Enhancing The Catholic And Vincentian Identity of De Paul University

2010 will mark the 350th anniversaries of the deaths of St. Vincent de Paul (September 27, 1660) and St. Louise de Marillac (March 15, 1660). For the 2009-2010 academic year, the Vincentian Endowment Fund will limit its funding consideration to grant proposals that are broadly framed as public celebrations of this anniversary milestone.

Grant Proposals Due
Monday, September 21, 2009 at 5:00pm

VEF Board Meets
Week beginning October 12, 2009

Grant Decisions
Week beginning October 19, 2009 or earlier.


Introduction
This endowment fund was established in 1992 by a gift from the Vincentian Fathers and Brothers who sponsor the University. Through this gift, the Vincentian Community wished to communicate several of its fundamental convictions. First, it is difficult to view the Vincentian identity of the university independently from its Catholic identity. Second, consonant with its Catholic and Vincentian values, DePaul has developed its sense of being an urban university with a deep educational involvement in the life of the city, the nation, and the world. The university's Catholic and Vincentian values also have contributed to many of the best aspects of the university's corporate culture, such as its commitment to academic freedom, intellectual excellence, community service, service learning, collaborative governance, entrepreneurship, as well as its commitment to personalism and diversity. Third, in order for these values to continue to inform the life of the university, the university community must participate in an ongoing study, dialogue, and praxis concerning these values and this identity.

In 2002, in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the VEF, the Vincentian Fathers and Brothers gave additional gifts to the original endowment in order to ensure adequate funding for service grants that involve faculty, staff and students in community service projects, especially those that directly impact those who are most in need. These gifts were given in honor of Blessed Frederic Ozanam, a university professor and a co-founder of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

The endowment thus seeks to assist the university in its developing understanding of how, as an institution of higher education informed by the vision of Vincent de Paul, it is to be Catholic as it enters its second century. This assistance will be achieved through funding appropriate grant projects that directly enhance the identity of DePaul University as a Catholic, Vincentian and urban university with special attention to the Catholic and Vincentian aspects of this identity. The means that will be supported by the endowment through grants of varying sizes and length are the following:

• Experimental efforts that have the potential of becoming long-term projects or programs supported by university funds;
  
  
• Short term projects, programs, symposia and workshops;
  
  
• Scholarly research into various aspects of DePaul's Catholic and Vincentian identity broadly considered leading to the publication of articles, monographs, or books;
  
  
• Scholarly research that leads to the development of curricular offerings for university academic programs that directly reflect the university's Catholic and Vincentian identity;
  
  
• Projects which result in physical, artistic, musical, theatrical, or symbolic expressions of the above identity;
  
  
• Community service efforts that embody these values, require reflection upon such service as integral to the program, and seek to serve those who are most in need.
  
  
• Collaborative efforts that accomplish the above.

The on-line application is located here. Please complete the application and send it electronically to Avery Buffa

Review Criteria
The Endowment Board will evaluate all grant proposals according to the following criteria:

1. Probability that the project/program will enhance the Catholic and Vincentian identity of the university.
   
   
2. Educational impact on the university community, especially the students.
   
   
3. Promise of quality.
   
   
4. Clear and adequate description of project or program and its means, goals, results, and assessment.
   
   
5. Adequate and reasonable budget.
   
   
6. Timeliness.
   
   
7. For a long-term project or program: sustainable with the likelihood of university funds.
   
   
8. Ability to be accomplished in the stated time period.
   
   
9. For a collaborative project involving group(s) outside the university a clear educational involvement on the part of the university.

1. Service that will have a demonstrated impact on a population that is in need.
   
   
2. Reflection upon the meaning and impact of such service on the part of those who participate from the university.
   
   
3. Participation in the service project on the part of students, faculty and staff.

1. Proposals consist of an application sheet provided by the Vincentian Endowment Fund, a narrative description of the project and its significance, a budget sheet with all totals clearly listed, brief resume(s) of the project director(s) and any other relevant supporting documentation. Each proposal should clearly state how it is meeting the criteria for VEF grant funding. All documents must be typed. No handwritten applications or parts therein will be accepted. One (1) application, signed Statement of Agreement, Financial Signatory and/or Budget Manager Agreement, and supporting materials (if any, and as attachments), must be emailed to VEF@depaul.edu. No hard copies will be accepted.
   
   
2. All proposals will be directed to a preliminary review committee composed of the chair, staff, and at least one other board member who will pre-screen submissions and present only those that are prepared according to VEF submission standards and which adequately meet the VEF criteria. Those proposals that are declined may not be resubmitted during the same funding cycle.
   
   
3. Budget requests must be itemized on the budget form provided using university budget codes. The budget narrative should explain all major expenses, items and other funding sources. Expenses not clearly explained will not be funded. If a project is awarded an amount of money different than the request, and a revised budget is requested, the director must submit a revised budget using the form supplied in the application package.
   
   
4. If a proposed project requires release time, special facilities, or cost-sharing by a department or college, the project director(s) should secure a written endorsement from the appropriate chairperson/dean/director prior to submitting a proposal to the endowment. As an alternative, directors may request contingent funding from the endowment for a project that is awaiting internal or external support.
   
   
5. Letters from budget managers explaining how the project will be funded in the future with university resources are welcome.
   
   
6. Directors who seek funds to administer a survey or conduct a set of interviews must submit a draft questionnaire or sample interview protocol as supplementary material. Without such documentation, the endowment will consider funding only the design and pre-testing portion of a survey project. For surveys and interviews directors must follow university policies for human subject approval. For more information contact the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research, or consult the DePaul University Handbook to review the "Policies and Procedures for the Protection of Human Subjects in Research."
   
   
7. Directors who seek funds to undertake case studies or site visits, particularly if distant travel is involved must provide a theoretical framework or other justification for the number and location of sites.
   
   
8. Applicants should feel free to consult with the VEF office as they draft their proposals and budgets.
   
   
9. Each grant proposal should have a clear indication of a reasonable timeline for completion of the project.
   
   
10. The average VEF grant is $5,000.00. Some multi-year grants for large projects have been funded for as much as $10,000.00.
    
    
11. Grant applications submitted by students must list a full-time faculty or staff member who will act as the financial signatory and/or budget manager for the duration of the grant. The faculty/staff member must to act in this capacity. Because students are not authorized to access financial reports, the student and the financial signatory need to finalize, before submitting the grant proposal, who will have access to financial reports. This may be the financial signatory or the budget manager of a particular school or office (cf. #2 above). If it is not the financial signatory, the budget manager must agree to assist the student and financial signatory in this capacity. Appropriate forms which are to be digitally signed are attached to the back of the application packet.
    
    
12. Each grant proposal digitally signed by the project director(s) that he/she/they has/have read and agree to all the conditions established by VEF for grants funded by the Endowment.
    
    
13. One (1) application, signed Statement of Agreement, Financial Signatories and/or Budget Manager Agreement, and supporting materials (if any, and as attachments), must be emailed to VEF@depaul.edu. No hard copies will be accepted.

1. Funds awarded granted by the Vincentian Endowment Board may be expended only for the purposes stated in accepted proposals, although project directors may exercise reasonable discretion in reallocating dollars among approved budget categories. These changes must be submitted to the staff of the VEF. Any substantial modification of the project itself must be approved by the Endowment Board, or its chair, prior to the expenditure of any affected funds.
   
   
2. Project directors are responsible for managing the project budget according to all established university standards and procedures. If they have not already done so, all grant directors (for faculty/staff grants) and financial signatories must attend a PeopleSoft Grant Managers training session offered by the Controller's Office. If a faculty or staff member elects to designate a budget manager, both the project director and budget manager must sign the attached Budget Manager Agreement form. If the project director and/or financial signatory chooses to subsume the grant award under an existing budget account, the grant's budget terms and conditions must be adhered to.
   
   
3. Personal reimbursements of any type for the grant director(s) require a second signature. The second signature must be from the VEF staff liaison.
   
   
4. Grant funds are to be expended within the timeline that an award is granted, unless otherwise stated through an extension request. After this time, or in the event that a funded project reaches completion before all authorized funds are expended, unused funds are retained by the Vincentian Endowment Fund for redistribution.
   
   
5. If, for good reason, an approved project cannot reasonably be completed within the original grant period the project director may petition the Vincentian Endowment Board to consider a limited extension of the funding period.
   
   
6. Equipment and other durable items purchased with funds from an endowment grant become the property of DePaul University, but ordinarily may be retained for further on-campus use by the project director(s). These items should be clearly indicated in the grant proposal.
   
   
7. It is the responsibility of each project director to submit a brief yearly project progress report to the Endowment Board. The chair of the Endowment Board will indicate the due date for the report. There is a required form which maybe downloaded from the Mission and Values website which is to be used for the report. Failure to submit these reports may lead to the cancellation of grant funding.
   
   
8. Within one month after completing the funded portion of a project, the project director(s) is/are required to submit to the chair of the Vincentian Endowment Fund either a product resulting from the project (e.g., manuscript, journal article, likeness of an art work, external grant proposal) or a summary and assessment of the project's funded activities. There is no prescribed format for this final report; however, there is a required form to be submitted along with the report. This report may be downloaded from the Mission and Values web site. Failure to submit a final report will disqualify the director from any future consideration for VEF funding.
   
   
9. For compliance purposes, the final report must include a complete accounting for all expenditures incurred by the grant: copies of receipts, copies of budget transfers, etc.
   
   
10. A notation, such as a footnote or an acknowledgment, should appear on ALL project publicity indicating that the project was funded, or assisted, by a grant from the Vincentian Endowment Fund of DePaul University. All service projects should also acknowledge VEF Funding.

Chair:

Rev. Edward R. Udovic, C.M., Ph.D.
Senior Executive for University Mission
Office of Mission and Values
CNA 8th floor
312-362-8042

Board Members:

 

Mr. Mark Laboe
Associate Vice President
University Ministry
Student Center, #311
773-325-4004

Dr. Wm. “Marty” Martin
Assistant Professor
Management
DePaul Center, #7011
312-362-7254

Ms. Jane McGrath
Assistant Vice President
Enrollment Management
55 E. Jackson, Suite 1700
312-362-5765

Dr. Lourdes Torres
Associate Professor
Modern Languages
McGaw 315-2
773-325-7353

Dr. Karen Scott
Director of Catholic Studies &
Associate Professor of History
Schmidt Academic Center, #430
773-325-1566

Staff:

Avery S. Buffa
Budget Manager and Program Associate
Office of Mission and Values
55 E. Jackson, 8th Floor
312-362-8700