Peer Mentoring Clusters Grants
Up to $10,000 to support full-time BIPOC faculty groups for peer-to-peer mentoring
Deadline for Proposals is March 22, 2023
These grants are designated for full-time BIPOC faculty who teach Religion or Theology at colleges, universities and theological schools in the United States and Canada, and are intended to support the development of multi-year, peer-to-peer, relationships through small group connections to enrich and strengthen teaching and the teaching life.
Minoritized faculty face particular challenges and pressures and can benefit from networks of peer-to-peer mentoring. Peer mentoring conversations, helpful in all seasons of a career, can surface ways to meet the demands of teaching, the teaching life and administrative responsibilities. They can also provide BIPOC colleagues with strategies to discern and navigate career challenges, institutional pressures and work-life balance.
Peer-Mentoring conversations are open for the BIPOC applicants to design within the parameters of the Wabash Center mission (http://wabash.center/about/mission/). A key for successful proposals is to create a design that structures a series of gatherings for conversation that build a network of support for the exploration of one’s academic vocation and the teaching life.
Each year we gather cluster leaders, whose proposals have been accepted, for a required initial meeting. This meeting is scheduled for August 8-9, 2022. The aim of this meeting is to help cluster leaders increase capacity for designed conversations, community formation and processes of mentoring.
2022-23 Cluster Leaders’ Meeting is August 9, 2022.
2023-24 Cluster Leaders’ Meeting is April 12, 2023.
Grant funds can be spent on items and activities such as:
- Child care, elder care to support members attendance to group meetings
- Meals for the convened group (face to face only)
- Travel, meals, lodging should group meet for extended conversation (retreat center, hotel, conference center)
- Stipends for participation in the group
- Equipment, supplies, materials to support group meeting and discussions
- Honorariums for guest speakers with group
Activities and items NOT Funded:
The Wabash Center generally does not fund:
- International travel for research
- Travel for attendance at disciplinary conferences
- The preparation of textbooks
- Research focused primarily on field content and only secondarily on teaching
- Publication of conference papers or books, or production costs of other media
- Food delivered to homes or food to be consumed while meeting on-line
- Stipends for writing the grant proposal or making application
- Fees for WIFI or other home utilities should group convenes online
- Any items designated as gifts, presents, offerings or donations
- Travel, meals, lodging expenses should family or friend accompany participant on an extended conversation
- Put most bluntly, the Wabash Center does not underwrite the ordinary, ongoing work of the professorate, much of which is already supported by the home institution or departments.
Consider:
- Start a structured series of gatherings for conversation
- Build networks of professional growth
- Support the exploration of academic vocation and the teaching life
- Catalyze development of multi-year relationships with a small group of colleagues
Applications limited to participants in a previous Wabash Center workshop or colloquy, but the selected group of conversation partners is open
Not intended for disciplinary research or publication
Additional questions, please contact:
Gina A.S. Robinson
robinsog@wabash.edu
Associate Director, Wabash Center
Protocols
Funding
The funding for this program will be sent to the applicant’s business office to be dispersed according to the approved budget.
Because of the small size of the grant amount, there will be no indirect costs allocated to the hosting institution. Any significant changes occurring in the makeup of the participants or the structure of the gatherings needs to be checked with the Wabash Center.
Meeting of Cluster Leaders: To Be Announced
A required meeting of all Cluster Leaders (the project directors of each of the Peer Mentoring Cluster grants). This meeting is designed to help the Cluster Leaders think about the purposes and processes of the Peer Mentoring Clusters.
Final Reports
All grants require a final report that reviews and analyzes the things learned in the course of the grant project and that accounts for the funds spent. Reports are due 30 days after the close of the grant period. Consult your grant contract for deadlines specific to your grant.