University Honors Program students have access to a wide array of grants and fellowships to support their undergraduate research work. “Research” is broadly defined and includes disciplines in the arts, sciences, humanities, education, the social sciences, and business, grounded in a study of history, theory, or practice.
General Guidelines
All Honors program grants share a number of guidelines:
- Applicants must be in good standing within the Honors Program. Students who are "under revision" may still apply for grants, but proposals from students in good standing will take precedence.
- Applicants must have the guidance and endorsement of a faculty mentor. Faculty mentors are crucial to the success of any undergraduate research endeavor. They provide vision, expertise, guidance, and experience as students work through their respective projects. A written endorsement or letter of support from the faculty mentor is a part of every Honors grant or fellowship application, reflective of the role that this professor is willing to take in helping a student with his or her work.
- For most grants, applicants must provide an itemized budget. Responsible stewardship is an aspect of successful sponsored work. Most grant proposals must be accompanied by an itemized budget showing how grant funds will be spent. The justifiability of this budget is a criterion for a grant’s approval. Once approved, funds must be spent according to this budget, and written notice must be sent if changes to the budget (but not the total awarded amount) are necessary.
- If funded, applicants must report on the result of their work. Dissemination is an intrinsic part of academic research. It helps “spread the word” on what was learned and provides a form of accountability for the money received. Honors grants require that awardees commit, at a minimum, to presenting their work at LMU’s Undergraduate Research Symposium and the University Honors Program’s This is Honors event. Dissemination at other venues is also highly encouraged, and the Honors Program specifically funds such endeavors through the Honors Ambassadorial Grant for students who are presenting their work at a venue other than LMU’s Undergraduate Research Symposium, such as an external publication, conference talk, or poster session.
Exceptions and Limitations
The primary intent of all Honors grants is to support research by Honors students, and at the heart of research is inquiry: questions that need to be answered or problems that need to be solved. As such, Honors funding, like most other scholarly funding sources, does have exceptions and limitations:
- Honors cannot contribute to a pool of funds for a larger project. Implied in the intent to fund Honors student research is the requirement that Honors funding specifically and fully cover a clearly-identified endeavor—it is not meant to “contribute” to a broader pool of funds that help pay for a much more expensive project. Venues such as Kickstarter are more suited for projects of that type, and you are certainly encouraged to move in that direction if your funding need matches that model more.
- Honors cannot directly fund film production. Doing so would place the University Honors Program in the role of a producer for such a film. The University and its units are explicitly barred from taking on such a role. (Honors can fund research related to making a film; it is unable to fund the production itself.)
- Honors cannot provide startup funds for an entrepreneurial venture. Doing so would place the University Honors Program in the position of an investor. Similarly to being a film producer, such a role is disallowed for the University and its units.
Honors Grants and Fellowships
Honors provides many different kinds of grants and fellowships for students who are interested in pursuing research. Explore our different options below:
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The Honors Program can provide funds for students who wish to conduct research activities during the academic school year. An Honors Research Fellowship Semester Grant provides financial support for Honors students who wish to engage in faculty-mentored research and creative activities on a per-semester or -term basis.
Highlights
- Only students in good standing in Honors are eligible for research grants.
- Applicants are ideally eligible for work study or T work; additional or supplementary funds may be available based on proposal quality and merit
- The grant funds time spent doing the work, at an hourly rate that is commensurate with university research assistants for a maximum of 15 hours per week for 15 weeks (i.e., one semester)
- Relevant information includes a description of the project, a recommendation from the faculty mentor, and estimated cost (for items other than time spent working on the project)
- Deadline: For the best chance of funding, proposals should be submitted before the end of the second week of the funded semester; however, if a research idea strikes you mid-semester, don't be afraid to reach out or submit a proposal! We will consider proposals on a rolling basis.
Application
To apply for the Honors Research Fellowship Semester Grant, you must submit the following items:
- A description of your project, with a specific mention of what will be done during the paid time
- A letter of endorsement from your faculty advisor, emailed to honors@lmu.edu. This letter should:
- Signify faculty approval for the student to engage in this research under their guidance
- Describe the significance of the project for the student and how it relates to the faculty member's own work
- An application through the University Honors Program Grants & Fellowships portal of the Hannon Library's Digital Commons system.
If your proposal is funded, you are expected to present your work at the This is Honors event that is held during the LMU Undergraduate Research Symposium. You must also submit an abstract (and present your work if it is accepted) to the symposium itself. In addition, you are strongly encouraged to disseminate your work at any broader conference, publication, or appropriate venue. For this, you may apply for an Honors Ambassadorial Grant to defray expenses involved with that presentation or publication.
Upon submission, your proposal will be reviewed and you will be contacted directly about the results of this review.
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In certain situations, the Honors Program is not able to provide funds for time spent doing research, but can provide funds for costs incurred as a result of this research.
Highlights
- Only students in good standing in Honors may receive research grants.
- Items funded include consumable materials, paid services, and texts/media that will become part of the Honors student’s personal library
- Items that may not be funded include long-lived equipment or instruments that eventually reside as part of a university laboratory or department
- Relevant information includes a project description, budget with justification, and when the work will take place (i.e., semester and year)
- As purchases are made, expense reports with receipts must be submitted to the University Honors Program for approval and reimbursement (based on the project description and budget)
- Expenses that go over budget will not be reimbursed
- Projects that go under budget cannot “cash in” the remaining approved amount
- Deadline: No fixed deadline; grant requests must be submitted with adequate time prior to the first materials purchase to allow for grant consideration, ordering, shipping, and other logistics
Application
To apply for the Honors Research Materials Grant, you must submit the following items:
- A description of your project
- An itemized list of your requested materials and their prices
- A letter of endorsement from your faculty advisor, emailed to honors@lmu.edu. This letter should:
- Signify faculty approval for the student to engage in this research under their guidance
- State how the requested materials are to be used in the research project
- Describe the significance of the project for the student and how it relates to the faculty member's own work
- A completed application through the University Honors Program Grants & Fellowships portal of the Hannon Library's Digital Commons system.
If your proposal is funded, you are expected to present your work at the This is Honors event that is held during the LMU Undergraduate Research Symposium. You must also submit an abstract (and present your work if it is accepted) to the symposium itself. In addition, you are strongly encouraged to disseminate your work at any broader conference, publication, or appropriate venue. For this, you may apply for an Honors Ambassadorial Grant to defray expenses involved with that presentation or publication.
Upon submission, your proposal will be reviewed and you will be contacted directly about the results of this review.
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The Honors Ambassadorial Grant provides financial support for Honors students who are engaging in scholarly or creative activities in a public venue or forum, such as an academic conference, concert, stage performance, or exhibit (and thus, the Honors student serves as an “ambassador” of the Honors Program). Such activities must be affiliated with a faculty mentor, with a report on these activities to be submitted or presented to the Honors Program upon their conclusion.
Highlights
- Only students in good standing in Honors are eligible to receive research grants.
- Items funded include registration, travel, lodging, meals, and other related items if specifically approved
- Relevant information includes the conference/venue name, dates, location, description of the project to be presented, and estimated cost
- A report on the activities must be submitted or presented upon their conclusion
- Deadline: No fixed deadline; grant requests must be submitted with adequate time prior to the conference/venue/event date to allow for grant consideration, travel planning, and other logistics
Application
To apply for the Honors Ambassadorial Grant, you must submit the following items:
- A description of your completed work, including final title and authorship
- An itemized and priced list of costs for presenting or publishing this work; in particular, for conferences, please supply full itinerary and logistics, as if you had already registered and made reservations but short of actually paying for them:
- Conference website, particularly pages showing registration and other fees
- Travel itinerary, including departure and arrival dates/times, and preferred airline and flight number
- Hotel costs, including the specific hotel and nightly rate
- Ground transportation needs, such as expected public transportation, shuttle, or taxi fare
- Per diem—this is a University-set maximum of $30 per day
- A letter of endorsement from your faculty advisor, emailed to honors@lmu.edu. This letter should:
- Signify faculty endorsement for the student work completed under their guidance
- Describe the significance of the project for the student and how it relates to the faculty member's own work
- Describe the presentation/publication venue and its role in the student’s and faculty member’s discipline
- A completed application through the University Honors Program Grants & Fellowships portal of the Hannon Library's Digital Commons system.
Upon submission, your proposal will be reviewed and you will be contacted directly about the results of this review.
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Summer research grants are reviewed on a rolling basis, beginning in early March of each year. It is recommended that you apply early so that if your initial application is not funded, you will have time to revise and resubmit your application on the basis of the feedback you receive.
The Honors Summer Research Fellowship provides financial support for Honors students who wish to engage in faculty-mentored research and creative activities during the summer.
Honors Summer Research Fellowships are funded by donors and patrons of the University Honors Program. When a fellowship is granted, it is given a specific name (e.g., Clint Albertson Fellowship) based on the source of the fellowship funds. Aside from the source of funds, there are no other differences between Honors Summer Research Fellowships with different names.
This application includes additional questions not found in other research grant applications. We recommend that you answer these questions in a separate file first, then paste your responses in when you are ready to submit the whole application.
Highlights
- Open to non-graduating Honors students only
- Students must be in good standing with the University Honors Program (i.e., not currently on probation)
- Items funded are flexible depending on the proposed summer work, but typically include travel, work-related materials, and other incidental costs
- Funds may not be used as a stipend solely for time spent doing research
- Fellowships may not exceed $5,000
- Relevant information includes a description of the project, a recommendation from the faculty mentor, and budget with justification.
Application
To apply for the Honors Summer Research Fellowship, you must submit the following items:
- A description of your project
- A timeline and budget for your project (especially any deadlines or time constraints)
- A letter of endorsement from your faculty advisor, emailed to Honors@lmu.edu. This letter should:
- Signify faculty approval for the student to engage in this research under their guidance
- Describe the significance of the project for the student and how it relates to the faculty member's own work
- A completed application through the University Honors Program Grants & Fellowships portal of the Hannon Library's Digital Commons system.
If your proposal is funded, you are expected to present your work at the This is Honors event that is held during the LMU Undergraduate Research Symposium. You must also submit an abstract (and present your work if it is accepted) to the symposium itself. In addition, you are strongly encouraged to disseminate your work at any broader conference, publication, or appropriate venue. For this, you may apply for an Honors Ambassadorial Grant to defray expenses involved with that presentation or publication.
Upon submission, your proposal will be reviewed and you will be contacted directly about the results of this review.
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Honors can provide funding for students who have expenses related to poster printing for research dissemination.
Highlights
- Only students in good standing in Honors are eligible to receive grants.
- Grant to be used on research dissemination poster printing. Acceptable poster sizes for the LMU Research Symposium are 36”x48” and 48”x48”. Both poster sizes cost $60.
- If the student has other justifiable presentation expenses that they would like Honors' assistance with, it is possible that this grant may cover them as well.
- Funding beyond poster cost may be requested in the application. However, this will be decided on a case by case basis.
- Relevant information include: Project title, conference name, project description, justification of additional funds, and poster size.
- For information about payment method please contact Honors at honors@lmu.edu
- Deadline: No fixed deadline; however, grant requests must be submitted one week prior to chosen conference date to allow for grant consideration/processing.
Application
To apply for the Research Dissemination Poster Grant, students must complete this form.
Upon submission, your proposal will be reviewed and you will be contacted directly about the results of this review.