The Graduate School

Grant Application Cover Page

Applications are reviewed by a committee comprised of the Associate Vice-Provost of The Graduate School, along with graduate faculty members from several disciplines. 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.

Students selected for awards will be notified via letter from the Vice Provost of The Graduate School.  Please note that grant awards are not guaranteed, nor are all grants awarded at the amount requested.

Awardees should sign the letter to indicate acceptance of the award and return it to The Graduate School.

Presidential Research Grants are for a specified semester, as stated in the award letter. Expenditures must be made during the semester for which the grant is intended.  Approval of requests for extensions will be rare and made on a case by case basis.

Purchasing

If you wish to order an item for your research, please email the information for that order (e.g. company name, item number, description, location of delivery, and price of each item) to Sheri DeVries at [email protected].

Most items can be purchased via expense card, which is similar to a credit card but tied to the Graduate School budget rather than to an individual. Purchases that cannot be made via expense card will be ordered via purchase order online within five days of receiving your information.

Sometimes it might be more prudent or timely for the grant recipient’s academic department to make purchases on behalf of the grant recipient. In this case, the Graduate School will reimburse the department for the expense via standard Business & Finance procedures.

Keep the following tips in mind when making your purchasing decisions:

• Comparison shop to ensure you are getting the most for your grant dollars.
• Confirm prices where appropriate; ask for quotes in writing.
• For travel requests, please consider the least expensive mode of travel, e.g., auto rental vs. mileage for your personal vehicle.
• Check with suppliers to ensure there are no restrictions or limitations on your purchase, e.g., vehicle rental for those under age 25 years of age.
• GVSU policy prohibits purchase or reimbursement of gift cards, checks, or cash when used as incentives for human subject participation.  Items of little value, such as coffee mugs or key chains, may be used.

Reimbursement

To receive reimbursement, all receipts, must be submitted to the Graduate School within thirty days from the final date of the grant, as stated in the award letter.

• Please review the Travel and Expense page on the Business and Finance website. 
• All travel reimbursement requests are handled via the Workday system. All receipts may be emailed to [email protected] for reimbursement. In the email, please include your name, G-number, address to send the check, with a summary of your expenses and total amount to be reimbursed. Attach scanned, LEGIBLE PDF copies of all receipts. If you have an email confirmation/receipt, please forward the entire email. Do not take screenshots of just the payment sections of the email as the information needs to be validated. 

A final report on your project must be submitted to The Graduate School by the deadline identified in the award letter. 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.

Please email your final report to [email protected].