The Collegium Board funds three “catalyst” grants—up to $5000—annually for projects that advance Collegium’s mission on member campuses and in broader forums. The grants can fund course development, scholarship, and workshops that advance Catholic intellectual life and bring it into dialogue with other ways of knowing. Collegium alums at Collegium member institutions are eligible to apply for the grants, and other faculty may be included in proposals as co-applicants.
The board is extremely excited about this opportunity to advance Collegium’s work, and to support and enable great work from our alums all over the country.
The yearly deadline for Catalyst grant applications is September 15. Applications will be reviewed by a faculty committee appointed by the Director of Collegium. Applications and questions should be emailed to info [at] collegium.org (info[at]collegium[dot]org). Awards will be announced by early November. The grants will be awarded for a twelve-month period with a possible award period extension of an additional six months. At the close of the grant period, awardees will be responsible for submitting a report on the disbursal of funds and a two to three-page narrative report to share in Collegium News and the ACCU Update.
Applications should include:
1. Cover Sheet - the listing title of the project, primary contact person (s) and contact information, amount requested, and a 100-word abstract. The cover sheet must be signed by all applicants. It should also include the name and contact information of the sponsoring institution’s grant officer and their signature approving the grant request.
2. Narrative (in three parts) -
a) Introduction: Describe the project, most relevant desired outcomes, intended audience, and indicate how it builds on Collegium’s work. Include a brief rationale for the project.
b) Project Plan: detail the manner by which the proposal’s goals will be met, and identify the specific resources and plan needed to accomplish that.
c) Qualifications: state the qualifications of applicants to carry out the project, and those of other persons to be brought in to help with the project.
The Narrative should be clear, complete, and free from jargon. Depending on the nature and scope of the project, the Committee expects that the Narrative will be two to four double-spaced typed pages in length.
3. Budget - should contain an itemized list of proposed expenditures, such as stipend, travel, reference and teaching materials, fees, etc. These should be presented in the form of confirmed costs or documented cost estimates. In cases where participants request a stipend, such stipend may only be paid when the payee is off-contract (e.g., faculty on nine-month contracts may only be paid stipends for work done during the three summer months off-contract). Stipends shall be limited to $125 per day for participants from the applicants’ institution. Honoraria for speakers may be proposed at a rate that seems appropriate for the speaker. Support from other sources should also be listed if a project’s total cost exceeds $5000. Given the small size of the grants, the grantee’s institution must be willing to manage the grant without charging overhead.