Teacher-Scholar Grants
NOTE: We are not currently accepting applications for this grant.
Teacher-Scholar Grants (up to $15,000 each) will be awarded to individuals who wish to research character and/or character education in undergraduate higher education and/or develop specific projects or resources aimed at strengthening their institution’s and the larger network’s capacity to educate character effectively. We welcome proposals on any project relevant to character in higher education, but preference will be given to those that focus on understanding why and how character education might support the educational mission of colleges and universities; examining which virtues and strategies are particularly relevant for university students; determining which measures are needed to assess character growth in emerging adults; and/or exploring how faculty and staff can integrate those virtues, strategies, and measures into their disciplinary, curricular, and co-curricular offerings. This research could include theoretical and/or empirical research as well as practical research that applies these insights to different disciplinary or institutional contexts. Given that research is the currency of the academy, this work will be vital not only in equipping university leaders with valuable resources but also demonstrating the value and impact of this work in ways that might support a larger community within higher education.
Ultimately, these grants will support individuals in developing their scholarly expertise in character education within higher education, expand the pipeline of scholars doing research on character education in colleges and universities, and increase knowledge-sharing and pedagogical innovation across institutions, disciplines, and the network. We expect that some grant recipients may offer workshops or present research at our conferences and convenings, publish resources that could be useful for the larger network, and/or serve as consultants or advisory board members based on their expertise.
Depending on faculty interests and needs, grant activities could include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Course buy-outs, summer funding, or salary replacement for faculty to focus on research or pedagogical development related to character in the higher education context
- Travel funds to present research on character at conferences or get feedback on a book manuscript (see also Professional Development Grants below)
- Student research assistants (graduate or undergraduate)
- Books, materials, or software for research, assessment, or course development
- Participant incentives to conduct studies
- Partial support of a postdoctoral fellow (that could be matched with institutional or departmental support)
The Program for Leadership and Character will provide multiple opportunities for individuals to convene in person and virtually to discuss topics of common interest. Since the Educating Character Initiative will be organizing major conferences and convenings for the entire network, funding to host conferences may not be included in these requests, unless plans are coordinated in advance with the staff of the Educating Character Initiative. Staff from the Educating Character Initiative will also be available to provide individualized coaching and support for faculty, staff, and student development and/or assessment, so those costs need not be included within the grant.
Application Instructions
The full application will be available in the ECI Grant Portal. You must provide:
- Contact Information for the Principal Investigator(s), Administrative Assistant (if applicable), and Department or Supervisor (if applicable)
- Project Name and Abstract (500-word maximum)
- Amount Requested ($15,000 maximum)
- A description of the character approach to be used in the project (500-word maximum)
- A description of the core research, program, curricular, or other goals (500-word maximum)
- A description of project activities and explanation of why ECI support is necessary to complete these activities (250-word maximum)
- A description of target impact and outcomes, including how those outcomes will be assessed or measured as well as expected scholarly publications or research products (500-word maximum)
- Curriculum vitae for the project leader(s)
- Project Timeline
- Budget, including separate lines for personnel, travel & registration costs, books & research material costs, and other character-related training costs, separated by year of expenditure. A budget template will be available in ECI Grant Portal beginning December 29.
The submission deadline for the application is January 29, 2024, at 5:00 PM ET through the ECI Grant Portal. The portal will accept completed applications beginning December 29, 2023. Award decisions will be issued by March 15.
We will hold optional, one-hour online Q&A sessions regarding Teacher-Scholar Grants at 2:00 PM ET on November 30 and December 11, 2023, as well as January 10, 2024.
All inquiries should be directed toward ECI@wfu.edu.
Grant Eligibility and Expectations for Funded Proposals
The project leader(s) must be in a faculty or staff position at an accredited college or university in the United States, or alternatively, must hold a relevant position in a registered non-profit organization. All applicants must register as a member of the Educating Character Initiative community.
Individuals may apply for either a Teacher-Scholar or Professional Development Grant, but not both. Individuals may not be awarded a Teacher-Scholar or Professional Development Grant if they are part of a team which is awarded a Capacity-Building Grant or if they are part of team that makes it to the final round of Institutional-Impact Grant consideration.
Funded projects and project leaders will commit to the following:
- Submit interim and final reports, including assessments of outcomes on students, faculty, and/or staff, as well as interim and final expenditure reports
- Attend at least one gathering sponsored by the Program for Leadership and Character
- Attend and present key results at a convening where they will be required to:
- provide feedback to others and receive feedback on their own project
- suggest avenues for future research, integration, and/or implementation
- share the results and findings of their projects
- Consent to have their presentation(s) recorded
- For all project outputs that arise from work supported by the grant, awardees must notify the Educating Character Initiative of any significant events, presentations, or awards; submit copies of all published work or other public products to the Educating Character Initiative; and acknowledge the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University and Lilly Endowment Inc. in project publications.
- Follow stipulations of the grant award as communicated and determined by the Educating Character Initiative.
Dates to Remember
| Teacher-Scholar Grant | |
| Info Sessions (optional) | Nov 30, Dec 11, 2023, & Jan 10, 2024 2 – 3 PM ET on Zoom Register here |
| Grant Due | January 29, 2024 |
| Grant Decisions | March 15, 2024 |
| Grant Start Date | May 1, 2024 or as decided by grant agreement |
| ECI Grant Portal Opens | December 29, 2023 |