Month: April 2023

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New Flash Grants Highlight Student Experiences

The Jefferson Trust has awarded $96,350 across 14 flash funding grants since January.

“Creativity is key this semester! We have received a tremendous number of submissions, primarily from students, seeking to shake things up and move in new directions” shared Director of Grants, Amy Bonner.

Educational opportunities are the standout theme this spring. Whether it’s coming together to learn at programmatic events like the Darden Emerging Markets Conference, Virginia Undergraduate Investment Conference, and the Black Student Business Expo, creating a better way to study organic chemistry, or educational opportunities for incarcerated individuals, people around UVA are seeking out new ways to learn and engage.

Different than the Jefferson Trust’s Annual Cycle grants, Flash Funding grants are capped at $10,000 per project and are awarded monthly beginning in January.

The 2023 Flash Grants:

Darden Emerging Markets Conference: $10,000

International affinity clubs at Darden are organizing the inaugural Darden Emerging Markets Conference, bringing together thought leaders, professionals, academicians, and students to discuss business and growth opportunities and challenges in global emerging markets in a post-COVID world.

Laboratory for Citizen Education and Leadership: $10,000

Funding provides student leaders across Grounds opportunities to engage and learn from mixed-reality simulations, to increase leaders’ understanding of and capacity for thoughtful and ethical community-engaged leadership.

Behavioral Science Across Grounds: $9,240

Funding helps to establish the first formal gathering of behavioral scientists across the University, providing an opportunity for improved collaborations, better training, strategic planning, and a greater sense of community.

Creating a Cohesive and Coordinated Food Union: Food Union Banquet: $3,200

The Food Union aims to integrate all the UVA Food-related CIOs and their goals of food-related work. This spring’s banquet brings together student leaders, University leadership, and community members to strengthen relationships and to increase awareness about sustainable and just food systems.

Morven Student Days: $10,000

Morven Farms will be open to all students during Morven Student Days and will provide transportation to and from Grounds. Students can study, relax, learn, and explore Morven through unique programming opportunities.

Students participate in yoga during Morven Student Days this spring.

Orgopoly: The Organic Chemistry Monopoly/Gameboard: $1,522

A student-created game designed to review Organic Chemistry I and II, Orgopoly aims to innovate and enliven the process of studying chemistry.

Predicting Neurodevelopmental Outcomes at the Bedside: $3,187

Funding helps establish a student research project to understand the connection between brain activity in premature infants and abnormal social development linked to autism.

The Virginia Undergraduate Investment Conference (VUIC): $10,000

The Virginia Finance Institute is hosting the VUIC stock pitch conference, bringing students together from multiple universities to provide hands-on experience in equity analysis and investment skills, networking opportunities, and professional growth.

VLPP Prison Education Program : $10,000

In partnership with The Decarceration Clinic at UVA Law and Resilience Education (RE), funding expands the Entrepreneurial Reentry Education Program model to include law school students in developing and teaching educational course materials for incarcerated learners.

Black Economic Empowerment Society (BEES): $9,734

Through a business development program, educational events, and community partnerships, BEES aims to increase financial literacy, emphasize the importance of asset ownership, and empower Black UVA students to start businesses.

{in}Visible Magazine: $3,170

Funding helps to launch the first literary publication at the University of Virginia dedicated to Asian Pacific Islander South Asian American (APISAA) community on Grounds, creating a space for exploring and sharing unique experiences through writing and art.

Talking Trees: $1,546

With the purchase of a print press, a folio of wood prints is being created as a visual catalogue of the different species of trees from across Grounds, providing tangible education to UVA students.

America’s Disappearing Chinatowns: $5,250

This project aids in student research of Chinatowns around the US by exploring the emergence and endurance of Chinatowns within the larger global context and culminating in the creation of a book to document students’ observation and research.

UVA x Nocturnal Medicine: $9,500

In partnership with the nonprofit Nocturnal Medicine, the Student Association of Landscape Architecture and Design (SALAD) is planning an event in fall 2023 concentrating on regeneration, focus, re-grounding, and building community among School of Architecture students.

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Summit Update

On April 21, active grant directors, Trustees, and some of our University partners met at Darden for the second annual Jefferson Trust Summit. The purpose was to provide additional resources to grantees and members of the University community. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and parents were able to engage and discuss the great work across Grounds.

In addition to multiple networking and brainstorming opportunities, structured events included panel discussions on making a pitch and promoting a project, as well as a resource fair. The resource fair was new for this year and gave grantees an opportunity to learn more about pan-University resources, such as the Licensing & Ventures Group, or external organizations, such as local media outlets.

“We are always looking to support our grantees and other members of the University community in any way we can,” noted Brent Percival, the Trust’s executive director.  “The Summit is a way the Trust can add value beyond grantmaking alone, and I’m thrilled we could include other University and external partners this year”.

He went on to say, “we see the Trust as connecting inspired ideas with dedicated donors, and the more opportunities we have to do that, the better”.

The Trust will continue to look at new ways to bring people together, and if you have any ideas, please send us your thoughts, jeffersontrust@virginia.edu.

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2023-24 Annual Cycle is Open

Our Annual Cycle application is open for the 2023-24 academic year! The Annual Cycle is intended for requests with budgets ranging from $10,000 to over $300,000, but there are no minimums and maximums vary based on available funds.

Important dates to remember:

  • April 13: First day to submit an LOI
    • Every Annual Cycle grant starts with a Letter of Inquiry (LOI), which is an opportunity to simply explain the idea (no need to justify it or cite sources; less is more). Requests are reviewed on a rolling basis.
    • Early LOI entries (before September 15) could have a chance for edit and resubmission.
  • October 1: Last day to submit a finalized LOI. From there, selected LOIs move to the proposal stage.
  • October 31: Proposal deadline. After further review, a final batch moves forward for in-person pitches to the full Board of Trustees.
  • January: Proposal pitches
  • February:Grants awarded

We encourage you to plan ahead! Visit our grant seekers page to view our grant guidelines and contact our Director of Grants, Amy Bonner, at 434-243-9078 or abonner@virginia.edu. An idea is more likely to be funded if we have a chance to work with the grant seeker.

You may preview the LOI questions and the Annual Cycle Proposal. When you’re ready to submit an LOI, log on to our Grant Portal.

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Grants in the News

Hosting trainings and events, conducting research and workshops—our grantees have been busy! Check out projects recently featured in the news:

  • The Trust was an early supporter of the Darden Prisoner Reentry Education Initiative, in 2013, and we’re thrilled to see its continued growth and impact in Darden News and on NBC29.
  • Learn about the community and programming C-ville Tulips has established in their UVA Arts Winter Magazine feature.
  • The Transformative Autism Biomarker Research Initiative, a 2020 grant recipient, received coverage from 13 News Now.
  • CBS19 featured the work of Including Preschoolers with Autism and Piloting Open-Source Educational Model, two of our newest annual grant recipients.
  • The School of Medicine’s, Medicine in Motion News highlighted the research work of Dr. Sean Moore’s Lab, Organ-on-a-chip technology, a 2023 annual grant recipient.

    Researchers from Dr. Sean Moore’s Lab are researching organ-on-a-chip technology.
  • PBS News Hour highlighted the work and impact of the Holsinger Portrait Project, a 2022 grant recipient.
  • UVA and local researchers are creating and conducting new autism training for local emergency responders to improve patient interactions and care. Read more about this 2022 flash grant project.
  • The Virginia Law in Prison Project, one of our newest flash grant recipients, involves UVA Law students developing and teaching incarcerated individuals. Read more about the scope of their work in this UVA Today feature.
  • UVA Edge received a Trust grant in 2021. They’re continuing to expand and enhance their program for adult learners. Read their progress in UVA Today.
  • A 2022 grant recipient from The Equity Center, Starr Hill Pathways brings local middle-school students to Grounds to explore college and career pathways. A group of approximately 40 Starr Hill Pathways students visited Grounds recently to learn about UVA’s School of Nursing.
  • Orpheus & Erica: A Deaf Opera held performances in mid-March. This one-of-a-kind theatre experience brought together opera, deaf actors, and the UVA Chamber Singers.