The UFF-UNF Mini-Grant program is designed to help financially support active members working on social justice or labor-related activities.
UFF-UNF accepts applications on a rolling basis from active UFF-UNF members. The award period runs annually from September 1 through August 31. Funding for these mini-grants is designed to support[1]:
- Social justice or labor-related research/scholarship/creative activity
- Social justice or labor-related professional development opportunities
- Sponsorship of speaker events relevant to Chapter objectives.
Within this mini-grant program, social justice [2] is broadly defined as the capacity to organize with others to accomplish ends that benefit the whole community.
Faculty Award
Award Amount: $500 to $1000
Anticipated Number of Awards: 2 to 4
Submission
Please download and use the application guidelines embedded below. Applications must be submitted electronically to the UFF-UNF Mini-Grant Committee (listed below) who will:
- Acknowledge and verify that the application is complete, and
- Determine if the application meets at least one of the intended criteria stated above.
After verification is complete, the mini-grant application will be forwarded to the review committee. For the current award period, applications should be sent to unf.uff@gmail.com.
Review Process
The review committee for the UFF-UNF Mini-Grant program (a minimum of three (3) will independently and individually evaluate applications as they are received. The review committee will then meet to compare evaluations and make a joint final decision. The UFF-UNF Mini-Grant Committee Chair(s) will convey the review committee’s decision along with reviews to the UFF-UNF President who will notify each applicant.
Award Recipients
The UFF-UNF Mini-Grant Committee Co-Chairs will work with the award recipient and UFF-UNF Treasurer to disperse funds based on the project budget. There will be no direct dispersal of funds and receipts must be provided for reimbursement of expenses. Funds may be used for travel. However, funds may not be used for wages or stipends. Award recipients whose projects require IRB approval prior to recruitment and data collection with human participants must provide a copy of the IRB approval letter before mini-grant funds will be dispersed.
With dispersal of funds, all award recipients will sign a form agreeing to:
(a) recognize support from UFF-UNF (when disseminating products of the research/ scholarship/creative activity or hosting the event);
(b) include a disclaimer that the product, conclusions, views, and opinions associated with the project or event do not necessarily reflect the position, views, or policies of UFF-UNF; and,
(c) provide a brief written or oral report of the project outcomes no later than 8-weeks following reimbursement of funds. UFF-UNF reserves the right to publicize recipients and their projects on various platforms such as the Chapter website, Facebook, and/or other outlets.
Restrictions
- An individual faculty member may only receive one award during a specified award period.
- Applications for a specific speaker event are limited to one application per event.
- Multiple faculty may jointly apply for one award of $500 or $1,000, but multiple faculty may not apply for two awards to support the same event or project.
- Applicants must be current dues-paying UFF-UNF chapter members.
- Sitting UFF-UNF Executive Officers (President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary) and mini grant co-chairs are not eligible to apply for funding until such time as they are no longer serving in such capacity.
Renewability
Successful applicants who receive a UFF-UNF mini-grant award in support of research/ scholarship/creative activity are eligible to apply for renewal in a subsequent (future) award period pending demonstrated progress and ongoing need consistent with stated project goals. Research/scholarship/ creative activity renewal applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis until all available funds have been allocated. A maximum of two renewals per faculty member can be submitted for the same originally funded or closely related project.
Fine Print
[1] UFF-UNF Chapter objectives are specified in Article II of our Constitution, and can be found here.
[2] Although there are many definitions of the term, social justice typically comprises “ideas about human rights; dignity; political, economic, social and other equality; equal distribution of resources; justice; use of policy and laws; removing inequality; societal participation in change; personal responsibility; and creating access to opportunity and chance through action.”