2010 OSU CARES
Grants RFP
OSU CARES/OSU Extension is making available funding through two grants programs. Applicants should use
this RFP to apply for either of the funds. Below is a summary of the grants programs. Please review to determine
which grant is most appropriate for your particular initiative.
1. Seed Grants
~ Maximum Funding - $10,000 per grant
~ Funding Period - June 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011
~ Purpose – To fund outreach/engagement initiatives that connect the assets of the University with the needs of
the community.
~ How Grant Funding Can be Used – There are no restrictions, but explanation of how and why the dollars are
used is required. Should show how each Ohio State department/unit in the partnership benefits.
~ Match Required - 30% match – ½ of the match can be in-kind and ½ of the match MUST be cash redirected to
this project from another source.
~ Content of Application – You MUST submit using the 2010 Application Form for OSU CARES Seed and Personnel
Support Grants, including cover page, narrative questions 1-7, budget questions, and checklist/appendices.
~ Partners That MUST be Involved – Minimum of two departments representing two different Ohio State University
colleges or a college and a VP unit (other than Agricultural Administration). One department must be OSU
Extension and the other must be a unit that does not have faculty/staff appointments funded by OSU Extension.
2. Personnel Support Grants
~ Maximum Funding - $25,000 per grant
~ Funding Period - June 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011
~ Purpose – To support the salary and benefits of an EXISTING OSU employee. This can be an OSU Extension
programmatic faculty/staff member or an OSU department faculty or outreach/engagement staff member.
Through the project the employee is to work with the other partner’s department to extend both Extension’s and
the department/unit’s outreach and engagement with the community and to formalize partnerships between the
units.
~ How Grant Funding Can be Used – The grant dollars MUST be used to support the salary and benefits of the
person working on the outreach and engagement project in collaboration with the other Ohio State unit.
~ Match Required – 50% cash or in-kind match must be provided for salary, benefits and/or programming
support. The match MUST demonstrate how each unit is contributing to the match with written COMMITMENT
from each Unit head (OSU Extension Assistant Director/Center Director and collaborating Department head).
~ Content of Application - You MUST submit using the 2010 Application Form for OSU CARES Seed and Personnel
Support Grants, including cover page, narrative questions 1-9, budget questions, and checklist/appendices.
~ Partners that MUST be Involved - Minimum of two departments representing two different Ohio State University
colleges or a college and a VP unit (other than Agricultural Administration). One department must be OSU
Extension and the other must be a unit that does not have faculty/staff appointments funded by OSU Extension.
General information for OSU CARES Seed Grants and Personnel Support Grants
~ PROPOSALS DUE: Monday, March 8th, 2010 by 4:00 p.m. to osucares@osu.edu. If it is not possible to submit
electronically, contact OSU CARES at 614.688.4486 by March 5th.
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~ SELECTION/REVIEW PROCESS: Grants will be evaluated based on quality and clarity of the responses to the
questions and the relevance of the proposal to the mission of OSU CARES. Applicants will be asked to meet with
the grants review committee on Tuesday, April 13th from 10am – noon to answer questions concerning their
proposal. Specific information will be provided when grant is submitted.
~ Questions? Contact the OSU CARES office at 614.688.4486 or bruns.1@osu.edu
~ Grant recipients will be announced at the April 30, 2010 (11:00 to 1:30) James F. Patterson Land-Grant
University Lecture. Please mark your calendars and register for this event.
Overview of OSU CARES Grants
OSU CARES (Community Access to Resources and Educational Services) is a university-wide initiative jointly funded
by the Offices of Outreach and Engagement and Ohio State University Extension. It serves as a catalyst to activate
teams of University professionals to address anticipated critical issues that will face Ohioans. These teams must
include at least one partner from OSU Extension and one partner from an Ohio State unit that does not currently
have faculty/staff appointments funded by OSU Extension. Through the efforts of these teams, Ohioans will
increase their understanding of key issues so they can make decisions that positively affect their lives and their
communities.
The guiding principles for OSU CARES include. . .
Future Orientation -- OSU CARES is future-oriented in its desire to address the emerging issues that face Ohioans.
Collaboration -- OSU CARES aims to build and enhance collaboration both within and outside The Ohio State
University.
Grassroots/Public Involvement -- OSU CARES promotes strong grassroots or public involvement.
As a partner with the Offices of Outreach and Engagement, OSU CARES functions using the following definition for
outreach/engagement:
A meaningful and mutually beneficial collaboration with partners in education, business, public and social service. It
represents that aspect of teaching that enables learning beyond the campus walls, that aspect of research that
makes what we discover useful beyond the academic community, and that aspect of service that directly benefits
the public.
A key focus of this year's OSU CARES grants is to formalize the partnerships between Ohio State University
colleges/units and OSU Extension to expand outreach/engagement throughout Ohio. Applicants are strongly
encouraged to use the grants to leverage a more formal partnership between Ohio State University colleges/units
and OSU Extension.
We encourage you to use this grant to support outreach/engagement partnerships that connect the missions of the
units involved. The dollars should be used to build and support partnerships that are not dependent upon a few
individuals, but build relationships between units and integrate the objectives of the project into the teaching,
research and service missions of each unit.
OSU Extension has identified the following IMPACT AREAS to describe the focus of its outreach/engagement work.
We encourage you to submit proposals that focus on one or more of these areas.
Strengthening Families and Communities
Preparing Youth for Success
Enhancing Agriculture and the Environment
Advancing Employment and Income Opportunities
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The purpose of the OSU CARES grants program is to support outreach/engagement efforts implemented by
interdisciplinary teams of Ohio State faculty and/or staff. Over 75 grants have been awarded through OSU CARES
since 1997. Faculty/staff in all colleges and the four regional campuses have given lead to these initiatives. Team
members for the grants have also come from all colleges and the four regional campuses. The teams address
emerging issues to impact Ohioans and share research, teaching and service expertise related to the issue. Through
the team, the best thinking of Ohio State is brought together to address an issue that will impact Ohioans. For
examples of past partnerships, click to see the Report of Past OSU CARES Grants.
Guidelines/Format for Grant Submission – In order to facilitate the grant application process, we are
providing the 2010 Application Form for OSU CARES Seed and Personnel Support Grants . You MUST
use this form to create and submit your proposal. Please refer to these guidelines as you fill out the form.
The proposals are due March 8th, 2010 by 4:00 p.m. Please save and submit the entire document (including grant
application and appendix) as one electronic document (Adobe PDF format) to osucares@osu.edu. Any non-electronic
documents should be scanned and added to the electronic copy. If you do not have Adobe PDF Cute Writer, please
follow this link for a free download: http://www.cutepdf.com/. It is preferred that the entire application be submitted
as one electronic copy with all parts included. If that is not possible due to size, please clearly label and submit as
multiple files/e-mails (Part 1 of 3, etc.).
2010 Application Form for OSU CARES Seed and Personnel Support Grants includes: Please reference
this as you fill out your application form.
- Cover Page ~ (2 PAGES MAXIMUM) The cover page(s) will consist of: A) Identify if requesting funding through
“Seed Grant” or “Personnel Support”; B) Grant title; C) OSU Extension impact area to which the project relates; D)
Primary author's name, title, college, department, address, phone and e-mail; E) Other team members' names,
departments, e-mails, and 1-2 sentence explanation of their involvement with the grant; F) An abstract of the
proposal (250 words maximum); G) Attach an approval e-mail from primary author's unit head, department chair,
Regional Director, or college dean (see Checklist).
- Narrative Questions ~ (6 PAGES MAXIMUM) Seed Grant Applicants answer questions 1-7 on the Grant
Application in paragraph form. Personnel Support Grant Applicants will answer questions 1-9.
1. How will this grant help formalize a partnership between OSU Extension and the college/unit for expanded
outreach/engagement with Ohioans? Include measurable expected outcomes/impacts and how the partnership will
address emerging issues. The grant must build/expand a partnership between an OSU Extension and an Ohio State
unit(s) that traditionally has NOT had a formalized partnership with OSU Extension.
The project should be used to support the development of a sustainable outreach/engagement partnership between
OSU Extension and a unit(s)/college(s) that addresses important issues impacting Ohioans. The proposal should
reflect a proactive approach to engaging with Ohioans rather than being reactive to past or current issues.
2. Who are the members of your interdisciplinary team and how will they and their unit be actively involved in this
grant? Clearly explain how this project will be integrated into each unit's mission, including integration of the project
into the teaching, research and service functions of the unit. How does the project support both the OSU Extension
Strategic Plan and the partner college/unit Strategic Plan?
This grant should be used to develop true and equal partnerships between the units involved rather than being
dependent upon just the individuals applying for the grant. It is suggested that this grant be used to integrate
outreach/engagement work with the teaching and/or research function of the unit and the organizational structure
of each unit. Proposals must have a minimum of two collaborating Ohio State departments (OSU Extension is a
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department in the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences), representing at least two different Ohio
State colleges and/or VP units. Proposals must explain how each team member and their unit will be involved with
implementation of the grant. The proposal should clearly explain how this grant will build strong, formal partnerships
between Ohio State colleges/units for enhanced outreach/engagement and/or continuation of the outreach project.
Extension partners are encouraged to integrate this project into an existing Extension team, Extension Education
and Research Area (EERA) team, or other organizational structure for longer-term sustainability of the partnership.
3. How will this grant leverage support for longer-term impact?
These grants are designed to seed proactive outreach/engagement initiatives that can result from interdisciplinary
teams. They must be used to leverage additional resources/support or demonstrate the viability of continued
support of the outreach/engagement partnership. The proposal should clearly explain the strategies for funding this
project (or the partnership) in the future. Proposals should consider the prospect of maintaining sustainability by
recovering costs associated with the partnership. This may be through user fees or contractual arrangements with
community partners.
4. How will the grant connect Ohio State departments/units and OSU Extension? How will both units benefit from
the partnership? How will you communicate throughout the project to build the relationship and partnership?
Extension is a part of The Ohio State University located in every county of the state. Approximately 1,000 Ohio State
University faculty and staff members work through the Department of Extension in these counties addressing issues
related to:
Strengthening Families and Communities
Preparing Youth for Success
Enhancing Agriculture and the Environment
Advancing Employment and Income Opportunities
Extension faculty and staff are located in local county offices throughout the state and in colleges on campus. They
work in partnership with Extension faculty/staff in EERAs, throughout the state and the nation to address pertinent
issues. The local county offices and on-campus offices can serve as points of contact to engage Ohio State in new
ways with communities. To learn more about possible contacts through OSU Extension, contact Karen Bruns at
614.292.9613 or bruns.1@osu.edu or visit http://extension.osu.edu/locate-an-office.
At the same time, many departments across campus are actively involved or want to become more involved with
outreach/engagement efforts throughout the state as they implement their unit's strategic plan and help achieve
the University’s goal of “commit to our communities”. The expertise of these units can (and in many cases does) play
a dramatic role in building Ohio's future. By partnering, existing OSU Extension programming can be enriched or
additional needs of citizens currently served by OSU Extension can be addressed.
Involvement or partnership between Ohio State University colleges/departments/units and OSU Extension can help
the grant teams learn about the concerns of Ohioans, how ongoing efforts are blending scholarly work with
outreach/engagement, and how teams can extend their impact statewide.
Therefore, each grant applicant must show how the grant will connect the work of OSU Extension and the partnering
unit to build a strong, mutually beneficial partnership.
5. How will volunteerism or service-learning be incorporated into this grant?
Grants are encouraged to involve community partners and/or undergraduate/graduate students through
volunteerism and/or service-learning. This could include such activities as Ohio State students working on the grant
as a result of a class requirement; community members volunteering time to work on
identifying/planning/implementing the grant; or high school students partnering with the implementation of a grant.
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Service-learning is a form of experiential education in which students engage in activities that address human and
community needs together with structured opportunities intentionally designed to promote student learning and
development. Service-learning includes the key concepts of reflection and reciprocity. (Jacoby and Associates,
1996)
6. What is the time line for the project?
Grants may begin as soon as June 1, 2010 and MUST be completed by June 30, 2011 (for Seed Grants) and
September 30, 2011 (for Personnel Support Grants). Time line should include major activities to occur during that
period. The time line should also show key communication points between partners that will help build the
relationship between the departments involved.
7. How will the project be evaluated?
Identify the expected outcomes/impacts of this project and the methodology that will be used to document. If you
develop a logic model (see http://www.uwex.edu/ces/pdande/evaluation/evallogicmodel.html) for this project,
please include it in your appendix (see Checklist/appendices). How will you communicate the outcomes/impacts to
peers and stakeholders? What scholarly publications and/or presentations are expected to result from this project?
(Please identify whether or not IRB, Institutional Review Board approval will be needed for your project. If so, include
securing IRB approval in your project timeline.) For additional resources on conducting program evaluation, visit
www.sammie.osu.edu, a one-stop link to Successful Assessment Methods and Measurement In Evaluation.
- Seed Grant Applicants Only – Continue to Budget Questions
- Personnel Support Grant Applicants Only – you must answer questions 8 & 9 in addition to questions 1-7:
8. How will the current duties of the employee funded through the Personnel Support grant be handled to free their
time to work on this partnership? Will their current duties be discontinued, will someone else take on those
responsibilities or will this be an “off-quarter” assignment? This should not be an “add on” but a redirection of their
work devoted to the collaboration. (2 PAGES MAXIMUM)
9. Letter of commitment signed by OSU Extension Assistant Director/Regional Director AND partnering unit’s Unit
Head or Dean. (2 PAGES MAXIMUM)
This letter should identify the responsibilities and roles of the OSU Extension Assistant Director/Regional Director
and Department Chair/Unit Head in working with employee funded through the Personnel Support grant. This letter
should address how the grant will support long term partnerships between the units. The letter MUST be signed by
both the OSU Extension Assistant Director/Regional Director and Department Chair/Unit Head.
- Budget Questions ~ (2 PAGES MAXIMUM) Each type of grant will have a budget question consisting of four
parts. Part 1. is a table with columns identifying: budget category (explanation); funding for this category requested
from OSU CARES; matching cash funding for this category; and match in-kind funding for this category. Part 2 is a
narrative that answers the question provided. Parts 3 and 4 are the match and fiscal approval letters, and will be
included in the appendix (see Checklist on Grant Application).
Budget Guidelines for OSU CARES SEED GRANTS–
How will the proposed budget be used to achieve measurable expected outcomes? A clear explanation is required of
how the money will be spent, and why the money should be spent in that way to support the project. There are no
restrictions as to how the dollars can be used, but there must be an explanation and justification of how the dollars
will support sustained and substantial outreach/engagement partnership.
30% in match must be provided for all first year grants. ½ of the match can be in-kind and ½ of the match MUST be
cash redirected to this project from another source. An approval email must be attached from the primary author's
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Fiscal Person, consisting of a paragraph stating that they have reviewed and approved the grant budget (see
Checklist).
If this project has received OSU CARES grant funding in the past, you may receive a second year of funding only if
you identify an equal amount of cash match (if request $10,000 in grant dollars, must provide $10,000 in cash
match). The source of the match must be identified and a letter of commitment must be included from the matching
source.
Budget Guidelines for OSU CARES PERSONNEL SUPPORT GRANTS–
How will the proposed budget be used to achieve measurable expected outcomes? A clear explanation is required of
how the money will be spent, and why the money should be spent in that way to support the project. For the
Personnel Support Grants, the grant dollars must be used to support salary and benefits of an EXISTING OSU
employee. This can be an OSU Extension programmatic faculty/staff member or an OSU department faculty,
outreach/engagement staff member. Through the project the employee is to work with the other partner’s
department to extend both Extension’s and the department/unit’s outreach and engagement with the community
and to formalize partnerships between the units. An approval email must be attached from the primary author's
Fiscal Person, consisting of a paragraph stating that they have reviewed and approved the grant budget (see
Checklist).
50% match must be provided. This can be cash or in-kind match and must be provided for salary, benefits and/or
programming support. The match MUST demonstrate how each unit is contributing to the match with written
COMMITMENT from each Unit head (OSU Extension Assistant Director/Center Director and collaborating Department
head). The source of the match must be identified and a letter of commitment must be included from the matching
source.
- Checklist / List Of Appendices ~
Please complete the checklist and submit the entire document (including grant application and appendix) as one
electronic document (Adobe PDF format) to osucares@osu.edu. Any non-electronic documents should be scanned
and added to the electronic copy. If you do not have Adobe PDF Cute Writer, please follow this link for a free
download: http://www.cutepdf.com/. It is preferred that the entire application be submitted as one electronic copy
with all parts included. If that is not possible due to size, please clearly label and submit as multiple files/e-mails
(Part 1 of 3, etc.).
Questions...?
If you have questions about the application process, or would like assistance in connecting with colleagues across
the campus or OSU Extension, contact:
Dr. Karen Bruns, Leader, OSU CARES and Outreach/Engagement
PH: 614.292.9613
e-mail: bruns.1@osu.edu.
If you have technical questions about submissions, contact Terri Fisher: fisher.456@osu.edu.
(RFP Updated: December, 2009)
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