IMPACT Funding Award

Inspiring Meaningful Pursuits to Accelerate
Co-curricular Transformation

The IMPACT Funding Awards at Catawba College were established to support student engagement in internships, research & creativity, travel, and service learning opportunities.

Michael Frederick Director mfrederi20@catawba.edu	Internships Awards for internships will be added to your financial aid package and a refund check for the amount will be provided by the Finance Office.
Carmony Hartwig Director chartwig@catawba.edu	Research & Creativity Awards for research and creativity will be added to your financial aid package and a refund check for the amount will be provided by the Finance Office.

Learn More

Internships

Students must have secured an UNPAID internship for non-profits, government, education, arts, public service, or other organization that does not traditionally pay its interns. In some situations, a student with a paid internship may be eligible (consult internship director).

Research & Creativity

Students must have secured a mentor, advisor, or supervisor who will oversee this funded research or creative experience.

Travel Program

Student must be enrolled in a Catawba course with travel or participating in a travel experience approved by the Center for International Studies; and
To be eligible for IMPACT funds for International Travel, you may have only ONE additional monetary award toward the funding request (e.g. International Studies OR an Honors stipend, not both) to also receive funding through the IMPACT grant within the award cycle of the request.

Service

Students must have secured a mentor, advisor, or supervisor who will oversee this service project.

Additionally, students must:

Be a currently enrolled student (seniors graduating before the experience occurs are not eligible to apply);
Registered for classes for the semester following the experience (evidence of a returning student);
Have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or above;
Participate in 1-2 activities (ex. events, programs, blogs, videos, etc.) during the academic year in order to share their stories about their experience; and
Submit a budget with their application and proof of expenses (receipts, rental agreements, etc.) after the experience to the IMPACT Director (impact@catawba.edu).

Awards CAN be used for:

Required materials, equipment, and/or supplies needed to complete the Internship, Research & Creativity, or Service experience.
Travel (i.e. airline tickets) and transportation (i.e. mileage, public transportation) expenses directly associated with completing the IMPACT experience.
Lodging expenses while on location to complete the IMPACT experience.

Awards CANNOT be used for:

Supervisor stipends, salaries, etc.
Personal unrelated expenses (clothing, entertainment, etc.)

Applications should be submitted online at catawba.edu/impactapp. Students should be prepared to provide detailed information on the online application.
This application is for Summer 2025 Experiences ONLY and the application deadline is April 21st 2025 by 5 PM. No IMPACT Funding Awards will be considered after the deadline.

Required Application Materials

Student Application
Mentor/ supervisor/ advisor approval
IRB approval (only if needed)

*In general, award decision notifications will be sent via Catawba College email to students 30 days after the application cycle due date. Notifications may be delayed due to an increased volume of applicants. For updates on status or any concerns regarding this process, please contact impact@catawba.edu.

A current Catawba College Faculty member must support your IMPACT application. Please discuss your application with your Faculty mentor and have them review it if possible prior to submission. On the application, please provide us with your Faculty mentor’s name and email address. Once you receive a copy of your submitted application please forward that on to your faculty mentor and ask them to complete the Faculty Approval Form.

Impact Application

The following is a general guide for how IMPACT applications are assessed for funding:

	Does NOT Meet Expectations	Somewhat Meets Expectations	Meets or Exceeds Expectations
Funded Purpose / Budget Description	Vague, unclear description of funds needed in request	Questionable description of funds required	Clear, itemized (if possible) description
Project Description	Vague and/or weak description of experience	Moderately clear, but questionable description	Clear and/or well-thought-out description
Transformative Learning	No, or limited, connection to Catawba College mission	Moderate connection to College mission	Excellent, clear connection to College mission