Belonging Mini-Grant

A Belonging Mini-Grant is a grant of up to $200 for an activity in support of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Belonging (DEIAB) in the Russ College community.

Building a culture of belonging in the Russ College community and educating ourselves about issues related to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Access and Belonging (DEIAB) requires a sustained effort. Members of our community have ideas that they could implement with modest support and their potential cumulative impact is large – likely larger than spending the same amount on one centrally-organized event. Belonging Mini-Grants will encourage a larger proportion of the Russ College community to engage in DEIAB work.

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Supported Activities and Ideas

• Activities that educate about DEIAB issues, encourage participation in engineering and / or technology by diverse people, or build awareness of and appreciation for the diversity of our community.

• Activities that include the Russ College community. They might include the whole Russ College community, target a subset of the Russ College community, or target Russ College community participation in a broader event.

• Activities allowed legally and by Ohio University policy and procedures.

• To encourage creativity and diversity of ideas

Russ College Committee on DEIAB

The Russ College Committee on DEIAB reviews proposals, selects awardees, and reviews post-activity reports; one member of the Committee will lead this effort. A one-page post-activity report to the Committee is required.

• For student-led proposals, the award must be made to a recognized Ohio University student organization in good standing and funds must be spent according to Campus Involvement Center procedures. The Russ College will transfer funds to the student organization account. 
• Staff / faculty-led proposals must identify someone to administer spending according to Ohio University policy and procedures. The Russ College will create a “PTA” account string with the funds loaded. The activity may be led by a University-recognized organization or unit, but that’s not required. 
• Unspent award funds may be taken back at the end of the year.

Available Funding

The Russ College expects to fund 14 Belonging Mini-Grants annually. 

Belonging Mini-Grant awardees may be contacted about featuring their project in Russ College newsletters or social media. If privacy is a concern, being featured is not required. Being featured can increase the positive impact of many projects.

Application and Award Process

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• One-page application form with up to one additional page to describe the activity. 

  • A Russ College student, Russ College faculty member, or Russ College staff member must lead the proposal.

  • A student-led proposal must have an affiliated Ohio University-recognized student organization and a signature by the organization’s Advisor.

  • A staff- or faculty-led proposal must identify an individual who will handle transactions in Ohio University’s financial systems.

  • Submit application via e-mail as a pdf to email address included in the Apply Now document

• The Russ College Committee on DEIAB reviews applications on a rolling basis. 

  • Decisions will be made within one month, usually sooner. 

  • Post-event funding is possible but not guaranteed.

• Decision notification via e-mail will include instructions for spending.

  • For awards to student organizations:

    • Proposal lead, Advisor, and Campus Involvement Center will be notified.

    • The preference is to transfer funds to the student organization’s account, and follow Campus Involvement Center procedures for spending.

  • For awards to Russ College staff or Russ College faculty:

    • Proposal Lead and the designated individual to handle project transactions will be notified. 

    • The preference is to create a PTA account with the faculty / staff member’s project number to hold the funds.

• Submit a one-page report within one month of the activity. 

Selection Criteria

• Proposal clearly describes the DEIAB impact of the project on the Russ College community and how funds will be spent.

• Project impacts / involves the Russ College community, not just the awardee. (In a request to support training or travel for the awardee, an explanation of how that will be leveraged to benefit the larger community is recommended.)

• Priority to funding diverse project types, Proposal Leads, and target audiences. (Repeat requests in the same year are less likely to be funded.)

• No funding for Proposal Leads or organizations whose report for a prior Belonging Mini-Grant has not been accepted by the Russ College Committee on DEIAB.

Student organizations are urged to post their event on BobcatConnect, to increase visibility and to assist them with facilities on campus.