Research and Project (ReaP) Grants

Research and Project (ReaP) Grants fund research and projects for UA graduate, professional and undergraduate students. Graduate and professional students can apply for up to $1,500.00, and undergrad students can apply for up to $750.00. ReaP Grants will be dispersed as stipends.

Applicants may submit one application per round, and applicants are only eligible to receive one ReaP Grant per academic year. 

Research and projects covered by the grant may include (but are not limited to):

• Research for a graduate or undergraduate degree.
• Pilot research before initiating a larger study.
• An exhibit, concert, or art installation for a graduate or undergraduate degree.

Below is a list of allowable costs. Any item purchased with the grant belongs to your department. The list is not exhaustive. 

• Laboratory or project supplies. 
• Research or project equipment. 
• Subject compensation.¹
• Software that is not already provided by the UA or otherwise free (Please check sitelicense.arizona.edu to see if the software is available for free or reduced charge. If the software is provided at a reduced fee, you may include this fee in your grant application.). 
• Books  that are not available through the UA library or InterLibrary Loan. We will not cover books for classes.
• Archival fees.
• Transcription services.
• Well-justified computer & accessory costs.²

¹Subject compensation can only be made if the award is received as a stipend. Subject compensation may be cash (preferred), gift cards, or food/refreshments. If using food/refreshments as subject compensation rather than cash, the applicant must explain why this is more appropriate.

²Applicants must demonstrate that the necessary computer/accessory is not available as an on-campus resource. The computers and accessories must function as or in direct support of specialized scientific equipment and cannot be used for any non-project purpose such as basic, everyday communication.

FAQ:

• I am graduating in May. Can I apply to fund a project which will be completed post-graduation?
  • No. You must be a student for your research or project timeline.
• I am an incoming student enrolled in classes next semester. Can I apply for a ReaP grant now?
  • No. You can apply for a ReaP Grant starting in the semester for which you are enrolled.
• Can I apply and receive both a Travel Grant and Research and Project Grant in the same year?
  • Yes.
• Can I receive the ReaP award through my business office rather than as a stipend?

  • No. ReaP Grants will be dispersed as stipends. 

Expenses made before the award date are not eligible for reimbursement. 

Prohibited Items:

• Expenses related to travel, including but not limited to gas/mileage, airfare, hotel, etc. For these expenses, please apply to our Travel Grant program.
• Dissertation fees, including but not limited to Graduate College and/or graduation fees and dissertation printing expenses.
• Tuition or remuneration for time spent on the research project.
• Mandatory UA fees.
• Travel visas, passport photos, and visa mailing fees.
• Editing fees.
• Membership dues.
• Office or laboratory furniture.
• Office equipment or supplies.
• Philanthropic events.
• Research assistant compensation.
• Entertainment.
• Child Care.
• Items that do not directly contribute to the execution of the project.

Activities that could otherwise be funded through another GPSC or Graduate College funding program (Travel or Professional Opportunities Development (POD) Grants) will not be considered for a Research and Project Grant. 

FAQs

• Does the grant cover paper charges?
  • If the paper has been accepted for publication, then you may apply for the grant to cover page charges. We will not cover page charges for papers either in prep or submitted.
• Does the grant cover shipping charges or taxes?
  • Yes. However, all anticipated charges must be included in the application. They will not be covered after the fact.

Please upload your proposal narrative and references as a single PDF or Word document. Proposals should be no longer than 3 pages, with 12-point Times New Roman font, single spacing, and 1-inch margins on all sides. References may be included on an additional page (no longer than one page). Your narrative should include:

1. An introduction to the project, including relevant background and the major research question/goal(s).

2. A description of the methods, experiments, data collection procedures, or project execution steps to be followed, including a description of the timeline for project completion.

3. The expected outcomes and impacts of the project, including:

• Impacts towards the applicant’s degree and/or professional development.
• Contribution to the field of study and/or broader communities.
• How the project aligns with goals of the University of Arizona.

4. A detailed justification of budget items requested from the Graduate College addressing the necessity and reasonableness of each item. Please also discuss any additional funding sources or lack thereof.

Proposals may contain figures, images, graphs, charts, etc., but applicants should note that these do count towards the page limit.

Applicants should use whatever citation and reference format is appropriate for their field.

Proposals will be evaluated based on inclusion of all of the above criteria, as well as their professionalism, strength of argumentation, and clarity of writing. Please review the ReaP Rubric for guidance.

All required materials must be submitted to the online portal by 11:59 PM Arizona Time on the deadline. 

Please do not include your name in the travel narrative, budget, or other uploaded documents (price quotes, IRB approval, etc.) to preserve the standards of double-blind reviewing.

Faculty statements of support are due on the same day and time as the applications! In your application, you can enter your faculty supporter's email. Once you submit, it will generate an email from AZ Cultivate, which will provide your faculty supporter with a link to upload their statement of support. If you don't submit your application until 11:59 pm the day before the deadline, your faculty supporter may not see their upload link in time to provide you with a letter.

• While not having a letter of support does not immediately disqualify you, it may affect your total score. So, please plan accordingly!

Please advise your faculty recommender to submit a letter addressing: 1) the importance of the project, 2) the applicant’s qualifications, and 3) the project’s feasibility in terms of budget, timeline, or other relevant factors. To maintain standards of double-blind reviewing, we ask that they not include your name in the file name or the letter of support.

FAQs

I do not see the ReaP Grant application when I click the “Online Application” button on this website.

• The application may not be open yet. Please check the application opening and closing dates listed above. If the application should be open at this time, please email us at gpscgrants@email.arizona.edu.

I am having trouble submitting my application online. Can I submit my application materials via email?

• No, we can only accept application materials via online application. 

• The number of awards per round is contingent upon the availability of funds and the number of applications received. The ReaP Grant is competitive and is not a guaranteed funding source. 

• Applications are reviewed by graduate students from various disciplines. After the judges submit their evaluation scores, a cutoff score is generated based on the number of applications and funds available.

• For information regarding the necessary components of a ReaP Grant application and the criteria used by judges to evaluate ReaP grant applications, please refer to the ReaP Grant Evaluation Rubric.

• ---

  Evaluation of applications takes approximately 4-6 weeks.  Applicants will be notified via email when their application status changes (Accepted, Declined, etc.). You may also check your online application portal for updates on your status.  If awarded a ReaP grant, the applicant will be asked to accept or decline the award. Upon accepting the award, the approved amount will be distributed through the awardee's Bursar's account as a stipend within two to three weeks after award notification. Stipends are considered taxable income and may affect financial aid status. 

• Applicants who were not awarded are encouraged to reapply during subsequent rounds, provided that all eligibility criteria are met (see the “Eligibility” section above).

• All ReaP award recipients are required to serve as a GPSC and Graduate College grants reviewer. 

It is the responsibility of the individual or the organization to ensure that allocated funds are spent per University of Arizona and Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) policies and any other policies the recipient is expected to comply with, including institutional approvals if applicable (i.e. IRB, IACUC).

• If you are awarded a Research and Project Grant but would like to decline your award, please notify the Grants Office at gpscgrants@arizona.edu immediately for instructions on how to return unused funds. If taxes were automatically withheld from your award, only the award amount released to you will be returned to the Graduate College.

• If your project is canceled for reasons beyond your control, but you have already incurred non-refundable charges, the Graduate College will not require you to return that portion of the grant. Please complete your Post-Award Report to document the expenses which could not be refunded.

• Funds may only be used for the purpose(s) approved by the Graduate College. However, awarded applicants may request to reallocate funds. To submit a reallocation request, please email gpscgrants@arizona.edu, and a form will be assigned to you to complete. Reallocation requests may take several weeks to review.

• If the final cost of an approved item is more than the budgeted amount, the Graduate College will not pay the difference.

• If less than 90% of awarded Graduate College funds are used, then that student will be required to reimburse the University of Arizona for the unspent funds. Please notify us of your unused funds at gpscgrants@arizona.edu.

• Any funds being returned to the Graduate College must be returned prior to June 1 of the fiscal year in which you were awarded.

• ReaP Grant awardees are required to submit a Post-Award Report no later than June 30 of the fiscal year in which they received the award. Failure to meet these reporting requirements affects your eligibility for future GPSC or Graduate College Research and Project funding.

• The Post-Award Report will be assigned to awardees and completed entirely through AZ Cultivate. Required components include 1) a 300-500 word narrative and 2) verification that all other award conditions have been met.

• All purchase receipts and a record of human subject compensation (if applicable) will be submitted upon project completion if requested by the Grants Office.

• Awardees must spend at least 90% of their award. If less than 90% of awarded Graduate College funds are used, then that student will be required to reimburse the University of Arizona for the unspent funds. Please notify us of your unused funds at gpscgrants@arizona.edu.

• Awarded applicants must acknowledge the Graduate College on all publicity, presentations, posters, and publications regarding the research project. The Graduate College logo will be provided for use if funding is awarded.

• Each grant application is evaluated by 2-3 volunteer graduate and professional students.
• Serving as a judge is a requirement for receiving an award (you will be a judge the following round of getting accepted). However, you don't need to receive a grant to be a judge.
• Any graduate or professional student may volunteer to serve as a judge. You can sign up to serve as a reviewer/judge by emailing gpscfunding@arizona.edu or by filling out this form. Serving as a Grants Judge allows you to obtain an insider's perspective on the evaluation process. Other reasons include the following:
  • Formulate a more competitive application by reviewing applications
  • Service experience for your CV or resume
  • Learn an evaluation process similar to major granting agencies

PLEASE NOTE: You may not serve as a Judge for the ReaP Grants in the same round you applied. You may, however, be assigned applications for a different grant (Travel, PPG, or POD). Please notify us if you have submitted an application and would also like to serve as a judge that round. 

The Graduate College takes our responsibility to maintain confidentiality seriously. 

Measures to Ensure Confidentiality:

• GPSC and Graduate College policy directs applicants not to include personal identifiers in their application documents.
• Application information shall only be used for evaluation purposes unless disclosure is mandated by University Policy or applicable law.
• Applicants may not contact student reviewers/judges.

Before reviewing grant applications, every individual must sign a Confidentiality and Non – Disclosure Rules form [Click here for Confidential Agreement]. The Graduate College is not liable for the intentional breach of confidentiality by reviewers.