Diversity Innovation Grant Program

As part of Monmouth University’s commitment to creating an inclusive, affirming, and equitable campus community, the Office of the Provost and Intercultural Center launched a new Diversity Innovation Grant (DIG) pilot program in the Spring of 2021 to provide encouragement and financial support to members of the campus community who want to take an active role in our shared aspirations.

Reviewed by a subcommittee within the President’s Advisory Council for Diversity and Inclusion,  the first round of submissions included several academic, research and co-curricular initiatives that were supported with DIG awards. Following the success of the initial pilot, the DIG program now continues on an annual basis to invite projects that encourage conversation, learning, and connection across race, religion, class, immigration status, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, and nationality to create opportunities for belonging and to strengthen our sense of community.

Application

Applicants must be a current Monmouth University student/student organization, staff, or faculty member. We anticipate continuing to make awards across all campus roles, and strongly encourage collaborative applications from all members of the campus community. Student applicants must be affiliated with a registered student organization or have the support and/or partnership with an academic or administrative department.

Proposals will be reviewed and scored by the Office of the Provost, the Intercultural Center, and members of a subcommittee from the President’s Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusion. Please note, that there is a $10,000 cap on all project submissions for the 2024-25 cycle. Additionally, some projects may receive a partial grant based on project review and fund availability.

Applications must include:

• Description of the project and involved organizers.
• How the program fits into the purpose of the grant and whether the project is academic or co-curricular in nature.
• Learning or programmatic outcomes.
• Detailed budget projections including the proposed use of funds.
• Timeline for each part of the proposal including a draft schedule from planning to completion of the proposed program/project.
• Selected measures to gauge the success of the program/project.

Deadlines: The 2024-25 award cycle is now closed. Check back here for the 2025-26 application in January, 2025.

Current & Past Recipients

AY 2025 Awardees

• Department of Disability Services Mentoring Program (Staff)
• History of Hip Hop Sampling with John Morrison and Josh Ledidy (Staff)
• Access and Academic Success through Debate (Faculty)
• PRIDE Resource Nook (Student Organization)
• Celebrate: A gaming club for children who stutter (Faculty)
• The Contemporary Relationships Conference (Faculty)
• Monmouth Untold (Student Organization)
• I wish that I had spoken only all of it (Faculty)

NEW CATEGORY: Sustained DIG Recipients (renewable annual grants)

• Monmouth United (Athletics)
• Diversity Lives Here: Representation Through Art (Student Organization and Faculty)
• Power & Possibilities Series/Growing Together as Allies: APIDA Experiences (Faculty)
• The First, Too: First-Generation Faculty Network (Faculty)
• Empowering Young Black Male Leadership (Faculty)

Project Guidelines

Priority will be given to:

• Proposals that will have a lasting impact, such as a learning community or proposed integration of diversity into curriculum or series of events.
• Proposals that demonstrate the ability to continue beyond the first year of funding. Funds are primarily considered one-time seed funds, however, this is also a vehicle to request co-sponsorship for ongoing activity.
• Proposals that promote cross-campus, intergroup, and partnership approaches to support community-building.

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

• Relevance to advancing an inclusive campus culture.
• Nature of impact on participants.
• Budget feasibility, realistic accounting for costs. Note: costs or fees associated with any outside speakers must be reflected in your budget.
• Demonstrated campus partner commitment.
• The feasibility that the project can be completed in the time outlined.

Project Examples:

• Creating a learning community to promote the development of knowledge or skill-building through a facilitated reading group, series of workshops, or training and planned activities to extend the skills learned.
• Creating or sustaining a key resource to fill a campus need, that will advance an inclusive culture.
• Speaker, lecture, or performer honorariums.
• Research project support.
• Innovations in teaching and performance that aim to promote inclusion in the classroom.
• Activities that promote community-building, using an intergroup, multi-unit, or partnership approach.
• One-time or ongoing activities that focus on recruitment and retention of historically underrepresented students, faculty, and staff.
• Conference and presentation support as long as it is within current University travel guidelines.