What Can Be Funded*
- Conference attendance related to one’s research, scholarship, or artistic practice
- Costs to support opportunities that advance one’s scholarship or artistic practice such as attendance/organization of specific workshops, colloquia, exhibitions, or residencies related to one’s research, scholarship, or artistic practice
- Tuition costs for certification or recertification and/or training
- Books, equipment, and materials for courses or creative practices
* All grant projects must occur during this fiscal year - 6/1/2023-5/31/2024. All receipts are due to the SEC Treasurer by 5/1/24.
What Cannot Be Funded
- The grant does not fund rental fees such as studios, offices, and other workspaces.
- The grant cannot be used for contracted labor, such as hiring individual editors, photographers, videographers, or assistants.
- The grant cannot be used for any expenses incurred outside the current fiscal year.
Eligibility
- Full-time and Part-time staff (Director level and below) are eligible to apply
- Awardees must be current MICA employees at the time of the award
- All funds will be awarded to an individual MICA staff member, but the funds can be used to support collaborative or group projects
- Previous Awardees cannot apply for two (2) rounds
- SEC Board members are not eligible to apply
Application Process
Application Materials*
- Name
- Position Title and Department
- Work email and phone number
- Amount Requested (cannot exceed $500)
- Project Description (750 words)
- Detailed Budget (itemized expenses including any links to events, items, and/or any other relevant information)
- Projected time frame for expenditure of funds
- Resume/CV (3 page max)
- Supporting Documents if applicable (eg: images, acceptance letters, etc; 5 image maximum; 7 page maximum for acceptance letters or other supporting documents)
* Any application missing information will not be considered.
Evaluation Process
SEC will nominate 3-5 people to review the grant applications for FY ‘23. Previous awardees will serve as reviewers on the round following their award.
Applications will be scored using the criteria outlined in this rubric. Once applications are scored, reviewers will meet to finalize the number of grants awarded based on the available budget. In the event that two or more proposals are considered to be of equal merit by the committee, priority will be given to applications that strongly align with MICA’s DEIG priorities.
Award Information
Funds can be reimbursed at the completion of the project anytime during the fiscal year. Funds must be spent and Workday expense reports must be submitted by the final deadline of 5/1/2023. All funds are granted on a reimbursement basis only. Itemized receipts or invoices must be kept for all expenditures tied to the grant activity. Funds can be used for expenses incurred from 6/1/22 - 4/30/23.
If your work changes drastically from your original proposal you must notify the SEC before taking on any expenditures. The SEC reserves the right to review any deviations from the original proposal to confirm they are still within the terms of the grant program.
Awardees must submit a summary of the project with their reimbursement request. (Images may be requested.) Awardees are required to serve as reviewers for the next round of Staff Professional and Creative Practice Grants.