The following grants were awarded by CSC in 2013 - 2014:

Request For Proposals on Contemplative Sciences Projects

Overview

The University of Virginia Contemplative Sciences Center (CSC) is committed to exploring contemplative practices, values, ideas, and institutions in historical and contemporary times to better understand their diverse impacts, underlying dynamics, and lived realities through analytical research and scholarship, as well as to help develop new applications and learning programs for their integration into varied sectors of our society. CSC’s mandate is to pursue research, learning, and engagement related to contemplation across all schools and organizational units of the University of Virginia, and beyond into the wider world. “Engagement” in this context signifies engaging sectors beyond the University in contemplative-based programs on the Web and in programming on the ground. Three core commitments guide CSC work in research, learning, and engagement:

(i) fashioning reciprocal partnerships between scientists, humanistic scholars, ethnographers, and practitioners in relationship to contemplative practices, and in particular, creating new relationships across the sciences and humanities

(ii) building integrated relationships between tradition, research, innovation, application, and engagement

(iii) fostering inclusivity across dividing lines of inequity and addressing issues of social justice in local and global communities.

As part of CSC's Mission, we run an annual grant program for U.Va. faculty and staff. Graduate students can apply, but will need a faculty sponsor to support the application. At present, we are not accepting applications from non-U.Va. people, nor from undergraduates (though undergraduates can certainly be involved in projects run by others). Grants can be for projects that focus on research, learning, or engagement. They can involve any contemplative tradition, and any academic discipline. We prioritize applications that best exemplify one or more of the three core commitments outlined above. In addition, we prioritize applications that involve collaborative teams and which have have significant impact on furthering contemplative sciences at U.Va. overall. Grants will be funded up to $15,000.

Request for Proposals

Submission: Submit proposals electronically using the upload function below. The proposal should be a single PDF (please do no submit as separate PDFs!). Please note that if you do not follow format and length guidelines, or submit more than one document, the proposal will not be accepted. -

Grant Amount: Grants will be funded up to $15,000.

Fund Restrictions: If grant money is to be used for equipment, then the equipment belongs to CSC unless it is proven that it will be used for Contemplative Sciences work at U.Va. for the lifetime of the equipment.

Term of Grant: Can be up to 2 years, but explanation must be given for term.

Proposal Format: Please include the following headings and sections in your proposal, which should be single-spaced and in 12 point Times New Roman font

Proposal Length: no longer than to 8 pages (excluding face sheet, budget, budget justification, CVs, and letter of support (optional))

Deadline: The Grant schedule for the next round has not yet been determined.

1. Face Sheet: the first page of the proposal should have the following information:

• Title of Proposal

• Dates of Proposed work

• Name

• U.Va. Department

• U.Va. Status (job title, student status, etc.)

• Other Participants (list name, title and affiliation for each)

2. Abstract: no more than 250 words.

3. Goals: present the basic goals of the project.

4. Plan/method: provide the detailed plan, including clearly defined outcomes (measurable if relevant). It should also, as relevant, pay special attention to how methodologies from different disciplines will be synthesized.

5. Background: explain the background to the proposal, including any previous relevant work that has been done, and/or its relevance to a larger field of activity.

6. CSC Justification: describe the relevance of the proposed project to the overall mission of CSC, how it will benefit U.Va., and overall why CSC should fund it.

7. Dissemination plans: include broader plans for dissemination of results, such as publication, etc., as relevant.

8. Plan for obtaining additional funding: if relevant, document plans to get additoinal funds you need beyond CSC funds to accomplish the proposed project, or to procure funding needed to accomplish long-term goals for this work beyond the CSC funded period of work.

9. Budget: may include applicant effort, support personnel, consulting services, supplies, incentives for student/subject participation, cost-share, and so forth. In addition to the tabular budget, please include a narrative justification.

10. CVs: provide 2 page CVs for all applicants (longer CVs will not be accepted.

Proposal Checklist:

_____ 1. Face Sheet

_____ 2. Abstract

_____ 3. Goals

_____ 4. Plan/method

_____ 5. Background

_____ 6. CSC Justification

_____ 7. Dissemination

_____ 8. Plan for obtaining additional funding (if relevant)

_____ 9. Budget

_____ 10. CVs

SUBMIT

The deadline for this grant cycle has passed. Please sign up on our email list to be alerted of future grant opportunities.