FOCUS Grant Guidelines

Any Iowa State student, undergraduate or graduate, is eligible to apply for a FOCUS Grant.

There is a $600 limit on each proposal budget; awards will not exceed this amount.

According to Government of the Student Body regulations, funded FOCUS projects may not to be used to receive credits in a course or special problems course. To do so would disqualify the project.

FOCUS grants may not be used for the following: to purchase supplies or equipment not used in the production of the proposed work, labor costs, and travel expenses.

Each proposal requires the signature and recommendation of a faculty member(s) as project advisor(s). The advisor must provide a written recommendation stating the student's capabilities as well as an assessment of the validity of the project and minimum budget requirements. Click here for Project Advisor Guidelines.

Funded projects must be completed according to the schedule announced by the FOCUS Committee. The committee may ask for a refund of the money expended toward any project not completed on time.

Hearings

Hearings with each applicant are scheduled to allow the committee time to ask questions about the proposal and see examples of the individual’s (or group’s) work. Please be prepared to sign up for a 3-5 minute presentation when submitting your completed proposal. You will need to bring examples and/or images of your previous work to the hearing.

Evaluation of Proposals

The FOCUS Committee is made up of members from a broad range of the arts. Proposals that are thorough, clear, and written for individuals from different academic areas and with different artistic interests and backgrounds will be most successful.

The FOCUS Committee will evaluate proposals based on the following points:

  1. Extent to which the applicant presents a convincing rationale for funding the project. The proposal should demonstrate discipline, imagination, and creativity.
  2. Extent to which funding the project will contribute to the artistic development of the applicant.
  3. Extent to which the methodology proposed will result in the successful completion of the project. The project should be realistic, given time and budget constraints.

Click here for the FOCUS Grant Application (Word document)