Things to Know

General Information

  • Students must submit proposals by the first Wednesday of the block in which they would like their proposal reviewed.
  • If selected for a Keller Family Venture Grant, students must commit (barring extenuating and approved circumstances) to present (if selected) and/or attend the Keller Venture Family Grant Forum.
  • All students will be required to complete a StoryMap, poster, and thank you if they complete a Venture Grant project.
  • Project proposals must focus on individual (or group) student research.
  • A Venture Grant cannot be used to fund research for which a student is receiving direct academic credit (such as thesis work during a thesis block).
  • Funds can be used for research travel expenses but not for expenses that are Academic Opportunities Grant eligible.
  • Students should apply two-three blocks in advance of when they actually need the funds.
  • Applicants must have faculty or staff sponsorship and references to apply.
  • All applicants must be active Colorado College students at the time of application and during their Venture Grant research period.

Funding

Funding Amounts

  • Individual students can apply for up to $1,000.
  • Groups of students who apply for a Venture Grant can request maximum combined funding of $2,000 for their proposal.

Matching Funding

  • Students who have been awarded a Keller Family Venture Grant can extend the award by applying for matching funds up to $500 per person in additional funding if they have secured matching funds from a separate institutional funding source (approved internal Colorado College grant funds, external grant funds- personal resources may not be used to secure matching funds.)
  • Additionally, joint applications can apply for Matching Funds to a maximum of $1,000 for the project.

International Venture Grants

As you are developing your Venture Grant proposal, students are expected to research and show evidence of consideration for any known travel risks and warnings that may affect their approval for travel to the specific countries, regions, and cities included in the proposal. The Center for Global Education will review your detailed international travel plans for safety and security (this is built into the Summit application for a Venture Grant automatically when a student indicates an international destination).

In general, if International SOS or the State Department classifies a region, country, or activity as higher risk, we will not approve that travel. Please carefully read the College's Guidelines for International Travel. To protect the safety and well-being of students who travel abroad for Colorado College-sponsored purposes, Colorado College typically will not support or sponsor student travel to regions/countries that are rated as higher risk as defined by:

  • a U.S. Department of State (USDOS) risk rating of 3 or 4 (note: no travel will be approved to regions that USDOS gives a risk rating of 4)
  • a Center for Disease Control (CDC) Travel Warning, or
  • an International SOS risk rating of "high" or "extreme" (note: no travel will be approved to regions that SOS gives a risk rating of "extreme").

As you are crafting both your daily itinerary and activities/methods of travel, you should log into the College's International SOS member site. On the right sidebar, select "Travel Security Online" for your country or countries, and read all the specific recommendations they give for your destination. Once you are on the country page, the left sidebar lists "Travel security guide," "Country travel guide," and maps (change the filter on the map from "None" to "Travel," upper right-hand corner) to look for any higher risk (red) hotspots. Pay attention specifically to any guidelines given by SOS about methods of transport, times of day/routes/regions to avoid, locations to avoid staying in or visiting, etc. The Center for Global Education will need this level of detail on your itinerary, to show that your plans do not overlap with any risky activities listed in the SOS guides, the CDC, or the USDOS advisories and warnings.

Institutional Review Board

If your project involves interacting with people (human subjects) you may need to work with the Instructional Review Board (IRB). Please take a moment to review the information on IRB requirements for Venture Grants for specific information prior to contacting the IRB. If you will need approval from the review board, you will need to contact Amanda Udis- Kessler prior to submitting your Venture Grant, as all projects must be cleared prior to committee review. Please note: the IRB does not review Venture Grant proposals or other Venture Grant materials, so please contact Amanda with questions about what to submit to the IRB.

Report an issue - Last updated: 12/17/2020