Mini Grants
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) offers competitive funding for faculty, staff and graduate student projects that promote equity and inclusion. The maximum award amount per project is $1,500; requests average $400-600 per project. Partial funding may be granted.
Timeline
2025 Awards
Applications open: November 6, 2024. Submit your application today! (NetID login required)
Review all survey questions before you submit.
Application deadline: January 17, 2025
Funds disbursed: February 2025
Deadline to use funds and submit report: December 2025
*If you plan to expend funds after the new fiscal year begins on July 1, 2025, please check with your business office to make sure funds can be rolled over.
Eligibility
University of Arizona departments, programs and individual faculty, staff and graduate students are eligible to apply for CSW mini-grants. Student programs must be officially recognized by the Associated Students of the University of Arizona. CSW can only transfer funds to a miscellaneous designated or sales and services type of University account. Consult with your department’s business office if you are unsure about your account type.
Applicants may submit proposals for multiple projects. Please provide a separate application for each project. Preference will be given to first-time applicants.
Use of funding must comply with all University and Office of the Provost policies and procedures. Funds cannot be used for political organizations or political events. The Commission on the Status of Women cannot fund groups or organizations not affiliated with a University department or unit. We cannot provide support for alcohol, door prizes, gifts, donations or any other use prohibited by University policy. We do not provide scholarships or tuition funding.
Criteria
Funding will be awarded based upon the project's expected impact (one measure of this is the number of people who will benefit from the funded activity) and how well it advances one or more of these CSW goals:
- To identify and provide leadership on issues that affect women and/or underrepresented minorities
- To develop and support university policies and practices that promote equity, diversity and inclusivity of all gender identities
- To increase advancement opportunities for underrepresented minorities
- To collaborate with other groups to create safe and inclusive communities
- To foster individual and collective accountability promoting justice, equity and diversity
- To educate the campus community about CSW's work and objectives
2024 Recipients
- WIMS Networking Event: Excellence in Women in Medicine and Science (FM/BioCOM) for setup and operations, security and venue staff, branded signage, nametag, venue rental fee, catering
- Writing Workshops for International Women Writers. Development of workshop PPTs, delivery of workshop
- Women of Color Career Connections Program. Travel (company visits), food to help with food insecurity, etc.
- The Women in Healthcare Networking Panel. Catering, plates, utensils, venue rental fee
- NACADA Region 10 conference presentation. Registration fees
- University of Arizona Women of Impact Program Expansion. Certificates, signs, swag items, catering, venue rental, keynote speaker fee, event planning/facilitation
- Women in STEM Mentorship Program Closing Event. Food, rental space set up (tables, tech support, nametags, networking materials)
- Project Academic Comadres. Speaker fees, food, editing service
- The Healthcare Provider’s Role in the Prevention and Identification of Human Trafficking and How to Provide Trauma Informed Care. Labor costs to support the technical/programming/development requirements.
- VIRTUAL Grad CAFE Pilot. Stipends for community leaders.
After Funding
If your proposal has been funded, you must use the funds by December 18, 2025. You must also provide an electronic summary (such as a PowerPoint presentation) to the Commission by that date. CSW may also request a brief oral presentation of your project outcomes at a meeting or event.
Previous Awardees
- A Campaign to Improve Career Outcomes for First-Generation Students. LRDSH Prgms Stud Engage
- Baby Changing Station UAPD. Police Serv
- Bartlett Academic Success Center Lactation Room. Ctr Acad Advising
- Black Joy Series. Honors
- Community of Engagement in Agricultural and Applied Economics. AG Econ Local Prog
- Down to Business: Black Students' Experience at a Business College. Bcom
- Evaluating the role of the micro biome in burn patients at a burn center. Surgery
- Graduate Communities for Academic Fellowship and Efficacy (CAFE). PC Fellows Club
- Reading Group: Women in the diaspora. Span & Port
- Reducing Health Disparities Among the LGBT+ Community: How to Provide the Best Care for Your Patients. OCME Administration
- Refugee Clinic Educational materials and supplies. Fam/Comm Med
- The Impact of Hair Narratives on Black Adolescent Identity Development. Special Ed
- Unspoken penalties: Examining academic parents' decisions to use - or not use - extended parental leave. English
- Building Women in STEM Leaders through Geoscience Outreach. WISE
- Patching the Legal Pipeline: Increasing Interest in Advanced Legal Careers Among Underrepresented University of Arizona Students. PSYCH
- Reproductive Health Access by Design. Enrollment Services
- Digital safety and security for women and BIPOC. Journalism
- Implementation of a Pilot STI Testing and Education Program at a Free Clinic. College of Nursing
- Perceptions of Diversity, Inclusion, and Health Equity Among COM-T Students and Faculty. OCME
- Increasing Gender Inclusivity in Data Science. School of Information
- Mothers of Color in Academia (MOCA) Virtual Writing Retreat. Mex Amer Studies
- Association for Women in Mathematics Annual Diversity Workshop (Department of Mathematics)
- Inclusivity in Innovation at the UA Women's Hackathon (UA Libraries)
- Launching Your Career Symposium (UA Women in Optics)
- Policy Changes to Mitigate Unconscious Bias in Faculty Development (Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology)
- Professional Development Seminar Series (UA Graduate Women in Science)
- Recentering Growth: Creative and Professional Workshops for Writers at the Margins (Creative Writing Program, Department of English)
- Regional Gender and Women's Studies Network Meeting 2019 (Southwest Institute for Research on Women)
- Surgeon Lactation Room (Department of Orthopedic Surgery, College of Medicine – Phoenix)
- Women's Initiative for Leadership in the Outdoors (UA Campus Recreation)
- Women in STEM Student Council (Women in Science and Engineering Program)
- Workshop on Middle Eastern & South Asian Women and Campus Visibility (School of Middle Eastern & North African Studies)
- Women Tribal Scholars on Indigenous Knowledge and Natural Resource Management (School of Natural Resources and the Environment)
- TIME'S UP Healthcare (College of Medicine – Tucson)
- Rejuvenation of Mind, Body and Spirit for Professional-Personal Life Balance (Family and Community Medicine)
- Racism Awareness and Unlearning Workshop (UA Presents/ Arizona Arts)
- Social Justice Symposium 2018: Power & Privilege—Tackling Microaggressions in Public Health (Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health). A daylong symposium with opening plenary session, student-led breakout sessions, lunch, and a closing panel. Funds pay for speaker honorarium, food, and marketing materials.
- Native Women in Governance Speaker Series (Native Nations Institute). Series of three lunchtime lectures by distinguished American Indian women leaders who will discuss their leadership roles and responsibilities in working with Native Nations. Funds pay for food and speaker honoraria.
- Targeted Support for Women on the STEM Pipeline (Women in Science and Engineering Program). Series of 11 professional development workshops that will provide strategies for success and build a community of women committed to diversity in STEM. Funds pay for food and a portion of the program coordinator's salary.
- Social Sciences Lactation Room (SBS Administration). Conversion of 157 sq ft storage room into a private lactation room, to be available during regular business hours and evenings/weekends by prior arrangement. Funds pay for patching and painting of room, comfortable furniture, rug, and mini fridge to store milk.
- The Unconscious Bias Project Workshop (Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology). Bring UC Berkeley's Unconscious Bias Project to present a workshop on recognizing and addressing unconscious bias that negatively affects STEM fields. Funds pay for flight, hotel, and honorarium for workshop presenter.