Inclusive Excellence Grants

Purpose

In the Spring of 2020 President Jim Ryan and Vice President Kevin McDonald launched the Inclusive Excellence planning framework at the University of Virginia. Each school and unit of the University is engaging in continuous self-study of their organizations to identify areas of affirmation and areas of opportunity to advance transformative change that promotes equity and inclusion at the University, culminating in an Inclusive Excellence plan.

To support these efforts the Division for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has established a competitive award to advance the development and implementation of Inclusive Excellence plans and strategic equity-minded action across the University.

This annual award will fund proposals that demonstrate the potential to achieve the strategies and goals identified in an area’s Inclusive Excellence plan across all areas of functioning, or those contributing to the initiatives outlined to support inclusive excellence by the racial equity task force:

Online Application

Spring 2023 Award Cycle

Eligibility

This is an internal award-making program and only members of University organizations and departments, including UVA-Wise and UVA Health, are eligible to apply for funding. Information about Inclusive Excellence Grants for Community Partners, administered in partnership with the Charlottesville-Albemarle United Way, is available here.

Any member of the UVA faculty, staff, or student community may apply, but it is preferred that the application have the support of the appropriate leadership for their area and/or be submitted in partnership with the Inclusive Excellence point of contact or planning team. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate how the proposed action(s) or program directly relates to a strategy, goal, action, or assessment plan described in the area’s Inclusive Excellence plan, if applicable. Priority consideration will be given to applications submitted directly by Inclusive Excellence Planning or Implementation Teams.

Note: For the Spring of 2023 cycle, Inclusive Excellence plan(s) need to be finalized for an area to apply for funding.

Funding

The maximum award amount for any single project/program will be $10,000. The total number of awards will depend upon selected projects, but the typical award amounts will range from $2,000 - $10,000.

Timeline

Online Application Opens: March 30, 2023

Application Deadline: May 12, 2023

Application Review: May 2023

Awardees Announced: Early June 2023

Application Process

Applications will be submitted online and will include:

Project/Program title
The name, email, title and department/affiliation of all applicants
A description of the proposed project/program that identifies how it relates to the purpose of the award program and how the project/program will specifically advance inclusive excellence in the area, how it will address a critical need, key milestones, and any previous or ongoing work or plans for project/program integration into long-term or otherwise sustained activities.
A description of how the applicant’s proposed activities will directly support their respective inclusive excellence plan or planning process and the specific dimension(s) of the framework that will be impacted/supported, if applicable, as well as the timeline for the project/program.
Assessment methods that will be used to provide a measure of impact and any anticipated outcomes from the project/program.
An endorsement from the primary applicant’s supervising administrator or Inclusive Excellence point of contact, as a demonstration of leadership support and strategic alignment (recommended).
A proposed budget which identifies anticipated expenses appropriate to the specific project/program and its milestones. All expenditures must follow University policies and guidelines. (Note: All funds awarded must be used exclusively for support of the identified project/proposal and may not be used for non-related expenses. Unless requested and approved by the Division, all un-used funds at the close of the project/program will be returned to the Division for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to be carried over into subsequent award periods for the fund.)

If necessary, appendices may be utilized to provide additional information but must not exceed an additional three pages.

Selection Criteria

Application evaluation criteria are:

Potential impact of project/program on inclusive excellence in the area and as a model innovative change for other areas of the University.
Significance toward achieving, and alignment with, the area’s inclusive excellence plan/goals, especially as relates to structural evaluation and change.
Potential for long term sustainability (after one year) of the activities through school/departmental support, University partnerships, and/or external funding.
Potential for positively impacting an initiative identified in the University’s racial equity task force report.

Impact and Accountability (Post-Award)

Recipients will submit a completed progress report to the Division at the close of the project/program and identify how all awarded funds were specifically used.
Recipients, in partnership with the Division, will select a method to share their project and its impacts with the University community and other awardees through a workshop, panel discussion, presentation, and/or other method appropriate to the project/program.

Questions

To determine the Inclusive Excellence point of contact for your area or for other questions please contact the Senior Director for Equity and Inclusive excellence at [email protected].

Funded IE Awards

AY 2020 - 2021 IE Award Recipient List

AY 2021-2022 IE Award Recipient List

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