Quality of Life grant program
The School of Science is pleased to launch a two-year pilot Science Quality of Life (SQoL) program designed to build community within the school, promote inclusiveness for students, staff, and faculty of diverse identities, backgrounds, and abilities, and support the physical, emotional, and intellectual well-being of our community members. The program’s goals are to:
- Provide faculty, staff and students opportunities to interact and socialize outside of the current research driven seminar series and other department-based events.
- Integrate academic and social aspects of life within the School.
- Improve communications and outreach.
- Build collaborations and connections with other community groups on campus.
The SQoL program encourages projects that have wide appeal among school community members, but will also consider proposals that focus on specific groups if they cut across existing departmental and programmatic lines. Projects need not be ambitious in scope, so long as they encourage positive connections within the community. The program will consider proposals of all sizes, but generally caps projects at $3,000 per year. In addition, proposals that have matching funds from other sources will be viewed favorably by the selection committee.
Please contact Heather Williams at 617-253-8904 or scienceqol@mit.edu for additional information.
Proposal process and guidelines
Proposals are reviewed and funded four times a year with notifications made within 30 days of the submission deadlines noted below:
July 15th deadline for fall semester funding
December 14th for spring semester funding
April 16th for summer funding
Please be sure to include the following information in your proposal:
- Detailed description of the event or activity
- Rationale for how this will build community within the School
- Clarify that the effort is achievable within the proposed time frame and budget
- Explain how your proposal makes a difference in the quality of life of participants.
- A list of the types of people who you expect to attend the event (faculty, staff, students, with their affiliated units)
- A detailed budget.
- Please note: In general, funding will not cover equipment (cameras, computers, furniture). Proposals for house parties or research will not be considered. In addition, these funds cannot support charities. Proposal authors are expected to volunteer their time; stipends for the organizing team will not be considered.
After funding
Grant recipients will be asked to submit a summary report at the end of the semester describing their planning, activities, schedule, budget, and community participation and impact. We would also appreciate any photos of your events or activities, if available!