Special Projects

Each year, the Middle Tennessee State University Foundation grants up to $25,000 to fund a special project pursued by a full-time faculty member at the University. The object of the award is to provide financial support for a project that brings acclaim to the University. The Special Projects Committee of the MTSU Foundation Board of Trustees reviews the applications and selects the winning projects. The number and amount of award(s) shall be determined based on the annual funding available and periodically reviewed by the MTSU Foundation Special Projects Committee. The recipient of the award is announced at the Foundation's spring board meeting and is recognized at the annual faculty meeting.

Eligibility
Applicants for the award must be fulltime faculty members at Middle Tennessee State University, and their submitted projects must meet all of the following criteria. An eligible project

• advances the goals of the University;
• is a project that needs initial or ongoing funding;
• will bring visibility to the University;
• shows clear potential for leveraging additional funding and is submitted by an applicant committed to leading those fundraising efforts;
• must be authorized and approved by a department Chair's signature on the Special Projects Application, indicating his/her approval of the project;
• is presented in a proposal that adheres to all the guidelines set forth in this brochure; and
• is a project that will be completed or substantially completed within 18 months.

Timelines
Deadline for Initial Application:

JANUARY 25, 2013

Finalists Chosen: Late-February
Deadline for Finalist Proposals: March 18, 2013 
Finalist Oral Presentations: Early April
Award Disbursed: Mid-May

Initial Application Guidelines
Applicants must submit an initial two-page abstract or summary of the project and a one-page budget. The abstract/summary must include

• a brief outline of the project including scope, importance to the University/community, and anticipated outcomes;
• a one-page budget; and
• an explanation of the project's relevance to the mission of the institution and/or college.

Deadline for the initial application proposal:
January 25, 2013

Initial abstracts that exceed the two-page limit and one-page budget will not be considered. Attachments should not be included.

A hard copy of the two-page abstract, budget, and Applicant Information Form provided in the brochure should be submitted to

MTSU Development and Foundation Office
ATTN: Belinda Young
Box 109, Wood-Stegall Center
Murfreesboro, TN 37132

Finalists Proposal Guidelines
After an initial review of all abstracts/summaries, the committee will select a finalist pool of applicants, who will be invited to submit formal proposals (not to exceed six pages and an additional one-page budget) in mid-March and make oral presentations in early April.

Finalists will be asked to provide a six-page proposal to include the following elements:

• an outline of the project (problem to be addressed, significance, goals, methods to be used, ways to evaluate success, future plans);
• a statement of the project's relevance to the mission of the institution and/or college;
• benchmarks;
• a fundraising plan (if additional funding is needed to complete the project);
• a one-page budget.

Deadline for finalist proposals:
March 18, 2013

Finalist proposals exceeding the six-page limit and one-page budget will not be considered. Attachments should not be included unless they can be incorporated within the above guidelines. Finalists should keep in mind the audience for these proposals. The Special Projects Committee is a group of volunteers from various backgrounds. Committee members will not necessarily have any expertise in a given discipline.

Questions about Special Projects may be directed to belinda.young@mtsu.edu

Click here to view Special Projects Brochure/Application

Click here to view past Special Projects Award Recipients