Monthly Mini-Grants

A complete mini-grant application includes:

• A one-page, single-spaced description of the project, understandable to a non-specialist. This should include the project's start and end dates and must be written by the student; however, the Student Fellowships Committee expects the faculty mentor to advise the student and to review the application and budget to ensure that all appropriate information is included.

• An itemized budget and detailed budget justification with all figures rounded to the nearest $10. To view a sample budget, please click here. Please note that the Committee expects students to put forward a plan to use the funds as effectively as possible. This often means staying in hostels, sharing hotel room, using mass transit when possible, etc. Students are also expected to see if departmental funds are available and, if available, explain how they will be used.

• One recommendation from a Bowdoin faculty member. The recommendation does not need to be formal - it can be a short, one- to two-paragraph statement. After an applicant registers their recommender in the online application, that faculty member will receive an email containing a link where they can 1) upload their recommendation as a document or 2) type it directly into a text box. It is the applicant's responsibility to register their recommender in the online application in a timely manner so that the faculty member can submit their recommendation by the deadline.
• The submission deadline is noon on the 15th of each month during the academic year. If the 15th falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the deadline will be extended to 8:00 a.m. on the following Monday. Applications are not accepted in June, July, or August.

To access the mini-grant application, please click the button below:

Apply Here

• Students may only receive mini-grant funding once per semester. (*Please note, beginning in the fall of 2025, students will be able to receive only one mini-grant per year.)

• If two or more students are seeking funds for the same travel experience (e.g., attendance at a conference), the Student Fellowships Committee can support up to $2000 total (two students at $1000 each, four students at $500 each, etc.). However, it is not guaranteed that all applicants within the same travel group will receive funding.

• Some conferences require undergraduates to be accompanied by a faculty “chaperone.” If you are seeking funding for a conference with this requirement, please ensure that a Bowdoin faculty member can attend the conference before submitting your mini-grant application. If a Bowdoin faculty cannot attend as a chaperone, please select a conference that does not have this requirement.  

• If students need to purchase technical equipment (cameras, microphones, etc.) as part of their research projects, please first check with IT Loaning to see if the necessary equipment can be borrowed. If the Student Fellowships Committee approves the purchase of technical equipment, students must consign that equipment to IT Loaning once their projects are completed, so future students may benefit. Requests for personal items (laptops, phones, tablets, etc.) will not be approved.
• Mini-grant funding is not guaranteed throughout the entire academic year. The Student Fellowships Committee plans to accept applications until May, but due to varying budget constraints each year it is possible that funds will deplete earlier than expected. If students need funding for later in the spring semester, please plan ahead.

The Grua/O’Connell Fund* supports faculty-mentored student research, regardless of discipline.  Awards from this fund can be used to offset student travel that will substantially enhance students’ research and to defray students’ research expenses such as purchasing of books and equipment, publishing research results, or any combination of these expenses.