VPA Faculty Enrichment Fund

Purpose

The VPA Faculty Enrichment Fund provides small financial awards offered on a bi-annual basis to support a variety of faculty activities. Funding may be requested to support project start-up, project completion, faculty development, or enrichment of programs related to the disciplines in Art, Communication and Rhetorical Studies, Creative Arts Therapy, Design, Drama, Film and Media Arts, and Music.

For the academic year 2025-26, the Faculty Enrichment Fund will have two competitions. The Fall 2025 cycle has a deadline of Monday, September 29, 5 p.m. The Spring 2026 cycle will have a deadline of February 9, 5 p.m.

Awards

The VPA Faculty Enrichment Fund grants up to $2,500.

Eligibility

Full-time VPA faculty who are tenured, tenure track, and non-tenure track are eligible to apply. Postdoctoral scholars, visiting faculty, and part-time faculty are not eligible to apply for VPA Faculty Enrichment Fund grants; however, part-time faculty can seek funding through the Adjuncts United Professional Development Fund. To allow the funding of multiple projects, 2024-25 awardees are ineligible to apply in 2025-26. They will be eligible to apply again in 2026-27.

Funding Limitations

Applicants must provide a detailed budget using the template provided. Proposals submitted without a budget in this format will be returned without review. Justification for all costs must be included for each line item in the budget. Examples of allowable costs include (but are not limited to):

• travel costs for conference travel or other activities contributing to faculty enrichment

• editing or image production costs for publications

• training, workshops or other professional development costs

• performance or exhibit-related costs

• software, supplies, or other related tools and materials essential to the proposed work (purchases of software or any technological device must be approved by Michael Currie, associate director of IT, mcurrie@syr.edu)

• support for hourly work by VPA graduate students*

Unallowable costs include:

• payments to any Syracuse University faculty or staff (salary, stipends, honoraria)

• subcontracts to external institutions

• purchase contracts that exceed the duration of the grant tuition

• costs incurred prior to the submission of the grant request

• reimbursement for payments to third parties for services rendered (e.g. transcription costs, photography, videography, editing), as these cost must be approved for and paid by the University directly.

*Requests for undergraduate research and creative activities and undergraduate research assistants should be made to the Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Engagement (The SOURCE). Applications for academic year SOURCE Research Assistant Grants will be due September 25, 2025.

Deadline for Using Funds

For Fall 2025 Faculty Enrichment Fund grants, funds awarded must be spent and receipts submitted for reimbursement, and/or travel advances must be processed before Friday, May 15, 2026. School and department internal deadlines may vary – check with your departmental administrator. Funds not spent by this deadline will be returned to the college for reallocation to other applicants. Requests for extensions are not allowed. For Spring 2026 Faculty Enrichment Fund grants, funds awarded must be spent and receipts submitted for reimbursement, and/or travel advances must be processed before August 15, 2026.

Questions

For questions regarding the Faculty Enrichment Fund, contact the Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Research Seyeon Lee (slee80@syr.edu) or Christina Leigh Docteur (cdocteur@syr.edu) in the Office of Academic Affairs, or by phone at (315-443-0137).