Grant Proposal Template

Opportunity 1: Geisel Grants for Community Impact

Proposal Submission Portal Link

Description

The purpose of Professor Emeritus Paul Geisel’s gift is to “enhance research opportunities on issues affecting municipalities across Texas and the US Southwest region.” CAPPA aims to advance Dr. Geisel’s vision by encouraging continued community engagement by our students and faculty in addressing challenging issues that impact our local and regional communities, particularly those affecting underserved communities. Projects may include, but are not limited to, providing technical assistance; engaging in community design work to address a specific issue (flooding, housing, parks, etc.); or developing plans identified by the community to resolve a particular need (zoning, economic revitalization, historic preservation, etc.

Each Geisel grant should be budgeted in the range of $3,000 ~ $5,000. Up to five (5) proposals during this cycle will be awarded. Student and faculty engagement in a project that impacts a municipality or underserved community in Texas, or the US Southwest region, is essential. The project may occur through a traditional course, a studio, a capstone project, or a partnership with external entities such as nonprofits. Faculty who are awarded the grant will be recognized as “Geisel Faculty Fellows.” The awards can be used to pay for students’ hourly wage, travel, data inquiry, etc., but not faculty salary.

Rural areas, neighborhoods, and targeted communities, small towns, and cities of less than 150,000 are of particular interest. We are particularly interested in serving General Law cities (under 5,000 population with limited staff); rural areas outside the DFW Metroplex; small cities that are on the path of growth from metro areas and have limited staff/resources to prepare and respond.

Requirements:

1. All CAPPA faculty are eligible to apply (TT/T and APT; while both full- and part-time are eligible, preference is given to full-time faculty).

2. The project team must include CAPPA faculty and students.

3. Projects must be comprised of a significant collaboration with a public entity such as a small town or city, regional authority, or nonprofit such as a community development corporation.

4. Recipients of the Geisel grants will submit

I. A final report (3-5 pages) that will be posted on our website, and

II. A choice of either a 36” X 42” poster OR a 2-minute video that documents the project process and outcomes. The poster will be displayed on the 2nd floor of the CAPPA building, and the video will be posted on CAPPA’s website and social media.

The final deliverables are due within a month after the contracted semester of the award ends. Deliverables will become CAPPA property.

5. Limit to one proposal per faculty member as PI and two proposals per faculty member as Co-PI.

Selection Criteria:

1. Research/creative work idea addresses UTA’s mission.

2. Research/creative work idea addresses CAPPA’s present mission.

3. Research/creative work idea has a promising community impact.

4. The research/creative work plan is plausible within one semester.

5. PI is in good standing, as evidenced by the successful and timely delivery of past research products as proposed.

Past Awardees/ Geisel Grant Fellows:

1. Jiseul Kim (PAPL) & Evan Mistur (PAPL), “Tax Increment Financing and Equitable Development: The Case of Dallas.”

2. Joowon Im (LARC), Dennis Chiessa (SoA), Letora Anderson (LARC), Diane Jones Allen (LARC), “Community-Based Comprehensive Plan for the Garden of Eden, FW: Protecting the Community’s Legacy Through Sustainable Landscape Planning.”

3. Julene Paul (PAPL), “Housing Precarity and Transit-Oriented Development in North Texas: Mobile Home Residents’ Perceptions of TOD in Tarrant County.”

Opportunity 2: Dean’s Interdisciplinary Initiative

Proposal Submission Portal Link

Description

The purpose of the Dean’s Interdisciplinary Initiative is to promote CAPPA’s interdisciplinary collaboration in research and creative ideas. We are seeking bold ideas that align with our mission and leverage the unique strengths of our interdisciplinary community. This year, two $10,000 grants will be awarded to faculty members in CAPPA to conduct interdisciplinary, innovative projects that have the potential to pursue external funding opportunities, enhance the College's academic offerings, community engagement, and financial sustainability. The awards can be used to pay for students’

hourly wages, travel, data inquiry, event production, outreach, faculty salary, or faculty travel.

Below are examples of initiatives that this grant expects to support:

· Innovative Teaching, Research, or Public Engagement Models - Ideas that challenge conventional academic formats, foster experimentation, or integrate design and policy for societal impact.

· New Academic Certificates or Credentials - Proposals should demonstrate market demand, academic rigor, and alignment with college strengths.

· Revenue-Generating Programs or Partnerships - These could include continuing education offerings, executive training, summer intensives, or entrepreneurial ventures that generate income while delivering public value.

· Student-Engaged Galas, Events, or Initiatives - Projects that elevate student voices, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and engage internal and external communities.

Requirements:

1. The principal investigator (PI) must be a full-time T/TT faculty member with a research assignment in CAPPA. Co-PIs can be full-time APT/part-time faculty. Collaborators can be post-docs or visiting scholars who are faculty members or post-docs in their respective units at UTA. Preference will be given to PIs who are Assistant or Associate Professors.

2. One PI and at least one co-PI are required for each interdisciplinary proposal. PI and co-PI(s) must be in different academic programs within CAPPA. Although collaborating with others outside of CAPPA is acceptable, the purpose of this initiative is to promote collaboration across different disciplines within CAPPA.

3. Student involvement is highly encouraged.

4. Required deliverables include

I. A final report, and

II. one 36” X 42” poster OR a video that documents the project and outcomes.

The final deliverables are due within a month after the award ends, as indicated in the proposal. The poster will be displayed on the 2nd floor of the CAPPA building, and the video will be posted on CAPPA’s website and social media.

5. PI/co-PIs agree to submit or co-submit a proposal (resulting from this seed grant) to an external funding agency (state/ federal/foundation/industry) within two years after the project ends. Or, in case of other curricular, creative, or community-engaged projects, PI/co-PIs must demonstrate the broader outcomes and impact.

6. Limit to one proposal per faculty member as PI.

Selection Criteria:

1. Project idea addresses UTA’s and CAPPA’s mission.

2. Project idea embraces interdisciplinary activities.

3. Project idea is innovative and creative.

4. Project has high potential to advance research, curricular, or creative pursuits, generate new areas of research, and lead to future external funding opportunities.

5. Project plan is feasible within a one-year time frame.

6. Project plan has potential for long-term sustainability or growth.

7. Project involves students.

8. PI is in good standing, as evidenced by the successful and timely delivery of past research products as proposed.

Past Awardees/ Dean’s Interdisciplinary Grant Fellows:

1. Jiwon Suh (PAPL) & Somang Yang (SoA), “Testing an Intervention of Hydroponic Indoor Garden System in Low-Income Family Houses for Informal Healthcare and Food Accessibility.”

2. Mahmoud Bayat (SoA) & Jianling Li (PAPL), “Innovative Efficient Computational Structural Design for Affordable Housing Development (Phase 1).”

3. Julia Lindgren (SoA) & Hannah Lebovits (IUS), “Design Playbook: Housing for Youth Aging out of Foster Care.”

Evaluation of Proposals:

The review committee members for both opportunities include Karabi Bezboruah (chair), Atefe Makhmalbaf, Taner Ozdil, and Jiwon Suh. Committee members are not eligible to serve as PI in both opportunities, but they could serve as co-PI. In such a case, they would recuse themselves to avoid any conflict of interest. The committee members have an advisory role, and the CAPPA Dean will make the selection of winning proposals.

Please click on the Grant Proposal Template to download the proposal outline.

Deadline for submissions: November 14, 2025, at 5 pm.

Award Notices: Dec 12, 2025

Research/ Projects Begin: January 2026

Please address any questions you may have to the Associate Dean, Karabi Bezboruah, at [email protected] .

Grant Proposal Template
Opportunity 1: Geisel Grants for Community Impact  
Proposal Submission Portal Link

Description

The purpose of Professor Emeritus Paul Geisel’s gift is to “enhance research opportunities on issues affecting municipalities across Texas and the US Southwest region.”  CAPPA aims to advance Dr. Geisel’s vision by encouraging continued community engagement by our students and faculty in addressing challenging issues that impact our local and regional communities, particularly those affecting underserved communities. Projects may include, but are not limited to, providing technical assistance; engaging in community design work to address a specific issue (flooding, housing, parks, etc.); or developing plans identified by the community to resolve a particular need (zoning, economic revitalization, historic preservation, etc.

Each Geisel grant should be budgeted in the range of $3,000 ~ $5,000. Up to five proposals during this cycle will be awarded. Student and faculty engagement in a project that impacts a municipality or underserved community in Texas, or the US Southwest region is essential. The project may occur through a traditional course, a studio, a capstone project, or a partnership with external entities such as nonprofits. Faculty who are awarded the grant will be recognized as “Geisel Faculty Fellow.” The awards can be used to pay for student’s hourly wage, travel, data inquiry, etc. but not faculty salary.

Rural areas, neighborhoods and targeted communities, small towns, and cities of less than 150,000 are of particular interest. We are particularly interested in serving General Law cities (under 5,000 population with limited staff); rural areas outside the DFW Metroplex; small cities that are on the path of growth from metro areas and have limited staff/resources to prepare and respond.

Requirements:

1. All CAPPA faculty are eligible to apply (TT/T and APT; while both full- and part-time are eligible, preference is given to full-time faculty).
2. The project team must include CAPPA faculty and students.
3. Projects must be comprised of a significant collaboration with a public entity such as a small town or city, regional authority, or nonprofit such as a community development corporation.
4. Recipients of the Geisel grants will submit
   1. A final report (3-5 pages) that will be posted on our website, and
   2. A choice of either a 36” X 42” poster OR a 2-minute video that document the project process and outcomes. The poster will be displayed on the 2^nd floor of the CAPPA building, and the video will be posted on CAPPA’s website and social media.

      The final deliverables are due within a month after the contracted semester of the award ends. Deliverables will become CAPPA property.

5. Limit to one proposal per faculty member as PI and two proposals per faculty members as Co-PI.

Selection Criteria:

1. Research idea addresses UTA’s mission.
2. Research idea addresses CAPPA’s present mission.
3. Research idea has promising community impact.
4. Research plan is plausible within one semester.
5. PI is not on the delinquent list which documents past awardees who have failed to deliver their research result(s) and/or products as proposed.

Past Awardees:

2024 Geisel Grant Fellows

1. Joowon Im (LARC), Dennis Chiessa (SoA), Letora Anderson (LARC), Diane Jones Allen (LARC), “Community-Based Comprehensive Plan for the Garden of Eden, FW: Protecting the community’s legacy through sustainable landscape planning.”
2. Julene Paul (PAPL), “Housing Precarity and Transit-Oriented Development in North Texas: Mobile Home Residents’ Perceptions of TOD in Tarrant County.”

Opportunity 2: Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative

Proposal Submission Portal Link

Description

The purpose of the Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative is to promote CAPPA’s interdisciplinary collaboration in research. This year, one $10,000 grant will be awarded to faculty members in CAPPA to conduct interdisciplinary, innovative research that has a potential to pursue external research funding opportunities in the near future (to position them for high-impact research and raise their chance to secure external funding). The awards can be used to pay for student’s hourly wage, travel, data inquiry, faculty salary or faculty’s travel.

Requirements:

1. Principal investigator (PI) must be a full-time T/TT faculty and faculty with research assignment in CAPPA. Co-PIs can be full-time/part-time faculty. Collaborators can be post-docs or visiting scholars who are faculty members or post-docs in their respective unit at UTA. Preference will be given to PIs who are Assistant or Associate Professors.
2. One PI and at least one co-PI are required for each interdisciplinary proposal. PI and co-PI(s) must be in different academic programs within CAPPA. Although collaborating with others outside of CAPPA is acceptable, the purpose of this research initiative is to promote collaboration across different disciplines within CAPPA.
3. Student involvement is highly encouraged.
4. Required deliverables include
   1. a final report, and
   2. one 36” X 42” poster OR a video that document the research process and outcomes.

    

   In lieu of a final report, accepted or published conference papers are acceptable. The final deliverables are due within a month after the award ends as indicated in the proposal. The poster will be displayed on the 2^nd floor of the CAPPA building, and the video will be posted on CAPPA’s website and social media.

5. PI/co-PIs agree to submit or co-submit a research proposal (resulting from this seed grant) to an external funding agency (state/ federal/foundation/industry) within two years after the research ends.
6. Limit to one proposal per faculty member as PI.

Selection Criteria:

1. Research idea addresses UTA’s mission.

2. Research idea addresses CAPPA’s present mission.
3. Research idea embraces interdisciplinary activities.
4. Research idea is innovative.
5. Research has high potential to generate new areas of research and lead to future external funding opportunities. (New areas of research are highly encouraged if they lead to future external funding opportunities?)
6. Research plan is achievable within one-year time frame.
7. PI is not on the delinquent list which documents past awardees who have failed to deliver their research result(s) and/or products as proposed.

Past Awardees:

2024 Dean’s Interdisciplinary Grant Fellows:

1. Mahmoud Bayat (SoA) & Jianling Li (PAPL), “Innovative Efficient Computational Structural Design for Affordable Housing Development (Phase 1).”
2. Julia Lindgren (SoA) & Hannah Lebovits (PAPL), “Design Playbook: Housing for Youth Aging out of Foster Care.”

Evaluation of Proposals:

The review committee members for both opportunities include Karabi Bezboruah (chair), Atefe Makhmalbaf, Taner Ozdil, and Jiwon Suh. Committee members are not eligible to serve as PI in both opportunities but could serve as co-PI. In such case they would recuse themselves to avoid any conflict of interest. The committee members have an advisory role, and CAPPA dean will make the selection of winning proposals.

Please click on the Grant Proposal Template to download the proposal outline.

Deadline for submissions: March 17, 2025, at 5pm.

Award Notices: April 18, 2025

Research/ Projects Begin: August 2025

Please address any questions you may have to the chair, Karabi Bezboruah, at [email protected] . 

GRANT PROPOSAL TEMPLATE

Opportunity 1: Geisel Grants for Community Impact

Proposal Submission Portal Link

Description:

The purpose of Professor Emeritus Paul Geisel’s gift is to “enhance research opportunities on issues affecting municipalities across Texas and the US Southwest region.”  CAPPA aims to advance Dr. Geisel’s vision by encouraging continued community engagement by our students and faculty in addressing challenging issues that impact our local and regional communities, particularly those affecting underserved communities. Projects may include, but are not limited to, providing technical assistance; engaging in community design work to address a specific issue (flooding, housing, parks, etc.); or developing plans identified by the community to resolve a particular need (zoning, economic revitalization, historic preservation, etc.)

Each Geisel grant should be budgeted in the range of $3,000 ~ $5,000. Up to five proposals during this cycle will be awarded. Student and faculty engagement in a project that impacts a municipality or underserved community in Texas, or the US Southwest region is essential. The project may occur through a traditional course, a studio, a capstone project, or a partnership with external entities such as nonprofits. Faculty who are awarded the grant will be recognized as “Geisel Faculty Fellow.” The awards can be used to pay for student’s hourly wage, travel, data inquiry, etc. but not faculty salary.

Rural areas, neighborhoods and targeted communities, small towns, and cities of less than 150,000 are of particular interest. We are particularly interested in serving General Law cities (under 5,000 population with limited staff); rural areas outside the DFW Metroplex; small cities that are on the path of growth from metro areas and have limited staff/resources to prepare and respond.

Requirements:

• All CAPPA faculty are eligible to apply (TT/T and APT; while both full- and part-time are eligible, preference is given to full-time faculty).
• The project team must include CAPPA faculty and students.
• Projects must be comprised of a significant collaboration with a public entity such as a small town or city, regional authority, or nonprofit such as a community development corporation.
• Recipients of the Geisel grants will submit:

1. A final report (3-5 pages) that will be posted on our website, and 
2. A choice of either a 36” X 42” poster OR a 2-minute video that document the project process and outcomes. The poster will be displayed on the 2^nd floor of the CAPPA building, and the video will be posted on CAPPA’s website and social media. The final deliverables are due within a month after the contracted semester of the award ends. Deliverables will become CAPPA property.

• Limit to one proposal per faculty member as PI and two proposals per faculty members as Co-PI.

Selection Criteria:

• Research idea addresses UTA’s mission.
• Research idea addresses CAPPA’s present mission.
• Research idea has promising community impact.
• Research plan is plausible within one semester.
• PI is not on the delinquent list which documents past awardees who have failed to deliver their research result(s) and/or products as proposed.

Opportunity 2: Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative

Proposal Submission Portal Link

Description:

The purpose of the Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative is to promote CAPPA’s interdisciplinary collaboration in research. This year, one $10,000 grant will be awarded to faculty members in CAPPA to conduct interdisciplinary, innovative research that has a potential to pursue external research funding opportunities in the near future (to position them for high-impact research and raise their chance to secure external funding). The awards can be used to pay for student’s hourly wage, travel, data inquiry, faculty salary or faculty’s travel.

Requirements:

• Principal investigator (PI) must be a full-time T/TT faculty and faculty with research assignment in CAPPA. Co-PIs can be full-time/part-time faculty. Collaborators can be post-docs or visiting scholars who are faculty members or post-docs in their respective unit at UTA. Preference will be given to PIs who are assistant and associate professors.
• One PI and at least one co-PI are required for each interdisciplinary proposal. PI and co-PI(s) must be in different academic programs within CAPPA. Although collaborating with others outside of CAPPA is acceptable, the purpose of this research initiative is to promote collaboration across different disciplines within CAPPA.
• Student involvement is highly encouraged:

1. Required deliverables include: (i) a final report, and (ii) one 36” X 42” poster OR a video that document the research process and outcomes.
2. In lieu of a final report, accepted or published conference papers are acceptable. The final deliverables are due within a month after the award ends as indicated in the proposal. The poster will be displayed on the 2^nd floor of the CAPPA building, and the video will be posted on CAPPA’s website and social media.

• PI/co-PIs agree to submit or co-submit a research proposal (resulting from this seed grant) to an external funding agency (state/ federal/foundation/industry) within two years after the research ends.
• Limit to one proposal per faculty member as PI.

Selection Criteria:

• Research idea addresses UTA’s mission.
• Research idea addresses CAPPA’s present mission.
• Research idea embraces interdisciplinary activities.
• Research idea is innovative
• Research has high potential to generate new areas of research and lead to future external funding opportunities. New areas of research are highly encouraged if they lead to future external funding opportunities
• Research plan is achievable within one-year time frame.
• PI is not on the delinquent list which documents past awardees who have failed to deliver their research result(s) and/or products as proposed.

Evaluation of Proposals:

The review committee members for both opportunities include Karabi Bezboruah (chair), Shadi Nazarian, Taner Ozdil, and Jiwon Suh. Committee members are not eligible to serve as PI in both opportunities but could serve as co-PI. In such case they would recuse themselves to avoid any conflict of interest. The committee members have an advisory role, and CAPPA dean will make the selection of winning proposals.

Deadline for submissions is November 15, 2024, at 5pm. Please address any questions you may have to the chair, Karabi Bezboruah, at [email protected] . 

The purpose of Professor Emeritus Paul Geisel’s gift is to “enhance research opportunities on issues affecting municipalities across Texas and the US Southwest region.”  CAPPA aims to advance Dr. Geisel’s vision by encouraging continued community engagement by our students and faculty in addressing challenging issues that impact our local and regional communities, particularly those affecting underserved communities. Projects may include, but are not limited to, providing technical assistance; engaging in community design work to address a specific issue (flooding, housing, parks, etc.); or developing plans identified by the community to resolve a particular need (zoning, economic revitalization, historic preservation, etc.)
 
Each Geisel grant should be budgeted in the range of $3,000 ~ $5,000. Up to two proposals during this cycle will be awarded. Student and faculty engagement in a project that impacts a municipality or underserved community in Texas, or the US Southwest region is essential. The project may occur through a traditional course, a studio, a capstone project, or a partnership with external entities such as nonprofits. Faculty who are awarded the grant will be recognized as “Geisel Faculty Fellow.” The awards can be used to pay for student’s hourly wage, travel, data inquiry, etc. but not faculty salary.

Rural areas, neighborhoods and targeted communities, small towns, and cities of less than 150,000 are of particular interest. We are particularly interested in serving General Law cities (under 5,000 population with limited staff); rural areas outside the DFW Metroplex; small cities that are on the path of growth from metro areas and have limited staff/resources to prepare and respond.

Requirements:

• All CAPPA faculty are eligible to apply (TT and NTT; while both full- and part-time are eligible, preference is given to full-time faculty).
• The project team must include CAPPA faculty and students.
• Projects must be comprised of a significant collaboration with a public entity such as a small town or city, regional authority, or nonprofit such as a community development corporation.
• Recipients of the Geisel grants will submit a final report (3-5 pages) and one 36” X 42” poster that document the project process and outcomes. The final deliverables are due within a month after the contracted semester of the award ends. Deliverables will become CAPPA property.
• Recipients agree to participate in future programs and events that feature the Geisel grants outcomes such as CAPPA Research Day.
• Limit to one proposal per faculty member as PI and two proposals per faculty members as Co-PI.

Selection Criteria:

• Research idea addresses UTA’s mission.
• Research idea addresses CAPPA’s present mission.
• Research idea has promising community impact.
• Research plan is plausible within one semester.
• PI is not on the delinquent list which documents past awardees who have failed to deliver their research result(s) and/or products as proposed.

Description

The purpose of the Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Initiative is to promote CAPPA’s interdisciplinary collaboration in research. Calls for proposals in two consecutive years are expected. This year, one $10,000 grant will be awarded to faculty members in CAPPA to conduct interdisciplinary, innovative research that has a potential to pursue external research funding opportunities in the near future (to position them for high-impact research and raise their chance to secure external funding). The award can be used to pay for student’s hourly wage, travel, data inquiry, faculty salary or faculty’s travel.

Requirements:

• Principal investigator (PI) must be a full-time T/TT faculty and faculty with research assignment in CAPPA. Co-PIs can be full-time/part-time faculty. Collaborators can be post-docs or visiting scholars who are faculty members or post-docs in their respective unit at UTA. Preference will be given to PIs who are assistant and associate professors.
• One PI and at least one co-PI are required for each interdisciplinary proposal. PI and co-PI(s) must be in different academic programs within CAPPA. Although collaborating with others outside of CAPPA is acceptable, the purpose of this research initiative is to promote collaboration across different disciplines within CAPPA.
• Student involvement is highly encouraged.
• Required deliverables include a report and one 36” X 42” poster that document the research process and outcomes. In lieu of a report, accepted or published conference papers are acceptable. The final deliverables are due within a month after the award ends as indicated in the proposal. The poster as deliverable will become CAPPA property.
• PI/co-PIs agree to submit or co-submit a research proposal (resulting from this seed grant) to an external funding agency (state or federal) within two years after the research ends.
• Recipients agree to participate in future programs or events that feature the research outcomes such as CAPPA Research Day.
• Limit to one proposal per faculty member as PI.

Selection Criteria:

• Research idea addresses UTA’s mission.
• Research idea addresses CAPPA’s present mission.
• Research idea has embraces interdisciplinary activities.
• Research idea is innovative.
• Research has high potential to open up new areas of research and lead to future external funding opportunities. (New areas of research are highly encouraged if they lead to future external funding opportunities)
• Research plan is achievable within one-year time frame.
• PI is not on the delinquent list which documents past awardees who have failed to deliver their research result(s) and/or products as proposed.

Evaluation of Proposals:

The review committee members for both opportunities include Austin Allen (chair), Karabi Bezboruah, Shadi Nazarian and Qisheng Pan. Committee members are not eligible to serve as PI in both opportunities but could serve as co-PI. In such case they would recuse themselves to avoid any conflict of interest. The committee members have an advisory role, and CAPPA dean will make the selection of winning proposals.

Deadline for submissions is Friday, February 16th 5pm. Please address any questions you may have to the chair, Austin Allen [email protected]

Grant Proposal Template