“Making Connections” Travel Fund

The RCHSS Making Connections Fund supports faculty travel to meet program officers from extramural grant-making agencies and foundations. Travel is intended to provide investigators a way to learn more about the mission or goals of the funding agency and to meet staff members who will be making funding decisions. Those who receive funding are expected to submit a grant or fellowship application within 1 year of travel. 

Travel must be to the sponsor national or regional headquarters. This includes travel to NIH, NSF, NEH, and other federal agencies. This can also include travel to major foundations, when doing so serves the indicated purpose.  In exceptional circumstances, funds can be used supplement travel to other venues (e.g., professional conference), but only when travel is used to facilitate a meeting with agency staff who offer pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings.  

The RCHSS Making Connections Travel Fund is not intended to support conference or professional development travel.

• Eligibility: RCHSS full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty
• Focus: Travel to connect with staff and program officers at extramural funding agencies.
• Application: Proposals received by September 15 will receive priority consideration.  Applications accepted from September 1 – February 1, 2024 (subject to available funding)

• Applicants must be tenured or tenure-track faculty member in RCHSS, with preference given to assistant and associate professors.
• Preference will be given to faculty who have not previously received a Making Connections award.  
• There is a limit of one (1) award per faculty member per fiscal year.  

• Funds are limited to one person for coach/economy round-trip airfare. Airfare must be purchased at least three (3) weeks in advance (unless fully justified) to any place in the continental United States. Travel outside the U.S. is not supported.
• Fund will support one (1) night’s lodging and per diem in accordance with USG travel policy. 
• Funds must be expended – and expensed – during the fiscal year in which they are awarded and must adhere to RCHSS year-end purchasing deadlines.

• An application is comprised of four (4) items:

1. A completed application form (see below).  
2. An email or letter confirming a formal appointment with sponsor staff, including date, time, & location.
3. The letter of intent or pre-proposal to be presented at the appointment with sponsor staff.
4. A letter of support from department chair/school director.

• Applications should be submitted as email attachments to RCHSSResearch@kennesaw.edu. The subject line should read “RCHSS Making Connections Fund”.  
• Applications should be submitted at least five (5) weeks in advance of the scheduled visit.  

NOTE: Awards will be made on a rolling basis and will be offered until the available funding has been exhausted.

Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of clarity of objectives in the letter of intent/pre-proposal and the promise that funded meetings will lead to submission of extramural funding proposals in a timely manner.  

• Funded faculty agree to participate in follow-on activities such as efforts to support future awardees, if requested.
• Faculty who receive funding are expected to complete and submit a major grant or fellowship application within 1 year of travel. 

• A report is due to the RCHSS within 14 days of returning from travel.  Please email to RCHSSResearch@kennesaw.edu.
• The report shall include an account of activities and expenditures.
• The report shall also include a copy of the thank you letter sent to staff.
• A project cannot be “closed” until the report has been received.  An investigator with an “open” project is not eligible for additional RCHSS research funding.