Call for Proposals

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Grants

Dear colleagues:

On behalf of the Arts Advisory Committee, I’m pleased to announce a new round of grants as part of the Arts Infusion Initiative, known to many as the “STEAM Grant,” from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

This is the first of two calls for proposals. The second will come at the start of the fall semester; this first call is for those of you who may already have a project planned for the 16-17 academic year and could use a little extra support to make it successful.

Grants will provide funding for:

  • Course development: The course may be offered in 16-17 or afterwards; the groundwork for developing the course must take place during the 16-17 academic year. Capped at $1,000.
  • Integrative programs: Collaborative projects with arts departments to promote STEAM. Capped at $1,500.
  • Visiting artists: Funds for artist stipends, travel to Easton, and/or housing while in residence at Lafayette. Capped at $2,000.

Please note that Mellon is interested in supporting activities that focus on student learning with experts and explorations with curricular activities. The grants will not fund supplies, student travel, food, or admission to facilities.

The grants will fund the development of arts modules in existing and new courses where students use the arts as a way of communicating or examining ideas; the development of STEM modules in arts, humanities, and social science courses; and co-curricular or community-based projects with a crossover between the arts and other disciplines. Courses reaching a broad student audience are ideal. We also encourage the co-development of modules with Lafayette community members or a collaborator outside of Lafayette.

The modules might be problem- or discovery-based class activities that require students to engage in cross-disciplinary projects.

Successful proposals will:

  1. Provide a description of the project to be developed with an explanation of how the interdisciplinary nature will enhance the curriculum or the campus culture;
  2. Include a plan for the sustainability of the project, that is, for its long-term maintenance and success; in other words, explain how this experience (and/or the guest educators) will help equip you to continue teaching the module in future classes, or how the experience of a one-time event might provide a lasting influence;
  3. If appropriate, discuss how different faculty instructors from different disciplines might collaborate to create the project; all faculty involved in the project must provide a short, single paragraph statement of support and participation;
  4. Include a budget and budget justification that will cover the anticipated expenses for the project development and execution; and include anticipated support from other sources for your project; and
  5. Include a plan for assessment of the arts infusion outcome. Reporting guidelines can be found here.

All proposals will be evaluated based on:

  1. Whether the promised projects seek to contribute to a pedagogy where students are strongly engaged in interdisciplinary expression;
  2. Whether the arts are instrumental to student learning;
  3. Whether the projects cross disciplines or employ best practices in the case of multi- and inter-disciplinary methodologies;
  4. Whether students engage significantly in the experience; and
  5. Whether the organizational materials, support, and collaborations are in place toward a successful project.

Grants may run for either one semester or for the full year. Please note that any exceeded budget will be the responsibility of the faculty proposer’s department.

To Apply

For those who are looking to finalize project plans over the summer, please submit your proposal by June 6. The Arts Advisory Committee will review these proposals immediately and offer a decision by June 24.

For proposals that need a bit more development time, please keep these guidelines in mind and anticipate another call for proposals at the start of the fall semester.

All proposals should be sent electronically to Jennifer Kelly, Director of the Arts, kellyjw@lafayette.edu. We expect that complete proposals should be able to fit into a two-page document, with additional short paragraphs of participating faculty support.

The Arts Infusion Initiative is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and we gratefully acknowledge this support.

Please feel free to contact me or any other member of the Arts Advisory Committee to discuss questions or develop ideas.

Best regards,

Jennifer Kelly, Director of the Arts, on behalf of the Arts Advisory Committee:

Hollis Ashby
Ingrid Furniss
Nestor Gil
Jeffrey Helm
Ed Kerns
Alix Ohlin
Michiko Okaya
Michael O’Neill
Jennifer Philburn
Dona Rehm
Luis Schettino
Diane Shaw
Andrew Smith
Jorge Torres