2009-2010 Request for Proposals

November 2008 — The OSU Women's Giving Circle is inviting you to submit a proposal for a grant to be awarded in May 2009. The Giving Circle was founded in spring 2003 by a group of OSU alumnae and friends who pooled their gifts to create a fund to support Oregon State University programs.

Grant Criteria

The Giving Circle will consider proposals that meet all of the following criteria. We are looking for programs and projects that:

• Enhance the OSU undergraduate student experience and improve student retention;
• Directly impact as many OSU students as possible.

In addition, more serious consideration will be given to proposals that:

• Are relevant but not exclusive to women;
• Involve undergraduate students in the implementation of the project or program;
• Have few sources of support and realize a significant impact from the Giving Circle's gift.

Grant amounts typically are under $10,000. Proposals that receive funding may apply again in the two following years but are not given special priority during the grant process. The number of grants awarded will depend on the size of the pooled fund and the number of compelling proposals submitted.

Proposals Not Eligible for Funding

• Proposals that directly benefit individual graduate research projects;
• Proposals to fund travel expenses;
• Proposals to fund professor stipends.

Submittal Requirements

Please complete all questions listed on the Grant Application. Please include a detailed budget and a one paragraph summary that will be shared with members when reviewing proposals. All materials submitted including addendums should total no more than four pages. Applications may be submitted for use at Oregon State University including the OSU Cascades Campus and Extension.

Deadline for submitting proposals: Friday, January 16, 2009. Please e-mail proposals to the Women's Giving Circle staff liaison at the OSU Foundation, Kellie Parker no later than 5 p.m. on January 16. Kellie will send email confirmation when the proposal is received. If you have questions please contact Kellie Parker at 541-737-4691 or 800-354-7281.

Selection Process

By February, 16, 2009, finalists will be selected for site visits. In addition to the previous criteria, the site visit team will also explore:

• What difference or impact will the grant make for OSU students?
• Is the proposal viable?
• What makes the proposal compelling?
• Is the grant amount appropriate? Should it be increased or decreased?

The one paragraph summary submitted and the site visit reviewers' comments on the above criteria (including endorsement of the amount and/or another proposed grant amount) will constitute the information the members will receive for voting. A greater number of grant proposals will be submitted for voting than can be funded, so one or more proposals will be eliminated in the voting process. In mid-April 2009, Giving Circle members will vote to make the final grant selections. Awards will be announced and funds available in May 2009. Funds must be used in entirety by June 2010.

Grant Recipient Requirements

A one page report describing how the funds were used is required. The report will be shared with the Women's Giving Circle members. Please send the report via email by November 2, 2009. Recipients are also encouraged to attend the grant celebration event held in November to discuss their funded project/program with Women's Giving Circle members.