Funding ethics-related projects and events
Prindle Institute funding aims to go beyond supporting work that is intrinsically ethically important. It is not sufficient for Prindle Institute funding that the project or event involves ethically-important work or content that is ethically important. With our funding, we aim for a deeply integrated critical discussion of the ethical content and/or important work. As part of your proposal, please articulate how you see your project or event developing an intensive, critical discussion of the ethical themes of your project. Please carefully review the guidelines below. If you’ve read the guidelines and still have a question, contact Emily Knuth (eknuth@depauw.edu).
Guidelines
Our Advisory Committee reviews proposals and makes final funding decisions. The kinds of projects we fund are widely varied. Examples include, but are not limited to:
- Bringing speakers to campus
- Hosting meals and discussions
- Hosting a dialogue group or faculty reading group that meets regularly throughout the year or semester
- Developing an ethics-related course
- Funding faculty-student collaborative research
- Funding the dissemination and/or presentation of student research
Funding Cycles and Deadlines
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.
Funding Cycles:
Spring Cycle (provides funding for projects in summer or early Fall semester)
- Deadline for proposals: April 15
- Decisions announced: May 7
Fall Cycle (provides funds for projects in Fall or early Spring semesters)
- Deadline for proposals: September 27
- 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
Course and Research Funding
In an effort to ensure that curricular and research funding aligns with broader guidelines for curricular development and research, the advisory committee will review these proposals in consultation with Academic Affairs.
Other Ethics-Related Projects
Proposals that enrich academic life on campus with an ethics-related component that are outside the kinds of events the Prindle Institute normally funds are especially encouraged. Don’t limit yourself to the ideas outlined in the bulleted list above.
Application Form Next deadline April 15, 2021
Funding a Speaker

Please note that due to restrictions on visitors for much of the 2020-2021 academic calendar, the Prindle Institute will likely not be able to fund proposals that include visiting speakers. Please reach out to Emily Knuth (eknuth@depauw.edu) with any questions about this.
There are often many visiting speakers throughout the academic year at DePauw, so the advisory committee will be more cautious about funding speaking events. We ask that some reflection on the following considerations on funding a speaking event before submitting it to the advisory committee:
- Speaking events that bring in more campus partners (e.g. honors and fellows programs or student groups) have a higher likelihood of receiving funding.
- Speaking events that integrate the speaker’s work into the curriculum (e.g. using the speaker’s work in a course, or arranging for a classroom visit) have a higher likelihood of being funded. The more classes and faculty that are involved in the speaker’s event, the more likely the event is to be funded.