2026-2027 Awards
Purpose of the Awards
The College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) at James Madison University offers Undergraduate Professional Development Awards to stimulate and advance undergraduate students’ creative or scholarly agendas or assist in developing their service activities. Proposals in any field of creative or scholarly activity related to the applicant’s discipline may be submitted. Awards are to be used to sustain activities necessary to complete the proposed projects or endeavors, including travel expenses and other related costs (see budget section for restrictions). Each award is given with the understanding that the recipient will devote enough time and energy to ensure successful completion of the project.
Each award will not exceed $1,500. Note that partial funding may be awarded in an effort to support as many projects as possible. Willingness to accept partial funding generally increases the likelihood of receiving an award.
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 who reviews the proposal, offers advice, and writes a letter of support.
Proposal Components
Submit your proposal through the online form for the appropriate application cycle:
- For Spring 2027 projects (November 1, 2026 deadline): Fall 2026 Application Form
- For Summer 2027 projects (February 28, 2027 deadline): Spring 2027 Application Form
Proposal components include:
- Proposal Title
- Principal Proposer Name, Academic Unit, and JMU Email
- Name(s) and Affiliation(s) of Collaborators
- Proposal Summary (not more than 100 words)
- Project Narrative (not more than 1,000 words, excluding references)
- Expected Outcomes (not more than one page)
- Timeline, including start and completion dates (not more than one page). Carefully review the expenditures timeline below before completing your timeline.
- Project Budget. Review the Funding FAQ page prior to finalizing your budget.
- Team Member CVs (not more than two pages each)
- Faculty Mentor Support Letter
Note: Because members of the review committee may not have a specialized knowledge of the proposer's field, the proposal summary and narrative must be sufficiently detailed to describe the project in nontechnical language or jargon.
Expenditures Timeline
- Projects awarded in the fall cycle (due November 1, 2026) will be funded out of the current fiscal year budget. All expenditures must be completed with receipts submitted by June 10, 2027.
- Projects awarded in the spring cycle (due February 28, 2027) will be funded out of the next fiscal year budget. No expenditures may be made before July 1, and all expenditures should be completed with receipts submitted by October 31. A later deadline may be possible with advance CVPA approval.
Proposal Submission and Review
Proposals will be reviewed two times a year by the CVPA Professional Development Committee. Proposals should be submitted via the appropriate web form above by the end of the day on Sunday, November 1, 2026 for the fall cycle, or by the end of the day on Sunday, February 28, 2027 for the spring cycle.
Submissions will be sent to the Principal Proposer’s academic unit head and school fiscal specialist to verify that the budget items align with JMU policies. If a proposal does not meet budget policy specifications, the applicant will have one week to make alterations or adjustments to ensure compliancewith JMU policy. Following this review, the 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 funding 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 and resubmit in the following review period. Proposals that receive full or partial funding will be notified of any award conditions or restrictions and 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 Associate Dean within 60 days after the completion of the award period. Failure to submit this report on the requested timeline will result in ineligibility for Professional Development Awards the following academic year. Recipients also agree to share information about their award-funded activities at the Sparks Research Symposiumthe February following project completion if they are still in attendance at JMU at that time. Program and financial report components include:
- 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
