The Women and Philanthropy Network is accepting proposals through July 31, 2024, here. Proposals will be presented in person to the Leadership Council on September 10, 2024. The top 10 proposals will be presented to the full membership in person on November 2024. Funding will be available in January 2025 to be used by August 1, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does W&P award grants? In 2007, a group of women came together with a common vision—to build a better UK and Commonwealth. Each year membership fees are pooled to support the University, its students, research, and programs. Those funds are used to award grants. Since 2009, we have been able to award $3,093,121 in grant funds through this process.
How are colleges and programs notified about the W&P grant program? The Request for Proposals (RFP) is distributed each year by Christina Yue, the program coordinator. All university colleges and programs are contacted by email and letter.
When can grant proposals be submitted? Proposals may be submitted after March 1 but must be received in the W&P office by July 31. The submission form is available online on the W&P website.
Is there a limit on the number of proposals that each college or program may submit? Yes. Each college or program is limited to TWO proposals per year.
How does each college or program select its grant proposals for submission? Colleges and programs are asked to coordinate proposal requests with the dean of their college or the appropriate vice president to whom the program reports. Colleges/programs may already have a system in place for vetting proposal ideas.
How do we determine what the total available funding is each year? The amount we award each year is based on the number of members that contribute for that calendar year. Each member pays an annual membership fee to join, and those fees are combined and maintained by the UK Office of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement and are awarded each year after members’ ranking forms are tabulated.
Is there a limit on the dollar amount that each college or program can request? Yes. Grant proposal requests cannot exceed $50,000.
Are all classifications of students eligible to receive support from W&P grant funding? Students must be enrolled at UK and be in good standing as defined by the university. Eligible students include undergraduate, graduate and professional degree students. Transfer and non-traditional students via traditional and alternative paths are eligible. High school students not enrolled at UK and non-UK postsecondary students are not eligible.
Is it true that only female UK students are eligible to receive funding? No. There is no gender preference.
Can funds be used to pay faculty salaries? No. Funds do not support faculty salaries, nor do they support purchasing furniture or general-purpose equipment; however, consumable materials for instruction or programming required for the proposal are allowable expenses The amount requested should be supported by descriptions of the items and estimates of their costs.
If the grant is for scholarships, what does that cover? Proposals to provide scholarships may have the funds cover tuition and mandatory fees; room and board; books, cultural and international experiences; travel; health insurance; childcare; and internships.
Does the grant pay fees for outside speakers? Yes
Does the grant allow for food? Yes. Funds can be used for reasonable and necessary amounts of food and beverages based on the submitted proposal
Are colleges or programs encouraged to submit supporting documents, pamphlets, or other brochures? No, because they cannot be replicated for distribution to the entire membership.
Are colleges and programs required to present a detailed budget that explains their funding request? Yes. Proposals without detailed budgets will not be considered.
How technical should my proposal and presentation be? The proposal and presentation verbiage should not be so technical that it cannot be understood by the public. There is also a 600-word or fewer limitation on the funding request. A separate, detailed budget must accompany the request.
Is the person who presents the initial proposal also expected to present if their college or program is selected as one of ten finalists? That is the committee’s preference, but it is not mandatory. We do expect the person presenting to do so with a full understanding of the proposal and with enthusiasm.
Who is responsible for reviewing the proposals to make sure they have followed the guidelines? Christina Yue and the W&P Steering Committee members do the initial review of the grant proposals. Once reviewed, they are compiled by Christina and prepared for the semi-final round.
How and when are the first-round grant proposal presentations made? First-round grant proposals are made in September in person to the W&P Leadership Council, which consists of forty members. Presentations are limited to 10 minutes and may include a PowerPoint presentation.
May I have a co-presenter? You may decide how many faculty or staff join you in your presentation. Your students are also allowed to co-present.
How are the top ten proposals selected? At the September meeting, the Leadership Council members will rank their favorite proposals in preferred order. (1 highest to 10 lowest). Presentations are also recorded so members not in attendance can watch them and rank them. Those results will then be compiled by Christina Yue by the October 1 deadline. Those with the 10 highest rankings move forward for consideration by the full membership.
How and when are the top 10 presentations presented to the full membership? Once the top 10 presentations are selected, the college or program is notified and asked to present in person at the November meeting to the full membership. Presentation times are limited to 10 minutes and may include a PowerPoint presentation.
How are the final proposals that receive funding selected? The final proposals are selected by the full membership at the November meeting. After all presentations are made, each member ranks them in their preferred order. (1 highest to 10 lowest). Presentations are recorded so members not in attendance can watch them and rank them. Christina Yue will then compile those results. The highest-ranking proposals will be funded in full, in order, until the available funds are depleted. It is likely that one proposal will receive partial funding. If an emergency prevents the full intended use of the awarded funds during the grant period, a grantee may amend the proposal during the term allowed for expenditures or may request an extension of time, subject to the approval of the Office of Philanthropy.
How long do you have to use the grant funding? Funding awarded in November is available beginning in January of the next year and must be spent by August of the following year (for example, funds awarded November 2024 are available in January 2025 and must be spent by August 1, 2026).
Where can I read about the most recent programs funded by W&P? Those funded are listed on the W&P webpage.
Have any of the funded programs been able to gain grants for long-term support? Yes. We awarded the first grant to Dr. Allday in the College of Education for an applied behavior analysis (ABA) program and Center for Applied Behavioral Supports (CABS) in 2015 and again in 2017. Students working on master’s degrees complete much of their required fieldwork and experience at CABS. Funding from W&P has helped more than 35 students through tuition assistance and stipends. This program funding has benefited students, children, and families over the years. The W&P grants laid the foundation for COE to apply for a U.S. Department of Education grant. They were awarded $1,250,000 in funding to provide tuition support to students pursuing interdisciplinary training in applied behavior analysis and early childhood education master’s degree programs. We also awarded a grant in 2018 to Professor Brent Seales, chair of the Department of Computer Science in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering to take ancient manuscripts that are too broken or damaged to read by hand and apply their custom software pipeline (Digital Restoration Initiative) to virtually unwrap the documents revealing the text inside that has been hidden for ages. Seales gave this research opportunity to numerous students. These ancient documents include Homer’s “Iliad” and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Seales and his team of experts were awarded a National Science Foundation Grant for $14 million to construct a world-class cultural heritage lab at the University of Kentucky. Both Professor Allday and Professor Seales credit Women in Philanthropy for making these grants possible.
Questions? Contact Christina Yue at cyue2@uky.edu or 859-323-7950.