BioSci EDI Funds

Applications may be submitted by any current member of the School of Biological Sciences including undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral and staff researchers, administrative staff and faculty.

Requests for funds to attend EDI-related conferences such as SACNAS & ABRCMS are handled separately. If you are interested in that, please contact us through the Division of Biological Science’s Get Involved page.

Applications will be accepted at any time through the link provided below and will be evaluated by the Division’s EDI Committee at the soonest possible deadline (see Proposal Instructions). Note that exceptions can be made for time sensitive requests if properly justified.

The amount of funding for recommended proposals will depend upon resource availability and will be contingent upon budget approval by the Division’s fiscal office. Funds up to $10,000 may be requested. If you have a larger project, we may be able to support part of it or help you find other funding. Approved expenses should be spent within the academic year (July 1st to June 30th). When budgeting, please be advised that honoraria amounts are limited by UC San Diego rules. Please refer to the blink page on honorarium payments for more details.

Upon completion of the funded activity, a brief report (~1-2 pages) will be required. This report should include a financial report of receipts or invoices broken down by each of the budget categories. Description and outcomes of funded activities will be publicly available.

Proposals normally should be submitted a few months before the funds are required. Proposal received in the first four weeks of a quarter typically will be evaluated by the end of that quarter.

In a maximum of 2 pages, submit:

• Proposal title
• Applicant name (indicate only one primary applicant)
• Summary of the proposed activity.
• Detailed description of the activity (indicate how it will tackle an EDI issue and who will benefit from it).
• Available resources (indicate personnel, materials, additional or matching funding, or other available resources).
• Expected outcome(s) of the activity, including how this will be measured or assessed. Please be specific and detailed.
• Requested budget and justification. For fund requests above $5,000, please provide a contingency plan that indicates other funding sources and feasibility of the proposal if partially funded. The contingency plan is not included in the 2 page limit but should be no longer than 1 page.
• Timeline of the proposed activity.

These review criteria are based in part on the S.M.A.R.T philosophy for goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Oriented. For more information on crafting S.M.A.R.T goals, please refer to resources such as this S.M.A.R.T. Objectives Worksheet.

1. Are the needs and project goals well defined? (Specific)
2. What is the scope of proposed outcomes? Who will be affected? How many people? How will this improve their (division/campus) experience? (Measurable)
3. What will be the impact on UC San Diego? (Relevant)
4. Is the proposed scope achievable using the requested funds and other available resources, including personnel? (Achievable)
5. Are project roles well-defined, and are all critical roles already filled? (Achievable)
6. For projects that require a large amount of funding, is there a contingency plan? Are there modules that can be added and dropped as the budget allows? (Achievable)
7. What is the potential for sustainability of the initiative over time? Is there a reasonable plan for the future? (Relevant)
8. Is the proposed timeline appropriate and reasonable? (Time-Oriented)
9. Is there a clear plan for outcome assessment? (Measurable)