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Supplement for Public Engagement

To support outreach and engagement efforts by graduate student researchers, the Graduate School offers Public Engagement Supplements. These awards stem from UMass’s interest in advancing and applying knowledge and innovation to the betterment of society.

Doctoral students may apply for a Public Engagement Supplement in one of two ways: 

  1. A doctoral student may submit an application in the same cycle in which they apply for a Graduate School Predissertation or Fieldwork Grant. In these instances, the deadline to submit the Supplement for Public Engagement is the same as the deadline for the Predissertation or Fieldwork Grant (October 15 or February 15). 
  2. A doctoral student who was awarded a Predissertation or Fieldwork Grant previously may submit an application at any point, provided they would still be working on the project funded by the Predissertation or Fieldwork Grant at the time of the proposed public engagement activity. 

In both cases, the application for a Supplement for Public Engagement is only open to doctoral students who are applying for, or have received, a Graduate School Predissertation or Fieldwork Grant. 

An application for a Supplement for Public Engagement should outline a mutually beneficial collaboration between the graduate student researcher and an off-campus community, organization, or group. Examples of funded activities could include (but are not limited to):

  • purchasing equipment to record a podcast to communicate about your field with non-experts
  • developing an ongoing outreach program
  • incorporating a special project into your dissertation research to address needs within your research community
  • hosting events or developing materials to share your research results with impacted communities

Most Supplements for Public Engagement will be $500 or less. Applications for a Public Engagement Supplement include a budget and a short essay (no more than 500 words) that addresses each of the following:

  • Specific aim or aims of your public engagement project
  • Overview of what you plan to do in your proposed public engagement project
  • What community/group/organization will benefit from your public engagement project?
  • How will this community/group/organization benefit?
  • How will you collaborate with the community/group/organization in project development and implementation? (Proposed projects should not impose a burden—administrative or otherwise—on communities, groups, or organizations.)
  • Plan for assessing the success of your public engagement project

Use the Supplement for Public Engagement Budget Template to develop your budget. Save your essay and budget as PDF files and upload them in the Supplement for Public Engagement Application Form. Include your first and last name in the file name for each document. 

Eligible expenses may include travel, equipment, or materials/supplies. Salary or other payments to individuals are not allowed. Students interested in applying for the Public Engagement Supplement are encouraged to researchgrant [at] umass [dot] edu (contact Heidi Bauer-Clapp) to discuss their project and budget before submitting their application materials. 

Applications for Public Engagement Supplements will be evaluated on the feasibility of the proposed project, quality of the project aims, and the potential impact on the intended community/group/organization.

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Supplement for Public Engagement
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