2023-2024 Application Guidelines

The Center for Community Engagement, Mead Art Museum and Office of Sustainability invite proposals from all current Amherst College faculty members for the development of experiential learning courses and assignments. For the purpose of this grant, experiential learning is grounded in four primary methods: cohort learning, community building, tackling meaningful challenges, and skill development. Funding is available to support existing courses and assignments and to develop new ones. 

Priority will be given to applications that accomplish one or more of the following objectives:

  • Result in the creation of a new course with community-based, project-based or experiential learning components,
  • and/or help students apply knowledge in new contexts and communicate their insights to non-academic audiences.
ELIGIBILITY

Grants are available to all Amherst College faculty members. Individual faculty members, teams or departments can apply for funding.

FUNDING

Grantees will receive:

  • a $2,500 course development stipend or a $500 assignment development stipend.

Faculty members can apply for additional funding of up to $2,500 for course and assignment related expenses.  

APPLICATION

The application form consists of the following items and will take 15 - 30 minutes to complete with an idea in mind. 

  • Summary - Proposed department, course number, title, semester(s) offered, and a brief description of the course.
  • Proposal - Brief description of the course/assignment and proposed experiential learning components, how it meets the funding criteria, and a plan for assessing the course. Please identify any campus or community partners collaborating on the course or assignment.
  • Supporting materials - If you would like additional funding to cover course related expenses, please submit a budget.

Unsure where to start? Contact Sarah Barr, Weston Dripps, or Emily Potter-Ndiaye to set up a time to discuss your ideas. 

Deadline

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.  Applicants will be contacted within two weeks of submitting their application.

Requirements of Grantees

Faculty who receive grants will be asked to: 

  • Share their syllabus and experiential learning assignments
  • Complete an assessment of the experience 
  • Participate in a symposium designed to showcase the work of faculty and students