What is your new, radical idea that will advance UVA and enrich the student experience? We want to hear it in our 2024–25 Annual Cycle, open now!
Proposals can come from students, faculty, and staff for an array of new programs and projects—everything from starting a new student group to supporting an innovative research project to seeding a University initiative. The Annual Cycle grants typically range from $10,000 to over $300,000, but there are no minimums and maximums vary based on available funds.
Key dates:
Now: Letter of Inquiry (LOI) forms are available in the grant portal and can be submitted today. LOIs submitted before September 1 may be invited to edit and resubmit.
October 1: Last day to submit a finalized LOI. From there, selected LOIs move to the proposal stage.
October 31: Proposal deadline. Decisions are made in December, with possible invitation to the next stage.
UVA grant seekers, working on your proposal or considering applying for a Jefferson Trust grant? Consider these tips:
Submit early to have more time for edits, and to refine your Letter of Inquiry (LOI) and proposal.
Sell your vision. Pitch the idea. Focus on impact.
Write for a lay audience. Reviewers are not always subject matter experts in your same field. You must write so anyone can understand it.
Proofread.
Check your budget – include all expenses, all revenues, highlight what portions you’re asking the Trust to fund. Double check your numbers and make sure it all adds up.
The third-party authorization must be received by the submission deadline. Send that email immediately. They will not see the document, just the project name.
Focus on your project’s novelty, uniqueness, or the specific niche it fills. The Trust has recently moved into funding research projects, but it’s often limited to efforts that bring students into the lab, is completely new, or clearly translational. Graduate thesis projects, existing projects, or projects that clearly could be funded elsewhere are not likely to receive a Trust grant.
Please reach out to Director of Grants, Amy Bonner, at 434-243-9078, abonner@virginia.edu, or schedule a meeting. An idea is more likely to be funded if we have a chance to work with the grant seeker.
“Developing Future Leaders in Autism Healthcare Through Emergency Medical Training” received a flash grant in 2022 to develop and distribute Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) autism response training to emergency professionals. The program’s success has resulted in additional funding for training expansion, increased partnerships, nationwide inquiries about the program, and a new Virginia law.
Nursing Narratives received an annual grant earlier this year to add a recurring editorial section to both print and digital versions of “Virginia Nursing Legacy,” the School of Nursing’s quarterly magazine. Read insights from three nurses in their spring edition.
Cville Tulips received an annual grant in 2023, bringing student volunteer together with local refugee women and their children to support English instruction, digital literacy, and youth programming.
“The Green Book” was created as a travel guide from 1936–1966, listing safe places for traveling African Americans to stay across the country. A 2021 flash grant helped launch a website database to document listings. Check out “Architecture of the Negro Travelers’ Green Book” in UVA Arts Magazine to learn about the project’s progress and growth.
Each Trust grant funds a new idea. Some of these ideas are in areas of particular importance to the President or Provost. ‘University priorities’ are not permanent but rather time-bound areas of focus where administrators put additional resources toward advancing UVA. Trust support can play a unique role in jumpstarting a project or program toward having an immediate impact.
Student success in science and mathematics courses and exposure to technology or engineering fields, collectively known as STEM, is a current University priority and one that the Trust has supported often.
The University’s STEM Initiatives are vast and when combined with individual school efforts can manifest in everything from maker spaces to calculus tutoring to biomedical research. Each element helps shape the UVA experience for all, and the advances the positive outcomes this education and research can have in a tech-driven world.
STEM is ever-changing, and fresh ideas are always being introduced to advance the field. In the last two years alone, the Trust has helped jumpstart many of these projects such as:
UVAi Vanguard ($112,870) which integrates Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs) into academic settings including research, mentorship and teaching;
UVA Cyber Range ($71,548.79) which provides students the opportunity to increase cybersecurity education, research and training outside of the classroom;
Southwest Virginia Can Code Regional Student Showcase ($9,750) which brings together UVA Wise, local schools and community organizations to teach coding, web app development, problem-solving, prototyping, and entrepreneurial and communication skills to local middle- and high- school students;
Air Force ROTC VR Simulator ($10,000) which brings increased virtual reality simulator training to Air Force ROTC students at UVA;
Printers 4 Kids ($30,000) which takes discarded electronic equipment and creates STEM kits for local Charlottesville schools, and recycles plastic waste from University labs; and
Beyond this direct support, the Trust is committed to being part of the STEM ecosystem across Grounds, funding ideas and fostering innovation that will make UVA an event better place.
