Guild Undergraduate Creative Work and Research Expense Grants

Click here to examine important information on the Guild Undergraduate Creative Work and Research Grant proposal format.
Click here to go to the online application submission form.

Click here to review the criteria that the committee will be using to evaluate the proposals.

Guild Undergraduate Creative Work and Research Expense Grants are awarded by the Creative Work and Research Committee two times a year. Funding for the grants is provided by the University Guild’s Student Research Endowment Fund.

The University Guild is an organization that was created in 1931 with the sole purpose of providing an enhanced learning experience for current Valparaiso University students. Members of the Guild include alumni and current and former parents of Valpo students. Each year the Guild funds campus gift grants, student research grants, and scholarships.

The motivation for these awards is to enhance and facilitate undergraduate research at Valparaiso University. Annually, $10,000 will be available in support of undergraduate research.

Student Expenses:

The funds will support up to about 10 awards with a soft cap of $500 each. If awarded, students could use these funds for equipment purchases, supplies, photocopying, or other research needs or travel, meals, or lodging to present their findings at conferences.

Student travelers will be reimbursed at the per diem rate of $40 for meals and incidentals. This will be allocated: Breakfast – $9, Lunch – $12, and Dinner – $19 for partial days. This will apply to all travel paid to or for the benefit of students.

Please note that a faculty sponsor must review each student’s proposal and agree to act as a resource person during the research project. Students can apply for this award more than once if the first award is for research supplies and the second, for example, is for travel to a conference to present the research findings. Funding for the second award will be contingent on completion of the research supported by the first award. Students may not obtain two awards to support their initial research.

Deadlines are set by the Committee. Specific dates can be found on the deadlines web page. Generally, the deadline for spring semester grants is the last week of October. The deadline for summer and fall semester grants is the last week of February. Funds may be spent as soon as students are notified of their award. Notification is typically within a few weeks after the application deadline. Questions about the application format or the application submission form can be directed to the Office of the Provost.

Eligibility:

All full-time undergraduate students are eligible. Students need to indicate their intended graduation date on the application cover sheet. Students must be enrolled in classes during the time of any funded grant activities. For example, if a student receives a grant for summer research and he/she plans to graduate in May, the student must be registered for summer courses. This also includes conference travel post-graduation that is related to work from an earlier semester.

The Committee will give higher priority to original, student-initiated research proposals as opposed to student work on faculty projects. Nevertheless, the Committee encourages proposals of all types.