Grants 101

Welcome to the grants page. I'll try here to explain something about the grants that are available to members of the fraternity. Our official grants policy can be found here, but I'll try to keep this page a bit less formal.

One important thing to keep in mind: We are here to help you. Everyone wants you to succeed in your grant proposal and the individuals on the various committee we will discuss below all want to help fund your proposal. Please don't hesitate to contact us for advice or suggestions.

What is a grant?

The purpose of grants is for members of the fraternity, or the chapter itself, to obtain funds to pursue educational projects or to obtain educational equipment. For example, grants can be used to fund literary events at the Hall, to purchase computer equipment, to organize public speaking events, and even for more individual uses, such as funding thesis research.

Where does this money come from?

For Kappa undergraduates and alumni, there are two ways to get grants, through us at SATRI (the Saint Anthony Trust of Rhode Island) and from SAEF (the Saint Anthony Educational Foundation). Each organization fulfills a slightly different purpose, though there is some overlap. Let me describe each type of grant.

• SATRI grants: SATRI funds only the Kappa Chapter and members of Kappa and SATRI. We are limited to smaller grants of less than $500 (with some occassional exceptions) and these primarily are limited to things of benefit to the entire chapter. Recently, we have funded a piano night at the Hall, a Hall literary magazine, the Hall photo show, and a variety of educational recruiting events. In the past, we have also funded the purchase of computer equipment, the Hall whiteboard, and film screenings.
• SAEF grants: The Saint Anthony Educational Foundation is an arm of the national Saint Anthony Hall organization, and it is open for grant requests from individual members and alumni, entire chapters, and even graduate organizations. If the chapter would like a grant that exceeds SATRI's $500 limit, SAEF is the place to go. SAEF has funded our more expensive computer equipment, our piano, and a recent high-profile speaker series for the chapter. SAEF is also willing to fund individual projects, such as travel to academic conferences, thesis research, and other educational efforts.

That's great! How do I get some of this money?

Obtaining grant money from SATRI or SAEF requires submitting a formal grant proposal. SATRI proposals may be slightly less formal than SAEF proposals, especially for more routine requests. They may also be submitted at any time for immediate consideration, although they should be submitted sufficiently in advance of any events they are intended to fund. SAEF maintains more rigid deadlines, requires more detail in their proposals, and considers proposals only twice a year, in January and May.

In both cases, grants first must be submitted to the SATRI grants committee by mailing them to grants@satri.org. This committee is empowered to approve or decline SATRI grants, but we also function to screen proposals intended for SAEF. In this latter capacity, we serve mostly an advisory role - by sending your proposal to us first, we can make suggestions and help you improve your grant before it gets to SAEF.

Writing your proposal

Before submitting either type of grant, it is advisable to consult with both the undergraduate Grants Chair and the SATRI Grants Chair. We are always here to answer questions, make suggestions, or provide any other kind of assistance, from developing the concept of the grant all the way through to the details of the proposal.

All proposals should contain the following information:

1. A title
2. Names, Kappa years, and contact information for proposers
3. A brief summary of the proposed grant
4. A more detailed description of the proposal, including a timeline, who will be involved and how, and justifications of expenses
5. An educational justiifcation for the project
6. A budget

Written grant proposals should be taken seriously, particularly proposals to SAEF. SATRI tends to be a bit more lax about formality, but SAEF is very serious about proposals to them being written in a professional and thoughtful manner. SAEF is also impressed by due diligence in background research, such as cost comparisons on items they are asked to fund. These conditions are not meant to be overly burdensome to the proposer, but in the words of the current SAEF Grants Committee Chair, "More is more." Impress us that you have thought seriously about your proposal, and we become more convinced that it is worth funding.

SAEF grants must also conform to the policies as set forth by SAEF. Here is the main page for SAEF grants.

Note: Grant proposals are public documents. Please refrain from putting anything into your grant proposals that you or the Chapter might not want to share with the world at large.

Sample grants

• For the most routine low-cost (<$75) events with obvious educational significance, you can just fill out this standard form.
• For events that are more original, more work is required. Here is a SATRI grant proposal I made up to fund a trip to the Wonka factory: Wonka grant.
• Here is a successful SATRI grant proposal by Andrew K. Stein K'03 for publication of a Kappa literary magazine. Note that this grant technically exceeds the $500 limit for SATRI grants. This is allowable in certain cases that the SATRI board deems sufficiently reasonable, but this is discouraged in general.
• Here's Laura Wagner K'03's SAEF grant, which was not only approved by SAEF, but held up as a paragon of grant proposing. Note that while the proposal is for individual work, it is very clear both on the output of that work and how it will be used for educational purposes. Not shown here: cover letter, resume, endorsements, and supporting letter from art gallery.
• This is a successful grant proposed by Genna Teitelbaum K'02 for a speaker series hosted by the Chapter.
• Here is Austin Head-Jones K'04's successful grant proposal for study in China.
• This is a SAEF grant for funding of individual research and thesis work by Miriam Goldstein K'00.

My grant's been approved - now how do I get my money?

Additional hints, tips, and requirements

• All Hall events sponsored by SATRI or SAEF should have advertisements posted to the kappa-social mailing list. All advertising, online or otherwise, should contain "Sponsored by SATRI" or "Sponsored by SAEF", as appropriate.
• It is important to take the educational justification of grants very seriously, particularly SAEF grants. It is imperative not just that here be some individual benefit, but also an educational benefit to the community. If not, SAEF will not fund the grant. Even if you are applying for a grant to fund your individual research, you must supply a community educational service, such as a lecture at the Hall on what you learned, a publication in an academic journal, donation of art projects to galleries, etc. If you are having trouble coming up with such a community educational benefit, we would be happy to speak with you and help you come up with suggestions.
• Some things that SAEF will not fund: food and lodging while traveling, small equipment purchases for individuals, anything that is not clearly justified as contributing to the educational project
• When writing your grant, especially SAEF grants, be respectful and professional. Don't be smug, obnoxious, or irritating. It's alright to express some personality, but don't try to be cutesy. I've seen it before; it doesn't help your grant proposal - it makes committee members look for reasons to turn you down. Trust me.
• Make sure you are clear regarding the product of your SAEF grant. If you plan to go to Peru to study native alpaca farming, make sure to clearly state what you are going to do with what you learned: write a thesis? a magazine article? make a presentation? etc.
• Also make it clear that you know what you're going to do. SAEF doesn't like to hear "I'm going to go to Italy and ask people how they feel about paintings." They want hear that you are studying how the paintings of Michelangelo compare to those of Titian and that you have made specific appointments to visit specific museums and speak with specific experts. If you can include proof of such appointments and commitments in your proposal, so much the better (again - "More is More").
• Funded SAEF grants require a follow-up report in order to receive the balance of the funds (and keep SAEF satisfied that their funds have been properly spent).