Teaching Innovation Grants are intended to support faculty in pursuing innovative projects that enhance teaching and learning.  These projects range from cutting-edge, research-based teaching and learning innovations, to innovations that are new to one’s field, to innovations that are new to the individual faculty member (i.e. active learning and engagement, classroom assessment, multi-disciplinary, inquiry-based, online/hybrid, collaborative, etc.).  “Innovation” is considered in the context of the applicant’s experience.  

The intent of the Teaching Innovation Grant is to encourage and launch new ideas; therefore, the Pew FTLC does not provide repeated support of a project, but rather encourages units/colleges to provide the continued support needed to sustain and enhance teaching innovation projects.

Funding will cover the cost of non-GVSU or student  personnel, equipment, travel, registration, and other.

Level 1 ($500 - $3,000)
Level 2 ($3,001 - $6,000)
Level 3 ($6,001 - $9,000)

Note: An individual faculty member is eligible for a maximum grant of $3,000.  In order to obtain Level 2 and 3 funding, the grant activity must collaboratively involve 2 and 3 applicants respectively.

• All faculty (tenure track, tenured, affiliate, visiting and adjunct) are eligible to apply.  If the Lead applicant is not tenure-track or affiliate, they will be required to invite a tenure-track or tenured faculty member to serve as a Faculty Sponsor of the grant activity (see application for details).
• Staff not eligible. 
• Co-applicants are encouraged and will be responsible for submitting a Letter of Support with the application that outlines their specific involvement in the project (see application for details).
• All Teaching Innovation Grant applications require a Unit Head letter of support (or a Dean letter of support if the applicant is a Unit Head).
• Funding is limited to one Teaching Innovation Grant per faculty member per fiscal year.  
• Funding preference will be given to faculty members who have not received a recent award.
• Apply by completing an application in the FTLC Grants System.

• Apply by completing an application on the FTLC Grants System.
• You are welcome to begin drafting an application at any time as long as you submit it by midnight on July 1, October 1, January 1, or April 1.  
• Applicants are encouraged to consult with the Grants Facilitator (Maggie Goss) prior to submitting the grant proposal.  
• Teaching Innovation Grant awards are determined in consultation with the Grant Sub-Committee of the Pew FTLC Advisory Committee.  This process normally takes 2-4 weeks from the application deadline.  Applicants will be notified of the status of their grant by letter.

TIG applications may be started at any time in the grant system and submitted to our office before the deadline once everything is complete (including the attachments).  

Below are the TIG application questions (each having a maximum word count of 200).

• Name/Rank/Department of Applicants, Co-Applicants and Faculty Sponsor (if applicable)
• Project Start and End dates (18 months maximum)
• Title of Project 
• Please provide a brief description of your proposed grant activity for a non-specialist audience.  
• Please describe the specific objectives of your intended grant activity. 
• Please describe your implementation plans including a time line. 
• Please briefly describe your personnel, equipment, travel, facilities, and/or other needs for this activity, as applicable. 
• Please describe the anticipated impact of your activity on teaching and learning at GVSU. 
• Please describe how you will evaluate the teaching and learning impact of your activity. Please follow the Grant Assessment Guide.
• Please describe any plans to disseminate the knowledge gained from your activity within and beyond the GVSU community. 
• Name(s) of Consultant 
  • Biography / CV
  • Description of their expertise and the service they will perform
  • Honorarium Amount
• Name(s) of Student Employee
  • Description of the student activity
  • Student wage expenses
• List of Equipment
  • Total equipment expenses 
• List of Travelers
  • Total travel Expenses
• Required attachments:
  • Unit Head Letter of Support
  • Faculty Sponsor Letter of Support (Required for Visiting and Adjunct Faculty applicants only)
  • Co-Applicant Letters of Intent
  • Approval email from the Tech Supply Office for all software and equipment purchases

• If any significant changes to the project are being considered once the grant has been awarded, the lead applicant must first notify the Pew FTLC immediately for approval.
• Funded grants may be featured in the Pew FTLC Newsletter, on the Pew FTLC website, and at various Pew FTLC sponsored events. 
• Funded applicants may be invited to present their work at a Pew FTLC sponsored event, a campus-wide event, or a professional teaching conference.

• For detailed guidance on preparing a Teaching Innovation Grant budget, please consult the Teaching Innovation Grant Budget Guidelines page. 

Attachments may be uploaded at the end of the application. If an electronic version of the attachment is not available, the hard copy will need to be scanned to PDF and then digitally attached to the application file.  Note: Your departmental Xerox copier has the capability to scan your document to a PDF file.

• Letter(s) of Support:
  • Unit Head(s) - A letter of support is required from your unit head or from each unit head if the grant activity involves faculty from two or more units.  The letter should speak to the importance of the grant activity, how it will likely impact the unit, and if/how the unit will supplement the grant funds and/or financially support the innovation going forward ( A letter of support from the appropriate Dean may be substituted when the applicant is a Unit Head.)
  • (if applicable) Co-Applicant – A letter of intent is required from each Co-Applicant outlining their support and specific role or involvement in the grant activity.
  • (if applicable) Faculty Sponsor - A letter of support is required from a tenure-track or tenured Faculty Sponsor if the Lead Applicant is not on the tenure-track or affiliate.
• Other Supporting Documentation:
  • (if applicable) Consultant biography and/or curriculum vitae
  • (if applicable) Price quote from Informational Technology

Each applicant who is awarded a Teaching Innovation Grant will be responsible for submitting a Final Report via the online system 30 days after the completion of the grant activity and within 18 months of the application date.  The Pew FTLC will send out an automatic reminder e-mail for your convenience.  The Final Report will ask for you to thoroughly describe the following on behalf of yourself and any co-applicants (1500 word limit): 

• How did you meet the objectives outlined in your application, including how you implemented and assessed your grant activity?
• What was the impact of the grant activity on your teaching, your students, the university community, and/or your discipline?
• What are your plans to disseminate the results of your grant activity?

Please attach any materials relevant to the grant, including reports, articles, pictures, etc.

A Guide to Assessment may be found at the following link: www.gvsu.edu/ftlc/assessment

To submit a Final Report, click on "Final Report" under "Application Details" within the FTLC Grant System.  Reimbursements will no longer be processed once a Final Report has been submitted.

Please note: We read these reports with great interest and use them:

• To verify that our investment in you had an impact on our students' learning and on your professional development
• To glean ideas for new FTLC endeavors which can benefit more students and faculty
• To improve our processes and outcomes

All expenditures associated with this grant must be processed through your unit. Your unit will send a copy of the expenses paid (Invoice, Requisition, Purchase Order, Expense Card Statement, Student Wage Report, Workday Expense Report) via the Budget Amendment for Organization process in Workday and send that to the Pew Faculty Teaching and Learning Center (this process was previously done in OnBase). Upon receipt of the Workday Budget Amendment request, your unit will be reimbursed by the Pew FTLC.

Contact the Pew FTLC Office at [email protected] or (616) 331-3498 with questions.

Also, check out our Grants Frequently Asked Questions page.