Connect & Catalyze Grants: Request for Proposals
Ìý

CO-CREATE IMPACTÌý
We invite ³Ô¹ÏÍø of Colorado Boulder faculty to submit proposalsÌýthat elevate the wellness of young people and the adults who support them. The goals of the Connect & Catalyze GrantsÌýare to promote new interdisciplinary relationships across campus, strategically using seed funds to catalyze larger grants aligned to the mission of the Crown Institute, and strengthening Crown Institute research-practice partnerships in Colorado.
Ìý
Crown Institute Mission
WeÌýseekÌýto promote the wellness of young people and the systems and adults who support them through interdisciplinaryÌýresearch-practiceÌýpartnerships.
Crown Institute Vision
We imagine a world where every young person thrives, supported by the caring relationships and inner resources required for a lifetime of wellness.Ìý
SIZE AND SCOPE
We will make awards forÌý$50,000Ìýfor two-year projects.
We are offering 5 grants to current ³Ô¹ÏÍø of Colorado Boulder tenure line faculty as seed grants to develop collaborative and interdisciplinary research projects. We expect that these seed grants will help to nurture new collaborative relationships, providing seed money for pilot projects that may turn into larger and longer term projects. We especially encourage projects that are community-engaged research that include a clear public impact or research-practice partnerships and invite you to include community partners in your proposal.Ìý
TIMELINEÌý
January 16, 2026
February 27, 2026
Spring or Summer 2026
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
APPLICATION AND AWARDS DETAILS
1. Cover Page:
- Project title and contact information for each applicant
- Three-sentence summary of project
- Amount requested
2. Narrative:
- One paragraph lay summary/abstract (i.e., non-technical language) This should include text which connects this project to prior funded projects, if relevant.
- Brief overview of the issue or need to be addressed
- Primary research question(s) or purposes. Project plans and timeline should be described.
- Intended audience and demonstrated need.ÌýExplain the need for the proposed project, includingÌýissue(s) or problem(s) it seeks to address and if the project is responding to aÌýdirect request. Describe external partners and/or constituents, including pertinent demographic information.
- Methodological approach/research design
- Evaluation measures to assess project impact or potential
- Brief timeline
- Anticipated challenges and strategies for resolution
- Team member details
- CU faculty/staff/researcher/student roles
- Partner roles: If there is a partner outside of CU, please describe the role of the project partners and how the partnership will mutually benefit faculty, students and community participants.
Strategy for future funding (be sure to include specific ideas of foundations or fundingÌý sources)
3. References
4. If applicable, letter of support from community partners
5. Budget Information
- Funding requested: Total dollar amount of funding requested
Budget narrative: Specifically explain how your budget will support the activities andÌý people described previously in your proposal.Ìý
Provide a justification of the items requested in the budget. Particular attention should be given to justifying budget items that may not be immediately clear to reviewers who are familiar with (but not experts in) your specific field. Up to 2 pages total (approximately 1 page for the budget and 1 page for the budget justification). (Note: this is not included in the 5-page limit for the narrative.)
- Expense breakdown: Provide dollar amount and a brief description of the projectedÌýÌýexpenses and identify each expense in one of the following designated categories:
- Personnel salary: Faculty (academic year course buyout or summer salary), Research Associates, Graduate Assistants, Undergraduate Students, etc.
- Fringe benefits as postedÌýhere
- Consultants or contracts (e.g., for compensating partners)
- Participant incentives
- Travel
- Materials/supplies
- Technology/equipment
- Other direct costs: (include required tuition and fees if GRAs are part of the project)Ìý
Please note the following parameters for budgets to be funded through this RFP:
- We cannot cover overhead or indirect costs with this funding.
- Budget requests are intended to support postdocs, graduate students or undergraduates at the ³Ô¹ÏÍø of Colorado Boulder.
- Requests solely for faculty salary support are discouraged; however, applicants may request:
- Up to two weeks of summer salary, or
- Academic year course buyout (Note: the amount will vary by unit.)
If you choose to fund an academic course buyout, please briefly explain the reason for an academic course buyout in terms of the work that is needed for the project.
Up to 12.5% of annual salary for RAs/SRAs with appointments of 50% or more.ÌýÌý
Proposals will be evaluated by the Crown Institute Connect & Catalyze Grant Review Committee based on the following criteria:
- Alignment with Crown Institute vision and mission
- Significance and potential public and academic impact of the proposed work
- Strength and interdisciplinarity of the team (cross-departmental, cross-sector, or community collaboration)
- Responsiveness to community needs and/or research-practice relevance
- Clear strategy for leveraging seed funding into external support
- Appropriateness and justification of the budget
- Participate in an interdisciplinary learning community . This learning community will look to enhance the strength of our individual projects and the collective work of the Crown Institute through shared inquiry and reflection.
- Present your project  to the broader community of Crown Institute affiliates and partners at least one time.
- Complete a Best Practice ReviewWorksheet annually to ensure alignment with Crown Institute best practices and standards.
- Complete a public-facing report describing your findings or lessons, which can be shared on the Crown Institute’s website and distributed to public audiences that you identify within 30 days after the grant ends.
- External funding:ÌýRecipients are strongly encouraged to submit a proposal for external funding (for related work) within 18 months of receiving the grant.
Ìý