FCLC Research and Creative Practice Grants
The FCLC Dean’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Practice Grant supports student-driven research and creative practice projects and is made possible with the support of professors who serve as faculty mentors for these student projects and who also serve on the selection committee.
Requirements:
- Must be a sophomore or junior at Fordham College at Lincoln Center during the fall when applications open
- A minimum GPA of 3.0
- A concrete and viable proposal of 2-3 pages (see below for details)
- The agreement of a faculty member to mentor the research project
- An evaluation of the project by the prospective faculty mentor
- A copy of the student's transcript (unofficial version, printed from Banner)
Proposals must include:
- Application
- A brief (350-400 words) synopsis of the project, clearly identifying its purpose and the question or issue to be investigated. Proposals should include a few citations of concepts, texts, theories, or sources that have inspired the work and theoretically shape the project. Include a short bibliography/works cited (not included in the word count).
- A brief (200 words or fewer) statement of the project's relevance to long-term educational or career goals.
- An eight-week schedule breaking down the project into its component parts and estimating how many hours will be required for each part.
- If the project works with human subjects (i.e., interviews, capturing people's identifying images or information), speak with your faculty mentor about IRB and visit the Institutional Review Board. You will likely need to do an IRB training before you begin research, which should be listed in your schedule.
- The schedule should indicate meetings with the faculty mentor before, during, and after the research/project period.
- The schedule should indicate whether the student would have part-time work or any other demands on his/her time during the research period.
- A budget for the project, including housing (no more than $1,000 can be budgeted for housing) or commuting expenses, living expenses, travel expenses if research requires a trip outside of New York City, and any other costs associated with research (e.g., materials; photocopying or printing; library, archive or museum entrance fees, etc.), up to a maximum of $4,000.
- There is a book and journal budget cap of $100. If more is needed, provide evidence that these materials are unavailable via the Fordham Library, Interlibrary Loan, or NY Public Libraries, and include details in the budget.
Note on budget expenditures for equipment:
For those planning to use and/or buy audio-visual technology such as cameras, recorders, microphones, etc., there are two options to either:
- Rent equipment, in which case include the expected rates in the budget, or:
- Identify equipment to be purchased by Fordham for your project’s use.
For both options, you must schedule a consultation with the Educational Technologist, Christopher Vicari - [email protected], at least three weeks before the application due date. If there is already adequate equipment, the Educational Technologist will help you reserve it for the project duration. If it is found that additional equipment is needed, you can outline what is needed in the application budget, and upon approval, it will be purchased and managed by the Education Technologist. All equipment must be returned to the Fordham Communication and Media Studies department at the end of the project.
The application deadline for the 2025 FCLC Dean’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Practice grants is March 7, 2025
An informational and grant application-writing workshop will be held Thursday, January 30, 2025, from 12 - 1 p.m. in the South Lounge in the Lowenstein building. Students applying for grant funding for independent projects are advised to attend.
The mentor will submit the faculty evaluation form separately. If you have any additional questions, please email [email protected].