Center for Professionalism Mini Grants

Have an idea for a scholarly activity related to professionalism? The Center for Professionalism is happy to announce the availability of a small number of grants for $300 to $1,000 available for any member of the Baylor College of Medicine community to fund projects to promote respect, integrity, innovation, teamwork and excellence.

Your project should support the mission of the College and have a direct impact on students. This is a key, if not the primary component, of a successful and funded mini-grant.

A partial list of potential projects includes topics such as measuring professionalism, teaching professionalism, embracing professionalism, or professionalism issues within any cohort throughout the College. All innovative ideas on related topics will be considered.

Successful applicants will become a part of a community of practice dedicated to professionalism at Baylor. Additionally, applicants agree to present a poster on your work at the Baylor Annual Showcase of Educational Scholarship which usually occurs in September, as well as acknowledge the support of the Center during your podium presentation or on your poster.  

To apply for a grant:

• Download and fill out the grant application (Baylor login required)
• Send completed applications as an email attachment to the center: professionalismmatters@bcm.edu.

Grants will be evaluated by a peer review panel, and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until the funds have been fully allocated. The maximum award request is $1,000.

Please call the center for additional information or help completing the application.

Grants will be evaluated by a peer review panel, and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until the funds have been fully allocated.

The review panel will evaluate your application with the following criteria in mind:

• Is the proposal clear and understandable?
• Does the request represent a clear institutional priority?
• Is the plan of work clear?
• Have the responsibilities of any consultants and the organization been clearly defined?
• Is the consultant appropriately qualified for the described work?
• Can the work be accomplished within the proposed time frame?
• Are the costs reasonable?

The selection committee's goal is to fund as many requests as possible. Submitting a thorough and thoughtful proposal will help make it easier for the committee to vet and award grants.

Use the application as a vehicle for your passion about your project. Attach supporting documentation if it is needed to convey your idea.

We will give special consideration to projects that aim to do one or both of the following:

• Link humanistic care and education practices with impact on the outcomes of patient experience, quality of care, cost of care and topics related to burnout and wellness for providers or trainees
• Review and synthesize studies that focus on implementation, translating research into practice

We want to make it as easy as possible for your organization to access available grant funds by submitting a thorough, effective and successful grant application. See a list of tips and general instructions below to help guide you through the process.

What should I do if I don’t know how to answer a question on the application?
Don't leave items blank. If you are unsure of the answer, or if the question applies to your organization give us a call (713) 798-4553 or email ProfessionalismMatters@bcm.edu with questions.

What kind of details do I need to include in my budget?
Provide us with a budget breakdown and tell us how you came up with the figures for your budget.

Example:
Travel - $224 (400 miles @ .56/mile)
Consultant Fees - $1500 (3 days at $500/day)

Mileage information may be calculated on websites such as http://maps.google.com. If applicable, you may also want to include a copy of the workshop/conference brochure, hotel reservation confirmation form, registration form, train or plane fares, consultant contract or letter of intent, etc., to help explain costs.

Round numbers to the nearest whole dollar. Please round up to the nearest whole dollar. Note that we cannot grant you more than you have asked for.

What if my budget exceeds the grant maximum of $1,000?
We understand that the project budget sometimes exceed our grant limits. If your total budget exceeds the grant limit of $1,000 please tell us: What, out of the larger budget, the grant will be used for? How do you plan to support the balance of the costs?

What costs are allowable?
Funds from mini-grants may not be used to pay for personal expenses or out-of-state travel. Application tip: Plan any public speakers or speaker series utilizing local experts whenever possible, and approach speakers with a request to donate their services.

If incentives for participation in the project will be given, please be aware that as is Baylor policy, due to tax implications, if gift cards are being considered, the recipient will be taxed. May we suggest that a better incentive would be a tangible item (such as cookies, candy, etc…) that would not be taxable.

I’ve finished my application, what should I do next?
Review your application - again. Reread your application to confirm that it adheres to the grant’s criteria. Ask a colleague to review your application. A second set of eyes may pick up on unseen typos or raise points for further clarification. Then submit the completed form to ProfessionalismMatters@bcm.edu.