The University of North Georgia's (UNG) Office of Sponsored Programs held Grants Academy from June 9-11 at UNG's Gainesville Campus. Within a cohort of four faculty and staff, the group members were able to learn the basics of every step of the grant process and fine-tune their own ideas.

Courtney Hause, campus victim advocate in UNG's Department of Public Safety, attended the academy with Mavis, UNG's crisis intervention therapy dog.

"I wanted to see what's out there, specifically to find grant opportunities to fund some of our community engagement events and victim support," Hause said.

Dr. Mariana Stone, associate professor of Spanish, had attended a previous offering of Grants Academy and found the program even more engaging this time.

"They walk you through the entire process with opportunities to put into practice what they presented," Stone said. "This format allows you to tie the information to something practical that you can use as you plan to go after your own grant."

From the seven 2024 Grants Academy cohort members still at UNG, four have submitted grant proposals, with three of them awarded. The others are working on submissions. From the 2023 cohort of nine attendees, five submitted grant proposals, with four of those being awarded.

Kelly Millsaps, senior grant specialist for pre-award, led this year's academy. Beyond the success that often comes for participants, she finds the collaborative nature of the academy to be rewarding.

"We see people making connections and talking to each other and learning about their projects," Millsaps said. "It’s a great opportunity to workshop ideas and get support."

Dr. Holly Verhasselt, associate provost for institutional effectiveness and chief research officer, said it's important that many of the grants won by UNG faculty and staff end up supporting research projects that allow undergraduate students to gain experience.

"For a teaching institution, that's the exact kind of research we want to be doing," Verhasselt said. "It provides access to high-impact practices that benefit our students while supporting faculty scholarly activities."

As the academy has wrapped up, the Office of Sponsored Programs staff members said they remain committed to helping any faculty or staff who need guidance on the grant process throughout the year.