Tier 1 (Seed Grants) Program
Overview
In recognition that even small sums of money can encourage (or seed) experimentation and curricular improvements, the Tier 1 seed grants are intended to support small-scale, short-term projects that augment instruction. Instructors of record for undergraduate, graduate, and professional student courses at UCLA are eligible to request funds. Grants may be used to cover expenses such as poster printing costs for course-related project presentations and software/licensing expenses for course-related pilot projects with academic technology. Notably, for all software/licensing requests, applicants will be required to consult with the Bruin Learn Center of Excellence to navigate UCLA’s third-party risk management (TPRM) and procurement process as well as to evaluate proposed academic technology tools for potential for broader adoption, scalability, and integration with other campus services. These grants may not be used to supplement standard classroom expenses that should be covered by departmental budgets such as consumable supplies and printing costs for handouts or exams.
Individual courses are eligible for up to three consecutive years of grant support. This time frame allows instructors who receive funding to assess the impact of their innovations on student learning and other course outcomes while exploring strategies with their respective departments for long-term sustainability (i.e. departmental funding for innovation beyond the third year of TLC grant support).
Tier 1 seed grants are available in amounts up to $1,000 per instructor of record per academic year. Awarded funds will be transferred directly to departments, which bear full responsibility for administering the funding and any associated hiring or vendor payments in strict accordance with university policies, as well as state and federal regulations. Departments will also be solely accountable for any budget overages. Any funds not used by the end of the fiscal year will be returned to TLC; no carry-forwards are allowed.
Timeline
Applications for Tier 1 seed grants must be submitted by the deadline corresponding to the quarter in which the course will be offered. Decisions will no longer be made on a rolling basis. Instead, applicants will be informed of funding decisions approximately 10 instructional days following the application deadline.
Quarter | Application deadline |
Fall 2024 | Wednesday, October 16, 2024 |
Winter 2025 | Wednesday, December 11, 2024 |
Spring 2025 | Wednesday, February 19, 2025 |
Eligible Projects for Tier 1 seed grants
Course Enhancement Projects
Grants can support small-scale projects that create new curricula, learning, or TA training activities and/or introduce new instructional materials, equipment, or technology into a course. Examples include materials for new classroom demonstration activities or printing costs for student posters used in course-related project presentations. Instructional equipment and materials purchased with grant funds should remain departmental property for future use by other instructors.
Distinguished Guest Speaker Honoraria
Grants may be used to invite expert guest speakers to classes, with up to $300 per speaker. Note that UCLA/UC employees and students are not eligible to receive honoraria. Publicity, travel, parking, per diem, and payroll expenses are not covered. International speakers must have appropriate visa status for U.S. employment eligibility. Departments are responsible for confirming speaker eligibility.
Field Trips
Grants may assist with student transportation costs for off-campus field instruction within California. Airfare, lodging, meals, and museum entry fees are not covered. Applicants must provide trip details, including the destination, number of students, vehicle type, and projected mileage. Please note that these funds cannot be used to cover admission costs, lodging, food, or beverages.
Instructional Software/Vendor Products/Apps
Grants can support pilot projects with new technology. Software-related requests require TPRM and consultation with the Bruin Learn Center of Excellence (bruinlearn-support@it.ucla.edu) to evaluate the potential for short and long-term campus integration.
Professional Development Activities
Grants may be used for workshops and conferences that directly support educational and/or pedagogical innovation and/or the development and expansion of pedagogical skills and knowledge that can be directly applied to the classroom/course being taught. Catering costs are excluded.
Requests for instructional media funding, including rental, purchase, duplication, or production of course-related materials, are now managed by the UCLA Library.
Restrictions
Some restrictions apply to the use of seed grants. Certain types of projects cannot be funded, including:
- Funds may not be used to supplement regular departmental expenses and budgets, thus any expenses intrinsic to the teaching of a course will not be approved.
- Classroom textbooks and office supplies are not eligible.
- Readers may not be hired for classroom instruction.
- Travel expenses for guest speakers will not be approved.
- Two instructors may not apply for the same course.
Application Process
All instructors of record including professors, visiting professors, lecturers, and academic administrators are eligible to apply for seed grants. Please be sure that all required information is provided (see checklist). Retroactive applications will not be reviewed or approved. If a funding request is approved, two weeks should be allowed for the transfer of funds to a departmental account.
Questions regarding applications should be directed to Eric Wells, Assistant Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning, at ewells@teaching.ucla.edu.
Please indicate your intended use of a Tier 1 seed grant by carefully reading the application requirements checklist and completing an online application. Awarded grant funds will be transferred to your department for disbursement. Please submit your seed grant request by the quarterly deadline (see table). Reimbursement funding and retroactive requests will not be approved.
To submit your Tier 1 seed grant proposal, please click the online application submission button below.
Checklist with Application Requirements
- Department chair’s endorsement
- Instructor Name(s)
- Course
- Course Syllabus (a draft is acceptable)
- Previous Course Syllabus (if the course was previously taught by the applicant)
- Request
- Funding requested (Include an exact budget for request, without exceeding the maximum specified limits)
- Brief budget justification (<500 words)
- Departmental FAU to which funds will be transferred from TLC if the grant application is approved
- Anticipated in-kind departmental/instructor contributions/support (optional)
- How does this activity elevate teaching in alignment with UCLA’s strategic plan? (<500 words)
- How do you imagine this activity can be sustained by your department beyond the funding period? (<500 words)
Accounting Procedures
Transferring approved seed grant funds
- Funds are transferred from the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) to the requesting department using the FAU provided by the department.
- Departmental financial staff supply TLC with the appropriate account and cost centers to use. Please refer to internal departmental records for the account number used for mini-grants.
- Tier 1 seed grant funds are approved for use only by a specific instructor for a particular course or project, and may not be redirected. Any other use of the funds, or additional sums needed above the approved amount, must be requested in writing to TLC.
Fund numbers and invoices
- TLC uses only 19904 fund numbers. No 19900 money is used for seed grants.
- TLC does not issue checks to guest speakers or vendors; the home department is responsible for paying invoices with transferred funds.
- For more information on visa restrictions for distinguished guest speaker honoraria, contact UCLA’s Payroll office at 310-267-5774.
- Each department’s financial staff is responsible for reconciling all expenses for various seed grants received during the fiscal year.
If there is a balance of funds
- Positive balances in seed fund accounts are automatically returned to TLC at the end of each fiscal year by General Accounting.
- Negative balances are not transferred back to TLC at the end of the fiscal year. They must be covered by the department.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who is eligible to apply for a Tier 1 seed grant?
- Unit 18 and Continuing Lecturers
- Assistant, Associate, and Full Professors
- Assistant, Associate, and Full Professors of Teaching
- Visiting Lecturers
- Visiting Assistant, Associate, and Full Professors
- Academic Administrators who teach courses
How does one apply for a seed grant?
Applicants should review the seed grant overview and requirements and apply by the specified deadline for the quarter. Reimbursements or retroactive requests are not granted.
Where do we submit a seed grant application?
Applications can be submitted online using the application form.
What are some of the appropriate uses of a seed grant?
- Course enhancement projects
- Honoraria for distinguished guest speakers
- Field trips (Only student transportation expenses are approved)
- Software/licensing for academic technology
- Professional development
This is not an exhaustive list however, and the instructors need not limit their requests to these specific uses.
What are some of the inappropriate requests made for a seed grant?
- No developmental or general purpose software such as operating systems, spreadsheets, database managers, or word processing packages will be considered for purchase, nor will computer hardware and peripherals.
- Purchase of instructional textbooks or office supplies.
- Honoraria, minor projects, and field trip requests are not supported during summer sessions.
- Travel and lodging expenses for guest speakers.
- Parking fees.
- Food/Beverages.
- Entry fees to the museums, art galleries, or theaters.
- Hiring of readers for classroom instruction.
- Two or more instructors may not apply for the same project, speaker, or course.
What are the guidelines for distinguished speaker(s) honoraria?
A maximum of $300.00 is allowed per speaker for the course. A speaker appearing in one class will not be paid an honorarium to speak at another class during the same quarter.
Full-time UCLA/UC employees are not eligible to receive honoraria.
TLC does not issue checks to the speakers. Funds are transferred to the instructor’s home department for disbursement in accordance with UCLA policy and state/federal regulations.
Visa documentation and personnel paperwork are managed by the instructor’s department.
What are the guidelines to apply for field trip support?
The instructor, in coordination with their department, must make the arrangements for the field trips through UCLA Fleet and Transit Services.
The field trip date, destination, and the number of students involved must be included in the application.
The budget must specify the type of vehicle, mileage, and all relevant charges. Lodging, meal expenses, and entry fees may not be included in the budget.
How are seed grants distributed?
The turnaround time for approval letters is generally 10 instructional days.
Upon approval, the funds are transferred to the department. Funds are transferred to an account number provided to the TLC in the grant application; this account number needs to be approved by the TLC and department in advance of the fund transfer.
The department must process payment upon receipt of the notice of transfer of funds.
Does the TLC pay the vendors and the speakers?
The TLC does not issue checks to guest speakers or vendors. The department manages payment upon receipt of funds to their department account.
What information is included when the transfer of funds (TOF) is processed?
TOFs state the account number, fund, and sub number as given by the department’s budget officer to TLC.
TLC does not generate account numbers for the department.
TLC uses only the account number the departments provide.
The departments designate their own subs and cost centers according to accounting policies and procedures.
What fund numbers does the TLC use?
The TLC uses only 19904 fund numbers. No 19900 funding is used for seed grants.
Can the funds be redirected by the departments for other projects?
TLC funds may not be redirected by the department for projects other than what was approved in the seed grant application. Funds were approved for a specific instructor or project or course. Other uses of the funds, or requests for additional funding above the approved amount, must be submitted to and approved in writing by TLC.
What happens if there is a balance after the fiscal year closing?
Balances in 19904 are automatically returned to TLC at the end of each fiscal year (June 30). If there is an overdraft, all overdrafts must be covered by the department. TLC will not cover department overdrafts.
Who tracks the department’s seed grant expenditures?
The instructor’s departmental budget office is responsible for reconciling all expenses for the various seed grants throughout the fiscal year. TLC does not reconcile the seed grant accounts for the departments.