Grant Seekers

We fund ideas. When the University’s founders met at Rockfish Gap, they knew funding their idea would be a challenge. The need for funding has persisted ever since, and we want to do our part to see every great idea at UVA come to fruition.

If you need funding for your innovative idea or want to radically expand an existing program or project, consider applying in one of our two grant cycles.

Flash Funding grants are capped at $10,000 and focus on short-term projects or immediate use opportunities, often for student organizations. Flash Funding runs in the Spring Semester and grants are made on a month-to-month basis for as long as funds are available. Unlike the Annual Cycle, there is no LOI process or in-person pitch; simply share the idea, the impact, and the budget. Flash funding for Spring 2024 opens on December 15, 2023.

December 15: First cycle opens

January 31: First cycle closes

February 1: Second cycle opens

February 15: First cycle grants awarded

February 29: Second cycle closes

March 15: Second cycle grants awarded

Additional cycles continue based on available funding

Annual Cycle proposals come from students, faculty, and staff for a variety 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 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.

Every Annual Cycle grant starts with a letter of inquiry (LOI), 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 submissions, generally those submitted before September 1, are strongly encouraged. If declined, early submissions may be invited to edit and resubmit based on the Director of Grants’ feedback before the October 1 final deadline. From there, selected LOIs move to the proposal stage. After further review, a final batch moves forward for in-person pitches to the full Board of Trustees.

The Annual Cycle Proposal form has closed for the 2023-2024 grant cycle.

April 15: LOI application opens

October 1: LOI deadline

October 31: Proposal deadline

January 24 or 25: Proposal pitch

February: Grants awarded

Guidelines for both cycles are simple.

  1. We like proposals that have a tangible positive impact on the student experience, the University community, or society at large (locally, nationally, and globally) and encourage innovation and/or leadership.
  2. All UVA students, faculty, and staff are eligible to apply.
  3. We fund innovative ideas and radical expansions of existing programs and projects. We do not provide sustainable, operating funds, nor support ventures with a for-profit outlook.
  4. We fund single and multi-year timelines (no more than three) provided the budgets for each year are submitted.
  5. Physical spaces are typically not funded unless tied to funding a new program.

Ready to share your idea?  Please reach out to Director of Grants Amy Bonner at 434-243-9078 or abonner@virginia.edu.  You can also schedule a meeting with Amy. An idea is more likely to be funded if we have a chance to work with the grant seeker.

You may also preview the LOIAnnual Cycle Proposal, or Flash Proposal forms.

Trustees and grant recipients share their insights for Perfecting Your Pitch:

When you’re ready to submit an LOI or proposal, log on to our Grant Portal.

Note for returning applicants: we transitioned to a new proposal system in 2020. If you submitted a proposal prior to 2020, your submission history has been migrated and you already have an account in the new portal. Your username will be your email address. You can login by clicking “Forgot Password.” Please contact our office with any questions.