Community and Pedagogy Grants

The Poorvu Center’s Community and Pedagogy Grants support collaborative projects that bring together a Yale community (multiple classes, several instructors, a department, etc.) to promote reflection and experimentation with teaching and learning practices, including practices that enhance the learning environment and connections with the department and the broader field. The scope of these projects must reach beyond a single classroom, with the goal of making teaching and learning more communal.

These faculty-led grants can be used to host an invited speaker event, facilitate a regular (weekly, monthly, etc.) discussion group, or develop new resources. The grant applicant must be a full-time faculty member, including ladder faculty and full-time lecturers and lectors who hold multi-year or one-year renewable appointments, however the projects can include any members of the Yale community. While the focus should primarily be on promoting community and effective pedagogy at Yale, projects can include collaborations with the New Haven community. 

To allow us to fund a diverse array of initiatives, we only allow one grant per group per year. For those applying for a second year in a row, it must be made clear how the grant will build on the previous year’s project/event. Most grants are funded between $500 and $2500. Larger awards will be considered for particularly ambitious proposals that provide more depth than an invited speaker and lunch discussion or provide more breadth than reaching those in a single department. If you have a more ambitious project, we welcome early inquiries to discuss potential ideas by contacting us at faculty.teaching@yale.edu. We may also be able to advise you about other available opportunities or potential collaborations. 

Additional guidelines, including the requirement for a brief final report or presentation, will be provided to successful applicants. 

Examples

Examples of projects that might be funded through the Community and Pedagogy grants include:

  • A department invites a guest speaker to address disciplinary topics, expanding perspectives, encouraging respectful dialogue, and fostering a sense of community and inclusion among students and faculty.
  • A group of faculty colleagues forms a regular discussion group interested in learning more about a particular pedagogical approach, and will provide some funds for participants to implement those techniques in their classrooms.
  • An instructor invites a member of the New Haven community to speak about their lived experience related to a course topic, but invites students from several other related courses and student groups to join in the discussion.
  • A group of faculty, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and staff want to create resources to help new research mentors effectively support their mentees—from expectation setting to departmental logistics to supporting career development.

Use of Funds

Some ways that funds can be used (although if you have other ideas and are unsure, please don’t hesitate to reach out): 

  • Provide an honorarium for outside speakers
  • Purchase food for events
  • Purchase relevant books or print materials
  • A small amount of funds (up to $250 per participant and no more than $1500 total) can be requested for instructors participating in the broader event or initiative to implement a related technique within their individual classrooms (e.g., a group of faculty who are discussing how to modify their grading approach can each get a small amount of funds to hire student workers to help them make the course modifications necessary)

Ways that funds cannot be used: 

  • To pay Yale faculty or staff (e.g., to participate, to be a guest speaker, etc.)
  • To purchase hardware
  • To purchase software without consulting the Educational and Engagement Technology team at the Poorvu Center
  • To buy gift cards

Apply

Before applying, be sure that you have looped in your business administrator to ensure that they will be able to administer the funds for your project, as the Poorvu Center will be transferring the funds to your department to be dispersed.

To apply for funding, please click on the apply link below. Proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis. 

Apply