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Study Abroad/Away Awards

The Fall 2023 cycle has closed

Seed funding is available up to $5,000 to support pre-program visits (domestic and international) for the creation of a study abroad program, up to $10,000 a year for three years to embed a global component to a spring or winter class, and up to $10,000 a year for three years to create a new domestic (within the U.S.) study away program.

OGA is especially interested in supporting proposals by new entrants and early-career faculty.

Applications which demonstrate consideration for the following will be given priority:

  • Cross-disciplinary collaboration
  • Diversity, equity, and accessibility
  • Environmental sustainability
  • Longevity of the program/project
  • Bi-directional relationships with global partners

Contact OGA with questions at uwgif@uw.edu.

Deadline: November 8, 2023 at 5:00pm PT

DOWNLOAD APPLICATION FORM

Study Abroad/Away Awards

  • UW faculty members, research scientists, and non-faculty researchers from the Seattle, Tacoma, and Bothell campuses are encouraged to apply. UW professional staff are also eligible but they must be paired with a UW faculty member to eventually run the program.

Note: Awarded programs must be run through UW Study Abroad.

Application deadline November 8, 2023
Awards announced End of December 2023
Award use period January 2023-Spring 2025
Narrative reports due No later than June 15, 2025
Unused funds returned to OGA No later than June 30, 2025

OGA may request status updates during the award use period for the three-year awards.

Requests for funding may be considered outside of the regular award cycle for exceptional innovative proposals. Email uwgif@uw.edu to learn more.

To apply:

  1. Download application form
  2. Save all application materials as a single PDF. Please ask your department administrator if you need help combining multiple files into one PDF.
  3. Title the .pdf as follows:  LeadApplicantLastName_GIF_2023.pdf
    (for example: Mendoza_GIF_2023.pdf)
  4. Submit completed application via email to uwgif@uw.edu

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Awarded programs must be run through UW Study Abroad.

Note: You may apply for both a pre-program visit and one of the three-year awards.

  • Pre-program visit, international

-Award is for up to $5,000.

-The visits should be for location scouting and developing partnerships.

-The faculty member should submit a study abroad proposal in either August 2024 or October 2024 for a program that will run during the 2025-2026 academic year.

  • Pre-program visit, domestic

-Award is for up to $3,000.

-The visits should be for location scouting and developing partnerships.

-The faculty member should submit a study abroad proposal in either August 2024 or October 2024 for a program that will run during the 2025-2026 academic year.

  • Fund an additional faculty member to attend an existing program to share responsibility of maintaining the program in the future

-Award is for up to $3,000 for domestic and up to $5,000 for international.

-Awards aims to improve program longevity by training other faculty members to run the program in the future.

  • Embed a global component to a spring or winter class

-Award is for up to $10,000 a year for three years.

-The funding will offset the cost of the program to students for the first three years that it runs.

-The global component should take place during spring break.

-Award aims to broaden access to study abroad for faculty and students.

-The faculty member should submit a proposal in either August 2024 or October 2024 for a program that will run during the 2024-2025 academic year and for two years after that.

  • Create a new domestic study away program

-Award is for up to $10,000 a year for three years.

-The funding will offset the cost of the program to students for the first three years that it runs.

-Award aims to broaden access to study abroad for students.

-The faculty member should submit a proposal in either August 2024 or October 2024 for a program that will run during the 2025-2026 academic year and for two years after that.

Award funds

  • Pre-program visit, international (up to $5,000)
  • Pre-program visit, domestic (up to $3,000)
  • Fund an additional faculty member to attend an existing program
    (up to $3,000 for domestic, up to $5,000 for international)
  • Embed a global component to a spring or winter class (up to $10,000 a year for three years)
  • Create a new domestic study away program (up to $10,000 a year for three years)

Funds may not be used to support*:

  • The purchase of alcohol
  • Technical equipment
  • Faculty or staff salaries

*This is not an exhaustive list and the Office of Global Affairs may update it at any time.


Departmental support and matching funds
All applicants must have the support of their college, school, or department. Departmental endorsement in the application process and/or cost-sharing demonstrates their support.

A 25% minimum cost share of the total expenses is strongly encouraged, but not required. Applicants must demonstrate the support of their department chair and dean through signatures on their GIF application.

Matching funds can come from:

  • Lead and co-applicant departmental cost share
  • Other confirmed grant funding
  • External collaborator cost share will be considered (i.e. partner organization abroad)

For awards for pre-program visits or to fund an additional faculty member to attend an existing program, award funds will be disbursed to the lead applicant’s department.

For awards to embed a global component to a spring or winter class or to create a new domestic study away program, award funds will be disbursed to UW Study Abroad to offset the cost of the program to students for the first three years the program runs.

  • For awards disbursed to departments, budgets must accept revenue transfers.
  • Unused funds must be returned to OGA.

At the end of the award use period, awardees are required to submit the following materials to OGA at uwgif@uw.edu:

  1. Brief narrative report
  2. Describe the project, outcomes, and next steps
  3. Outlines use and impact of funds
  4. Budget report reflecting actual expenditures.

Note: You can update the budget submitted with your application.

OGA may request status updates during the award use period for the three-year awards.

Please mention the Global Innovation Fund in any communications or news related to your project. OGA may follow up to do additional marketing and story-telling around each project.

Previously successful proposals:

Program on the Environment: Exploring Environmental and Social Resilience

Destination: Taiwan

Proposal: To develop a new study abroad program where students can meet with local experts, participate in field trips, and create culminating projects that compare resilience and adaptation challenges and strategies between Taiwan and Washington state.

Primary Applicant: Yen-Chu Weng, Program on the Environment

Collaborators: Jackson School Taiwan Studies Program, National Taiwan University

Academic Support Programs Study Abroad

Destination: Italy

Proposal: To develop a new study abroad program where students can explore questions of identity, immigration, and community in post-colonial Italy and the US and learn academic habits and study skills that will help them thrive at the UW upon their return from Rome.

Primary Applicant: Ryan Burt, Academic Support Programs -Undergraduate Academic Affairs

-Collaborators: College of Arts & Sciences, Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity

Global Health Partnerships in Disaster Preparedness and Response

Destination: Peru, Nepal, Japan

Proposal: To develop a new study abroad program focused on disaster preparedness and response with health science students from UW, Tohoku University in Japan, Kathmandu University in Nepal, and Universidad San Marcos in Peru.

Primary Applicants: Sarah Gimbel and Pamela Kohler, Center for Global Health Nursing

-Collaborators: UW-Tohoku University, Urban Design & Planning, Department of Global Health