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Laspa Center at Scripps College Laspa Center Grants and Awards We Act Grants

We Act Grants

The Laspa Center for Leadership seeks to fund individual opportunities for students to demonstrate leadership in action. All eligible applications must clearly align with the mission of the Laspa Center and distinguish themselves according to the Center’s core values of integrity, creativity, service and inclusion. These grants are fundamentally intended to promote leadership development through experiential learning.

We Act Grants support self-designed projects that transform knowledge, passion, and ideas into action, demonstrate creative and effective problem-solving, establish community partnerships, and produce a positive impact. Projects can be done with a team or as individual endeavors. Successful We Act Grant proposals will also address at least two of the six leadership competencies identified in the Laspa Center leadership model.

Students are encouraged to consider opportunities in industries that can benefit from an increase in diverse representation, such as politics, technology, and science. Read about previous grant recipients.

Each We Act Grant recipient can receive up to $5,000 in award funding to support expenses related to completion of the proposed project. The amount allocated will depend on the needs the student indicates in their proposal budget.

Deadline: March 12, 2023 at 11:59 p.m.

Eligibility

All currently enrolled students (including currently enrolled seniors) are eligible to apply for a We Act Grant. Priority goes to students who are first-time applicants. In the event that a student is selected for more than one type of Scripps College grant (e.g. internship grants, Johnson research awards, etc.), they can accept only one. Students may not receive more than two We Act Grants.

Projects are not eligible for academic credit.

Application Requirements

The application includes a series short-answer questions, four short essay questions, and a proposed budget. Students must also upload their resume and identify a partner/host organization and point of contact, where applicable. The Laspa Center for Leadership may contact the partner organization for confirmation.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Information: If your project involves work with human participants (ex. surveys, interviews) your project will require IRB approval. Your faculty mentor must possess the relevant training and be willing to supervise your research methodology. You must correspond via email or in person with an IRB chair or the administrator to receive guidance on IRB requirements. Read more about how to apply for IRB approval.

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) Information: If your research involves work with animals, you must work closely with a Keck Science professor who has the expertise required for the project and you must receive relevant training and health clearance. All experiments involving vertebrate animals must be approved by the Keck Science IACUC. Contact Professor Melissa Coleman with questions about animal use.

Supplemental Materials

Grant recipients should be willing to share their experiences with the community and will be asked to submit:

  • A one to two-page personal reflection
  • A photo illustrating leadership in action
  • One blog submission highlighting the project

Timeline

  • Applications are due at 11:59 p.m. on March 12, 2023. (Each applicant should receive an automatic confirmation upon submission.)
  • All applicants will be notified of the status of their application within two weeks.

Apply Here

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