III. Forms of Grant Support

A. Research Grants

Research Grants may cover equipment, supplies, specialized library materials (including microfilm and database search costs), travel for research, research assistants (a separate proposal is required for EXCEL Scholars), and other specialized personnel. All costs should be clearly explained and shown to be essential to conducting the research specified in the proposal.

Limitations on Research Grants are as follows:

Research undertaken in fulfillment of graduate-degree requirements will not be considered for support.

In general, existing College equipment and facilities will not be duplicated. When equipment requested duplicates what is already available, adequate reasons must be given for the purchase. Expensive or highly specialized equipment must be fully justified. Academic departments are expected to contribute to the costs of equipment requested by their faculty members.

Equipment, facilities, and library materials to be used for teaching are not eligible.

Routine expenses are not eligible. For example, applicants are expected to assume usual small expenses such as local travel.

Travel allowances may include only essential transportation costs and must be consistent with the College travel policies. An accountable daily cost with a total normally limited to $1,000 is allowable for lodging and meals.

Rates of remuneration for research assistants or other specialized personnel must be consistent with general College rates and policies for work of a comparable nature.

B. Advanced Study Grants

Advanced Study Grants are awarded to assist faculty members in developing an enhanced research expertise in their own field or a related area of advanced study. Awards may cover travel and tuition expenses for a faculty member who attends an institute, special topics conference, short course or program of summer study (not in conjunction with work toward a degree).

Advanced Study Grants are limited as follows:

Costs must conform to College travel regulations with respect to accountability and receipts. Lodging and meal expenses are normally limited to a total of $1,000. The Committee will consider faculty stipends when they are a matching requirement of the sponsor of an institute or special program.

Normally, no more than one Advanced Study Grant will be funded each year for an individual.

Proposals for attendance at meetings or short courses related to teaching or faculty development other than research are not funded by the College-Funded Research Program and should be referred to the department head and/or the Associate Provost.

Proposals for attendance at professional meetings for the purposes of presenting one's research or participating in sessions where others are presenting their research are not funded by the College-Funded Research Program and should be referred to the Associate Provost for inclusion in the Faculty Travel Program.

C. Manuscript Preparation Grants

The usual costs of the preparation of manuscripts for publication are considered normal faculty and departmental expenses and should be borne by the individuals or departments concerned. Secretarial support is normally provided by the department.

However, grant support may be considered for the preparation of long manuscripts, for illustration costs, or for other unusual costs associated with the publication of research. Applicants should use the standard Research Grants application form.

D. Publication Cost Grants

Grants for publication costs will be considered when charges are routinely requested by a refereed journal or publisher or when such charges are a condition for acceptance of a manuscript for publication. Publication grants typically cover costs for plates, excess pages, or page charges. Purchases of reprints are not eligible publication costs. Application to ARC must be made as soon as acceptance of the manuscript is confirmed by the publisher and prior to the appearance of the manuscript in print. Normally, grants for page charges will be limited to a maximum of $500. Infrequent requests for page charges in excess of $500 may be supported if the Committee's budget allows and if adequate justification is provided.

Journal submission fees in lieu of page charges will be considered for accepted articles. Faculty may seek reimbursement for submission fees only for the journal that has accepted the article. Reimbursement must be made at the time of article's final acceptance. A letter of acceptance and a receipt for payment must accompany the request for reimbursement.

Direct subsidies for publication, apart from page charges, are not eligible. Faculty are encouraged to seek publishers who do not require subventions for the publication of manuscripts. Applicants should use the standard Research Grants application form.

E. Summer Research Fellowships

In 1963 the Richard King Mellon Foundation provided partial support for a Summer Research Fellowship program. This program provides $4000 professional development funds for tenured or tenure-track members of the faculty, to be used over a period of two fiscal years. The Richard King Mellon Research Awards are intended to promote original scholarship or other accomplishment that will result in scholarly publications or other sorts of intellectual product. They are not intended for the research or writing of textbooks or other commissioned work for which a faculty member receives compensation, nor for the revision or improvement of courses.

These grants are to be distributed across campus, both in terms of division and in terms of rank. Faculty with significant external funding or who have professional development funds (such as “start up” funds or funds associated to named chairs) are not eligible. Holders of Richard King Mellon Research Awards will be given low funding priority when seeking additional ARC funding. A faculty member who has had a Richard King Mellon Award must wait at least one academic year before applying for another.

The Academic Research Committee will consider proposals for Richard King Mellon Awards at its February meeting. Proposals will consist of the faculty member’s Curriculum Vitae, a one-page description of the faculty member’s project, and an additional document indicating the anticipated nature of the expenses. All purchases and travel arrangements must conform to Lafayette College policies for such expenditures. Any expenditures that deviate significantly from what can be expected given the application materials, must get prior approval from the Director of Research Services.

Faculty awarded a Richard King Mellon Award are required to make a final report on their project, due July 3 of the Summer in which the award concludes.