Life-Career Interface Initiative

Life Cycle Research Grants: Pilot Program

The Life Cycle Research Grant program is on hiatus while WISELI works to secure permanent funding to institutionalize this successful program.

We issued five calls for proposals, from Fall of 2002 through Fall of 2004. We have received 21 applications and awarded 11 grants, averaging $28,550 per award. With the generous support and contributions from the Graduate School and the Office of the Provost, WISELI was able to almost double the amount of money awarded during the program's pilot phase, to a total of $314,057 in direct costs. Women and men faculty from 10 different departments and four different Schools/Colleges, all in physical or biological science departments, received these awards. Faculty at all ranks received the awards, although most awards went to Assistant Professors (7) and Associate Professors (3).

As intended, the criteria for making awards evolved throughout the pilot phase. Almost every application received was deserving of a Life Cycle Research Grant under the language used in the call for proposals, yet funds were not unlimited and therefore particular circumstances were prioritized. The main criteria the evaluation committee used were:

1. Is this a critical career juncture? Priority was given to applicants nearing a tenure decision, with secondary priority given to applicants nearing a promotion decision, or whose research funding cycles were severely compromised by the personal event.
2. Is this a catastrophic life event? Priority was given to those events that were non-normative (e.g., severe illness or accidents of faculty member or close member of faculty's family). Among other transitions that are more normative, such as divorce or addition of a new child to the family, priority was given to those who were experiencing more than one transition at a time (e.g., divorce and becoming a single parent; new child and caring for a dying parent). often, heartbreaking choices had to be made.

Evaluation:

Our evaluation showed that this program was a success in many ways. Some of the themes emanating from our summative evaluation included:

• It is the only grant of its kind
• It came at a critical juncture in their personal and professional lives
• The grant provided psychological support
• It had an impact on others' lives as well
• It was an investment in the grantees' futures and the University's

Evaluation Reports:

Full Evaluation Report

Additional links of interest:

	Most recent Call for Proposals (Fall 2004)
	Draft of fundraising brochure

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