Summer Research Grants

Application Procedures

A summer research grant application consists of the following parts:

  1. SOAR summer grant cover-sheet Google Forms containing vital information about the project, student, and faculty mentor—one per student on the project, and one for the faculty advisor(s) (can be combined for co-advisors). For summer SOAR applications, the links to the cover-forms can be found below.
  2. A project proposal that explains the goals of the project and roles of the participants (written by the student and faculty in collaboration)
  3. A student statement of purpose that describes the student's rationale for pursuing SOAR and expected outcomes (one per student on the project; written by the student).
  4. (Optional) An expense proposal that enumerates and justifies expenses (supplies, materials, travel) for the project. No need to include stipends.

Summer grant applications are due mid-March, and applicants will receive notification of the status of their grant application within 2-3 weeks. The project proposal, student statement(s) of purpose, and expense proposal are submitted electronically to the Director of SOAR at soar@moravian.edu. The cover-sheet Google Forms will be submitted electronically.

Application Part I: SOAR Cover Sheet

  1. The cover sheet for your application will be completed as separate Google Forms for the student (or students) and the faculty advisor(s): Cover Sheets.
  2. If the GPA of a student is less than 3.0, the faculty mentor should include an explanation of why the student is recommended for the program.
  3. Submission of the Google Form will act as your signature (for both students and faculty). Do not submit these forms until your application is submitted.

Application Part 2: Project Proposal

  1. Proposal length is limited to three single-spaced pages.
  2. The proposal should be written jointly by the faculty mentor(s) and the student(s).
  3. In the heading of the proposal include:
    • The title of the project.
    • The name, rank, and department of the faculty mentor.
    • The names of all students on the project.
    • The start date of the project and the length in weeks.
    Because funded proposals are posted to the SOAR webpage, please do not include student contact information or GPA in the faculty proposal.
  4. Provide a succinct and non-technical project description. The audience for the proposal is a committee of multi-disciplinary faculty.
  5. List the roles and responsibilities of the student(s) and faculty mentor(s) and include a clear and descriptive timetable of expected goals and milestones. It should be evident that the work will encompass a full-time job for the student for the proposed length of time.
  6. If the proposal includes two students, describe why the scope of the project is sufficiently sized to warrant two SOAR positions.
  7. Describe how the student will be engaged in discipline-appropriate scholarly research.
  8. Describe how the work of the student will contribute to the discipline and in what ways the student will share his/her/their work with other students, faculty, the discipline, or the community community (beyond the required participation in Scholarship and Creative Endeavors Day).

Application Part 3: Student Statement of Purpose

  1. Statement of purpose length is limited to two single-spaced pages.
  2. In the heading of the statement include:
    • The title of the project.
    • The name, major, and expected date of graduation of the student.
    • The name of the faculty mentor.
    Because funded proposals are posted to the SOAR webpage, please do not include student contact information or GPA in the faculty proposal.
  3. Provide a brief discussion of your rationale to participate in this project.
  4. Describe your expected outcomes for the project.

(Optional) Application Part 4: Expense Proposal

  1. Expense proposal length is limited to two single-spaced pages.
  2. In the heading of the proposal include:
    • The title of the project.
    • The name of the faculty mentor.
    • The names of all students on the application.
  3. The body of the proposal should contain a fully itemized list of only those equipment, supplies and/or travel expenses for the project for which you are requesting funding. For each item, describe why it is necessary for the successful completion of the summer project, and if relevant, how the item supports a long-term project. Travel expenses must be ones that support the conducting of the research itself.
  4. Explain why each requested material item is not available through existing on-campus resources (e.g. IT, media services, or Inter-library loan) or why the available item is insufficient for the project.
  5. Don’t include stipends for students or faculty in your expense request.