Many NetVUE member colleges and universities have strong historical ties to a specific religious tradition, a particular educational philosophy, or a pioneering educator. These elements of an institution’s heritage are important, but their significance may not always be clear in the midst of changes in the institution’s demographic profile, surrounding community, and founding organizations. These changes can influence student recruitment and retention, curriculum design, and the composition of faculty. The purpose of this grant program is to enable institutions to produce an updated account of their history and mission in light of their current context.
This initiative is administered by CIC with generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc.
Funding Plan and Potential Programming
Grants may be requested in amounts ranging up to $60,000 for use over three years. Proposals should focus on re-examining and reframing the institution’s commitments in ways that balance their history, identity, and heritage with attention to their present circumstances. This re-examination would enable institutions to articulate the ties between their inheritance from the past and the vocations that situate them within their current context and call them into the future. By the end of the grant period, recipients are expected to have created one or more enduring products, such as a book (whether a monograph or a collection of essays), a permanent campus exhibit accompanied by a printed catalogue, or some other physical and durable record of the results of the campus conversations, critical thinking, and reframing process. The enduring product(s) may be supported by other products (including digital and electronic ones) that reflect deep research and that may help extend the reach of the project.
This three-year grant has four distinct periods: a six-month “ramp up” period, followed by the first and second years of primary project activities, and concluding with a six-month completion phase, during which the durable product is expected to come to fruition (i.e., by being published, constructed, or otherwise finalized). This increase in the timeframe for this grant (which previously was designed as a two-year award), as well as the significantly increased size of the grant (previously $40,000), has been made possible by additional funding to CIC from Lilly Endowment Inc. These changes come with an expectation that proposed budgets will reflect adequate released time for project participants and significant attention to assessment (including the use of external evaluators).
Funds may be used for a range of purposes, but not to substitute for faculty and staff costs that the institution is presently providing for its vocational exploration activities. Additional buyouts of faculty and staff time to produce an updated institutional narrative may be included as a part of the grant. Examples of allowable expenses include (a) released time or stipends for researchers and writers who might collaborate on the project; (b) released time for one or more project leaders to coordinate the activities of this grant; (c) funds to support retreats, workshops, and similar events; and (d) reading materials and other resources for use during the grant period. Certain expenses are ineligible for grant support; for details, please consult the Grant Budget Guidelines. In general, grants should be used to offset one-time costs of the process of reframing the institutional saga, as well as the creation of one or more written enduring products that reflect deep research and gather the results of this process.
In the previous rounds of this program, CIC awarded 100 grants to NetVUE member institutions.
In February 2021, awards were given to 20 NetVUE campuses. View summaries of the 2021 program initiatives.
In February 2022, an additional 24 NetVUE campuses received awards. View summaries of the 2022 program initiatives.
In February 2023, an additional 18 NetVUE campuses received awards. View summaries of the 2023 program initiatives.
In February 2024, an additional 15 NetVUE campuses received awards. View summaries of the 2024 program initiatives.
In February 2025, an additional 12 NetVUE campuses received awards. View summaries of the 2025 program initiatives.
In December 2025, an additional 11 NetVUE campuses received awards. View summaries of the 2026 program initiatives.
Eligibility
All NetVUE member institutions that have not completed, and that do not currently hold, a Grant for Reframing the Institutional Saga are eligible to apply for this award. This grant may be held currently with other NetVUE grants; however, please note: If an institution already holds one or more NetVUE grants (or expects to apply for one in the near future), the application must demonstrate that staffing and other resources are adequately distributed to allow all projects to succeed. Ordinarily this will require that the programs supported by the grants be directed by distinct leadership teams.
An official Invitation for Applications for this grant program is typically issued in the spring for applications that are due in the late summer. Proposals are reviewed in the fall, and applicants are notified of the outcome shortly thereafter. Funding will be released in two disbursements: the first half at the beginning of the three-year grant period, and the second half at the 18-month mark—after the ramp-up period and first year of primary project activities—following the receipt and approval of an interim report. Spending must be completed within the three-year time-frame of the grant.
Contact Information
Questions about this initiative can be addressed to Carter Aikin, NetVUE grants director, at caikin@cic.edu or (217) 854-5619.
About NetVUE
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