CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Nashman Center Faculty Grants for Engaged Scholarship
OVERVIEW
The Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service (The Nashman Center) announces a minigrant competition to support engaged scholarship and teaching at GW.
We ask Department Chairs to endorse faculty members in their departments for these awards with a brief
statement of support. Please use the required cover sheet (p.7) for the chair’s comments and signature.
We define engaged scholarship and teaching as “…collaboration between institutions of higher education and their
larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and
resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity. [Further,] the purpose of community engagement is the
partnership of college and university knowledge and resources with those of the public and private sectors to
enrich scholarship, research, and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching and learning; prepare educated,
engaged citizens; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; address critical societal issues; and
contribute to the public good.” 1
Quite simply, this educational experience enables students and faculty members to apply academic knowledge and
critical thinking skills to meet genuine, pressing community needs and disparities, such as those in education,
housing, health, and the environment. At GW, we have referred to this work in teaching as academic servicelearning; when faculty and students conduct research in partnership with community residents and organizations,
we have referred to this as community-based participatory research or participatory action research. Engaged
scholarship is a form of civic engagement that leverages the resources of the academic enterprise to generate
democratic engagement, meet community needs and enrich the process of scholarship itself.
GOAL
The purpose of these awards is to promote the development and institutionalization of new community-engaged
scholarship opportunities that are consistent with the University strategic plan.
The Nashman Faculty Grants for Engaged Scholarship are designed to:
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Promote and support engaged teaching and research;
Improve communication among faculty about engaged scholarship; and,
Support professional development opportunities related to engaged scholarship.
Funds are available to support:
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Development of new academic service-learning courses;
Efforts to engage entire departments community-engaged scholarship through teaching, learning and
research;
Activities that promote individual or group professional development in community-engaged scholarship;
Ongoing academic service-learning activities;
New England Resource Center for Higher Education Carnegie Community Engagement Classification web page, accessed
September 2015. http://www.nerche.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=341&Itemid=618
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Community-based participatory research
Research about engaged scholarship and teaching
Engaged scholarship publishing opportunities
Please see pp. 4-5 for further explanation of these opportunities.
Faculty members are strongly encouraged to consult the Nashman Center’s staff in order to develop meaningful,
reciprocal opportunities that will create sustainable relationships and meet genuine needs.
Faculty members whose proposals for a service-learning course are selected for funding will participate in ongoing
professional development activities and an end-of-the-semester Symposium featuring their students’ servicelearning work. In addition, faculty will share the end-products of their course—syllabus, assignments, and project
outcomes—with the Nashman Center for future faculty development. Similarly, faculty whose community- based
research projects are selected will share those research products or publications with the Nashman Center for
dissemination.
PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS:
The proposal should include the following, in no more than five pages, submitted by email to smithml@gwu.edu.
Please see pp. 4-5 for additional guidance.
1.
On the Cover Sheet:
i.
A brief statement of endorsement from the department chair of no more than 250 words
ii.
The project title, name(s) of applicant(s), and departmental/program affiliation.
iii.
A 2 to 5 sentence proposal abstract, briefly describing the proposed activities.
iv.
A cover sheet (form found at the end of document) must accompany each proposal.
2.
A 3 to 5 page description of the project, including:
i.
Purpose of funding.
ii.
A detailed description of what you intend to do and the way in which your project will be
carried out, including specific dates and locations for project activities. Please indicate if this
is a multi-year project for which you may request future funding from the Nashman Center.
iii.
A statement describing the significance of your project and the outcomes expected,
including, for example, innovation and improvement in teaching; enhanced student
engagement in the discipline; community outcomes for teaching or research; research
publications, that are expected to result from the proposal. Please be specific.
iv.
The partners in your project, for example, schools, community organizations, academic
associations, GW offices or departments.
3.
An itemized budget, budget justification, and budget narrative.
4.
A funding history that describes other funds received, and those applied for, to support this work. Please
include internal GW funding that was awarded competitively such as Office of Diversity and Inclusion
Grants, CCAS service-learning funds, or Teaching and Learning Collaborative funding. No need to report
divisional conference travel funding.
5.
Include any relevant supplemental material such as syllabi, conference programs or literature reviews.
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Proposal Guidance:
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Applications will be accepted from GW faculty who are regular full-time or regular part-time who can
demonstrate a long-term commitment to GW.
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All funds will be distributed to a departmental Oracle account. If funds are requested to be directly paid to
the faculty member, funding appears as supplemental pay and is subject to income tax.
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Proposals are due December 11, 2015. Decisions on funding will be made by January 29, 2016. Funds will
be distributed by March 2016. All activities for this round of funding are expected to be completed by the
end of spring semester 2017.
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Proposals should be no less no more than 5 pages in length.
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If this proposal is for a new or significantly altered course at GW, further departmental approval and
funding may be necessary and is the responsibility of the applicant to procure.
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Publications or events resulting from this funding will acknowledge the support of the GW Honey W.
Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service
High- quality proposals will consider the following:
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How will the community-engaged scholarship and service-learning activities outlined in your proposal
support the goals of the GW Strategic Plan, Vision 2021?
How will the community-engaged scholarship and service-learning activities you propose support the
objectives of your course/department/discipline?
How will the community-engaged scholarship and service-learning activities you propose make an impact
on a need or issue in the community?
How will this work advance knowledge in your academic field?
How will you measure and demonstrate the success of your activities?
How will you disseminate the results of your work?
Reporting:
A brief narrative of the results of your proposed activity, along with a final expense report, is required. The report
will be due within 30 days of the close of the semester in which the work is completed. As applicable, syllabi,
publications, photos, video or other media documentation of your activities are also requested. All activities for
this round of funding are expected to be completed by the end of spring semester 2017.
Documentation of Expenditures:
You must consult with your department finance manager as to required documentation for expenditures. As noted
above, a final, detailed expense report will be due to the Nashman Center 30 days after the end of the project.
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Additional Proposal Guidance – Purpose of Funding
Service-Learning Course Development Grants
Purpose: Create or redesign a course to include community service, community-based research, or other engaged
scholarship
Funding guidelines: Generally, up to $3,000.
Preference will be given to those course proposals that:
 Advance priorities in the GW Strategic Plan [http://provost.gwu.edu/strategic-plan] (e.g., creating
rigorous courses that integrate curricular and co-curricular activities; teaching strategies that promote
student citizenship and leadership; advance diversity and inclusion, intercultural competence)
 Engage K-12 schools in service-learning
 Are submitted by faculty who have not received grants from the Nashman Center previously
Service-Learning Course Support Grants
Purpose: Support the activities of an existing service-learning course
Funding guidelines: Generally, up to $500.
Funds can be used to support travel, supplies, honoraria for community partners.
Community-Based Participatory Research Grants
Purpose: Advance research on significant social issues in collaboration with local residents that will provide
potential solutions and contribute to long-term, sustainable change in the community. 2
Funding guidelines: Generally, up to $5,000.
Research on Engaged Scholarship
Purpose: Advance research on the practice and outcomes of engaged scholarship and teaching
Funding guidelines: Generally, up to $5,000.
Publishing Support
Purpose: Support the publication of research on the practice and outcomes of engaged scholarship and teaching
Funding guidelines: Generally, up to $1,000.
Preference will be given to those proposals that support the publication efforts of junior faculty.
Engaged Department Grants
Purpose: Support plans to engage an entire department or school in the development of community- and civicallyengaged scholarship and service-learning teaching
Funding guidelines: Generally, up to $10,000
Funds might be used to support, for example:
 micro-grants for course development or implementation
 course release to support colleagues in developing service-learning courses and engaged research
 evaluation and assessment of engaged scholarship
 seminars on engaged scholarship in the discipline(s) or focused on a specific issue.
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Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) is a collaborative approach to research that promotes
positive change. It involves an equitable relationship between residents, community organizations and
university researchers that is reflected in all levels of project design and dissemination. CBPR is a partnership
between community and university investigators in which each group contributes their expertise and they
share equal ownership of the process and products of research collaboration.
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Professional Development Grants
Purpose: Supports faculty professional development related to engaged scholarship
Funding guidelines: Generally, up to $2000
Funds might be used to support, for example:
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conference travel and registration for engaged scholarship or service-learning conferences or to present a
paper on engaged scholarship at another academic conference
a seminar or other collaboration to explore the use of engaged teaching and research to address a community
or social need
a speaker on engaged scholarship and teaching to work with faculty.
High-quality proposals will demonstrate:
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Learning objectives that will be met through this professional development activity
Potential to advance reciprocal and sustained partnership between GW and the community
Potential for GW to replicate or share the conference or training to better inform the work of the entire
GW community.
Questions? Please contact Maurice Smith, smithml@gwu.edu or Amy Cohen, abcohen@gwu.edu.
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Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service
Mission and Goals
Mission
The mission of the Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service is to integrate civic
engagement into George Washington University’s educational work as a key component of the diversity
and inclusion strategy. By focusing GW’s resources to meet community needs beyond the campus; the
Nashman Center promotes active, inclusive citizenship in a diverse democracy; helps recruit and retain
diverse students and faculty; and enhances teaching, learning and scholarship at GW.
Goals
Meet Community Needs
Develop strong reciprocal, respectful, active democratic partnerships in a range
communities, especially those that have limited access to GW resources
Use GW’s expertise and resources to address pressing human needs
Use evidence based strategies
Ensure that projects have demonstrable outcomes for community
Focus on several strategic partnerships with multiple programs
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Promote Active Citizenship in a Diverse Democracy
Engage GW with the District of Columbia and the world
Unite people of diverse backgrounds in meaningful relevant common experience
Learn the values and skills needed to participate in public decision-making and community life
Enhance Teaching, Learning and Scholarship
Promote and support engaged scholarship, including service-learning and community-based
research
Support scholarship about service and civic engagement
Collaborate nationally and internationally to further higher education’s commitment to civic
engagement
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COVER SHEET
NASHMAN CENTER FACULTY GRANTS FOR ENGAGED SCHOLARSHIP
Name: ___________________________________ Email: ____________________________________
Type of Grant (see pp 4-5):_____________________________________________________________
Department: ________________________________________________________________________
Chair: ____________________________________ Email: ___________________________________
Chair Signature: _____________________________________________________________________
Endorsement from the Chair, 2-5 sentences (may be appended):
Proposal Abstract, 2-5 sentences (may be appended):
**This Cover Sheet must accompany each proposal. Email to smithml@gwu.edu **
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