Award Amounts: Up to $1,000

Number of Awards: Approximately 2 per year

Eligibility: Full-time undergraduate students at Rutgers University in good academic standing and majoring in arts, humanities, and social sciences disciplines, or in interdisciplinary studies that include such disciplines.

 

The Center for Latino Arts and Culture (CLAC) at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey has established the CLAC Undergraduate Grant to support projects that significantly advance undergraduate student creative practice of Latino, Latin American, or Caribbean art (i.e. verbal art, folk traditions, literature, film, visual art, music and dance, theatre, etc.) and/or that significantly advance student knowledge of Latino, Latin American or Caribbean culture (broadly defined as the socially transmitted systems of beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors and systems of social organization, production and exchange that define a people’s way of life).

The goal of the program is to encourage curiosity, creativity, risk-taking and scholarly investigation into a project or subject of interest relevant to a student’s major. Senior-level capstone projects that draw on the expertise of a faculty sponsor/mentor are preferred.  Projects may be conducted as part of theses, independent study, internships, research seminars, fieldwork, and similar activities. Grants must be used to defray the costs of conducting the project and/or disseminating its results to the scholarly or artistic community.  Funds may not be used toward tuition at Rutgers or other institutions, or to cover expenses normally incurred during regular coursework.

Some examples of fundable projects include: travel to access primary sources, texts, and works of art and/or cultural sites; surveys of artistic practice or analysis of cultural practices, policies and institutions; creation of performances, exhibitions, or media projects that are accompanied by a substantial research component; and presentation of a student’s project findings and products at exhibitions, conferences or symposia. Projects that explore linkages between Latino arts and culture and other fields such as health, social work, education, media studies, and politics are also welcome.

Before undertaking a project, students should carefully examine their work load and the strength of their commitment. They are also encouraged to contact faculty in Latino and Hispanic Caribbean Studies, Latin American Studies or other relevant departments to discuss their projects. Students who wish to apply to the grant are invited to contact CLAC Director Carlos Fernandez (cafernan@echo.rutgers.edu) with their questions or concerns.

 

GRANT REQUEST

The Grant Request itself should be no more than three (3) doubles-spaced pages. It should be typed in 12 point font and stapled to the Application Form, and include the following:

  • Title of the project
  • Abstract, i.e. a concise (300 words or less) summary of your project, including description of the research question or problem under investigation, or scope of the creative project; plan of the work, including methodological approach/research design you plan to use; and anticipated results.
  • Time schedule for completing your project, including start and end dates, and estimated number of hours per week you plan to dedicate to this work;
  • Significance of your project or the expected benefit of your research. Why is it important? How will the project contribute to your understanding of Latino arts and culture? How will this opportunity contribute to your academic career and professional development?
  • Describe your relationship with your research sponsor/mentor, his/her role in helping you develop your project and how you will work together over the course of the project.
  • Itemized budget for how you will use the grant, which may include purchase of necessary equipment, supplies, travel, and/or other justifiable expense.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF GRANT

Your research/creative project must be conducted and completed by June 30, for sophomores, during the junior year, and for juniors, during the senior year. You must apply for a grant individually. Past grant recipients are ineligible.

In addition, the proposed research/creative project:

  • Project must be completed before graduation.
  • If it is research involving human subjects, it must adhere to RU procedures for Human Subjects Research certification and Institutional Review Board (IRB) project review and approval. For more information, please visit orsp.rutgers.edu.
  • Allowable expenses include expendable supplies and services directly related to the student’s proposed project, including limited photocopying; research subject compensation; transportation and lodging to visit special collections, libraries, archives, research sites, and other special resources; and the purchase of books or other materials unavailable from RU libraries or through Interlibrary Loan.
  • Funds may not be used for meals, living expenses, tuition, stipends/per diem, or the purchase of durable equipment (laptops, printers, etc.).

Grant recipients are required to:

  • Submit a written report of approximately three (3) pages no more than 30 days after the completion of the project. The report should include a summary of the project, proposed goals, methods used in pursuit of those goals, results and findings, and how the monies were used.
  • Present their project findings at a CLAC-sponsored public program during (or immediately following) the semester that the project is completed.

Publication and Acknowledgements:

Any publication resulting from a project supported by a CLAC Undergraduate Grant shall include an appropriate acknowledgement of assistance from Rutgers University and the Center for Latino Arts and Culture.  A copy of the publication shall be forwarded to the CLAC.

Fund Disbursement and Accounting:

  • CLAC Undergraduate Grants may be in the form of checks – made payable directly to the student – and/or in direct payments for services received. Checks are issued in the full amount of the award. Other payments are dispersed on an as-needed basis up to the amount awarded.
  • Funds are available approximately 4 weeks from notification of award. Students will be contacted for pickup.  Personal checks must be picked up in person.
  • Only those items which were specifically delineated and approved in the student’s budget proposal may be purchased using CLAC grant funds. If the student’s necessary expenses deviate from those listed in the budget proposal, s/he must submit a revised budget to the CLAC Director for approval prior to making the relevant purchase(s).
  • Receipts must be collected for all expenses paid using CLAC grant funds. These receipts must be turned in to the CLAC with the final report.
  • Any remaining balance of more than $10 must be returned by the receipts deadline either via cash, personal check, or cashier check made payable to “Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey” with “CLAC Undergraduate Grant – unused balance” in the check’s memo line.
  • Failure to adhere to these guidelines will risk a financial hold on the student’s account.

The following types of receipts are accepted for approved expenses:

  1. Any itemized receipt from a business or store (including online stores) is valid.
  2. Proof of transportation expenses can be submitted in the form of airline or train ticket stubs. Taxi cab receipts and automobile mileages are also acceptable. NOTE: Receipts for gasoline are not accepted; the university pays for vehicular travel at the rate of $0.31 per mile, which covers both gasoline and general wear to the vehicle. In lieu of a receipt, the student is asked to use a service such as Google or MapQuest to calculate the exact distance between the point of origin and destination. The student should then hand in a printout of the directions, showing the calculations for the round trip mileage and total reimbursement amount.
  3. RU Library receipts for any copy cards purchased.

 

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