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Grants

This page provides Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts faculty and staff with information and links to financial resources in support of creative/scholarly research, service, and teaching projects. Additional information can be found at the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP) website. RSP offers assistance with Proposal Preparation and can provide samples of successfully funded grant proposals.

Contact

Sara Semonis

Associate Dean

(309) 438-8021
ssemoni@IllinoisState.edu

  • University Research Grants (URG)

The Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts University Research Grant (URG) program exists to:

  • Foster individual research and creative activity across the college;
  • Support pre-tenured faculty members in their scholarship and creative endeavors in their progress toward tenure;
  • Support senior faculty members in their ongoing research efforts within their respective fields;
  • Stimulate external grant submissions to sustain faculty research interests;
  • Support faculty in developing skills to support their future or current research endeavors.

Information and online applications can be found at the links listed below. Grants have already been awarded for the 2022-2023 academic year. The College Research Committee will begin reviewing proposals for the 2024-2025 academic year (FY25: July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025) in the spring of 2024.

Two informational sessions will be available to faculty interested in submitting proposals for consideration. Those planning to apply are highly encouraged to attend one of the sessions.

Friday, December 1, 2023, noon to 1 p.m. via Zoom
Friday, January 12, 2024, noon to 1 p.m. via Zoom

FY25 URG Funding Period Deadlines

January 8, 2024

Application period opens in the InfoReady online portal. This site serves as a central location for submitting applications to the internal grant programs offered in the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts (Pre-Tenure and Senior Faculty Research Grants, Faculty Development Grants). Additional information and guidelines are sent via college listserv in December and available below:

URG-Pre & Senior Faculty Research Grant-Application Details

URG-Faculty Development Grant-Application Details

February 5, 2024 Application period closes at midnight. No applications will be accepted after this date.
February 6-April 8, 2024 Application review by College Research Committee.
Mid-April, 2024 Applicants are notified, via InfoReady whether proposals will be funded.
Mid-Late, May, 2024 Awardees will receive guidelines and official procedures on use of award funds.
July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025

Funding Period-All funds must be expended during this timeframe.

October 1, 2026

Accomplished Professional Outcomes are due online in Watermark Faculty Success (formerly POF form).


The College Research Committee (CRC) is committed to providing advice and mentorship to Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts faculty interested in preparing an application for the Pre-Tenure or Senior Faculty Research Grant or the Faculty Development Grant programs. The CRC invites potential applicants to use the committee as a resource in developing effective proposals. Members of the CRC are listed on the website.

Faculty members may request to examine successful URG proposals. Requests should be made to the Associate Dean for Research and Planning by email, with a brief explanation of the reason for the request.

For more information contact Associate Dean and chair of the College Research Committee, Sara Semonis.

The Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts URG program includes three categories designed to support diverse research and creative activity needs of faculty at different stages of their careers. Faculty members may apply concurrently for Faculty Research Grants (PFRG or SFRG) and Faculty Development Grants (FDG) if they meet the eligibility requirements for each program. After receiving a PFRG or SFRG twice within two consecutive years, faculty are ineligible to apply for this grant for one fiscal year following the second award.

The College Research Committee uses specific criteria to score each grant application. These criteria are provided to aid faculty as they prepare their applications. A list of what can be funded and what cannot be funded with a University Research Grant is also provided for easy reference.

URG Scoring Rubric

FDG Scoring Rubric

Eligible/Ineligible Checklist

Pre-tenure Faculty Research Grant Program (PFRG)

  • Maximum award, $5,000
  • Offered to non-tenured tenure track faculty in years 1 through 6 of their appointment at Illinois State University

Senior Faculty Research Grant Program (SFRG)

  • Maximum award, $5,000
  • Offered to tenured faculty only

Faculty Development Grant Program (FDG)

  • Maximum award, $2,000
  • Offered to all full-time faculty (NTT and TT)
  • Individual faculty may only be awarded this grant twice

2023-2024 (FY24) University Research Grant Recipients

Reporting Accomplished Professional Outcomes

Faculty receiving URG funds for scholarly and creative productivity are required to report all Accomplished Professional Outcomes through Watermark Faculty Success.

A check-box tag indicating "University Research Grant Outcome" is located at the bottom of each activity screen in Watermark Faculty Success when submitting information in the Scholarship/Research section. Checking the box reports the activity as a URG funded project; this information is collected each October by the college and provided to the Associate Vice President for Research.

Screen shot of Watermark Faculty Success activity screen showing where to select University Research Grant Outcome checkbox

Timeline for Reporting Outcomes

If the research was funded between July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024, the applicant should submit outcomes by October 1, 2024. For Accomplished Outcomes that occur over multiple years, faculty will be required to update any final URG reporting in Watermark Faculty Success by October 1, 2025. Faculty will be ineligible for future URG awards if Accomplished Outcomes are not reported by the appropriate deadline(s).

  • Internal Grants

The following programs are intended to support and recognize the research efforts of tenured and tenure-track faculty. When exploring these opportunities, keep in mind that the term "research" is broadly applied; it includes traditional research, creative expression, and all other forms of scholarly activities. Refer to Criteria for the Evaluation of Scholarly and Creative Productivity for additional information.

Proposal Development Travel Grant

This ongoing program is offered through Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP) and is intended to strengthen the quality of external grant proposals by providing travel support to faculty who wish to meet with agency program officers or collaborators at other institutions, but only in the context of external grant proposal development. Funds are limited, and therefore other forms of travel not directly linked to proposal submissions are ineligible for support. Awards are contingent on the availability of funds each fiscal year and are subject to approval by the Travel Grant Committee. This committee is comprised of faculty members from various disciplines who have experience with obtaining and administering external grants. Visit Research.IllinoisState.edu/funding/internal and the Review website for more information about this opportuniy.

Publication/Exhibition/Open Access Grant

This ongoing program is offered through Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP) and provides matching funds of up to $250 to assist with costs associated with publishing (both traditional and open access formats) and exhibitions/performances. The purpose of the support is to help faculty with defraying page publication costs, open access fees, incidental costs associated with invited artistic performances or juried art exhibits (not to include travel, per diem, or lodging) and obtaining reprints of their publications. Each fiscal year funds are dispersed until depleted. It is possible that the funds will be depleted before the end of the fiscal year, and faculty are encouraged to submit a request as soon as costs are incurred. Applicants should not apply for both Publication/Exhibition/Open Access Grant and Book Subvention Support for the same request. Visit Research.IllinoisState.edu/funding/internal and the Review website for more information about this opportunity.

Book Subvention Support

The Office of Research and Graduate Studies (ORGS) provides matching funds, up to a maximum of $750 per book, to tenured/tenure-track faculty with the opportunity to publish a scholarly book that requires a subvention. Scholarly books in all disciplines are eligible for support, but textbooks, re-publications of previous works, and books produced by vanity or predatory publishers are not eligible. This program is not intended for purchasing additional copies or for publication/reprint/open access fees related to journal articles. Costs supported include author indexing, copyright permissions, artwork, maps, photographs, and other associated costs. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis while funds are available. In years of high demand, it is possible that the funds will be exhausted prior to the end of the fiscal year. All applications for support must be submitted through Infoready. Applicants should not apply for both Publication/Exhibition/Open Access Grant and Book Subvention Support for the same request. Visit Research.IllinoisState.edu/funding/internal and the Review website to access the application and to find detailed information.

  • External Grants

Pivot-RP

Illinois State University now subscribes to a service called Pivot RP. Pivot-RP provides researchers with a searchable database of funding opportunities, funding sources, and conferences. It also provides an expertise database to help researchers identity potential collaborators both within ISU and at other institutions around the world. Visit Research.IllinoisState.edu/funding for more information. 

Grant Forward

Illinois State University campus is now subscribed to GrantForward for external funding opportunity searches and researcher profiles.

GrantForward is available at grantforward.com.

GrantForward is a funding search and grant recommendation service that can help to increase awareness of grant opportunities with a daily updated database of more than 20,000 grants from about 10,000 sponsors. Grants can be searched by keywords as well as by using advanced filters (such as deadlines, sponsors, and categories). GrantForward can also recommend grants to faculty based on their CV and past publications.

Visit Research.IllinoisState.edu/funding for more information. 

For questions about the service, contact RSP or email GrantForward.

State Grants

The Illinois Catalog of State Financial Assistance provides information on state agencies that have active grant programs, currently funded grant programs, and a list of current funding opportunities.