We’ve compiled the following information to assist you with the application process. On this page, you’ll find important definitions, directions, and guidance. We recommend you read this information thoroughly before beginning your application.
If you have any questions about the grant application process, please contact IU Foundation Affinity Giving at affingiv@iu.edu.
You may apply for grant funding from one or more Affinity Giving groups through a single online Affinity Giving Grant Application form.
All applicants must be Indiana University students, faculty, staff, or have an affiliation with an Indiana University department or organization. Applicants must have the vision and capacity to effectively utilize a grant that will be administered through IU’s Financial Management System (FMS).
Note: Registered student organizations are only eligible for funding if they are a University Student Organization (USO) or are working in partnership with a USO. Unfortunately, Self- Governed Student Organizations (SGSO) are not eligible unless partnering with a USO.
The Black Philanthropy Circle (BPC) supports the IU Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in replacing obstacles with opportunities so that students, faculty, and staff from historically underrepresented backgrounds find a sense of belonging at IU. The BPC is looking to award projects and initiatives that make IU more welcoming, equitable, and accessible for the Black community. Applications should detail the ways in which the Black community - at any IU campus—will be supported by the project.
The Queer Philanthropy Circle (QPC) is a group of committed donors who pool their time, talent, treasure, and voice to make IU a welcoming place for the LGBTQ+ community. Through programs, funding, policy, outreach, and one-on-one support, in partnership with the IU Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the QPC replaces obstacles with opportunities. The QPC is looking to invest in projects and initiatives that support LGBTQ+ students, faculty, and staff. Applications should detail the ways in which the LGBTQ+ community at IU will be supported by the project. Proposals should aim to make IU a more equitable, welcoming, and accessible university for the queer community.
The Women’s Philanthropy Leadership Council (WPLC) aspires to foster an ecosystem of inclusive philanthropy that creates transformational change for all at IU. By bringing leaders together—providing connections, relationships, learning experiences, and opportunities to give time, talent, and treasure—Women’s Philanthropy catalyzes meaningful impact. Applications for WPLC grants should articulate the ways in which will impact diverse constituents, particularly those with historic disadvantages, and the ways in which grant outcomes will contribute to building a more equitable and inclusive environment at IU and beyond. All IU community members—students, faculty, and staff—with the vision and capacity to manage and effectively utilize a grant are encouraged to apply. The Women’s Philanthropy Leadership Council is interested in impacting broad populations. Projects should not focus solely on women.
The following information is intended as a guide for collecting information requested in each section of the grant application.
Provide applicant information. Tell us who is involved and how we contact anyone with oversight of the project.
Include the IU financial account you will use to manage grant funds, if awarded. The account number will usually begin with the numbers ‘23’. The account will have a name, account number, and possibly a sub-account name. A fiscal officer for your department can provide more information regarding fiscal accounts and sub-accounts.
Important: Affinity Giving will assign a campus administrator to review and affirm that your project aligns with campus priorities and IU 2030: The Indiana University Strategic Plan initiatives. Campus administrators include chancellor, provost, chief alumni officer and SVP, IU Foundation president and CEO.
Questions may differ depending upon each Affinity group.
Please do not copy and paste repetitive information from other sections. This section should provide further details of the need your project will address. Are there unique or innovative aspects of your project? How were the needs assessed? How many people does this need impact? How many of those people will your project help? What data supports your analysis of this need? What are the goals and objectives of your project? What methods will you use to implement your project?
Evaluation Plan. It is essential to explain how you are going to evaluate your project and report on the findings. How are you going to show the impact of your project? How will you determine success?
Sustainability Plan. Will this project continue to have an impact into the future? Grant funds are only provided for one year and generally do not provide ongoing funding. If your project may continue, you should explain how you will fund the project after the one-year grant period. If you are proposing a self-contained project, you may want to explain how lessons learned from this project will continue to be used in future work. How will you continue the project after the grant money is expended?
If you don’t continue the exact project, how will you build on its successes and fund future efforts?
Tell a compelling story. The review committee will read dozens of grant applications, and it’s important to make sure your project stands out.
Reviewers need a clear understanding of a project’s impact. Including how you will spend grant money, the number you will help, or research findings that support your project methodology.
Also be sure to clearly explain your methodology—audiences you will be reaching, how your project will be managed, and more.
Note: Thorough, yet clear and succinct descriptions are crucial.
WPLC Focus Areas. This section denotes the areas in which the project aligns with WPLC priorities and seeks to better the IU community, and beyond (e.g. local, state, national, and/or global communities). The focus areas listed are the current priority areas of the WPLC. Multiple focus areas may be selected.
In this section of the application, give a brief overview and provide more detailed information. These questions are an integral piece of the application, which should clearly describe the project need and how the project contributes to building a more equitable and inclusive environment at Indiana University, and beyond campus walls.
Reference Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion definitions in the Glossary.
You should include the issue or problem your project will address and expound on the following:
Important: You must state how your project aligns with IU 2030: Indiana University Strategic Plan
Download and complete the Excel budget template.
It is also important that your Excel budget worksheet items clearly match the funding requested in the application. A budget should justify the amount of money requested and show specifically how it will be used. The itemized downloadable Excel budget template is a required attachment when submitting the application.
List each expense, adding rows as needed.
Line Item Justification Notes. Provide additional explanation in this field. For example, salary and benefit details. Is this for faculty, staff, student(s)? How many? Breakdown of wages and benefits. When possible, include the cost per beneficiary. Example: $100 per participant; $100 per patient visit, etc.
Travel. How many people? List transportation itemization such as cost per ticket for airfare, cost per conference registration fee, workshop, etc.
Equipment Fees. List specific equipiment to be purchased or rented.
Supplies, Materials, Marketing. List the details. Specify types of printed materials and purpose.
Amount Already Funded. Provide information about other funding amounts for each line item and sources in the Other Sources of Funding section.
Amount Requested. Total amount requested and columns 4-6 should align with amounts requested from each Affinity Giving group as stated on the application form.
NOTE: Food, promotional items, licensures, and accreditations are not usually funded
Money to purchase land, buildings, equipment, etc. that are used to produce products or provide services.
Financial support from a business, not through a related Foundation.
Costs which relate to the specific project. Examples: contracted faculty for April – May workshops, supplies for the summer camp program.
Equipment to be purchased, or rented, in direct support of the project.
The practicality and likelihood of successfully completing your research or project within the constraints of time, resources, and available methodologies.
Generally, a grant received for specific project support or shared operating support.
Something that a person receives for working in addition to pay, which is not in the form of money. Example: health insurance.
Financial support received from government agencies (Federal, state, county, and city).
Indirect costs, sometimes called overhead or common cost pool, do not relate solely and specifically to a particular project, but are necessary to its completion. Examples: office rent, telephone, etc.
In-Kind contributions comprise donations of professional services or other goods and services. You should not record an In-Kind donation unless you would have to pay for the goods/service if it was not received as “In-Kind”. In-Kind contributions are net-zero (i.e., contribution and expense are equal, so they do not affect the bottom-line net; however, they increase the magnitude of the income and expenses.
Volunteer hours do not qualify to be reported as income under GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles). Alternatively, a narrative note in your proposal should describe the role of volunteers and impact of their hours.
Kimberlé Crenshaw, law professor and social theorist, first coined the term intersectionality in her 1989 paper “Demarginalizing The Intersection Of Race And Sex: A Black Feminist Critique Of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory And Antiracist Politics.”
Intersectionality means that different social identities like race, gender, and sexual orientation overlap and intertwine, creating unique experiences of discrimination for individuals who hold multiple marginalized identities, where their societal challenges cannot be understood by looking at each identity separately; for example, a Black transgender woman might face discrimination based on her race, gender identity, and LGBTQ status simultaneously, highlighting the need to consider these intersecting identities in discussions about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Earned income. Examples: Interest, dividends on an endowment.
Includes any IU campus, department, unit, or organization.
The total cost associated with delivering goods or services to customers. The marketing cost may include expenses associated with transferring title of goods to a customer, storing goods in warehouses pending delivery, promoting the goods or services, or the distribution of the product.
Costs of IU staff (full and part-time) assigned to the project comprising actual salaries plus social security charges and other statutory costs included in the remuneration.
The process of gathering evidence to support the feasibility of a project. Project managers perform a POC in the early stages of development before committing too much time and resources to a project. The purpose of a proof of concept is to demonstrate project viability to product teams, clients, and other stakeholders.
Includes all consumable materials purchased in direct support of the project.
Note: Food and swag items are not consistently approved for funding.
Variable costs are usually project oriented and are controllable or adjustable. Examples: number of participants served by a project, number of weeks a project runs, number of exhibitions or concerts, local or international. Semi-variable costs are in between. These must happen, though they can be mitigated somewhat. Examples: color versus black & white for a print job, short-term rental versus purchase of equipment.
The Indiana University Foundation solicits tax-deductible private contributions for the benefit of Indiana University and is registered to solicit charitable contributions in all states requiring registration. For more information, please review our full disclosure statement. Alternative accessible formats of documents and files on this site can be obtained upon request by calling us at 800-558-8311.
