HCDE DEI Committee Mini Grants

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering is a group of community-elected faculty, staff, and student representatives serving as public advocates to represent the diverse needs and interests of our HCDE community.

HCDE DEI Committee Mini Grants support grassroots diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within the department. Proposals can cover a wide range of community building, group training, and other efforts to foster an environment of equity and inclusion for all members of the HCDE community.

Mini Grant Application Form

HCDE DEI Committee Mini Grants

All students, staff, and faculty are invited to apply for DEI Committee Mini Grants. Applications for greater than $700 may be considered if they demonstrate the potential to broadly impact the HCDE community. There is no limit to the number of proposals submitted by one applicant, but the review panel will prioritize first-time HCDE applicants.

Categories of Mini Grant submissions include:

• Events and programming that engage HCDE community members in efforts that promote fair and inclusive practices (e.g. room reservations, supplies, and honorariums for guest speakers, etc.)
• Project-based resources for efforts to support equity across teaching, mentorship and training (e.g. toolkit materials or printing, supplies or compensation as part of a DRG or research project)
• Attending professional conferences for student leaders participating in outreach and mentorship activities.
• One-time coverage for inequitable costs (e.g. student travel visas or disability accommodations for academic conferences)

Grant applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Proposals will be evaluated based on how much potential the activity has to impact the HCDE community or a subset thereof and how strongly the activity links to HCDE's goals of climate and community, teaching, learning, hiring, or outreach. Recipients will be required to submit a short report (300-500 words) or participate in a public presentation following completion of the project.

Example projects

• Payment for an early film screening of a film of interest to the HCDE community
• Participant compensation in disability-justice mobile apps user study
• Respondent compensation for increasing diversity of participants in design studio survey
• Interviewee compensation for the development of a design toolkit
• Payment for equity-centered community partners in a hackathon
• Field trip
• Mentorship activities