Staff Retiree Development Grants
APPLICATION PROCESS, DEADLINES & GRANT PERIOD
Grant periods
Spring Round: Applications accepted from April 1 to May 15; Grant expenses reimbursed from June 1 to December 31
Fall Round: Applications accepted from September 15 to October 31; Grant expenses reimbursed from November 1 to May 31
Applications for Staff Retiree Development Grants may be submitted to Human Resources. Applicants must qualify for retiree status according to Human Resources criteria. Applications are reviewed and awards granted by a panel composed of Human Resources staff and representatives of the Retiree Initiative Planning Group.
GUIDELINES & PROCEDURES
- Staff retiree development grants are designed to support projects that promote continuing education, benefit the College or retiree鈥檚 local community, and/or model creative approaches to life in retirement. Successful applicants are expected to share information about their projects with fellow retirees in on-campus presentations and/or on-line reports. Grant funds are not intended as small business loans.
- If a grant application is requested to benefit a project of a non-profit organization, the staff person requesting the grant must have a direct personal involvement with the project and clarify that involvement in the application.
- Grants are paid in the form of reimbursements for expenses, and the expenses must be incurred within the period for which the grant is awarded. Funds cannot be used to reimburse an applicant for activities undertaken prior to the grant period, even if that activity is part of a larger, longer-term project that falls within the grant period.
- All financial documentation and itemized receipts need to be submitted by the end of the grant period to Human Resources. The final narrative report should be submitted to Human Resources within one month of the end of the grant period. Failure to do so will disqualify the recipient from consideration for future Staff Retiree Development Grants.
- Travel reimbursement may cover the cost of transportation, lodging, and food. Grants may support travel to workshops or conferences as well as for research or consultation. PLEASE NOTE: Original, itemized receipts for all items must be attached to expense reports. Your credit card bill showing the total amount paid for restaurant charges is not considered adequate proof of purchase.
- Subsidy for production or publication shall carry no obligation for repayment. It is expected, however, that grantee(s) will acknowledge support of the College on exhibition or publication.
- Aid cannot be applied toward reimbursement for work completed nor is aid to be used as honoraria for award recipients.
- Any equipment purchased under the approved grant will remain the legal property of the College. However, the grant recipient may possess and use the equipment in perpetuity for the sole purpose of carrying out the approved grant project and related activities. Under no circumstances may the equipment be used for commercial or profit generating activities.
- Grants may support payment to independent contractors, subject to IRS 1099 regulations.
- Projects involving research with human subjects or human tissues, or vertebrate animals, may require review by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). The staff retiree grant review panel will advise applicants when this procedure is relevant.
- Proposed projects must be in compliance with 91暗网 policies and procedures; see, in particular, the Policy on Political Activity and the Standards of Business Conduct Policy
- Human Resources will advise recipients of awards via US mail. Awards will be announced annually at an appropriate gathering of retirees and on the retiree website.
- Review of grant applications and decisions on awards is not to be discussed with individual members of the review panel. All inquiries regarding awards shall be addressed to the Director of Human Resources.
- Recipients of Staff Retiree Development Grants must meet with the Assistant Director of Financial Services to review the project and determine the method of disbursement of funds.
CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION OF GRANT APPLICATIONS/PROPOSALS
Applicants must qualify for retiree status according to Human Resources criteria.
In making awards, the review panel will first consider the excellence of the proposals.
When proposals are comparably meritorious, and when there are insufficient funds to
support all meritorious proposals, the review panel will award grants on the basis
of the following criteria:
- Proposals will be assessed on their merit. A proposal will be evaluated relative to the contribution that the project may make to its respective trade or profession, to the College or retiree鈥檚 local community, or to the community of retirees. In certain instances consultants may be requested for expert advice.
- Proposals from staff retirees who have not recently received grants will be considered more favorably than proposals from recent grant recipients.
- Applications from staff retirees who have, in the past, used grant money effectively will be considered in a more favorable light than applications from those who have received grants but who have not yet productively employed them.
- Applications from staff retirees who have not filed completed reports and expense forms on the use of previous Staff Retiree Development Grants will not be considered.
Staff retiree development grants are designed to support projects that promote continuing engagement in a retiree鈥檚 trade or profession, benefit the College or retiree鈥檚 local community, and/or model creative approaches to life in retirement. Awards for proposals can range from very modest sums (less than $100) to support a highly specific limited need to a maximum of $1,500 per grant.