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Implementation Grant FAQs

Answers to common questions about the foundation’s Implementation Grants.

Information about Presidential Grants can be found here.

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Eligibility

Who is eligible?

The Davis Educational Foundation supports regionally accredited baccalaureate degree granting public and private colleges and universities in New England.

Funding Priorities & What We Support

What is the foundation trying to achieve?

The foundation seeks to strengthen undergraduate programs at regionally accredited New England colleges and universities by supporting more effective teaching and learning and helping institutions control costs. We support both public and private schools.

What kinds of projects does the foundation fund?

To achieve these goals, the foundation has funded:

  • Projects that improve curriculum, the learning environment, assessment of undergraduate learning outcomes, faculty development, incentive systems, and administrative structures.
  • Individual as well as collaborative efforts to reduce costs and improve learning.
  • Studies and planning efforts central to the foundation's concerns and interests.

See a list of awarded grants here.

How are proposals evaluated?

Trustees consider a number of factors, including:

  • The degree to which the project meets the foundation’s objectives.
  • Evidence of institutional commitment and capacity to carry out the project.
  • Whether the project will benefit a significant proportion of the institution’s undergraduate students.
  • The likelihood that the project will yield institutional change.

Are multi-year grants available?

Yes. The foundation recognizes that its objectives frequently require multi-year initiatives, and many grants are awarded for two- or three-year periods.

What won't the foundation fund?

The foundation does not fund:

  • International travel
  • New construction and retrofitting
  • Furnishings
  • Indirect or overhead expenses
  • Endowments
  • Internships or scholarships
  • Capital campaigns

The foundation recognizes that project-specific proposals may coincide with the timing of a capital campaign. Such proposals, if they otherwise meet the foundation's objectives and criteria, are eligible for consideration.

Budget & Financial Guidelines

What is the foundation's overall approach to budgets?

Grant funds are provided to support innovation and adoption of practices that increase the effectiveness of the teaching and learning process and or the cost efficiency of the institution. With a few exceptions, funding requests may include items that are not included in the college or university’s budget. Grant funds are not awarded to provide budget relief.

What personnel expenses are eligible?

If faculty participation in the funded project will require work outside their normal responsibilities, grant funds may be budgeted for faculty stipends or for course release. Eligible course release expenses are those actual costs incurred to hire replacement instructors. 

Fringe benefit expenses are also treated on an actual cost-incurred basis. When a stipend is paid, legally mandated taxes and insurance and sometimes retirement expenses may be included.  Full fringe benefit rates that include health insurance and other benefits may not be charged on stipends. 

Administrators on salaried full year contracts are typically expected to oversee or participate in special projects; their salaries are seldom eligible for grant support.

Can we request funding for a new position?

The foundation carefully scrutinizes requests involving new positions due to the associated ongoing costs to the institution. We do recognize, however, that there are instances when a new position is justified. For budgets containing newly created positions, we expect the institution to assume an increasing proportion of the expense over the life of the grant.

What is expected in terms of institutional match?

We look for proposals that address institutional priorities. If a campus is requesting external funding for a project, its commitment to the project should be evident in many ways – including the budget.  Amounts and percentages will vary by project and institution, but the commitment must be clear.

How should we format our budget?

Budgets should be on one page using columns for budget years. Please label each year as academic year, calendar year, or by specifying months. Please do not submit budgets with separate tabs for each year.

Application Process

When are the deadlines?

The submission deadlines are February 10 and October 1. If the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, it moves to the prior working day. Applications must be submitted prior to 12:00 noon on the deadline date. 

Can we contact the foundation before submitting?

Yes, and we encourage it! The foundation does not use a formal pre-proposal or letter of inquiry process, but we strongly encourage prospective applicants to reach out to the foundation staff before submitting. We can give you advice about whether an idea aligns with our funding, review a proposal, or answer specific budget questions. Our goal is to help you submit a proposal that is as strong as possible.

Email us at [email protected] to set up a time to talk. If you’d like to discuss a specific idea or a few specific ideas, please send us a brief description of the potential project(s).

Please note: as we get closer to a grant deadline, we may have less capacity to give you detailed advice about a proposal. 

How do I apply?

Review the Davis Educational Foundation’s objectives and submission guidelines to determine eligibility.

All proposals must be submitted through our online application portal, which can be accessed here: https://davisfoundations-portal.givingdata.com/campaign/DEFImplementation

You will need to create a portal account, here is a step-by-step guide to creating one. You can save and return to your work at any point before submitting.

After You Apply

What happens after I submit?

Proposals are reviewed promptly after each deadline. Applicants can generally expect to hear from foundation staff within two weeks of the submission deadline with clarifying questions, requests for additional information, or an invitation to schedule a site visit.

What should I expect from a site visit?

Trustees often request a site visit to further inform their decision-making. Foundation staff and the applicant staff work together to assemble a one- to two-hour virtual visit during which trustees learn more about the proposed project and ask questions. Site visits are conducted in March and April for February submissions and between mid-October and mid-November for October submissions.

When will I hear a decision?

Applicants who meet the February deadline can expect final notification by the middle of May. October applicants are notified in early December.

What are the reporting requirements for funded grants?

Grantees submit reports through the Davis Foundations' Grantee Portal. For spring awards, reports are due at the end of July of the following year; for fall awards, at the end of January. For multi-year grants, an interim report is due at the end of each year, with a final report at the conclusion of the grant period. Reporting dates can be adjusted to align with your project timeline.

Report narratives ask grantees to reflect on progress toward original project goals, impact on teaching, learning, and costs, lessons learned, dissemination efforts, institutional changes resulting from the project, and sustainability plans. An expense summary comparing actual expenses to the approved budget is also required.

You can find more information about reporting here.

Can we reapply if our proposal is not funded?

Within one month of each deadline, applicants who will not be funded are notified by email, followed by a formal letter to the applying institution's president, copied to the development contact and project PI. After receiving the formal letter, applicants are welcome to email staff to request feedback on their proposal. During that conversation, you may also ask whether a revised submission would be encouraged.

What is the background of the trustees?

Davis Educational Foundation trustees are typically higher education leaders with deep ties to New England colleges and universities. They have served in senior leadership roles at New England institutions, including as presidents, chancellors, provosts, and vice presidents, as well as in state and regional higher education policy roles. Their expertise spans academic affairs, institutional finance and administration, accreditation, faculty development, and higher education innovation. Trustees have also held leadership roles in higher education associations and consortia relevant to the foundation's work.

Our board also includes members of the Davis family, who founded the foundation. They bring a range of professional backgrounds as well as a deep personal commitment to the foundation's mission of strengthening undergraduate education in New England.

 

Updated March 2026