Presidential Research Grant
The Presidential Research Grant is intended as a one-time award during a graduate student’s GVSU academic career.
The grant awards up to $1,500 to support the research and scholarly projects of graduate students. Applicants must be degree seeking and in good academic standing. The research must be connected to completion of some aspect of the applicant’s graduate degree. Typically, these grants are intended to support research or scholarship undertaken for purposes of a thesis, dissertation, or final project. Graduate students may receive one Presidential Research Grant during completion of a degree program. Awardees are not eligible to reapply.
Deadlines for Applying
For each semester:
- Fall 2026 - proposals due July 31, 2026
- Winter 2027 - proposals due November 13, 2026
- Summer 2027 - proposals due March 19, 2027
Instructions and Guidelines
Please complete and submit all materials by the application deadline. NO LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
- Abstract limited to 250 words
- Research Description (maximum of 5 pages) including the following sections highlighted in the text:
- Introduction/Background material
- Specific Research Question/Hypothesis
- Methodology/Design/Data Collection/Questionnaire/Data Analysis
- Justification of sample size
- Plans for Dissemination of Information Beyond GVSU ScholarWorks
- Project Timeline
- *Please note surveys and guides to questions for qualitative interviews should be attached as appendices
- Budget (maximum of 1 page)
- A detailed budget, with justification for each expenditure that is tied directly to the research methodology/design/data collection.
- Include a description of each item and the approximate purchase price.
- Requests for funding for travel to a research site must include a complete description of dates of travel and mileage. Support for travel will be limited to 50% of the total funds requested.
- Funding support is not allowed for travel to professional conferences, membership to professional organizations, salary, per diem, equipment repair/maintenance, or common equipment that is typically available in the unit. If a specialized version of common equipment is requested, please provide a justification. All equipment belongs to Grand Valley State University and must remain with the university.
- Letter of support (1 page) from your research advisor
- Letter of support will be submitted with your proposal application.
Applications will be reviewed by the Presidential Research Grant Review Committee. Awards are competitive and made based on a number of factors, including the originality of the research, the quality of the research proposal (including the matching of the research methods to the funds requested), the merits of the research outcomes, the impact the research will make on the discipline, and the research advisor’s letter of support.
The award is up to $1,500 for graduate students to use to support research and scholarly projects.
Students will receive an email from the Center for Student Research and Scholarly Engagement (CSRSE) about the committee's decision. If awarded, students will receive a second email from DocuSign with their contract attached. To accept the award the student must sign their contract and submit it through DocuSign by the due date outlined in the contract.
*These guidelines have been updated for 2026-2027
Purchasing Supplies
Purchasing supplies must be made by the department on behalf of the student. At the end of the semester, the department will submit a transfer request to be reimbursed by CSRSE. Please note, expenses must be made during the semester that the grant was awarded.
Reimbursement for Travel
Travel expenses can be purchased by the student or the department. If the department pays for any travel expenses on behalf of the student, the department will be reimbursed by CSRSE via a transfer request. Students who pay for travel expenses, must submit the Travel & Expense form to be reimbursed.
Please keep in mind the following when filling out the T&E form:
- Allow up to 12-15 business days for processing
- Checks will be mailed to the address listed on the form, so please make sure the address on the T&E form is where you want the check to go.
- Mileage does not need a receipt.
- Airfare require the full itinerary.
- Per diem is not supported.
- Support for travel is limited to 50% of the award.
- All travel reimbursement requests are handled via the Workday system.
Please review the Reimbursement page for instructions on how to submit a T&E form and attaching receipts.
A final report on your project must be submitted to the Center for Student Research and Scholarly Engagement (CSRSE) by the deadline outlined in the contract.
The final report should include a summary of your research project and your conclusions. Include a discussion of your expectations and goals, whether or not those were met, if you had any surprising or unexpected results, and if your research project went as planned, and what barriers you encountered. Briefly discuss how your research contributed to your discipline and what plans you have, if any, for dissemination.
Proposal Examples
Bunda, Nicholas, Biomedical Sciences. In Vitro Anti-PD-1/Anti-CTLA-4 Checkpoint Blockade in “Dirty” Mice
Lift, Mackenzie, Biology. Can leaf vascular architecture help predict plant performance in a changing Arctic?