Funding Opportunities

Fall 2026 Application Deadline: Friday, September 11^th at 5:00pm Eastern Time (ET)

Spring 2027 Application Deadline: Friday, February 12^th at 5:00pm ET

Purpose: Created to complement and extend existing travel funding, these competitively selected grants will provide up to $500 to support the travel expenditures of eligible BGSU faculty members who will deliver (a) invited or contributed presentations at academic conferences or (b) invited or contributed creative performances at a professional external venue.

Eligibility:

·       All BGSU Bargaining Unit Faculty Members are eligible to apply.

·       Eligible faculty can receive up to 1 competitively selected Propel Travel Grant per academic year to support their travel expenses.

·       The conference, performance, or external venue should be hosted by a national or international organization.

·       Applicants should follow BGSU’s University Travel policies (such as 3341-6-47 and 3341-3-83).

·       Applications must be submitted prior to travel. Retroactive requests made after travel has been completed will not be considered.

o   All expenditures for Fall 2026 Propel Grants must be spent between October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2027.

o   All expenditures for Spring 2027 Propel Grants must be spent between March 1, 2027 and September 30, 2027.

Application Process:

1.     Eligible faculty should submit their application and materials using our online form, which is located on our Find Funding webpage. Applications submitted by email and late applications will not be considered.

a.     Fall 2026 Propel Grant applications are due by 5:00pm ET on Friday, September 11, 2026.

b.     Spring 2027 Propel Grant applications are due by 5:00pm ET on Friday, February 12, 2027.

2.     The application requires the following information:

a.     Applicant’s name, email address, office phone, rank, department/school, and the name and email address of the budget administrator in the applicant’s department/school

b.     The title of the presentation/performance, travel dates, location, and the name of the event’s sponsoring/host organization

c.     Official verification that a presentation or performance will be made at an academic conference or external venue (hosted or sponsored by a national or international organization).

d.     A full budget that identifies (1) the applicant’s professional expenses needed to complete the presentation or performance and (2) each expense’s funding source. For example, an applicant might indicate they plan to spend their Propel Travel Grant ($500) to cover airfare for an academic conference. They might plan to use their annual professional development funds to cover their hotel/lodging and conference registration fees.

e.     Statement of Need (up to 500 words): Please clarify the significance of the presentation or performance and provide a brief explanation of why the travel funds are needed. If the applicant already has external funding, professional development funds, and/or start-up support, please explain why additional funding is needed.

Review Process:

1.     The Division of Research will screen each application to confirm its eligibility.

2.     Next, the Division of Research will review each application based on (a) the significance of the presentation or performance in supporting the faculty member’s professional success and (b) the impact of their presentation or performance, (c) the applicant’s need for travel funding, and (d) the proposed budget.

3.     Each applicant will be notified about their Propel Travel Grant’s funding decision by September 30, 2026 (for Fall 2026 applications) and the week of March 1, 2027 (for Spring 2027 applications).

Final Report:

For Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 Propel Travel Grants, a final report should be submitted using our online form by 5pm ET on October 31, 2027. Failure to submit a final report may disqualify the faculty member from future internal grants from the Division of Research. If there are any questions, please contact us at researchdevelopment@bgsu.edu.

Fall 2026 Application Deadline: Friday, October 9th at 5:00pm ET

Spring 2027 Application Deadline: Friday, February 5th at 5:00pm ET

Purpose: Elevate Grants aim to provide up to $1000 to help BGSU faculty members complete research and creative activities. These funds can include—but are not limited to—the purchase of unique software (that is not already available at BGSU), support for archival research, and data access. The funding should play an important role in helping awardees produce a final project, product, or deliverable (e.g., a publication, art piece, presentation, or performance).

Eligibility:

·       All BGSU Bargaining Unit Faculty Members are eligible to apply.

·       Eligible faculty can receive up to 1 competitively selected Elevate Grant per academic year.

·       Applications must be submitted prior to purchasing items in the grant’s budget. Retroactive requests will not be considered.

o   All expenditures for Fall 2026 Elevate Grants must be spent between December 1, 2026 and December 31, 2027.

o   All expenditures for Spring 2027 Elevate Grants must be spent between April 1, 2027 and April 1, 2028.

·       Please ensure your proposed expenditures are compliant with BGSU’s purchasing policies.

Application Process:

1.     Eligible faculty should submit their application and materials using the Elevate Grant’s online application form, which is located on the Division of Research’s “Find Funding” webpage. Applications submitted by email will not be considered.

a.     Fall 2026 Elevate Grant applications are due by 5:00pm ET on Friday, October 9, 2026.

b.     Spring 2027 Elevate Grant applications are due by 5:00pm ET on Friday, February 5, 2027.

2.     The application requires the following information:

a.     Applicant’s name, email address, office phone, rank, department/school, and the name and email address of the budget administrator in your department/school

b.     The project title and start/end dates

c.     A budget that identifies how the Elevate Grant’s funds will be spent

d.     Statement of Need (up to 500 words): Please describe the project’s significance and the impact it will have. In addition, please provide a brief rationale for your funding request. If the applicant already has external funding, professional development funds, and/or start-up support, please explain why additional funding is needed.

Review Process

1.     The Division of Research will screen each application to confirm its eligibility.

2.     Next, the Faculty Research Committee (FRC) will rank each application based on (a) the project’s significance, (b) the project’s potential impact, (c) the applicant’s need for funding for this project, and (d) the proposed budget.

3.     Final funding decisions will be made based upon the quality of proposals and available funding with approval from the VPR.

4.     All applicants will be notified about their funding decision by November 24 (for Fall 2026 applications) and March 12 (for Spring 2027 applications).

Funding Process: A final report should be submitted using the Elevate Grant’s online final report form within 30 days of the grant’s final expenditure or by the grant’s report deadline (whichever one is earlier). Failure to submit a final report may disqualify the faculty member from future internal grants from the Division of Research.

Key Dates:

·       Fall 2026 Application Deadline: Friday, October 9^th at 5:00pm ET

o   Funding Period for Fall 2026 Catalyst Grants: December 1, 2026 to December 1, 2027

o   Project Report’s deadline: December 31, 2027

o   Deadline to submit an external grant proposal and final report: December 31, 2028

·       Spring 2027 Application Deadline: Friday, February 5^th at 5:00pm ET

o   Funding Period for Spring 2027 Catalyst Grants: April 1, 2027 to April 1, 2028

o   Project Report’s deadline: May 12, 2028

o   Deadline to submit an external grant proposal and final report: May 12, 2029

Purpose:

Structured as a seed grant, Catalyst Grants provide eligible BGSU faculty members with up to $10,000 to conduct pivotal research, which will result in the submission of a substantive external grant proposal of at least $100,000 plus indirect costs. Any award from the external proposal must be made to BGSU and not to the individual faculty member (e.g., fellowships, residencies).

In the event that the (a) external proposal, (b) project report, and (c) final report are not submitted by their deadlines, the faculty member will be ineligible to receive internal grant funding from the Division of Research for 3 years from the Catalyst Grant’s end date.

Costs may include faculty summer salary, faculty release time to perform research (with the consent of the applicant’s department chair/school director and college dean), graduate assistant tuition and/or stipends, supplies, and travel for research. Funds may only be used to support BGSU faculty, staff, or students.  

Eligibility:

·       All BGSU Bargaining Unit Faculty Members (BUFMs) are eligible to apply.

·       Applicants can be a PI on one (and only one) funded Catalyst Grant per academic year.

·       Faculty may not receive more than 1 Catalyst Grant per year. Faculty may not have more than 1 active Catalyst Grant at a time. Faculty may not receive a Catalyst Grant in 2 consecutive years, and faculty may not receive more than 2 Catalyst Grants within a 5-year period.

·       Faculty who previously received a Catalyst Grant may not receive another award until they meet the external submission requirements.

·       Faculty with active start-up fund accounts are generally not eligible for Catalyst Grants unless the applicant can demonstrate why their start-up funds are unable to support their proposed Catalyst Grant activities.

·       Applicants who already have external funds must demonstrate how the use of those funds will not overlap with the required Catalyst funds.

·       The Catalyst Grant should be used to conduct pivotal research which will result in the submission of a substantive external grant of at least $100,000.

·       Applicants should follow BGSU’s University travel policies (such as 3341-6-47 and 3341-3-83) and purchasing policies.

·       Retroactive requests for funding will not be considered.

o   All expenditures for Fall 2026 Catalyst Grants must be spent between December 1, 2026 and December 1, 2027.

o   All expenditures for Spring 2027 Catalyst Grants must be spent between April 1, 2027 and April 1, 2028.

Requirements

1. The external award must be made to BGSU (not individuals).

2. Recipients of Catalyst Awards must submit an external proposal (as PI) with a budget of at least $100,000 within 1 year of the internal project’s end date.

Application Process:

1.     Eligible faculty should submit their application information and materials using the Catalyst Grant’s online application form. Applications submitted by email will not be considered.

o   Fall 2026 Catalyst Grant applications are due by Friday, October 9^h at 5:00pm ET.

o   Spring 2027 Propel Grant applications are due Friday, February 5^th at 5:00pm ET.

2.     The application requires the following information:

a.     Applicant’s name, email address, office phone, job title, department/school, and the name and email address of the budget administrator in your department/school

b.     General Project Information (e.g., the project’s title, start and end dates, abstract)

c.     External Sponsor and Grant Program Information that identifies at least two potential external funding mechanisms (i.e., 1 primary option and at least 1 backup option) for a future proposal submission and how it builds from the Catalyst Grant project

d.     Project Description and Broader Impact

e.     Budget and Justification that describes how the Catalyst Grant’s funds will be spent

f.      Statement of Need: Please clarify the significance of the project and provide a brief explanation of why the funds are needed. If the applicant already has external funding, professional development funds, and/or start-up support, please explain why additional funding is needed.

Review Process

1.     The Division of Research will screen each application to confirm its eligibility.

2.     Next, the Faculty Research Committee (FRC) will review each application using the award’s rubric.

a.     Proposals from early career faculty members will be given preference after all proposals are equally considered based on merit.

b.     Support for research that will result in the submission of larger external grant proposals will be given preference.

c.     Because Catalyst Grants are funded entirely from F&A, proposals that target external funding sources accepting BGSU’s full F&A rate will be given preference after all proposals are equally considered based on merit.

3.     All applicants will be notified about their funding decision by November 24, 2026 (for Fall 2026 applications) and March 12, 2027 (for Spring 2027 applications).

Project Report and Final Report

Each Catalyst grant awardee will submit 2 reports using our online project and final report forms.

1.     Project Report: Submitted 30 days after the grant’s final expenditures have been made or by the project report’s deadline (December 31, 2028 for Fall 2026 Catalyst Grants and May 12, 2029 for Spring Catalyst Grants), the project report identifies key grant activities, the project’s final budget, and the Catalyst Grant’s impact.

2.     Final Report: This brief report documents key about the external grant submission(s) the awardee completed (connected to their Catalyst Grant).

Failure to submit the (a) external grant proposal, (b)project report, and (c) final report by their deadlines will disqualify the awardee from receiving future internal grants from the Division of Research for 3 years from the Catalyst Grant’s end date.

Catalyst Grant: Scoring Rubric

The evaluators will use the following criteria to evaluate the applications. Applications that are incomplete, late, and/or do not meet the award’s eligibility requirements will not be considered.

External Sponsor(s) and Grant Program(s) (20 possible points)

The proposed research project’s goals are strongly aligned with the goals of the identified external grant program(s).

20 points

Project Narrative (40 possible points)

The narrative is clear, concise, and sufficiently non-technical to be understood by a broad audience.

10 points

The narrative provides a succinct description of the current state of knowledge of the field.

5 points

The project’s research questions are relevant (given the current state of knowledge of the field) and align with the project’s goals.

5 points

The significance statement is compelling.

5 points

The methodology is clearly described and aligns with the project’s research questions.

5 points

The project realistically can be completed within the funding period.

5 points

The project’s anticipated outcomes will support the applicant’s external grant proposal.

5 points

Broader Impact (10 possible points)

The project’s outcomes will make a positive impact on the public good.

10 points

Budget & Budget Justification (20 possible points)

The budget supports the goals of completing the project.

10 points

The budget is realistic and appropriate.

10 points

The Principal Investigator’s Qualifications (10 points possible)

The PI has a strong research record related to the project.

5 points

The PI has the skills and expertise needed to complete this project.

5 points