Bridge Funding Program for Student Success
"With student success as our North Start, we foster academic excellence, connection, and opportunity, preparing graduates from all backgrounds and from any community for impactful careers and lives of engaged citizenship."
Provost's initiative to support the implementation of the Academic Success Goals that serve as foundational guidance in advancing our strategic imperatives.
Updated 5:06 p.m. November 22, 2025
Program Overview and Purpose
The Provost Bridge Funding Program for Student Success provides short-term institutional support to sustain projects that directly advance undergraduate and graduate student success, retention, and graduation. This program is designed to help principal investigators (PIs) and project teams maintain momentum when experiencing temporary gaps or delays in federal grant funding.
Bridge funding ensures that initiatives critical to improving student outcomes, particularly those supporting underrepresented, first-generation, and economically disadvantaged students, can continue without interruption.
Timeline
Open for Submission | Deadline | Notification |
November 24, 2025 | January 5, 2026, at 12 p.m. | January 13, 2026 |
SUBMIT APPLICATION
Eligibility
- Tenured/Tenure-Eligible, Career Track, Research Track, or Continuing Status faculty.
- Full-time staff.
- Demonstrated track record of securing external or internal funding to support student success initiatives.
- Experiencing or anticipating a short-term funding gap due to delays in award decisions or transitions between funding cycles.
Funding
- Funding will be provided for up to one semester (maximum of six months).
- Awards will range from $10,000 to $50,000.
- A total of $200,000 is available for Spring 2026, made possible through the Provost’s Investment Fund.
- Funding must be spent by June 30, 2026.
Fund Usage
- Sustain student success, retention, and completion initiatives during temporary funding interruptions.
- Maintain program staff and student support positions critical to ongoing success programs.
- Prevent disruption of data collection, evaluation, or intervention activities that inform evidence-based practices for improving student outcomes.
Allowable Expenses
- Undergraduate and graduate student wages, stipends, or tuition support.
- Program coordinators, advisors, mentors, or other essential staff directly supporting student success initiatives.
- Research or program materials and supplies necessary to continue project activities.
- Data management or evaluation costs directly tied to student success and completion outcomes.
Additional Expenses that May Be Considered
- Travel required to sustain student engagement or partnership activities.
- Limited administrative support tied directly to the project’s continuation.
Application Materials
- Project Overview: Description of the project’s purpose and demonstrated impact on student success, retention, and graduation outcomes. (Maximum 3,000 characters with spaces for approximately 500 words).
- Strategic Imperative Alignment: Description of the project’s alignment with one or more of the university’s strategic imperatives. (Maximum 1,500 characters with spaces for approximately 250 words).
- Funding History: Summary of previous and pending funding sources. (Maximum 1,500 characters with spaces for approximately 250 words).
- Bridge Funding Need: Explanation of the temporary gap and timeline for resolution. (Maximum 1,500 characters with spaces for approximately 250 words).
- Budget and Justification: Provide a detailed budget, description, and justification of how bridge funds will be used. Submit this as an attachment in Excel sheet format.
- Department Head and Dean’s Endorsements: Provide letters of support as confirmation of department and college support and prioritization. Submit this as a single PDF attachment.