How to Apply

• Only full-time students of Newcomb-Tulane College (this applies to most undergraduates) who have completed at least one semester at Tulane are eligible for funding. This includes Seniors who are in their final semester and need less than 12 credits to graduate. Additionally, students in the final year of a graduate program who have not yet been awarded their baccalaureate degree are eligible to apply.
• Grants are reviewed on a monthly cycle; submit your application by 5:00 p.m. on the 15th of the month to receive a decision by the first week of the next month. Applications submitted past the deadline will be considered during the following month’s cycle. Applications are only accepted during fall and spring semester while classes are in session. 
• Each student may apply for and receive multiple grants from NTC, but the grant committee can only award $1,500 per student, per academic year. The exceptions to this rule are: the Gordon Summer Fellowship, which awards up to $5,000; the CGE Grant, which awards up to $2,500 for international experiential opportunities; and the CAIDS: Focus on Data Grant, which awards up to $2,500 for data-related projects.
• Students are encouraged to seek additional funding from other campus offices, including other units within NTC such as Career Services or the Center for Academic Equity. Funding from other offices and sources may be combined with NTC grant funding for the same project, but all other potential funding sources must be disclosed in the grant application.
• Grant funds can only be used for projects, travel, or internships that are fully completed prior to graduation.
• If you are applying for funding for a summer internship, please submit your application in March or April.
• Once offered an award, you have ten days to accept the offer, after ten days the offer expires.
• DMP students requesting funding for their capstone films may only apply for the November 15th and April 15th deadlines.

Link to Additional Resources, including:

• Application Rubric used by the grant committee
• Budget Worksheet (recommended to be used by applicants)
• How to book travel through Tulane University
• Letter of Recommendation Request Resource

What to Include in Your Application

Personal Information: If you are applying for a grant for yourself only, fill out the Individual/Group Leader Grant Application form, which will serve as your grant application cover sheet. To apply for a group grant, you must be in a group of two or more members, with one member designated as a “leader.” The group leader must fill out the Individual/Group Leader Grant Application form. Group members (not group leaders) should individually submit a Group Member form. Both forms can be found by visiting uraf.tulane.edu/grants.

Cover letter: Write a one to two page, double-spaced, cover letter that clearly discusses the following topics: 

• The qualifications you possess. (Who are you? How did you acquire this opportunity?
• The nature of your project. (What is this academic opportunity?)
• How you will make use of the grant. (What are using the grant funds for?)
• Timeframe of this opportunity. (What is your schedule for completing this project, including start and end dates?)
• What your project hopes to accomplish.
• The significance of the project to your personal, educational, AND professional goals and interests.
• What is the final deliverable?

NOTE: When applicable, citations and references should be used. This should be an original document. It is not a project proposal, though if you'd like to include a project proposal as an optional supplement, you're welcome to do so.

Budget: Provide detailed information for all costs involved in the project. Include the exact amount requested from the grant program and how it will be spent. Download a sample budget spreadsheet, or compose your own.

Schedule: Include the proposed start and end dates for the project, and list significant dates during the course of the project (e.g., when particular phases should be complete). This can be part of your cover letter.

Letter of Recommendation: Have a one-page recommendation sent from either a Tulane faculty or staff member, they will serve as our primary recommender. This letter should come directly from your recommender and has the same deadline as your grant application. Additionally, please read the following advice and notes:

• Make sure you choose a recommender that knows your work and can speak about your skills and potential. 
• Choose a faculty or staff member who supports your project, can speak to your academic capabilities, and preferably one whose academic field relates directly to your project. 
• Be sure to discuss your project with your recommender. 
• Only one primary recommendation letter is required per application, whether applying as an individual or a group. Additional letters are optional and accepted from anyone you feel qualified to speak to your merits and strength, regardless of university affiliation. 
• If you are conducting research under the guidance of a faculty member, you are required to have a recommendation from that faculty member or another member of that lab (e.g., postdoctoral fellow).
• The letter of recommendation is not required from DMP students applying for capstone funding.

Internship grant applicants should include: Sponsoring organization contact information (name, address, telephone, email, web address), immediate supervisor, salary (if any), duration/dates of internship, and hours per week. Please also include some sort of welcome letter, email exchange, or any other sort of document proving contact has been made with the internship organization.

What Funds Can Be Used For

The NTC URAF grant program offers funding for undergraduate student work that promotes academic or intellectual enrichment, either within themselves or their community. Funds can be used to support academic projects and research, academic conference travel (for presenters), virtual conference and local (New Orleans) conference attendance, internship travel and related costs, some service projects, and other projects related to one's studies or academic-related interests. 

What Funds Cannot Be Used For

There are some things that the NTC URAF grant program is regrettably unable to fund. 

• Food costs (unless you're a digital media production or film student).
• Stipends or salaries. Costs for any program or course where you are receiving credit.
• Costs to take classes or courses, whether for credit or not for credit.
• Study Abroad tuition costs. Start-up ventures.
• For-profit or non-profit companies that either require a high donation fee or charge a high fee to place you with an internship or "voluntourism"-oriented excursion.
• Personal items such as medical insurance, cell phones, etc.
• Durable items or supplies (cameras, etc.) that are over $100 (unless you intend for them to remain the property of your department.)
• NTC URAF will not fund travel to countries on the U.S. State Department’s Travel Advisory List that are designated as “Level 4: Do Not Travel,” and will consider travel to countries designated as “Level 3: Reconsider Travel” on a case-by-case basis.
• Travel costs for attending a conference without presenting (virtual conferences and New Orleans conferences okay).
• Projects or travel for student organizations. Global Brigades trips, effective 2019-2020 school year.

If you have questions regarding eligibility, please email us at ntcgrants@tulane.edu.

If you are awarded funding, you will must fulfill the following requirements:

• Grant Report (1-2 pages)
• Research Symposium Poster Presentation (Fall or Spring semester)
• Thank you note (0.5-1 pages)

Please delay purchases—especially travel related—for as long as you can. If your project ends up becoming impossible to finish (or you will graduate beforehand), you will need to pay back the grant. This is the last thing we want to be asking students to do. If your project ends up not being possible to complete, we encourage you still to list the award on your resume or CV. A reminder that students must use grant funds while they are undergraduates of Newcomb-Tulane College. In other words, funds need to be used prior to graduation.

Please email us at ntcgrants@tulane.edu if you have further questions.

All flights for student academic travel is required to be purchased through Tulane's Travel agency, World Travel. Instructions for creating an account and purchasing your flight can be found here.

The NTC Grant Program will not fund travel to countries on the U.S. State Department’s Travel Advisory List that are designated as “Level 4: Do Not Travel,” and will consider travel to countries designated as “Level 3: Reconsider Travel” on a case-by-case basis. Search for a country and learn more at travel.state.gov. Students who receive grant funding for approved international travel must register with the Global Rescue program prior to traveling.