2023 | Teaching & Learning Innovation Grants

General information and details about the RFP, including funding priorities, have been posted on this website. Below there is additional information to clarify questions related to funding eligibility and to assist with the budget planning.

• All members of the UMD teaching community may participate in Teaching Innovation Grant projects. Part-time instructors, postdocs, staff, and students (undergraduate and graduate) with teaching-related responsibilities are encouraged to participate as team members. Only tenured faculty, tenure-track faculty, professional-track faculty, and/or instructional staff may serve as PIs. 
• Undergraduate and graduate courses and programs are eligible to receive funds in this initiative.
• The grant work may begin according to your grant timeline (T-01 vs T-02).
• Stipends for PIs and other participants are allowed, but not required. Stipends can be budgeted up to $8,000 per participant and should be determined by the amount of work planned for each of those involved in the project. If desired, a portion of the participant’s salary can be charged to the grant to work on the proposal. Individuals may apply as members of different teams but can only receive a stipend from one awarded innovation grant.
• You may include in your budget:
  • Instructional-related stipends are capped at $8,000. If you need an instructional designer or instructional technology services, please consult with TLTC staff;
  • Funds for teaching assistants or student workers (undergraduate and/or graduate);
  • External to UMD: review consulting service agreements (e.g., video editor, ASL interpreter services, software development, etc.);
  • Equipment or discipline-specific software. Please note that proposals that include the use of new software currently unavailable in the DIT service catalog will require a pre-consultation with the DIT Security and Compliance staff to assess the feasibility of integration with Canvas (if needed) and the need for a review/approval for security, FERPA, and accessibility compliance.
  • Tuition remission and fringe are allowed and must be included in the budget.
• You may NOT include the following in your budget:
  • Indirect costs (i.e., overhead)
  • Travel expenses
  • Per diem
  • Food and event costs
  • Office supplies
  • Stipends for individuals external to UMD (not on the payroll). External community members are encouraged to partner to collaborate with the project but are not personally eligible to receive stipends from the grant unless they fall into consulting service agreements.
• Once the grants have been awarded, the University Budget Office will create a series of dedicated DRIF accounts beginning with 293xxxx.  Each awardee will be assigned a unique account number from this series for their particular grant.  ALL activity related to the grant must occur in this account; salary and expense transfers should be kept to a minimum.  This approach facilitates accurate reporting on this key strategic initiative.
• For T-01: Because of the 1:1 fund matching requirements, two sign-offs indicating awareness and support of the grant activity will be required to establish the new dedicated account: 1) the first from the relevant chair, center/institute director, or supervisor of the PI; and 2) a second from the Dean’s Office in the home College/School.  
• Academic Affairs will work with the relevant business managers to ensure the appropriate account characteristics are included.  CBOs will receive a spreadsheet with their College/School's full list of awardees, as well as access to the proposals, budget, and award letters on Google Drive.
• The total award per grantee will be dispersed upfront to the unique KFS account for each grant. The business manager should expect to receive the funds shortly after the establishment of the account and will be responsible for ensuring that expenditures follow the budgeted plan as closely as practicable. Unspent funds, if any, will be returned to the Provost’s Office at the end of the project.
• The funds transferred will align with the budget proposed by the PI, and be confirmed through the selection process. Proposals may be fully or partially funded. A budget note will be added to the award letter in case the proposal is partially funded. 
• UMD units retain ownership of any equipment, software, or materials purchased to support the project’s development. Additionally, we request permission to contact the grantee for up to two years post-project for updates and support to use the materials, and/or to occasionally make a request for the grantee (or designated collaborative partner) to serve as a casual mentor for future recipients and to present findings at future events.

For additional questions, concerns, or requests for additional information contact us at tltc@umd.edu.