DIVERSITY & EQUITY INNOVATION GRANT

2024-2025 CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Sponsored by the President’s Cabinet in Conjunction with the President’s Commission on Diversity & Inclusion

PURPOSE OF THE GRANT

The Diversity & Equity Innovation Grant (DEIG) was established to support educational projects, scholarly research, creative activities and other innovative programmatic initiatives that promote social justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, anti-racism and belonging for the benefit of the CSUN community.

IMPLEMENTATION TEAM

The DEIG is administered by the President’s Commission on Diversity and Inclusion. The Commission establishes the operating and reporting guidelines, develops procedures for implementing the guidelines, and selects grant recipients. 

SUCCESSFUL PROPOSALS

Proposals will be selected based on the following criteria:

• Relevance to grant objective supported by knowledge and evidence of understanding campus needs, including, climate and culture, to advance campus values of Inclusive Excellence;
• Alignment with CSUN’s Strategic Directions and priorities established in the 2022 CSUN’s Road Ahead document;
• Innovative program that embeds values of Inclusive Excellence (social justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, anti-racism, and belonging) and leverages processes and frameworks (such as innovation frameworks, equity-centered design thinking, equity-mindedness, participatory action inquiry, Data-Practice-Leadership, creative and disruptive thinking, etc.) to address equity gaps and advances understanding, education, awareness, and engagement in addressing systemic racism, inequities and injustices;
• Potential for broad institutional impact and sustainability beyond the grant period;
• Broad collaborative institution-wide effort with other departments/divisions/schools or outside organizations;
• Complete detailed budget demonstrating strong support for the overall project.

GRANT AWARDS

Proposal requests of all sizes are encouraged and will be considered. However, most awards will receive funding between $5,000 and $50,000.

The DEIG can provide funding for student workers to assist with research, contracting off- campus speakers or performers, printing costs and materials.

Reassigned time and summer salary are not covered. Additional compensation for faculty and staff may be considered and must comply with the CSU 125% policy. Staff may be eligible for additional compensation as outlined in their respective Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) or auxiliary policies. The grant may be used to provide payments to students for participation; any such payment must be processed through the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships as a Scholarship Award. The grant may be used to fund student employment; students must be hired through their respective Human Resources departments. Proposals must comply with minimum wage guidelines for student employment.

The DEIG cannot provide funding to cover food or refreshment expenses associated with these activities.

The DEIG does not cover travel, office furniture, living and/or childcare expenses, laptops, computers, phones and/or other electronic equipment.

Grant awards are funded based on the original proposal as submitted and reviewed by the Commission. It is expected that all grant recipients will implement their projects as proposed. Significant changes to the project concept after receiving funding will require additional review and may impact the approved funding allocation.

ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS

All current members of the CSUN community (full and part-time faculty), staff (including current auxiliary employees) and students may apply for grants. Proposals with matching funds will be considered, and supplementing this grant is strongly encouraged.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE & IMPORTANT DATES

• Notification of decisions will be emailed no later than June 2024.
• Proposals must be submitted online no later than Sunday, April 14, 2024 at 11:59pm and should include a letter of support from your Academic Department Chair, Director or Vice President from your area. Notification of decisions will be emailed no later than June 2024.
• Projects can begin once grant recipients have been notified, but no earlier than July 1, 2024; Funding approval is from July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025.
• Funding must be spent before the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 2025).
• Recipients must submit a Final Report at the conclusion of the project but no later than July 31st, 2025. The Final Report template will be provided to all recipients. In addition, all DEIG recipients are expected to present their impact to the Commission on Diversity & Inclusion and possibly the broader CSUN community. The deadline to submit presentations will be provided in the award letter.  

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your proposal online. It is recommended that you answer the following questions in a Word Document, once completed, submit your responses directly to the online application system. Proposal application contains the following information:

1. Project Title
2. Name of Contributors
3. Unit or Division
4. Contact information
5. Have you previously submitted a DEIG proposal to provide the services described below?
   1. Yes/No
      i.    If yes, was your proposal funded?
   1. If yes, what year(s) did you receive funding?
   2. What outcomes were achieved with previous funding, please be detailed in your response. If applicable, please attach prior year’s Final Report.
6. Description of Proposal
7. In what ways does this proposal align with the strategic directions and priorities stated in
8. the University’s Road Ahead?
9. What is the implementation plan and timeline for this project? How do you envision this project being carried out from beginning to end?
10. What are the project’s expected outcomes and impact on students and/or the campus community?
11. How will you determine if the outcomes and impact have been achieved (i.e. assessment of project)?
12. How will this project be sustained beyond the DEIG funding?
13. The DEIG review process is a vetting process that evaluates proposals based on their alignment with the DEIG goals, priorities, and rubric. All HR-related matters must follow your area's procedures and practices. The Commission on Diversity & Inclusion cannot commit your area to new positions or additional compensation for employees - this falls outside of our approval process. If you propose to provide special pay, overtime, or a new professional position. Have you consulted or secured the necessary approvals from the appropriate administrator for your area to fully implement your project if funded?
                i.    Have you consulted or secured the necessary approvals from the appropriate administrator for the area(s) to fully implement your project if funded?
1. Yes/No: If yes, then please ensure that your letter of support specifically addresses this consultation process and any additional approvals needed. 
14. Complete this Budget Document: Thoroughly examine your budget breakdown and make sure it does not include items that are NOT covered by the Grant. I.e. travel, food, lodging. You will be asked to upload this file.
15. Please upload your Letter of Support from your Academic Department Chair, Director or Vice President from your area. Be sure to address the consultation process for HR- related matters and space usage if you answered "yes" to the questions above. 

You can submit your proposal by accessing this QR Code or Website:

Link to DEIG Application