One major purpose of an undergraduate education in the liberal arts is to help students shape a philosophy of life. At the same time, undergraduates today are increasingly preoccupied with postgraduate employment. The purpose of this grant program is to help colleges and universities develop more effective ways to strengthen the link between these two purposes of undergraduate education. It is designed to support institutions in their efforts to expand vocational exploration and discernment programs across the curriculum and co-curricular programs, with the following goals: (a) to help students develop more effective links between developing a philosophy of life and preparing for a career; (b) to include more faculty and students in the work of vocational exploration and discernment; and, in some cases, (c) to build connections with community partners, such as local businesses, nonprofits, and other community organizations.
Proposals may focus on upper-level undergraduates, lower-division study, or both. Proposals that seek to integrate vocational exploration as a continuum from the first year through the senior year, and/or across the range of academic disciplines and applied fields, are especially encouraged.
An optional special initiative within this grant program—Vocation across the Academy Community Partnerships—is designed to achieve many of the same objectives through partnerships with local businesses, nonprofits, and community organizations that more closely tie students’ vocational exploration to their professional and career preparation. Proposals made through this special initiative are eligible for additional funding.
This initiative is administered by CIC with generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc.
Funding Plan and Potential Programming
NetVUE Vocation across the Academy Grants provide three years of grant funding for projects that are four years in duration. Institutions may request up to $65,000 for the first year, and are expected to raise third-party matching gifts in an equal amount by the end of the grant’s first year. These matching funds are to support activities proposed for the grant period’s second and third years. Upon fulfillment of the matching requirement, an institution will receive from CIC an amount equal to the initial award amount (up to $65,000) for use during the grant period’s second and third years. Thus, funding from CIC may be up to $130,000 for the three years of grant-supported work, in addition to funds raised through the donor match; the total funding from all sources could be as much as $195,000. Vocation across the Academy Grants are designed to augment the institution’s capacity to sustain a more significant level of vocation-related activity than was previously the case. Therefore, grant proposals should also describe the project’s fourth year, to be sustained at an appropriate level entirely with institutional funds.
Proposals offered under the special “Community Partnerships” initiative of this grant may be requested for amounts up to $75,000, with the expectation of a donor match and a potential bonus award of the same amount. Thus, for this special initiative, funding from CIC may be up to $150,000; total funding from all sources may be up to $225,000 for the three-year period of the grant.
CIC recognizes that the requirement to raise donor funds of this amount constitutes a greater challenge for some of our member institutions than for others. Several provisions are offered in response to this reality; for further details, refer to the NetVUE Invitation for Applications.
Examples of allowable expenses include (a) released time for one or more project leaders to coordinate the activities of this grant; (b) mini-grants for instructors to design new courses; (c) workshops or retreats for faculty members and staff members; (d) reading materials and similar resources for use during the grant period; and (e) student events led by campus leaders and/or community partners, including reading materials and refreshments for these events. Additional examples may be found in the summaries of current and previous grants, listed below. Funds may be used for a range of purposes, but not to substitute for faculty and staff costs that the institution is presently providing for its vocational exploration activities; however, additional buyouts of faculty and staff time may be included as a part of the grant. Certain expenses are ineligible for grant support; for details, please consult the Grant Budget Guidelines. In general, grants should be used to offset one-time costs for programming and professional development in pursuit of the objectives of the project.
CIC has awarded 99 grants in the first nine rounds of the NetVUE Vocation across the Academy grant program.
In July 2018, awards were given to 21 NetVUE campuses. View summaries of the 2018 program initiatives.
In July 2019, an additional 12 NetVUE campuses received awards. View summaries of the 2019 program initiatives.
In July 2020, an additional 18 NetVUE campuses received awards. View summaries of the 2020 program initiatives.
In July 2021, an additional six NetVUE campuses received awards. View summaries of the 2021 program initiatives.
In July 2022, an additional nine NetVUE campuses received awards. View summaries of the 2022 program initiatives.
In July 2023, an additional 14 NetVUE campuses received awards. View summaries of the 2023 program initiatives.
In July 2024, an additional six NetVUE campuses received awards. View summaries of the 2024 program initiatives.
In July 2025, an additional five NetVUE campuses received awards. View summaries of the 2025 program initiatives.
In July 2026, an additional eight NetVUE campuses received awards. View summaries of the 2026 program initiatives.
Eligibility
All NetVUE member institutions are eligible for these grants, as long as they do not, at the time of application, hold another NetVUE grant (other than an Institutional Saga grant or a Grant for Fostering Leadership for Faith Communities); in addition, any previous NetVUE grant must have been concluded (and a report submitted) before the proposal deadline. Previous recipients of a Vocation across the Academy Grant are eligible only if three years have passed between the spending deadline of the previous grant and the start date of the proposed grant. Proposals are typically due in the spring, with decisions announced in the early summer for funding that begins in July. Grantees are expected to submit an interim report, including documentation of the donor match, well before the end of the first year of the grant. Additional reports are due after each year of the project.
Contact Information
If you have questions about the grant application, please contact Carter Aikin, NetVUE grants director, at caikin@cic.edu or (217) 854-5619.
About NetVUE
Learn more about NetVUE, including the array of programs and services that are available to member institutions.
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