Adjunct Professional Development Grants

Adjunct Faculty Professional Development Grants provide funds for professional development activities that involve teaching, professional development in the field, and/or creative endeavors as a means to further teaching expertise at RIT. Examples of appropriate expenditures include participation/presentation at conferences, national professional meetings, pedagogical programs, or travel required to access resources at other institutions. Adjuncts may apply for grants up to $500 each and must meet all eligibility requirements as listed below.

1. Applicants must have taught at RIT for at least two semesters and will be continuing as an adjunct faculty in Academic Affairs at RIT, to be verified by the department head.
    
2. Applicants must be teaching a credit-bearing course in Academic Affairs.
    
3. Priority will be given to adjuncts who have not received an Adjunct Professional Development grant in the past.
    
4. Adjunct faculty who have not completed previously awarded grant-funded projects or have not submitted an “Outcome Report” for a prior grant will not be eligible for a new grant-funded activity. 
    
5. Grant funds may not be used for activities completed prior to the award approval.
    
6. Adjunct faculty may not submit more than one grant application (one project/activity) per academic  year.
7. Hospitality requests should not exceed 10% of total budget.
    
8. Funding for software/hardware acquisition or other equipment, professional membership fees or licensure, certification, festival/screening fees, tuition, add-pay, faculty stipends, course release, or additional faculty salaries will not be considered.

• Call for Grant Proposals: Week of September 22, 2025
• Grant Proposals Due: Friday, October 31, 2025, 11:59 pm. Late applications will not be considered.
• Funding Decisions Announced: Early December 2025. Grants may not be applied retroactively to activities participated in prior to the award.
• Final Grant Outcome Report Due: 30 days after completion of grant-funded project

1. Review the sample application below prior to preparing your application. We recommend that you complete the application in a Word/Google document, then copy to the Qualtrics form. 
   
   Sample Application
   Online Application (Qualtrics)
    
2. You must have your department head complete and sign the Department Head Verification Form. Grant applications without this form will not be considered. 
   
   Step 1: Download and prepare form: Department Head Verification Form
   Step 3: Submit to your department head for approval and signature.
   Step 4: You or the department head should then email the completed/signed form to FCDS@rit.edu when you submit your application online via Qualtrics.

Grant proposals will be reviewed by a faculty selection committee and recipients will be notified in early December.

If you are awarded a grant, you will receive instructions for accessing funds and reporting on the use of your grant in your award letter. If your grant is approved, the funds may not be used for projects other than what is submitted on the original application, and funds may not be reassigned to another faculty member or project. Use of grant funds must follow all RIT Travel Policies.

Grant recipients must complete an "Outcome Report" following the project completion. In this report you will share the impact of this grant on your professional development, your teaching, the broader campus community, and future success in your field or discipline.