CHHS Engaged Scholarship Seed Grant

The College of Health and Human Sciences (CHHS) Dean’s Office is pleased to announce the 2026 Engaged Scholarship Seed Grant program.  This year’s call for proposals (CFP) is focused on supporting existing projects that clearly articulate the role of community partners and collaborators as well as the potential for impact. This CFP is not designed to support the creation of new projects but rather to strengthen existing projects so that they can grow and approach sustainability and programmatic engagement. 

Engaged Scholarship Description: Engaged scholarship emerges from both learning and discovery in collaboration with communities. It engages scholars in academically relevant work that simultaneously meets the university's mission as well as community needs. Scholars engage with communities by integrating scholarly interests that are relevant to the assets, needs, and reciprocal interests of both the community and campus partners.

This funding opportunity is for CHHS faculty who meet the following eligibility and assessment criteria:

• Currently leading an existing community engaged scholarship project; 
• Collecting or have collected preliminary data to support the need for the project (e.g., a needs assessment);
• Can demonstrate prior and/or current collaboration with a community partner; and whose
• Project(s) align with the strategic priorities for outreach and engagement of the university, the college, and their department. 

Award Level: It is anticipated that up to three awards of a maximum of $5,000 each will be awarded. Funds may be used for travel (either the CHHS faculty member or their community partners and collaborators) and engaged scholarship-related expenses of the TTU faculty member and their collaborators (including compensation to research participants or stipends for students assisting with research). It is expected that the results of the project will be shared at a college colloquium or other academic conference (e.g., the Engaged Scholarship Consortium). 

Examples of fundable proposals:

• Follow-up data collection to strengthen sample size or explore qualitative data that can illuminate next steps
• Travel to share preliminary results at appropriate academic or practitioner conference and/or to expand collaborations
• Program and process evaluation of projects that incorporated interventions
• Development of impact assessment tools. 

Proposal Review: Proposals will be reviewed by the CHHS Research Committee and rank-ordered based on their scientific merit, feasibility, and the potential for external funding. The Research 

The committee will then recommend to the Dean’s Office which proposal(s) are funded. Note that CHHS Research Committee members are eligible to apply but must recuse themselves during the evaluation of their proposal. 

Required Documents: 

• A completed Seed Grant proposal cover sheet. 
• A two-page project narrative that includes the following sections: Background (rationale), methods, significance of the proposed project, a project timetable, and a detailed budget.  Please note:  Awarded projects MUST expend all project funds by August 31, 2026. No extensions will be granted.
• A short two-page bio-sketch of the collaborator and community partner, including a description of their role in the project.

 

Submission deadline: April 1, 2026.

 

Apply Now

2022-2024 Recipients

• “Family and Consumer Sciences Summer Teaching Camp”
  • Cynthia Miller, Ph.D.
• “From Foster Care to College: Empowering Youth in Children’s Home of Lubbock with Sustainability Education Training Using VR”
  • Julie Chang, Ph.D.
• “K-12 Sustainability Education: A Game-Based Online Learning Approach”
  • Stacy Lee, Ph.D.
• “Bridging the Gap Towards Successful Vegetable Introduction: Proof in Concept for Early Head Start”
  • Wilna Oledwage-Theron, Ph.D. (Stephanie Shine, Ph.D.)
• “Building Up Global Citizens: Using Culinary Heritage as Tool for Community Engagement”
  • Jing Li, Ph.D.
• “Using Literacy to Increase Levels of Empathy Correctional Workers Feel Toward Prisoners and Their Families”
  • Kyle Roberson, Ph.D.
• “Sexism Cinema: Public Scholarship and a Community Film Series”
  • Elizabeth Sharp, Ph.D.
• “Baking Up a Word of Education and Career Opportunities” (awarded May 2024)
  • Melanie Schmitt, Ph.D.  
• “Growing GRUB: Empowering Youth and Program Leaders Through Research Communication and Advocacy” (awarded May 2024)
  • Paulina Velez Gomez, Ph.D.