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Merrill Student Special Project Funds

Fill Out the Proposal Form Here!

Deadlines: The 2024-2025 deadlines for Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarters are October 31, 2024, February 27, 2025, and April 24, 2025 respectively, by 11:59 pm.

There is a modest fund to support individual undergraduate-student projects. Assistance will be considered in the following areas:

  • Academic research or projects
  • Artistic endeavors
  • Public events of benefit primarily to the Merrill college community

Funding for individual projects can be matching, partial, or full, depending on merit, funds available, and on the existence of other funding sources. Proposals will be accepted only from registered undergraduate students, and will be judged competitively in terms of merit. In making awards, efforts will be made to maximize the number of students who may benefit from these limited funds. Additionally, the extent to which a project will benefit a college or the University community will be considered.

Eligibility Guidelines

  1. The applicant must be a registered undergraduate Merrill student when the proposal is submitted and during the time the funds will be used. Students receiving funds for summer projects do not have to be registered for Summer Session but must register for the following fall or winter quarter.
  2. There is a $500 maximum reimbursement for all funding proposals.
  3. The funds will not subsidize Education Abroad programs, class enrollment fees, salaries or personal living expenses.
  4. All proposals for funding must be accompanied by a letter of recommendation for the project, written by a relevant faculty member.
  5. Completed Projects will not be considered for funding; nor can any project receive funding more than once from this funding source.
  6. The applicant must be able to demonstrate the technical ability and academic preparation to carry out the project successfully and according to schedule.
  7. Campus accounting procedures specify that funds are not intended to be spent on gift items. Funding for gifts and mementos, including recognition or award plaques, will not be approved.
  8. The applicant of a project must apply for funds directly. If an event is to be co-proposed, a proposal may be co-authored.
  9. Requests for funding where the proposed activity or product is intended primarily to serve an ethnic audience, or projects, regardless of the audience, which are intended to celebrate or illuminate domestic ethnic groups or cultures, should be directed to Ethnic Programming. For projects that benefit the non-university community, proposals should be directed to the Community Service Projects Funds. Partial funding by multiple funding sources may appropriate where part of the project fits various guidelines. 

Proposal Application Summary

 Only complete applications will be considered. A complete application includes: 

  • Student name and ID number
  • Complete mailing address and phone number
  • Email address
  • Project title
  • Brief abstract summarizing your project; also include a statement demonstrating how this project will benefit the Merrill community
  • Complete itemized budget specifying the amount of funds requested
  • One letter of support from a faculty member relevant to the project
  • For senior thesis projects, provide a letter from the appropriate department showing that they have been consulted for funding