PCF Grant Info and FAQs

All Fellows in the PCF program are eligible to receive grant support during their two-year term with a maximum of $10,000 per year ($20,000 total). Based on the goals and expectations of SoTL research through PCF, Fellows are expected to allocate the majority of funds to three main areas: an undergraduate research assistant, research incentives, and SoTL conference engagement. The expected amounts are noted in the table below, which serves as the template budget for all Fellows.

Item

Cost

Total

Year 1 (e.g. AY 2025-2026)

Work-Study Undergraduate Assistant

$4,500.00

$4,500.00

Research Incentives

$2,000.00

$2,000.00

Conference Engagement

$1,000.00

$1,000.00

Optional Discretionary Spending

$2,500.00

$2,500.00

Year 2 (e.g. AY 2026-2027)

Work-Study Undergraduate Assistant

$4,500.00

$4,500.00

Research Incentives

$2,000.00

$2,000.00

Conference Engagement

$1,000.00

$1,000.00

Optional Discretionary Spending

$2,500.00

$2,500.00

Total Budget

$20,000.00

FAQs on PCF Grants

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Q: Can I still apply to participate in PCF as a team?

A: As of the 2025-2027 cohort, the PCF program no longer accepts applications from departmental teams.

However, if you would like to specifically work on a PCF research project with a colleague, you should both submit individual applications and have each person indicate that they intend to work together on their application (“Are you applying to only participate in PCF on a team of 2 or more individuals?”). In this case, your admission into the program will be contingent on every team member individually being chosen to...

Q: What if I have a colleague who wants to collaborate with me on a possible research project, but does not want to engage in PCF programming?

A: Note that the PCF program not only provides funding, but a dedicated professional development opportunity for instructors with community-building and mentorship. It is expected that selected Fellows may work with other individuals on campus as thought-partners or collaborators (e.g. an instructor on a course who enables data collection as part of a study). However, only those who intend to participate in the professional growth opportunity provided by PCF should apply. Other supporters of the research project may be credited as part of the work, but will not...

Q: If some colleagues and I are admitted as a team, do we get to pool our budgets together?

A: No. If you and a colleague are developing a project together, the maximum $10k limit still applies. The stated $10K per year per Fellow is a maximum limit and is not an expected level of funding for every project.

The earliest milestones for the PCF program are developing a research plan and submitting a corresponding budget. The proposed budget will be rigorously reviewed by CTL in alignment and support of the proposed research plan. The only exception for additional funding for a team sharing one project budget would be for the “Conference...

Q: Do I have to include the three line items in the provided template?

A: All three major spending areas (an undergraduate research assistant, research incentives, and SoTL conference engagement) are expected and strongly advised for Fellows. Fellows must offer a persuasive argument if their proposed budget drastically reduces or eliminates any of these three categories. Some changes to the budget will be considered if warranted based on the particular design of the proposed research study. For example, a proposed research project that only uses secondary analysis of available data with no human subjects may be allowed to cut the research...

Q: I have not hired an undergraduate research assistant before, particularly not for a project like this. Why should I hire one and what support can I receive if I am new to the process?

A: CTL is a strong advocate for students-as-partners particularly where student learning experiences are being surfaced, studied, and designed. Not only can a student provide valuable work effort to an ongoing research project, but student research assistants often share insightful and different perspectives on higher education pedagogy. Moreover, employing a student research assistant provides that student with valuable and applied learning as part of their undergraduate career.

CTL currently hosts a team of undergraduate research assistants who provide support to...

Q: Can I hire a graduate student instead of an undergraduate student? Why is a work-study undergraduate hire advised?

A: Graduate students who are brought on to work on a SoTL research project are considered academic researchers and must be paid in accordance with the new contracts ratified in 2022. Please reference the most recent required wage rates per these contracts (...

Q: I regularly participate in conferences in my “home” discipline. Why am I required to participate in a SoTL conference during the PCF program?

A: SoTL represents a distinct research field with its own training, professionalization, conventions, and methodologies. While Fellows in the PCF program may not be trained in SoTL, the goal of the PCF program is to empower Fellows to enter the field of SoTL and be able to navigate this professional discipline. Participating in a SoTL conference and observing how SoTL research is presented via talks/posters, as well as networking with SoTL scholars both new and experienced, is critical to learning about the field and developing a sense of belonging and identity...

Q: What can I use my “optional discretionary spending” funds for?

A: Discretionary spending can go towards either increasing the total allocation towards one of the other three budget items, or can support things such as course materials, software, book purchases, professional society memberships, and more. All spending is expected to be in service of your SoTL research project. Spending that is unrelated to being able to carry out this proposed research is not allowed using your PCF grant funds. If you are not sure if an expense qualifies, please reach out to your assigned CTL staff mentor.

Q: What happens if my plans change and I spend less than anticipated in the first year? What if I spend more than anticipated?

A: If a Fellow spends less than they received in Fall of Year 1 during that year, any leftover budget is counted as carryover and compared against the proposed budget for Year 2. In submitting a budget for Year 2, Fellows will then by default receive the difference between the amount they list as necessary to conduct their research and the carryover from Year 1. An example of this is provided in the table below.

As shown in this table, carryover is considered when making Year 2 budget awards. It is in the interest of Fellows to...

Q: What happens if my plans change and I need additional money in the second year beyond what I budgeted?

A: Based on the overall PCF program budget, we can only promise a maximum of $10,000 per year per Fellow who is selected for the program. If you have an unanticipated expense leading to a possible budget shortfall, please reach out to your assigned CTL staff mentor.

Q: When am I required to use up my PCF grant funds?

A: All funds provided by the PCF program must be spent by the end of Year 2 (May 2027) else any unspent money will be returned to CTL. Fellows will report all expenditures through the end of Year 2 on the final grant report.