Contact the Pew FTLC Office at [email protected] or (616) 331-3498. Consultation is encouraged before submitting a proposal and helps you know that your application is in good order.  This is particularly true of the Teaching Innovation Grants.

For faculty interested in grant funding for International Study Abroad projects, please consult the Padnos International Center.  For grant funding related to Scholarship/Creative Activity, please consult the Center for Scholarly and Creative Excellence.  For grant funding to support student travel or scholarship, please consult the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship.  

No. All faculty, full- or part-time, are eligible for all Pew FTLC grants. However, some grants require a tenured or tenure-track faculty member as a Faculty Sponsor for the grant activity. More details can be found on the grants overview webpage under the specific grant - https://www.gvsu.edu/ftlc/grants-47.htm.

Timing. Check the grant’s opening dates (date you can start to apply) or deadlines (date by which the application must be received to be considered for funding). More details can be found on the grants overview webpage under the specific grant - https://www.gvsu.edu/ftlc/grants-47.htm.

Technology items such as computers, tablets, software or computer accessories must be quoted and acquired through the GVSU Technology Supply Office ([email protected]). Please be aware that you will not be reimbursed if you purchase these items on your own.

• Technology that does not connect to the network and store or transmit data that is under $500 can be purchased using a department purchasing card without Technology Acquisition approval. Some examples: mice, keyboards, USB-C hubs/adapters, cables, speakers, and laptop cases/bags. If you need an item quickly or do not want to make a purchase with your purchasing card, many of these items are kept in inventory within IT.  

No, there is no retroactive grant funding after you have traveled or the work is completed.

No. Because our applications are online, it means the date specified starting at 12:01AM or up to midnight. For example, if October 1 is a Saturday and 1) is the opening date, you may start to apply for the grant at 12:01AM. If October 1 is a Saturday and 2) is a deadline, then you may apply up until midnight that evening.

It depends on the grant. Faculty Conference Grants are limited to two per faculty member per fiscal year.  Most other grants are limited to once a year, but all other things being equal, faculty members and/or units who have not received grants in preceding grant rounds will be given priority over those who have.

Students are not eligible to apply for Pew FTLC grants, however, students may benefit from them. A faculty member may build student wages (but not travel) into a Sandbox Learning Innovation Grant.  Contact the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship for student travel grants. 

All students should be hired and paid through your department. Contact your Office Coordinator to enroll the student in Ultratime for wage payments. When the student has completed their grant related work, your Office Coordinator should contact the Pew FTLC Office for wage reimbursement.

Student wages are paid at a variety of different pay scales, depending on student experience and other factors. The student wage rate schedule may be found online at: http://www.gvsu.edu/studentjobs/wage-rates-32.htm.

As long as you abide by the deadline for your Final Report, your reimbursement may spill over into the next fiscal year.  

All reimbursements are submitted to your unit Office Coordinator. Detailed reimbursement instructions can be found on the grants overview webpage under the specific grant - https://www.gvsu.edu/ftlc/grants-47.htm. 

All grants require a Final Report (brief reflection) to close the grant and the final report is required before reimbursement can take place. Applicants will only be eligible for new grants if all old grants are closed in a timely fashion.

Each grant has a specific set of questions to address in the Final Report.  More details can be found on the grants overview webpage under the specific grant - https://www.gvsu.edu/ftlc/grants-47.htm.

We read the Final Reports with great interest and use them:

• To verify that our investment in you had an impact on our students' learning and on your professional development
• To glean ideas for new FTLC endeavors which can benefit more students and faculty
• To improve our processes and outcomes

You are eligible to apply for two awards prior to traveling per fiscal year--$700 and $250. Funds may be used in any order.

No. Funding cannot be combined and used for the same conference, training or workshop.  

No. Funds may only be used by the original applicant. Please notify the FTLC as soon as you know that you are not able to use the funds so that they may be disseminated to other faculty members who may be on a waiting list.

The Pew FTLC grants are focused on teaching and learning related activities. We have funded the following: 

• intensive workshop/institute to develop a specific skill or pedagogy for the classroom
• innovative materials for your classroom that go beyond those normally provided by the unit  
• master teacher residencies for teachers and students
• consultant residency for a group of faculty working on a specific pedagogy (e.g. team-based learning)
• resource material needed to develop a new class, degree or pilot program

Teaching Innovation Grant activity must take place within 18 months of the Start Date indicated in the application.  

A primary reason many Teaching Innovation Grants are denied is due to the lack of thorough implementation and assessment plans. Be as specific as possible and feel free to consult the Grant Assessment Guide.

Teaching Innovation Grant awards are determined in consultation with the Grant Sub-Committee of the Pew FTLC Advisory Committee.  This process normally takes 2-4 weeks from the application deadline.  Applicants will be notified of the status of their grant by letter.

No. Much of the work associated with teaching innovation is viewed by the university as part of a standard workload or significant area of focus. While the grant covers expenses related to the activity, it does not cover faculty stipends.

No. Teaching Innovation Grants may only be used to cover travel to an intensive workshop/institute with a set curriculum for all participants.

Teaching, scholarship, and creative activity often intersect. We encourage faculty to use their scholarship and creative activity to inform and enliven their teaching whenever possible, and we support this model in our grant program.

Yes. The work for a Teaching Innovation Grant may be accomplished during a sabbatical as long as the length of the grant activity does not exceed 18 months from the application date. 

We have funded everything from rock slides to sound systems. The criteria is that the equipment is either innovative or will be implemented in an innovative way.  If you need software or hardware, be sure to check with Information Technology Tech Supply to see if GVSU already owns a license or if they are willing to support the technology.

• Technology that does not connect to the network and store or transmit data that is under $500 can be purchased using a department purchasing card without Technology Acquisition approval. Some examples: mice, keyboards, USB-C hubs/adapters, cables, speakers, and laptop cases/bags. If you need an item quickly or do not want to make a purchase with your purchasing card, many of these items are kept in inventory within IT.  

Yes. Equipment requests must be directly related to the proposed grant objectives and critical to its success.

Teaching Innovation Grants do not fund duplicate equipment (unless duplicates are necessary to effectively carry out the activity), updates to or replacements of employee-issued computer equipment or equipment normally funded by the unit/college.

We are able to fund a small number of iPads (1-6) if they are essential to a specific, teaching-related pilot activity.

Gifts (regardless of value) may not be purchased for students, employees or members of their immediate families. It may be appropriate to purchase gifts for visitors to GVSU (e.g., international visitors, volunteers, speakers). The cost of any gift must be modest (normally, less than $50 per individual). 

Gift cards in any amount are not allowed to be purchased with university funds.

No. The Teaching Innovation Grants do not cover faculty stipends. However, the grant would cover the cost of a training program.  

Almost always, yes. Please check with the Pew FTLC Office before going ahead with the change. 

Requests for reimbursements are submitted to your unit Office Coordinator and then a request is sent to the Pew FTLC for departmental reimbursement. Detailed reimbursement instructions can be found on the grants overview webpage under the specific grant - https://www.gvsu.edu/ftlc/grants-47.htm. 

No. There is no retroactive funding. All eligible expenses listed in the application must be made after the Grants Sub-Committee approves the grant.