CVPA Undergraduate Development Awards 2025-2026

Purpose of the Awards

The College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) at James Madison University offers Undergraduate Professional Development Awards of up to $2,000 to stimulate and advance undergraduate students’ creative or scholarly agendas or assist in developing their service activities. Each award is given with the understanding that the recipient will devote enough time and energy to ensure successful completion of the project.

Eligibility

Proposals may be submitted individually or on behalf of a team. The lead applicant must be a full-time CVPA undergraduate student. While students may be part of multiple Undergraduate Professional Development award proposals, they will only be eligible to receive one award as a lead applicant each year. Students are eligible to apply for and earn these awards annually. Each proposal must have a faculty mentor.

Proposal Components

Please submit your proposal to the Interim Associate Dean using this format:

  • Proposal Title
  • Lead Applicant Name, Academic Unit, and eID
  • Name(s) and Affiliation(s) of Collaborators
  • Proposal Summary (not more than 500 words)
  • Project Narrative (not more than 1,000 words, excluding references). Note: Because members of the review committee may not have a specialized knowledge of the proposer's field, the narrative must be sufficiently detailed to describe the project in nontechnical language.
  • Expected Outcomes and Timeline (not more than two pages) Indicate start and completion dates
    • Expenditures timeline: October 31 Submissions: projects submitted for funding by October 31 will be funded out of the current fiscal year budget. All expenditures must be completed with receipts submitted by June 10.
    • February 28 Submissions: projects submitted for funding by February 28 will be funded out of the next fiscal year budget. No expenditures may be made before June 20, and all expenditures must be completed by October 31.  
  • Project Budget. Please review the Funding FAQ sheet prior to finalizing your budget.
  • Team Member CVs (not more than two pages each)
  • Faculty Mentor Support Letter

Proposal Submission and Review

Proposals will be reviewed two times a year by the CVPA Professional Development Committee. Proposals should be submitted by 5:00 pm on October 31, 2025, for the fall, or February 28, 2026, for the spring to the CVPA Interim Associate Dean.

Submitted proposals will be sent to the lead applicant’s academic unit head to verify that the budget items align with JMU policies. If a proposal does not meet budget policy specifications, the applicant(s) will have one week to make alterations or adjustments to ensure compliance with JMU policy. Following this review, the Interim Associate Dean will submit approved proposals to the CVPA Professional Development Award Committee for review. The CVPA Professional Development Committee will review proposals and make recommendations to the Dean.

Notification and Feedback

The Dean will notify applicants of the status of their proposals by the end of the semester in which their proposal was submitted. Proposals that do not receive funding are eligible to revise their proposal based on committee feedback and resubmit in the next review period. Proposals that receive full or partial funding will be notified of any award conditions or restrictions, and awardees should meet with their school’s administrative assistant to enact their project budget.

Reporting

A complete program and financial report for the project must be provided to the Interim Associate Dean within 60 days after the completion of the award period. Recipients also agree to share information about their award-funded activities at the Sparks Research Symposium on the afternoon of Friday, February 20, 2026.

Report Components:

  • Title Page with Project Name and Contributing Members
  • Summary of Project
  • A 3 to 5-page review of your project, written for a general audience and suitable for incorporation into presentations or displays.
  • Photographs suitable for incorporation into presentations or displays; videos are also encouraged.
  • Assessment of Project and any Proposed Future Projects
  • Financial Report with Receipts

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