, over $21 million was transferred from the PIF to colleges and units across campus to support various programs and initiatives. I encourage you to read the summary report, which provides details on the funding distribution and the accomplishments achieved by the programs and initiatives.

I look forward to receiving more great ideas from you.

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