Application & Guidelines

Pop-Up Grant projects should be developed in reaction to a relevant social issue or proactively address a social issue (within a 6-month timeframe).

We strongly recommend that scholars use existing data, images, text, historical artifacts, and/or video. Applicants must have IRB approval, if necessary.

Grant recipients will submit a draft for NCID’s Currents publication (hosted by Michigan Publishing). Currents seeks to connect diversity scholarship to practice in education and society. Briefs in this publication emphasize the translation of cutting-edge research into concise, accessible discussions to inform the work of practitioners, leaders, and policymakers. These briefs undergo a two-part review process, including content and public accessibility review, and may serve as the foundation for a scholarly paper or other publicly accessible pieces.

Within 30 days of completing the project, a paper draft (1000-1500 words) should be submitted to the NCID. Grantees may be invited to publish papers in NCID’s scholarship-to-practice journal, Currents. Pieces published in Currents aim to be more publicly accessible than typical academic manuscripts. See writing guidelines for more details. The paper draft should:

• Provide an overview of the specific current issue related to diversity, equity, and/or inclusion.
• Describe the significance of the issue to the author’s target audience (scholars, practitioners, leaders, and policymakers across the higher education community).
• Succinctly present argument, including findings from your research.
• Include specific recommendations or action steps to guide policy, practice, or future research (as appropriate).
• Tables and figures are encouraged to engage the reader and support the discussion.

The NCID team will work with authors on the layout and design and will develop a dissemination plan targeting key stakeholders. Grant recipients may be invited to participate in NCID-related events relevant to their project topic and/or asked to share their expertise and project outcomes in formal or informal ways (e.g., give a talk based on the project at an NCID event, participate on a panel, lead informal coffee discussions).

In addition, we encourage recipients to explore other public publication outlets to disseminate findings in a timely manner. These may include social media campaigns, news articles, blog posts, policy briefs, and institutional reports.

The recipient is responsible for working with the NCID staff to arrange for good stewardship of the funds. Funds may be used for travel to research or action sites, student assistant stipends, supplies, and other expenses related to the research needs (no more than 50% of budget should go towards travel). Recipients will receive half of the funds at the start of the grant cycle, with the remaining half at the end of the grant period. All related documentations and receipts will need to be submitted. Each grant stipulates an expiration date, after which any balance remaining is returned to the NCID. Any changes in budget items or project period must first be approved by the NCID. We cover up to 26% of indirect costs.

In order to review and respond to applicants in a timely manner, please read through all guidelines and eligibility and complete an application form, including uploading the following documents:

• 100-word abstract of the project
• Statement of the project (no more than 3 pages) that includes:
• A description of why the project is important in addressing the emerging social issue(s)
• The objectives and scope of the proposed project
• Specific products/deliverables (in addition to the NCID Currents brief)
• Budget justification