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. Funding awards range from $100-$3000. All Catawba college students that are eligible (see requirements below) may receive a maximum of $3000 while enrolled, and this may be distributed across areas (Internships, Research & Creativity, Travel and Service) and is not limited to 1 award per academic year.

IMPACT Funding Awards for Catawba students will be awarded by:

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.

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.

Travel Program
Awards for travel will be deposited in the program account to pay expenses.

Service
Awards for service will be deposited into a program account to pay expenses.

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. Please contact Jonathan Boles for guidance. Read more about the criteria for service.

Additionally, students must:

Be a currently enrolled student (seniors graduating before the experience occurs are not eligible to apply);
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 (chartwig@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.
Submission deadlines are as following. No IMPACT Funding Awards will be considered after the deadline.

Required Application Materials	Semester of Experience Requiring Funds	Application Deadline	Funding Award Notifications
Student Application Mentor/ supervisor/ advisor approval IRB approval (only if needed)	Winter / Spring	October 16	December 16
	Summer / Fall	March 16	May 16

A current Catawba College faculty member must write and submit a letter of support for student funding requests. The letter of support should address the following:

Describe how the student will be mentored/ supervised/ advised during the experience.
Describe the intended end product of the student’s experience.
State if and how the student’s experience and/or work will be evaluated.
Your assessment of the applicant’s motivation, abilities, experience, and/or interests that make him or her well suited for this award and able to complete the experience as proposed.
Your assessment of how this award and completing this experience might benefit the applicant.
Site mentors/advisors/supervisors (Catawba or non-Catawba affiliate) of grant recipients will receive an evaluation about the student’s performance to be completed and returned using an online portal.

Impact Application

Letter of Support (Faculty)

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
Faculty Support	Poor support	Moderate support	Strong support