Grants and Funding

The grant proposal submission should include the following items, with all materials submitted as a combined PDF, with the exception of the 2 letters of recommendation, which recommenders will submit separately. Incomplete submissions will not be considered. 

Grant Proposal Submission Requirements

Answer the application questions in the linked Microsoft Form and attach a combined PDF with the following materials: 

• Cover Page
  • Authors and Contacts: Provide names of student project leader(s), department(s) of major of the student, department in which the project will be conducted, and project faculty advisor(s)/mentor(s), along with appropriate email contact information for all student project leaders and faculty mentors.
  • Project Executive Summary: A 1 page summary or abstract of the proposed project.
• Proposal: A well-written proposal will include:
  • A clear hypothesis, a carefully documented literature review justifying the need for the project to resolve the hypothesis, a clear set of project objectives that can be addressed in the project period, and a statement how this will advance the student’s career objectives.
  • The proposal should address how the proposed activity will have a potential impact on Arkansas agriculture, environment or families or its other relevance to the mission of the Bumpers College and Division of Agriculture.
  • The proposal should include a full description of the approach, materials and methods to be used, and a timeline. A detailed timeline including when the funded project will begin and be concluded, and include the time of presentation of results and publication of the completed work.
  • All proposals must be generated by the student(s) and are limited to a maximum of 5 pages.
  • The literature cited should follow the body of the proposal and does not count against the 5 page limit
• Budget: The project budget with details (materials and supplies, travel, etc.) and justification for the budget items; include sufficient detail for evaluation that the budget is tied to the project and is necessary to complete the project. There are restrictions on budget items as follows:
  • Do not include any budget items related to wages. The Bumpers College Undergraduate Research Program will not pay wages (student or other), salaries, or stipends.
  • Do not include non-project related expenses (i.e.: Conferences, etc.). Expenses must be justifiable expendables or travel necessary to complete the project.
  • Other limitations may occur during the review process.
• Resume: Student résumé (maximum 2 pages) Tip: your resume should be a succinct, compelling outline of your experience and academic work. We recommend that you use the online resume resources provided by the Offices of Career Connections and have your resume reviewed at the CORD.
• Transcripts: A copy of a current university transcript(s) for each student must be attached.
• Mentor’s Qualifications: Mentor's abbreviated/summary curriculum vita (maximum 2 pages). Helpful tips on mentor vita and letters of recommendation can be found at: http://awards.uark.edu/652.php.
• Recommendations:
  • A letter of support from your faculty project mentor(s)/advisor(s) addressing the quality of the proposal, the relevance of the proposal, and the ability of the student to complete the proposed work, and how the work relates to the mentor’s/advisor’s overall work or responsibilities. For student teams, only a single letter of support from the mentor is required for the proposal to address the quality of the proposal, the relevance of the work, the complementary skills each team member brings to the project, and the ability of the team to complete the work.
  • One additional letter of support from another faculty member addressing the academic abilities, the academic characteristics, and the ability of the student or student team to complete the proposed work.

Recently Funded Proposal Examples

• Rocchi, 2022 (Poultry Science)
• Martin, 2022 (Apparel Merchandising and Product Development) 
• Clary, 2022 (Food Science)

• All proposals will be developed following SURF guidelines and/or the Honors College guidelines (although
  section order is revised). There are restrictions on budget items as follows:
  • Do not include any budget items related to wages. The Bumpers College Undergraduate Research Program will not pay wages (student or other), salaries, or stipends.
  • Do not include non-project related expenses (i.e.: Conferences, etc.). Expenses must be justifiable expendables or travel necessary to complete the project.
• Proposals will be reviewed by a faculty committee who will recommend funding priority to the Dean. The Dean’s Office will announce funding decisions by late December for the Fall, and late April for the Spring submissions, respectively. The faculty committee shall consist of Bumpers College faculty selected by the Honors Program Director.
• Awards will typically be in the range of up to $1000.00 per student participating in the project.
• Proposals with multiple student co-authors may request funding consistent with the number of students working on the team projects.
• Students receiving SURF and/or Honors College Project Grant awards may “stack” the awards as long as the total combined grant awards from multiple programs does not exceed the requested budget.
• Students will be allowed to revise the budgets if needed to accomplish the proposed work.
• Funds awarded for student projects will be allocated to the faculty mentor’s department business office.
• All monies approved for the undergraduate research must be spent within one year of the grant awarding date, or prior to the student’s commencement date, whichever is earlier. Carryover of funds will be considered only in special circumstances, and must be approved in advance by the Bumpers College Honors Director.
• A required project report and blog post with one photo will be due within one year of the grant-awarding date or the last day of classes prior to the student’s commencement date, whichever is earlier, submitted to the Honors Program Director at aflshnrs@uark.edu which is detailed in the Post-Award Requirements tab.

Grant awardees must complete a project report,  blog post, and at least one photo within one year of the grant-awarding date or the last day of classes prior to the student's commencement date, whichever is earlier.

• Do not put confidential information or export-controlled information in reports or blogs.
• You must consent to and authorize the use of and reproduction by the University of Arkansas, of any and all descriptions, photographs, or other documents related to the funded research, for educational and promotional purposes.
• Failure to complete the report will prevent future funding considerations for the mentor and future students.

Project Report (Length: 3-5 pages)

Reports should summarize the project outcomes, how the funds were expended, and how the funds specifically enabled project activities. Be sure to address these questions in your project report:

• Give a detailed summary of your research project, including your discoveries and conclusions.
• Who is your mentor? Tell us how you worked together on this project.
• How has this funding helped you reach your academic and professional goals?

Blog Post and Photo (Length: 500-1000 words) 

• Start with a good title, and a short blurb that gives us all of the key organizing information. Include your name, your college, your major(s), your mentor’s name and department, and your semester of research and your future plans.
• Describe your research and its impact so that other students can understand and benefit from your experience; if there is a real-world application for your research, be sure to include that. Then, share the details about your research experience:
  • How did you choose your topic? How did you find your mentor?
  • What you learned about the research topic (and about yourself).
  • What challenges did you face in your research? How did you overcome them?
  • What role did your faculty mentor play? Did others faculty members or students help you?
  • Did you travel as part of your project? Tell us about it.
  • What’s next for you?

Submit one high-resolution, print-quality digital photo (JPG or PNG; use the highest resolution setting available on your camera). We prefer action shots of you working on your project, but a headshot of you will work fine too! Be sure to attach the image as a separate file (not embedded in a Word document). 

We will try to publish blog posts and accompanying photo(s)  on our Bumpers College Honors Program website or select excerpts for other uses such as social media, or educational materials. Please submit polished, well written blog drafts. If your blog does not fulfill the above requirements, it will not be accepted and we will ask you to edit and resubmit. 

Presenting Your Findings

Students are encouraged to submit an article to the Bumpers College Discovery Journal or participate in a public poster or oral presentation held either by the college or broader professional organization (e.g. the annual Gamma Sigma Delta campus competition or the Bumpers Honors Resesarch Symposium), or regional or national professional meetings, departmental seminars, etc.

• Any poster presentations, oral presentations, or publications must credit Bumpers College as follows: This research has been supported by a Bumpers College grant.