Project Grants - The Prindle Institute for Ethics

Bring your next big idea for campus to life.

The Prindle Institute supports projects, events, and scholarship at DePauw University that spark ethical reflection, dialogue, and learning. We’re especially excited by proposals that invite conversation and even healthy disagreement—the kind of work that deepens our shared understanding of what it means to live well together. Explore the details below to learn about our funding cycles, project guidelines, and how to apply.

Overview

Three times each academic year, the Prindle Institute’s Advisory Committee reviews funding proposals for ethics-related projects, events, and scholarship at DePauw. We support a wide range of initiatives—from bringing speakers to campus, hosting meals and discussions, or organizing dialogue or faculty reading groups that meet regularly, to projects that engage the local K–12 community, foster faculty–student collaborative research with a strong ethics focus, or support the presentation of student work tied closely to ethics. All proposals must identify a faculty member, staff member, or student as the project lead. Student leads must secure a faculty or staff mentor to serve as a project advisor. Because funding is competitive, priority will be given to proposals that demonstrate the greatest potential for impact on the DePauw community.

In keeping with the Institute’s mission, we welcome creative approaches to ethics education programming, and note that prospective grantees should not regard these examples as exhaustive. Please reach out to Director Jeff Dunn with any questions or concerns about Project Grant proposals.

2025-2026 Funding Cycles

We offer funds on a cycle model to ensure equitable access to funding opportunities. Projects and events should require funds no earlier than four weeks after the application deadline. If your project does not fit the regular funding cycle, the committee may still consider your proposal, but please explain in your application why your request cannot be made within the regular funding cycle.

Funding Cycles:

Fall Cycle (provides funds for projects in Fall or early Spring semesters)

Deadline for proposals: September 15
Decisions announced: October 7

Winter Cycle (provides funds for projects in early Spring semester or summer)

Deadline for proposals: January 15
Decisions announced: February 7

Spring Cycle (provides funding for projects in summer or early Fall semester)

Deadline for proposals: April 15
Decisions announced: May 7

Project Requirements and Guidelines

ENGAGEMENT WITH ETHICS

Many projects have ethical components or implications. To be competitive for Prindle Institute Project Grants, proposals must articulate how a project or event develops and encourages lively, in-depth engagement with relevant ethical issues. This crucially involves acknowledging and considering alternative perspectives and navigating discussions and disagreements respectfully. For more guidance on the task of ensuring that your project engages with its relevant ethical dimensions in a way that makes it competitive for grants, we’ve assembled a document for prospective grantees’ review here.

CURRICULAR CONSULTATION WITH ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

In an effort to ensure that curricular development projects and research projects align with broader guidelines for curricular development and research, the Advisory Committee will review requests for funding such projects in consultation with Academic Affairs.

PREFERENCE FOR SEED FUNDING

In order to promote ethical reflection across the entire campus, preference will be given to those project proposers who have not yet received Prindle Institute funding in an academic year. This does not mean, however, that it is impossible for a single person to receive two Prindle grants in a single academic year.

SPEAKER EVENT APPROVAL

There are often many visiting speakers throughout the academic year at DePauw, so the Advisory Committee will ask that you receive approval from Dean Marcus Hayes before applying for funding for a speaking event.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE EXPENSES

The Advisory Committee recognizes that food can be an important part of successful projects, but also wants to ensure that awarded funds contribute to the mission of the Institute. The committee is thus especially interested that any food costs are reasonable and critical to achieving the goal of the project.

GUIDELINES FOR STUDENT-LED PROJECTS

If a DePauw student is the project lead for a proposal, they must identify a faculty or staff mentor who will advise in the project implementation and ensure that the student meets the goals of the project and delivers a final project report.

GUIDELINES FOR STUDENT/FACULTY RESEARCH

Prindle Institute grants can be used to support student/faculty research, including summer projects:

All student/faculty research applications will be joint student/faculty proposals.
Previous funding for students will be taken into consideration. Priority will be given to students who have had no prior funding for research projects.
If the proposal is for summer research, university budget policy states that students may not be employed by DePauw in another position while working under the summer research program in a full-time capacity except in very special circumstances that require prior approval from the Vice President of Academic Affairs. Also, students may not attend classes or be employed on- or off-campus by another employer if either of the activities interferes with time required for research.
If the proposal is for summer research, the standard student fellowship award is $4,400 and a faculty stipend of $3,000. These amounts are based on the assumption that the project will last ten weeks and that the student will work full-time and the faculty member will work half-time. For projects of lesser duration, please prorate the grant funds requested.
It is assumed that the student and the faculty member will work together at the same location for the duration of the project. If this is a summer project, the dates for the project must fall within student summer housing availability and must occur outside the regular academic year.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

Those receiving Prindle Institute grants are required to submit a report on the project no less than one month after the end of the project. Those who do not submit a report are not eligible for Prindle funding until the report is submitted.

Application Form Next deadline: January 15, 2026

"" indicates required fields

Name of Project
Proposed Date or Date-Range of Project*
Name of Project Lead*
First Last
Email Address of Project Lead*

Is the Project Lead a DePauw student?*

Yes

No
Who is the faculty/staff mentor for this project?
First Last
Note that the faculty/staff mentor must agree to advise in the project implementation, to ensure that the goals of the project are met, and that a final project report is delivered.
Email Address of Faculty/Staff Mentor

Is this a student/faculty research project?*

Yes

No
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Brief Description of Project (if it is to bring a speaker to campus, please include a brief bio of the speaker)*
Please include here the student's description of why they want to participate in this student/faculty research project and what they hope to learn from the experience.*
Does your project involve bringing a speaker to campus or require facilities set up?*

Yes

No
If "yes", have you received approval for your event from Dean Marcus Hayes?*

Yes

No
Please clarify the manner in which ethics is an integral component of the project. To be competitive for Prindle Institute funding, proposals should articulate how a project or event develops and encourages lively, in-depth engagement with the key ethical issues of your project. This often involves acknowledging and considering alternative perspectives on these key ethical issues.*
List other people, departments, or campus organizations, if any, who you are partnering with on this project or event.
Partnership from multiple entities demonstrates that there are more constituencies that have a stake in the project or event. Because of this, we have a preference for proposals that are made in partnership with other campus entities.
IMPACT
Please include here the concrete product(s) that will result from this student/faculty research project.*
Who is the intended audience for this project?*
What number of people do you intend to impact with this project?*
List the learning goals related to ethics that you have for participants.*
BUDGET
Please provide a line item budget for your project. If there are multiple funding sources, please note in your line item budget, the items or amounts for which you are requesting Prindle Institute funding.*
List each expense along with a brief rationale for the expense.
If your proposal includes hospitality expenses (food, entertainment), please give details here about the food and/or entertainment you will be procuring and explain how this is critical to achieving the goal(s) of your project or event.
Total Amount Required for Project*
Amount Requested from Prindle Institute for Ethics*
REPORTING AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
In what manner will the Prindle Institute be acknowledged?*
If your project or event is funded, do you agree to provide a brief report about your project or event no less than one month after it concludes?*
Note that if the report is not submitted, the proposer will not be eligible for future Prindle Institute funding.

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