Proposals must include the following information: 

1. Overview of the experience – what is the experience? Who is the sponsoring organization? What is the group makeup and timeline for the experience? 

2. Leadership development goals – what do you intend to learn from this experience? How will this help you become a more ethical and effective leader? How will this initiative help to advance your leadership development and goals? 

3. Payment logistics – amount requested, payment deadlines, links/methods of payment, expected budget, additional sources of aid outside of Independent Initiative funding. Expected budget should be outlined in a table and show all expenses, including those not covered by the Independent Initiative. 

4. Planned format for reporting back on experience – journal entries, powerpoint presentation, video blog, etc. 

Please note:/Prior to acceptance of any proposals, fellow candidates are required to confirm with the Office of Financial Aid that the amount requested is within their student financial aid budget for the semester that the opportunity will take place (for example, if you are submitting a proposal for a study abroad experience for the summer semester, you must be eligible for aid during that time period). Please email us the results of your conversation with Financial Aid at [email protected]. Failure to do so will result in the proposal being declined. 

Range of gift amounts: up to $2,000

Gift amounts will vary based on the needs expressed in the application, the quality of the leadership experiences proposed, the CLA participation levels of the applicants, and the overall Independent Initiative budget available. Prior to submitting a proposal, CLA fellow candidates should contact the GVSU Office of Financial Aid to ensure that the amount requested is available in their financial aid budget. Independent Initiative support is not guaranteed, and is limited by the funds available and funding budget in the student's university account.

Here are some examples of past proposals:

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Christine Mutch, CLA Program Manager, would love to schedule a time to talk through your development goals and look for opportunities that would make for a good proposal. Shoot her an email to find time for a virtual or in-person meeting!

Independent Initiatives are reviewed in multiple rounds throughout the academic year.  Following each deadline, the review committee will meet to discuss the proposals and award amounts. Applicants will be notified of the committee’s decision within two weeks of the application deadline. 

As a/prerequisite for support, it is expected that fellow candidates applying will have strongly/participated in CLA required programming 

Proposals are scored based on the following criteria: 

1. Completeness of application 

2. Leadership component rationale 

3. Relevance to ethical and effective leadership 

4. Budget detail and justification 

5. Reporting plan 

6. Strong participation in CLA required programming 

Applicants who receive grant funding must watch a brief informational video to learn about reporting requirements, payment timelines, travel arrangements, and any related deadlines. Lack of reporting or missed deadlines may result in a loss of funding.  

As detailed in your proposal, within one month of completing your experience, you must report back to the CLA staff more about your experience via journal entries, powerpoint presentation, video blog, etc.