Grants & Training

The following people are eligible to apply for funding:

• Faculty
• Staff
• Graduate students (in collaboration with a faculty or staff member)
• Previous Transformation Award recipients

Selected Proposals

In general, a successful proposal must demonstrate:

• Involve collaboration within or across departments, units, student organizations, and schools.
• Demonstrate the ability to promote greater equity and inclusion for historically underrepresented and underserved groups within the University and multiple campus constituencies.
• Explain how the program can become part of the unit's regular operating budget or be funded by external sources to remain sustainable.
• Funding from at least one source in addition to the Inclusive Excellence Transformation Award grant funds.
• Provide a budget plan outlining the unit’s funding contribution and how Inclusive Excellence Transformation Award funds will be used.
• Establish how the new proposal will build and advance the work of the current project if previously granted an Inclusive Excellence Transformation Award.

Programs

The following types of programs are eligible for funding:

• Campus or Unit Climate
• Faculty and Staff Recruitment/Retention
• Leadership Development
• Student Recruitment/Retention
• Organizational Change
• Student conference participation (only if the student is a conference presenter and financial support is shared with the academic department or office)
• Faculty or staff conference participation (if the employee’s attendance is to facilitate or support the UAlbany student’s conference presentation, and the financial support is equally shared with the academic department or office)

Funds

• Up to $4,000 per proposal will be awarded.
• Inclusive Excellence Transformation Award accounts must be closed by June 30, 2025. Any unused funds will be forfeited.

Funding cannot be used on the following items:

• Conference registration or other costs associated with travel for faculty and staff.
• Computer hardware, art, or library collections.
• Wages for 12-month full-time faculty, staff, or graduate assistants.
• Scholarships
• Instructor salaries for UAlbany courses for which tuition is charged.

Members of the campus community who wish to apply for an Inclusive Excellence Transformation Award can apply online by Monday, October 20, 2025. 

For questions about applying for an Inclusive Excellence Transformation Award, email [email protected] or watch the online Information Session held on Friday, October 3, 2025, from 9:00 to 10:00 am.

Applicants who are looking for guidance can consult these optional resources:

• Sample Inclusive Excellence Transformation Award Application Form
• Event Planning Checklist
• Program Assessment Planning Form
• Social Justice Framework

Funding proposals should clearly explain how the program would:

• align with the Division of Inclusive Excellence’s mission and with the University’s strategic plan;
• defines program outcomes (for example: “We will enroll 20 participants”);
• define learning outcomes (for example: “Participants will learn how to define implicit bias and how to identify three campus resources for diversity and inclusion”);
• be evaluated and assessed, including program outcomes and how learning outcomes would be measured; and
• be funded to comply with all guidelines and goals listed above.

Programs that are selected to receive an Inclusive Excellence Transformation Award should be prepared to complete the following activities:

• Select an administrator to assist you with managing funds.
• Collaborate with the Division of Inclusive Excellence to discuss support for the project’s success.
• Provide program/project information.
• Assess and evaluate the program’s success.

Questions? Contact [email protected].

2024-2025 Grant Winners

2023-2024 Grant Winners

2022-2023 Grant Winners

2021-2022 Grant Winners