The Office of University Student Research (OUR) supports undergraduate and graduate students through grants for travel, research and creative expression. Grants offered by the OUR include:

• Faculty-Student Provost Research Grants
• Presentation Grants
• Research & Creative Scholarship Grants
• Experiential Research and Immersive Studies in the Arts Grants
• Summer Scholarship and Research Grants

Here are some general grant guidelines:

• Students who are funded through the Office of University Student Research are required to present their work at SOURCE
• Faculty and staff mentors are limited to a maximum of $1500 of research funding for their students per academic year
• Grants applications are reviewed and approved or denied by the CWU Research Advisory Council (RAC)

More information about each of these grants is provided below! Still have questions? Reach out to us at our@cwu.edu

 Faculty-Student Provost Research Grants 

The Provost funds grants to involve faculty and students in collaborative research, teaching, or creative activities during the academic year. See additional information and criteria here. Please note that these grants are only available during the Fall quarter grant cycle.

What funds are available?

• Each award is $3000

Who may apply?  

• Graduate- and undergraduate-level students
• Faculty must be NTT w/ year-long contract, TT, or tenured

Eligible expenses include (but not limited to): 

• ​Research assistant stipends
• Materials and supplies
• Transportation
• Conference registration

Required Application Materials:

• Grant Proposal - Up to 3 pages, double-spaced, including:
  • Project title and names of all students and mentors involved
  • Abstract or creative artistic statement of the presentation (250 words max)
  • Project description
• Curriculm Vitae (CV) for each participant (including faculty mentor)
• Detailed line-item budget
• Budget justification
• Approval from oversight organization for human subjects (HSRC), animal subjects (IACUC) or dangerous materials (completed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)) if applicable

More details about how to prepare your proposal and application components are available on the "Preparing Your Research Grant" page

Apply: n/a

Deadline: These grants are only available during the Fall quarter grant cycle

Notification: Applicants will be informed of the decision regarding their application via email within two weeks of the first Research Advisory Council (RAC) meeting after the application deadline

 Presentation Grants 

The OUR funds grants to support undergraduate students to attend a conference to present their work or to perform.

What funds are available?

• Individual students can request up to $750
• Groups of two or more students can request up to $1300

Who may apply?  

• Undergraduate-level students
• The student(s) must be the lead author(s) on the work and be the main presenter in order to be eligible
• The student(s) must have a Central-affiliated faculty or staff mentor

Eligible expenses include: 

• ​Registration
• Travel

Required Application Materials:

• Grant Proposal - Up to 3 pages, double-spaced, including:
  • Project title and names of all students and mentors involved
  • Abstract or creative artistic statement of the presentation (250 words max)
  • Professional development statement for each student involved (250 words max each)
• Detailed line-item budget
• Budget justification
• Mentor letter of support
• Approval from oversight organization for human subjects (HSRC), animal subjects (IACUC) or dangerous materials (completed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)) if applicable

More details about how to prepare your proposal and application components are available on the "Preparing Your Presentation Grant" page

Apply: Click here

Deadline: 5:00pm on Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Notification: Applicants will be informed of the decision regarding their application via email within two weeks of the first Research Advisory Council (RAC) meeting after the application deadline

Note: Students may still apply for the grant if the conference has already taken place

Research & Creative Scholarship Grants

The OUR funds grants to support undergraduate students engaged in mentored projects to cover costs associated with research, scholarship, or creative activities. 

What funds are available?

• Individual students can request up to $750
• Groups of two or more students can request up to $1500

Who may apply? 

• Any undergraduate-level student(s) with a CWU-affiliated faculty or staff mentor

Eligible expenses include (but not limited to):

• Equipment (which will remain the property of the university)
• Materials and supplies (chemicals, sample bags, art supplies, etc.)
• Travel to conduct research (e.g., travel to a lab to analyze samples)
• Financial incentives or reimbursement of human research participants (e.g., gift cards for participating in a survey)

Expenses that are not eligible include (but not limited to):

• Xeroxing/copying of documents on campus
• Expenses for research that is part of standard coursework

Required Application Materials:

• Grant Proposal - Up to 3 pages, double-spaced, including:
  • Project title and names of all students and mentors involved
  • Abstract or creative artistic statement of the presentation (250 words max)
  • Project description
• Detailed line-item budget
• Budget justification
• Mentor letter of support
• Approval from oversight organization for human subjects (HSRC), animal subjects (IACUC) or dangerous materials (completed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)) if applicable

More details about how to prepare your proposal and application components are available on the "Preparing Your Research Grant" page

Apply: Click here

Deadline: 5:00pm on Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Notification: Applicants will be informed of the decision regarding their application via email within two weeks of the first Research Advisory Council (RAC) meeting after the application deadline

Experiential Research and Immersive Studies in the Arts Grants

The OUR funds grants to support graduate and undergraduate student travel and registration/admission to present at a conference, artist’s residency, library archive or field location, or other immersive experience/setting where they can conduct experiential research.

What funds are available?

• Individual students can request up to $750
• Groups of two or more students can request up to $1500

Who can apply? 

• Graduate- and undergraduate-level students
• The student(s) must have been vetted by a CWU faculty or staff mentor or arts organization, or be a designated artist on the project or study in order to be eligible

Eligible expenses include:

• Registration/residency or conference fees
• Museum or library archive admissions costs
• Mileage
• Airfare
• Ground transportation (shuttle to/from airport, taxi, lightrail, ferry, etc)
• Per diem (food and lodging)

Required Application Materials:

• Grant Proposal - Up to 3 pages, double-spaced, including:
  • Project title and names of all students and mentors involved
  • Abstract or creative artistic statement of the setting/context in which you will conduct your research/studies (250 words max)
  • Abstract of your research goals or questions and/or your project (250 words max)
  • Project description
• Detailed line-item budget
• Budget justification
• Mentor letter of support
• Approval from oversight organization for human subjects (HSRC), animal subjects (IACUC) or dangerous materials (completed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)) if applicable

More details about how to prepare your proposal and application components are available on the "Preparing Your Experiential/Arts Grant" page

Apply: Click here

Deadline: 5:00pm on Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Notification: Applicants will be informed of the decision regarding their application via email within two weeks of the first Research Advisory Council (RAC) meeting after the application deadline

Note: Students may still apply for the grant if the event has already taken place

Summer Scholarship and Supply Grants

The OUR funds grants to support continued student research, scholarship and creative activities over the summer.

What funds are available?

• Individual students can request up to $500
• Groups of two or more students can request up to $1000

Who can apply? 

• Any undergraduate student(s) with a Central affiliated faculty or staff mentor

Eligible expenses include (but not limited to):

• Equipment (which will remain the property of the university)
• Materials and supplies (chemicals, sample bags, art supplies, etc.)
• Travel to conduct research (e.g., travel to a lab to analyze samples)
• Financial incentives or reimbursement of human research participants

Expenses that are not eligible include (but not limited to):

• Xeroxing/copying of documents on campus
• Expenses for research that is part of standard coursework

Apply: Click here

Deadline: Applications for summer funding are accepted year-round on a first-come, first-served basis. All funds awarded for summer research must be used and reimbursement requested by June 15th, 2023.

Notification: Applicants will be informed of the decision regarding their application via email within two weeks of the first Research Advisory Council (RAC) meeting after the application is received