Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning

STEM CTL Funds: Extended Projects

AY 2026-2027 CTL Funds: Extended Projects

Call for Proposals: Curriculum and Teaching Leadership (CTL) Funds: Extended Projects

Funding Periods: Fall 2026 (Aug 25 – Dec 24) | Spring 2027 (May 25 – Aug 24)

Maximum CTL Fund Amount: $4,000

Priority Proposal Due Date: July 5, 2026

Overview: The Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning offers Curriculum and Teaching Leadership Funds: Extended Projects funding to teams of faculty involved in a high-impact teaching and learning project. We solicit proposals from teams across all departments, programs, colleges, and schools at George Mason University, including full-time and/or part-time faculty. 

Eligibility Restrictions:

  • Faculty may not apply for multiple Stearns Center Extended Projects in the same academic term.  
  • Faculty Fellows currently working with the Stearns Center may not participate on a CTL fund team.  
  • Each faculty member may only be associated with one proposal.  

Attributes of Strong Proposals:

  • Broad impact – extends beyond the design of or inquiry into a single person’s course.  
  • Lasting impact – extends beyond the initial semester of the project.  
  • Strategic alignment – deliberate connection to George Mason University and/or academic unit initiatives or strategic goals.  
  • Integrative collaboration – involves faculty from multiple backgrounds, specializations, and/or academic units.  
  • Clear outcomes – specific, feasible, documentable, and sustainable outcomes that enhance student success.  
  • Feasibility – clear timeline and project-aligned budget.  

STEM CTL Extended Projects

Specifically, proposals for STEM Extended Project funding should focus on or demonstrate one of the following: 

  1. Improve or update a course or department level curriculum. This can be approached in a variety of ways including (but not limited to) revision or redesign of assignments, new active learning approaches, inclusive teaching, increased student engagement, & improved academic success of students. 
  2. Capacity building. Working as a collaborative team to make changes to single or multi-section course sustainability and expansion. Again, these proposals should consider how to expand student success strategies or unify a course or department’s curriculum. For this option, artifacts could include (but are not limited to), new or updated course materials (i.e., assignments, assessments) that are used by multiple instructors for the same course.
  3. Assessment of Stearns Center Programming. After attending a STEM CPD program (CPD Level 1 or 2), work to implement one or more changes into your course and assess the impact of that change on student learning and/or student success. With this application, please provide the name of the STEM program attended and how that program connects to the change you are planning to implement. 
Timeline
MilestoneDate
Proposal Submission DeadlineJuly 5, 2026
Award Decisions AnnouncedBefore August 2026
Project Implementation PeriodFall 2026, Spring 2027, or Summer 2027 (as proposed)
Key Financial and Project Touchpoints

If selected, you will receive a detailed timeline with financial and project check-ins in your award letter, based on your funding period (Fall, Spring, or Summer). Failure to participate in these check-ins may result in partial or full cancellation of funding.  

Required check-ins include:  

  • Initial Budget Meeting – with PI, Co-PI, and Financial Point of Contact (FPOC) to finalize the budget and discuss financial processes. This meeting must occur before any purchases are made.  
  • Mid-Project Budget Check-in  
  • Final Budget Check-in  
  • Project Conclusion Meeting  
  • Final Report Submission  
Project Requirements and Deliverables
Engagement Requirements

All funded PIs and project teams are expected to:  

  • Check communications regularly and respond promptly to budget-related inquiries.  
  • Complete an initial budget meeting prior to the start of the funding period.  
  • Attend at least one mid-project meeting, consultation, or workshop per semester.  
Final Documentation

All funded projects must submit:  

  1. A final report documenting project outcomes and any upcoming implementation steps.  
  2. Other options and explanations: evidence, reflective statements, assessment data…   
Dissemination Plan

All funded projects must include a plan for sharing results with the George Mason University community, such as:  

  • Presenting at the next Innovations in Teaching and Learning Conference (as a Teaching Talk).  
  • Creating a broadly applicable resource available to the George Mason University community.  
Project Proposal Submission

Your proposal submission requires the following four components:   

  • A detailed proposal (see requirements below)  
  • A letter of support (see requirements below)  
  • A detailed budget using the budget tool excel document (see details and format below)  
  • Completion of the online form: FY27 Stearns Center CTL Funds: Extended Project Proposal Submission Form (which includes uploading your project proposal and letters of support in one PDF, and uploading your budget tool excel file)  

Note: Your completed proposal and letter of support need to be combined into one PDF and uploaded to the online form in Question 11.

Submit your proposal here
Project Proposal Requirements
Project Summary (150 words max)

Briefly describe your team’s project, including its context, aims, and potential impact. What learning and/or resources will your efforts create?  

Project Administrative Information

This information will also be required on the online form:

  • Project Participants:
    • Full names of all key participants (indicate one Principal Investigator)  
    • Mason email addresses  
    • College  
    • Appointment status (full-time/part-time)  

Note: Confirm with your Financial Point of Contact that faculty are eligible for the proposed stipends.   

  • Financial Point of Contact (FPOC):  
    • Name, Mason email, and title/position  
  • This should be a department or division staff member responsible for supervising the disbursement of CTL funds (e.g., someone who handles EPAF submissions, P-card purchases, etc.)  

Note: The FPOC is typically not the PI or your College/Department’s Chief Business Officer. Multiple staff members may share these responsibilities.   

  • Organization Information: 
    •  Organization Number (Org #) of the PI’s unit 
Narrative (400 words max)

Address the following:   

  1. Project goals: Identify the key goals of your project. For instance, …    
  2. Outcomes: Briefly describe the current course, project, plan, resource, or effort, and any resources already invested in that project. List two or three intended outcomes for the proposed new effort, programming, resources, and/or assessment(s). Explain how you plan to document/assess the initial and lasting impact of this work.  
  3. Implementation: Provide your timeline for designing, engaging with, and/or piloting this project. Identify the steps or stages involved and who will participate in each.  
Letter(s) of Support

For each academic unit involved in the CTL Extended Project proposal, provide a brief letter from the department chair, dean, or another appropriate unit administrator. The letter should address:  

  • The need for a project of this kind.  
  • Support for sustaining this resource or programming in the future.  

Note: Include all letters in your single PDF submission.  

Budget

Review the details below carefully and use the budget tool to complete your budget proposal.   

  • See the first tab of the budget tool for detailed guidance on how to use the tool.   
  • Download the tool from our website to begin using it.  
  • Complete your proposed budget.  
  • Upload your excel file to the online form in Question 12.  
  • If you run into any difficulties with the budget tool please reach out to [email protected] and we will provide assistance.   
Faculty Stipends
  • Up to $1000 per faculty member per semester.   
  • Fringe costs must be calculated and paid from CTL fund monies. Check George Mason University’s Fiscal Services website for the current rate. Faculty special pay uses the “wage” category.  
  • Example (2025–2026 rate of 7.4%): If you budget $1,000 total, fringe is subtracted from that amount. You would receive $931.11 in pay, with $68.89 allocated to fringe (total: $999.89).  
  • Stipends must be distributed evenly across regular paychecks during the funding period. Expect a 2–4 week lag before the first payment.  
  • Verify with your FPOC that faculty are eligible for the full award.  
Student Wages

For each student, provide:  

  • Name and status  
  • Hourly wage   
  • Total payment (hourly wage x estimated number of hours) and estimated time commitment  
  • Fringe costs (required for students who are not full-time, the budget tool will help you calculate this)  

Notes:

  • If you have not recently hired or supervised a student using university funds, consult your FPOC before completing this section.  
  • We strongly discourage listing “student(s) to be named later.” Identifying, hiring, and training students often takes significant time. Successful teams typically have candidates identified before funding is awarded.  
Supplies
  • Books, materials, subscriptions, or resource access fees must directly support the project during the funding period  

Note: Check with your FPOC to ensure that the supplies you are looking to purchase can be purchased with state funds or P-card.  

Download our CTL Budget Tool Template
to prepare your proposal for submission.
Software

Before purchasing software, check the ASRB website to determine if it is already approved. Unapproved software requires an ASRB request, which can take 6–8 weeks. Plan accordingly and contact your FPOC with questions.  

Research or Participation Support  
  • Gift cards for study participants, stipends for expert contributions by George Mason University faculty, or registration fees must be directly related to the project and used during the funding period.  
Ineligible Expenses

Funding is not available for:

  • Food or beverages  
  • Travel (including rental vehicles)  
  • Honoraria or payments to non-George Mason University personnel  
  • Conferences, seminars, or professional development outside the funding period  
  • One-time expenses that would need to be repeated to sustain project gains (e.g., annual memberships, non-reusable study materials)  

2025 Summer Grants

25 SU STEM Grants RFP WebpageDownload

Previous STEM Education Grant Recipients: 

  • Summer 2026: Maction Komwa
  • Spring 2025:  Sanja Avramovic & An Di Yim 
  • Summer 2025: Maction Komwa, William Lamberti, Angela Miller, Nicholas Rios