Bringing Theory to Practice

2012-2014 Funding Opportunities

New applications for Seminar and Program Development grants should be submitted by 5pm (EDT) on Friday, June 14, 2013 online, with hard copies arriving no later than Monday, June 17, 2013.

Bringing Theory to Practice's full 2012-2014 RFP can be viewed here and answers to frequently asked questions may be found here.

Proposals are requested for projects during 2012-2014 that will promote engaged learning, civic development and engagement, and psychosocial well-being of college and university students. We are especially interested in efforts that will enable students to have transformational educational experiences, and for institutions to transform and sustain their priorities and practices.

Bringing Theory to Practice (BTtoP) seeks to support institutions that are at various stages of this work, and our three grant categories recognize the progression from small seminars to large demonstration projects. In this latter category we anticipate, but do not require, that the institution has already taken steps made possible by support from BTtoP.

Proposal Due Dates

The quarterly proposal deadlines are June 15, September 15, December 15, and March 15 during the 2012-14 operating period; March 15, 2014 is the final deadline. All demonstration site grant proposals for this RFP were due on June 15, 2012; all demonstration site grants under the 2012-2014 RFP have already been awarded. Proposals should be electronically submitted and arrive by mail by 5 PM ET on the 15th. When the 15th falls on a holiday, Saturday or Sunday, hard copies may arrive on the next business day but electronic copies should still be submitted by the deadline.

Seminar Grants

Seminar Grants up to $1,000 are available for institutions to bring together diverse members of the campus community for meaningful conversations which will result in institutional actions. Matching support is not required. Proposals are accepted on quarterly deadlines between 2012-2014 and awards are announced 2 weeks after each deadline.

Program Development Grants

Program Development Grants up to $10,000 are available for institutions to enhance or extend a program which is consistent with our objectives. Institutional matching support is required. Grants may be renewable. Proposals are accepted on quarterly deadlines between 2012-2014 and awards are announced 6-8 weeks after each deadline.

Demonstration Site Grants

All proposals under this RFP were due by June 15, 2012, and awards were announced in July 2012. Grants up to $75,000, distributed over two years, were available for institutions proposing to demonstrate the outcomes of building institutional capacity for a program of work consistent with our purpose. Institutional matching support was required. In the third category, we anticipated but did not require that the institution had already taken steps made possible by support from BTtoP.

Proposal Submission:

The RFP is the primary source of information on proposal emphases and specifications. However, applicants should be mindful of announcements on our website as RFP content (e.g. proposal deadlines) is subject to change.

Please review the Grant Applicant FAQ if you have questions after reviewing the RFP. Project representatives can assist in answering questions not covered in these resources, but the Project cannot offer any specific recommendations regarding proposals before they are submitted.

To apply for funding after reviewing the Request for Proposals and the Grant Applicant FAQ, applicants should mail a hard copy of their proposal, optional supplementary documents and proof of online submission to Bringing Theory to Practice, c/o AAC&U, 1818 R St. NW, Washington DC, 20009 and submit an electronic copy through the feature linked below.

If your application is successfully received, the e-mail address you provide will be sent a confirmation e-mail immediately. If instead you receive an error mentioning dotDefender or MIME filetype, and you have checked that your uploaded files are either Word or PDF documents, please e-mail your proposal, supplemental documents, information requested on the web submission form, and the error message you receive to joyce@aacu.org as a substitute for web submission.