ITL Mini-Grant Program

ITL Mini-Grant Program is sponsored by Youngstown State University Institute for Teaching & Learning. Provides funds for small projects to enhance teaching, learning, and assessment, aiming to build a campus culture focused on student success.

ITL Mini-Grant Program | YSU Reciprocal Responsibilities Guidance New Faculty Resource Guide All Things SYL - Syllabus Posting Academic Assessment Reporting Co-Curricular Assessment Reporting Higher Learning Commission Institutional Surveys & Data The Institute for Teaching & Learning (ITL) is pleased to announce a call for mini-grant applications for the academic year 2025-2026.

The ITL Mini-Grant Program (formerly the Office of Assessment mini-grant program) provides funds for small projects to help build a campus culture focused on teaching, learning, and assessment towards student success. Project funding will be capped at $300, with up to $10,000 in funding available to the campus.

ITL has significantly shifted the focus of these grants in order to support a wide variety of projects, equipment, training, and other ideas. Mini-grant project applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis, and funds will be available through the end of May 2026. Please submit requests at least two weeks ahead of a planned project so that ITL has sufficient time to review and arrange funding.

Successfully funded projects will be focused on actionable ideas that can be implemented easily into a classroom, event, meeting, or other learning spaces. Examples of these projects may include (but are not limited to): Additional pay to create and deliver a professional development workshop, training, or activity for faculty or staff. Topics could be focused on the program, department, college, or university levels.

Funding to bring in an outside presenter for faculty and/or staff professional development. Topics could be focused on the program, department, college, or university levels.

Funding classroom equipment , such as microphones, video cameras whiteboards for students, scratch-off cards, or manipulatives An advanced presentation remote that allows a presenter to interact uniquely during lectures or presentations Honoraria or small appreciation gifts for guest presenters (non-YSU) Travel expenses for off-campus class visits.

Funding catering or incentives (non-monetary value) for participation in teaching and learning or continuous improvement activities. For example: Artifact scoring calibration All applications are submitted online through the Mini-Grant Application Form . Please review application guidelines including evaluation criteria and updated responsibilities of grant winners .

Funding will begin July 1, 2025, with spending of mini-grant funds completed by May 15, 2026. Please note some significant changes made to improve the mini-grant program: Mini-grant recipients will no longer be required to submit a poster at the completion of their mini-grant. As an alternative, mini-grant recipients will decide how they plan to disseminate results and note that plan in their application.

Examples of sharing could include a one-page reflection report, how-to-guide, workshop, website, or article. This program is discontinuing funding faculty and staff travel to conferences as ITL is looking at a separate travel funds program. However, the mini-grant will continue to fund local travel for things such as a classroom or industry visits outside of YSU that may enhance teaching/learning.

The grant program will also continue to fund paying for travel for outside speakers or consultants to come to campus. The University is tightening guidelines regarding providing student incentives. Projects requesting student incentives with a monetary value (e.g. gift cards) will be asked to substitute alternative incentives such as promotional items.

Mini-grant applications are reviewed by ITL staff using an evaluation rubric . Applicants will be notified of a decision within two weeks of submission.