U of T Student Engagement Awards: Rebuilding Healthy Communities
Call for Project Proposals
Last summer, the U of T COVID-19 Student Engagement Awards supported student-led projects that contributed to the COVID-19 response in a globally engaged way. We were delighted to support the many extraordinary projects led by students from every faculty of the university through these awards. As the pandemic continues, U of T will once again be supporting teams of students through the Student Engagement Awards this year.
The U of T Student Engagement Awards provide financial support to interested University of Toronto undergraduate and graduate students working in collaboration with one another, including in interdisciplinary teams. Projects that contribute to building and fostering a global community, from across all disciplines, are invited.
In recognition of the challenges of the past year, this summer’s U of T Student Engagement Awards will support student-led projects that contribute to rebuilding healthy, resilient, and equitable communities as part of our post-COVID recovery. Given the impact that the pandemic has had on mental health as well as its disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations and communities, submissions focused on these areas are encouraged but not mandatory.
Projects
To be eligible, a single proposal must be submitted by a team of at least two returning U of T students. All project teams must be student-led. Interdisciplinary teams are strongly encouraged. Only one grant will be awarded per project.
Each successful project will be awarded up to $3,000 for a funding period of three months. The funding will be released in two installments over the course of the project. At least 130 projects will be selected for funding.
Projects from across all disciplines are eligible and encouraged. Where proposals are aligned with the work of individual U of T academic divisions, units, or colleges this should be indicated in the proposal.
Where appropriate, project teams may identify a U of T faculty or staff project supervisor, but a supervisor is not necessary in all cases.
Projects must contribute to building and fostering a global community. This could include: collaboration between U of T domestic and international students; collaboration with student(s) at universities outside of Canada; accessing international data; engaging with a comparative global lens throughout the project, linking the local to the global, etc.
Projects must consider how we can rebuild healthy, resilient, and equitable communities as part of our recovery post-pandemic. Submissions focused on mental health, and/or on the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations and communities, are encouraged but not mandatory.
Each successful project team is required to submit a brief midterm report and a final deliverable. Final deliverables could include: websites, blog series, podcasts, research papers, policy recommendations, peer support/mentorship programs, poster presentations, art exhibits, online performances, presentations or symposia, books/magazines etc.
Eligible costs include: stipends (costs of time), equipment & supplies, software subscriptions, dissemination of research results, honorariums, etc.
The proposals will be assessed and recommended for selection by a committee composed of members of the Office of the Vice-President, International and various divisions across U of T.
Eligibility
All full-time and part-time U of T undergraduate and graduate students returning to studies in September 2021 are eligible to apply.
Each team must have at least two U of T students returning to studies in September 2021; only U of T students returning to studies in September 2021 are eligible to receive funding. Students must have an active account on ACORN with direct deposit enabled.
In addition to two returning U of T students, teams may also include:
Incoming U of T students
U of T alumni
Students from other Canadian and international universities
Local and community stakeholders
Students who received the COVID-19 Student Engagement Award in 2020 are eligible to reapply but must submit a proposal for a new project. Funding will not be provided to support ongoing work. Depending on the number of proposals received and for reasons of equity, applicants who did not receive this award in 2020 may be prioritized.
Students are not permitted to submit more than one proposal.
Value and Duration
Successful proposals will receive up to $3,000 from U of T for each approved project. The duration of the project will be three months. The funding will be awarded in two installments: 1. $2400 at the start of the project, 2. $600 upon the submission of the final deliverable. Only one grant will be awarded per project.
Please review the form before applying and note the specific word counts for each section. PDFs and supplementary material will not be accepted or reviewed.
The full proposal is comprised of the following elements:
A proposal cover that includes the following information for all U of T team members: name, U of T email, student number, program, academic division, and campus.
Identification of U of T staff/faculty project supervisor, if applicable. The proposal should indicate whether the supervisor has agreed to provide any funding.
A two-page maximum project proposal that includes the following items (in alignment with the selection criteria listed below):
Abstract (150 words): a brief, overall description of the project.
Planned activities (250 words): a description of all project activities, rationale and timeline.
Project impact (250 words):a description of all activities throughout the course of the project and a description of how these activities contribute to rebuilding healthy, resilient, and equitable communities as part of our post-COVID recovery.
Global engagement (250 words): a description of all activities throughout the course of the project where team members will be globally engaged. Proposals should indicate why this global engagement component is essential to the success of the project.
Final deliverable(200 words): Description of the final deliverable, including any methods for potential distribution and future use.
Proposed budget: A breakdown of the cost of the activities.
Evaluation Criteria
A review committee will assess each full proposal according to the following
criteria:
Project design and rationale (20%) how clearly presented and justified is the design of the project?
Project impact (20%): how clearly does the proposal articulate how the planned activities will contribute to rebuilding healthy, resilient, and equitable communities as part of our post-COVID recovery?
Global engagement (28%): how clearly has the proposal articulated how the project team will be globally engaged and contribute to the global community? how clearly has the proposal articulated how the project will deepen engagement among team members?
Development of new skills and knowledge (20%): how well is the proposal tied to new skills development for the applicants, including knowledge in a field; problem solving skills; working with others to achieve results; communication skills through presentations and reports development; inter-personal skills through interactions with team, supervisor(s), professionals and various parties needed to carry out the work?
Final deliverable (12%) how clearly articulated is the design of the final deliverable? To what degree can the deliverable be presented and/or utilized beyond the duration of the project?
Midterm Report and Final Deliverable
All awardees must, as a condition of receiving an award under this call, complete a brief narrative midterm report that describes what activities and outcomes have been achieved to date and the expected skills development of the project team.
All awardees must also submit a final deliverable. Since final deliverables will vary in terms of format, all deliverables must be accompanied by a one-page overview describing what the team achieved over the duration of the project.
The second funding installment will be released upon submission of the final deliverable.
Information about this Call
All queries related to this joint call for collaborative projects should be directed to: Office of the Vice-President, International, international@utoronto.ca
An information session will be led by the Office of the Vice-President, International on May 20, 2021, at 12:00 – 1:00pm. Those interested in attending can register here.
