Sponsored Research at Swarthmore College
Sponsored Programs helps Swarthmore College faculty members secure external grant funding for their research, scholarship, and creative endeavors. The office assists faculty at every stage of the proposal life cycle by hosting annual workshops for new faculty, identifying potential funding sources, providing help and resources for proposal development and submission, and supporting faculty eligible to petition for second semester of sabbatical funding. Sponsored Programs provides other key resources to faculty applying for grants including a listing of grant opportunities and online databases, profiles of Swarthmore faculty who have recently received grants, strategic grant services, and guidance on how to prepare a successful proposal and manage your grant.
If you are interested in discussing an idea for funding, please reach out as early as possible. To learn more about the Sponsored Programs team, please visit our staff page.
Other offices and people available to advise and assist our faculty as they pursue sponsored research funding are:
The Grants Accountant in the Controller's Office helps faculty pursuing grants with budget development and the financial aspects of grant management.
The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is charged with reviewing all research involving human subjects conducted under the auspices of the College by its faculty, students, and staff, as well as research by outside investigators involving Swarthmore students or personnel.
The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) is a federally mandated committee that oversees all research on vertebrates at Swarthmore College and reports to the US Department of Agriculture. The Biology Department’s Animal Facility Manager supports the work of the IACUC.
The Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility can assist you if you’re considering adding a community-based element to your research project.
The Off-Campus Study office should be consulted before making any arrangements to include off-campus (especially international) activities involving students in your project, whether grant-funded or not.
Sabbatical Support
Swarthmore College grants a semester of paid leave every fourth year to continuing members of the faculty whose appointments are in the ranks of Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor or Instructor. Leaves may be granted as often as once in four years and are normally granted for a half-year at full salary or for a full year with as much as half-salary. Faculty members who take only a one-semester leave are expected to teach two courses in the other semester.
Travel and Research Support
Visit the Provost's Office website for information on the Conference Travel Fund, Research Support Fund, Collaborative Faculty/Student Research Fund, and Provost's Discretionary Fund.
Annual Faculty Research Support
Swarthmore College maintains a limited research fund for the support of research activities by its full-time and regular part-time faculty in the ranks of Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, or Instructor. Regular part-time members of the faculty are eligible for reimbursement on a prorated basis according to the degree of employment.
Eligible instructional staff members may request up to a total of $1,750 (pro-rated for part-time faculty) for each academic year to cover expenses incurred in connection with a research project. If the project is expected to extend more than one year and cost more than $1,750, you may apply for up to $3,500 for a two-year period. If you receive a two-year grant, you will not be eligible to apply again until the two-year period is over.
Requests are considered twice each year, in October and February via an email solicitation by the Provost’s Office.
Eligible applicants are asked to review the guidelines outlined in section II.C-10 Research Support of the Handbook for Instructional Staff (January 2019) for additional detail about the types of expenditures normally subsidized by the funds.
