91³Ô¹Ï

Request for Proposals: Institutional Engagement and Excellence –

Student Success Mini-Grant 2026

Overview:

Governors State University (91³Ô¹Ï) invites applications for the 2026 Student Success Mini-Grant Program. In alignment with 91³Ô¹Ï’s mission, strategic priorities, and commitment to advancing student success, the university has invested $20,000 in institutional grant funding to support high-impact initiatives that demonstrably strengthen student recruitment, engagement, retention, persistence, completion, and institutional visibility.ÌýÌýÌý

Flexible mini-grant awards range from $400 to $4,000 and are available to interdisciplinary teams of faculty, staff, and/or student organizations. Rather than a fixed number of awards, funding will be distributed to as many high-quality, high-impact proposals as possible within the total investment of $20,000.

This flexible funding model is designed to encourage both small-scale, innovative pilots and larger, more comprehensive initiatives, ensuring that strong ideas—regardless of size—have the opportunity to advance student success at 91³Ô¹Ï.

Mini grants are intended to serve as strategic seed investments that produce measurable outcomes and a clear return on investment for both students and the institution.

IEE Student Success Mini-Grants will support innovative initiatives in the following priority areas:

1. Student Recruitment & Access

Initiatives that expand pipelines, outreach, partnerships, and pathways that increase enrollment and access to 91³Ô¹Ï.

2. Student Engagement & Belonging

Programs that strengthen student connection to the university through meaningful engagement, leadership development, and inclusive co-curricular experiences.

3. Student Retention, Persistence & Completion

Evidence-informed strategies that improve academic success, persistence, timely degree completion, and post-graduation outcomes.ÌýÌý

4. Institutional Impact & Visibility

Initiatives that elevate 91³Ô¹Ï’s recognition through innovation, partnerships, scholarship, and student success models at regional or national levels.

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Significance

Governors State University is committed to advancing a student-centered culture that prioritizes engagement, excellence, and measurable success outcomes. As higher education continues to evolve, it is essential that institutional resources are invested in initiatives that directly support student recruitment, retention, persistence, completion, and post-graduation success.

The IEE Student Success Mini-Grant Program serves as a strategic investment in innovative, data-informed practices that address barriers to student success while strengthening pathways to and through 91³Ô¹Ï. By supporting both small-scale pilots and larger initiatives, this model empowers faculty, staff, and students to design and implement solutions that respond to real-time institutional needs.

These investments are intended to generate measurable impact, foster cross-campus collaboration, and create scalable models that can be sustained, expanded, or leveraged for additional funding. Through this approach, 91³Ô¹Ï not only enhances student outcomes but also strengthens its institutional identity as a leader in student-centered innovation and success.

Ultimately, this program reinforces the shared responsibility across the university to advance student success and ensures that even modest investments can lead to meaningful, lasting change.

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Timeline

Grant Number:ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý IEE.2026

Eligible Applicants

Governors State University’s faculty, staff, and approved student organizations are invited to apply. Priority will be given to interdisciplinary, multi-department/division, or unique student club collaborations across departments, offices, and/or student organizations. We also highly encourage efforts that involve collaborations between students and faculty, students and staff, or faculty and staff.Ìý Please note that the principal investigator (PI) must be a current full-time employee of 91³Ô¹Ï.Ìý For student organizations, the PI must be the Club Advisor or Sponsor.

Selection Process

A Student Success Mini-Grant Review Task Force will conduct the selection process over the summer. Task force members will participate in inter-rater-reliability training to ensure consistent and equitable application of the scoring guide.

Proposals will be evaluated using a standardized 100-point scoring rubric, which assesses the overall quality, alignment, and potential impact of each submission. Funding decisions will be based on proposal strength, with awards distributed to as many high-quality proposals as possible within the total available investment of $20,000.

Priority consideration will be given to proposals that demonstrate:

• Clear and measurable impact on student recruitment, engagement, retention, persistence, or completion
• Strong alignment with institutional priorities
• Feasibility, scalability, and sustainability
• Meaningful collaboration across faculty, staff, and/or student organizations

A full description of the scoring criteria is included in the attached rubric. The maximum score an applicant can earn is 100 points, with point values assigned to each evaluation category.

Cost Sharing:Ìý (None)

Grant Period

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý September 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027

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RFP Information Session

All prospective applicants are invited to attend a live request for proposal virtual informal on April 13th at 12:30.Ìý A recording of the session will be available one week after the Information Session via .Ìý

Letter of Intent to Apply

While not required, we strongly encourage each potential applicant to notify the Office of Institutional Engagement and Excellence in writing of their intent to apply for the Mini-Grant by sending a one-page Letter of Intent (LOI) by May 1, 2026, to oiee@govst.edu.ÌýÌý The LOI is a one-page document designed to generate interest and allow us to plan for an efficient peer review. The LOI may include the proposal name, applicant/team, focus area, need statement, and brief description of how these funds can advance institutional engagement and excellence for 91³Ô¹Ï.

Prospective applicants will receive a confirmation receipt via email – within five (5) days of the submission.ÌýÌý

Submission Date and Method

Applicants should submit their proposal by the submission deadline:Ìý June 30, 2026, by 5:00 pm CST to oiee@govst.edu .Ìý The required deadline is to ensure fairness to all applicants. We strongly encourage applicants to submit their applications well before the application deadline. For success in submitting, please follow the checklist included in this RFP.

Applicants will receive a confirmation receipt – within 5 days of the submission. Note – please contact jpatterson3@govst.edu directly if you do not receive a notification.

Applicants should submit the Abstract, Proposal Narrative, Budget (word document only), and any supporting documents within a single email. The first submission will be final.Ìý Any supplemental attachments or updates will not be accepted after the original submission.Ìý Applicants should limit the size of the file to avoid an email rejection.Ìý Documents submitted that contain graphics and/or scanned materials often greatly increase the file attachment size and can result in difficulty submitting or opening the file.

Grant Award Notice

All applicants will be notified via 91³Ô¹Ï email by September 1, 2026. ÌýAwardees will also be announced during a specific event tbd.

Funding

Funding is currently committed for Fiscal Year 2027.Ìý Future funding will be determined annually.Ìý

Funding will be assigned to the Principal Investigator (PI) / Lead Facilitator.

Commitments

By submitting a proposal, awardees are committed to the following activities for the purpose of accountability, sharing, engagement, and improvement:

Quarterly Reports (performance and spending)

Attendance at awards event (September 2026) – awards are publicly announced

Lunch and Learn presentation (Spring Term 2027)

Priority

Priority will be given to proposals that meet the following criteria:

IEE-focused research or programs and initiatives that meet one or more of the four focus areas listed above.

Interdisciplinary, multi-department/division, or unique student club collaborations across multiple departments, offices, and/or student organizations. We also highly encourage efforts that involve collaborations between students and faculty, faculty and staff, or students and staff.ÌýÌýÌý

Contact Person

For questions, please contact the Office of Institutional Engagement and Excellence at 708.534.4023 or email at oiee@govst.edu