Faculty Research Grants

We are pleased to announce the revised guidelines for Faculty Research Grants (FRGs) in accordance with University Statutes. FRGs will support research and sponsored research projects by tenured and tenure-track faculty. Listed below are the specific guidelines for FRGs. Applicants must apply online no later than January 15, 2025.

I. Grant

A. Up to $5,500 as professional development funds for external grant proposal preparation or in support of research and non-sponsored research projects. The funds will be available from July 1, 2025 to April 1, 2026. 

B. Up to $7,500 in support of STEM research of which no less than $2,000 must be utilized to cover Fordham student research assistant hourly fees during the summer, i.e. between July 1, 2025 and August 31, 2025 only. The $2,000 may not be repurposed for another expenditure.

C. The grants can support research assistants, consultant fees, non-conference research travel (Recipients must adhere to the University Travel Policy and may need to submit an international travel request form to Fordham’s International Travel Risk Assessment Committee (ITRAC) that will forward its recommendation to faculty member's dean or vice president to determine whether the proposed travel is pre-approved), computer equipment (Recipients must adhere to the Laptop First one device per person policy), supplies or books based upon reimbursement through the University.

D. All applicants should select only one of the two options on their application forms, i.e. I.A or I.B.

E. Funds will become available on July 1, 2025.

II. Qualifications 

A. The applicant must be a tenured or tenure-track faculty member.

B. Priority will be given to first-year new faculty applicants who are tenure-track assistant professors.

C. Priority will be given to junior faculty working on their first research projects beyond the dissertation.

D. Preference in the FRG 2024-2025 award cycle will be given to projects that are essential to responses, actions, and processes that promote a broader impact in the larger community and meet Fordham University’s Vision and Strategic Plan of Educating for Justice

E. Preference will be given to applicants preparing external grant proposals.

F. The applicant is eligible to receive an FRG award up to three times in five years.

G. Faculty members who will have received three months' summer salary supported by external grants are not eligible to apply for the program if their research efforts take place during the summer.

III. Requirements

Applicants are required to submit the following information online by January 15, 2025:

  1. Application form (https://form.jotform.com/242974657951169);
  2. Two-page Curriculum Vitae;
  3. Funding Justification Narrative (please see the FRG Applicants Guidelines document);
  4. Budget proposal (please see the FRG Budget Proposal document);
  5. Request for Proposal (RFP) from funding agencies and/or names of potential publishers and journals, if applicable. 

IV. Post Award Procedures 

A. Award funds must be expensed by April 1, 2026.

B. Process for obtaining reimbursement of expenses: 

  1. If paying an individual (such as a research assistant or an independent contractor), appropriate paperwork must be submitted in advance. All research assistants must be formally hired and registered in the Fordham system before they start to work. Contact [email protected] for assistance with the hiring process.
  2. Use FINTREX to book University travel, create and submit an expense report for your corporate credit card, or to create and submit an expense report to reimburse travel and out-of-pocket expenses. Contact [email protected] for assistance with budget codes or approval details. Visit Travel and Expense Reporting for more information on FINTREX. Requests for travel reimbursement must be submitted within 60 days of completing the relevant travel. Expenses may include the cost of transportation, lodging, per diem, and car rental (see University Travel Policy). Please email [email protected] the amount and purpose of the expense report being submitted for approval prior to submitting a FINTREX expense report. CRO’s approval may be deferred until the email has been received.
  3. Awardees may use FINPAY to pay invoices that are not attached to purchase order such as payments to vendors or independent contractors. For purchases greater than $5,000 a PO is required (please use FINBUY). Contact [email protected] for assistance with budget or approval details.
  4. Awardees may use FINBUY to make purchases such as lab or office supplies. All purchases made on FINBUY will be made on a purchase order, including purchases against an existing contract. All invoices made on a purchase order must be paid for via FINBUY. Purchase orders are required for the purchase of goods or services over $5,000. See the Office of Finance Purchasing Manual for information on University Procurement Policy. Contact [email protected] for assistance with budget codes or approval details.
  5. When applicable, submit manual purchase orders, check requests accompanied by invoices, or HR paperwork completed with everything except the budget numbers and authorizing signature to [email protected]. 
  6. For additional award management information, please see "Sponsored Programs Guidance" on the Office of Sponsored Programs website. 

C. Each grantee must submit an FRG summary report of the scholarly activity by October 1, 2026 and is required to present a talk at a faculty research event.

V. Non-Allowable Expenses

  1. Funds cannot be used to compensate yourself or any other member of the Fordham Faculty or Staff.
  2. Funds cannot be used to reimburse travel expenses for attendance or presentation at conferences, but for academic journal editors, travel would be allowable if it is designed to recruit articles, meet with authors, and promote the journal at book exhibits at major conferences.
  3. Purchasing computers and computer peripherals must be justified in the Funding Justification Narrative as directly necessary to this specific project and substantially different from what Fordham has already provided or would be expected to provide to faculty generally. (If allowed, this will be a one-time purchase and will not be replaced by the University at any time in its life-cycle.)
  4. Equipment purchases of any kind must go through Procurement. Computer purchases (including leased computers, printers and other computer related hardware/software) must be approved by Computer Acquisitions. (Please see the Fordham IT Supported Software for a list of supported and available software.)

VI. Grant Operation 

  1. The University Research Council will organize a peer review committee to evaluate applications. Please refer to the Guidelines for FRG Review and review questions.
  2. There will be one uniform rankings list for all applications, i.e., I.A. and I.B. proposals.
  3. All FRGs are administered and managed by the Office of Research.
  4. The number of grants and the eligibility requirements may be adjusted periodically based on the availability of funding.