PURSUE YOUR PASSION
Exploratory mini-grants provide funding for students to follow their curiosity where it leads and take the sort of intellectual risks that lead to meaningful discovery and innovation.
Applications for Spring 2026 funding are due October 31, 2025.
It all starts with your curiosity.
Franke Honors students are curious by nature, and we know that, if nurtured, that curiosity can lead to incredible things: scientific breakthroughs, profound artworks, policy solutions, business ventures—the sky is the limit. Except it isn't, because we know some of you are following that curiosity right into outer space.
Any Franke Honors student can apply for an exploratory mini-grant, and these mini-grants can fund projects inside or outside of your primary major. Studying biochemistry but have an amazing idea for a children's book? Get a grant to offset the cost of writing, publishing, and promoting it. Working toward a degree in education and have a great idea for an app? An exploratory mini-grant can provide the resources you need to get your idea off the ground.
We are grateful to Dr. John L. Compton for establishing the Compton Fund for Exploration. His generosity provides the funding for these grants, but more importantly, allows students to realize their curiosity in new ways.
Grant Options
Individual mini-grant: up to $5,000 per project
Individuals can apply for project funding, with the option to apply for continued funding (up to the maximum) for the length of the project. Continued funding is contingent upon satisfactory progress and approval from the selection committee.
Team mini-grant: up to $10,000 per project
Teams of 2-5 Franke Honors students can apply for project funding, with the option to apply for continued funding (up to the maximum) for the length of the project. Continued funding is contingent upon satisfactory progress and approval from the selection committee. To apply, a single team lead will need to fill out the application and provide names and student id numbers for each student on the team.
How to Apply
The application for Spring 2026 funding is now open! Deadline to apply is October 31st, 2025.
Applicants will need to submit:
Statement of Proposed Research | 750 - 1,000 words
This statement should be written in clear, simple language that can be understood by a broad, multi-disciplinary committee. Members of the selection committee are likely not trained in your specialized field of study. If you are working on a project that is closely related to your research mentor's topic of study, you will need to distinguish your line of study from their work.
- Proposals should include:
- an issue or question to be investigated
- brief background or context surrounding the issue or question
- a description of how you will investigate your issue or question (methods, etc.)
- a plan and timeline for completing the proposed project
- an explanation of the project's significance
- a clarification of how your project is distinct from your mentor's ongoing work
Budget
- Submitted using this template
Faculty Support Letter | 250 word minimum
This letter from a faculty mentor should discuss the project's viability, importance, and a description of how the faculty member will support/mentor the student if funding is awarded. This will be submitted by the faculty member after the student submits their application.
Exploratory Mini-Grants Application Preview Exploratory Mini-Grants Application Evaluation Rubric
Application Cycles
There are two application cycles every year.
- Summer and Fall disbursement selection process takes place in the preceding spring semester, with applications typically due in mid to late March.
- Spring disbursement selection process takes place in the preceding fall semester, with applications typically due in mid to late October.
Students who have already received funding through an exploratory mini-grant will complete a separate renewal process to continue their project beyond one cycle, provided the project has not reached the funding cap of $5,000 for individuals or $10,000 for teams.
Selection Process (Applications submitted in Fall 2025, awards dispersed in Spring 2026)
Applications Due - October 31st, 2025
Review Period - November 10th - 21st, 2025
Selection Committee Meeting - December 11th, 2025
Decisions Announced - December 19th, 2025
*Funds Disbursed - January 2026
*Progress Report Due - April 27th, 2026
*Applies only to EMG awardees.
Application Support
Want to learn more about exploratory mini-grants and make sure your application is as strong as it can be? We offer multiple options.
You can view an information session presentation on Quest and Exploratory Mini-grants here, and check out the events calendar to find information sessions and application workshops hosted throughout the semester.
We will also host Open Office Hours where you can bring drafted application materials for feedback or ask any remaining questions you may have about EMGs. We will host sessions:
- Monday, September 15th, 2-3pm, Zoom
- Thursday, September 25th, 11am-12pm, Honors Village, Room 2110
- Wednesday, October 8th, 3-5pm, Honors Village, Room 2111
- Tuesday, October 14th, 1-3pm, Zoom
- Monday, October 27th, 10am-1pm, Honors Village, Room 1065
- Thursday, October 30th, 11am-2pm, Zoom
Finally, you may email/schedule an appointment with EMG staff members Tori Nardinelli or Gloria Cota Aguirre for individualized application support. Please note that the cut off to request individualized application support is one week prior to the application deadline.
In the meantime, stay in the loop by filling out our interest form.
Questions? Contact Tori Nardinelli, Assistant Director of Research, Creative Expression, and Professional Initiatives.
FAQs
Funds can be used for a variety of purposes. You can request funds to pay yourself a research
stipend, or funds can be used to pay for equipment, software, training, travel, conferences, etc.
Funds will be awarded directly to students based on their approved budget.
Please note that funds must be distributed directly to the student(s) who win the award. Funds
are disbursed as scholarships and cannot be distributed in any other manner. Travel and stipend
funds will go directly to the student who will use them. Funds cannot be distributed to a
department or lab, so please be aware that students will need to be able to purchase all
equipment/materials directly.
Proposals will be submitted and evaluated the semester preceding the funding disbursement. The proposal will include a budget for the project that identifies uses for the funds requested. If awarded, students will need to track funds spent and submit a progress report towards the end of the funded semester explaining how the funds were used. If a student spends less than their funded total per those progress reports, they will need to return the unspent funds if their project is ending that cycle. If their project continues to the next semester, the funding will rollover to the next cycle.
If it looks like you are going to run out of funds before you finish your project, please talk with Tori Nardinelli as soon as possible and we can explore options available to you.
If you are awarded a mini-grant, you are highly encouraged to enroll in coursework for the project. This will contribute to your honors unit requirement. We can enroll you in HNRS 392 (honors directed research units) or HNRS 399 (honors independent study) through the Franke Honors College, or there may be pathways to earn honors directed research or independent study through your home department where appropriate. Tori Nardinelli will help awardees explore appropriate enrollment options.
We appreciate your consideration of mentoring our incredible Franke Honors students! The hope behind these mini-grants is to increase access and reduce barriers to hands-on, experiential learning opportunities that allow students to explore their passions and interests. Every student will have different goals for these experiences, and we know that every mentor also has different expertise, mentoring talents, and time to offer. We encourage you to talk with students about these aspects and make sure there is a good fit between their ideas and what you can offer.
At minimum, a faculty mentor will need to assist students with the application process (including drafting a statement of proposed research and submitting a budget using a provided template). The faculty mentor will also be required to submit a letter of support detailing the importance of the student’s project, the viability of the proposal, and describing the specific support the faculty mentor will provide to the student to achieve the project’s goals. If awarded, the faculty mentor will be responsible for providing the support outlined in their letter of support, submitting grades if the student enrolls in units for the project, and assisting the student in their progress reports each semester (including submitting a faculty progress report). Beyond those requirements, the involvement of the mentor will be negotiated with the student directly and described in the application materials.
Awarded funds are distributed as scholarships, which means that being awarded an Exploratory Mini-Grant can impact some types of scholarships and grants, including need-based awards, and funds will first apply to any charges on a student's Bursar's account. Franke Honors does not have flexibility in how awards are distributed. However, if a student comes to you with questions or concerns about fund distribution, please reach out to Tori Nardinelli, Assistant Director of Research, Creative Expression, and Professional Initiatives.
Projects can span a single semester to multiple semesters. For projects expected to happen over the course multiple semesters, students will submit a budget for the total projected funding request for the experience and a request for the first semester of the project. Renewals will require a progress report at the end of each semester and an updated budget for the subsequent semester of work. These materials will be reviewed by Franke Honors College staff to determine if the next installment will be awarded.
Awarded funds are distributed as scholarships, which means that (1) being awarded an Exploratory Mini-Grant can impact some types of scholarships and grants, including need-based awards, and (2) funds will first apply to any charges on your Bursar's account. We do not have flexibility in how awards are distributed (e.g., we cannot transfer funds to a department or lab to make purchases). However, if you have questions or concerns, please reach out to Tori Nardinelli, Assistant Director of Research, Creative Expression, and Professional Initiatives.
Students must be active honors students in good standing (3.4 GPA or higher) to be eligible for
an Exploratory Mini-Grant. All members of a team must meet these eligibility requirements
individually.
The Exploratory Mini-Grant Progress Report must be completed by every awardee each semester they are using EMG funding. For students with funds for Summer/Fall 2025 projects, please keep these dates in mind:
- A mandatory documentation training will take place on September 18th, 2025 via Zoom. Program staff will email communication about this requirement ahead of the date. If you cannot attend the training, you will be responsible for setting a makeup appointment with program staff by the end of September 2025.
- Awardees will also need to attend a mandatory check in meeting with a draft of their Progress Report materials prior to the submission deadline. Program staff will hold appointments for these check ins November 10th - 21st, 2025. Program staff will email communication about this requirement ahead of the date.
- Final Progress Reports, including faculty approval, are due November 24th, 2025.
The faculty approval is sent after the awardee submits their documentation, so give yourself an even earlier deadline to ensure your faculty mentor has time to review and respond by the due date. You can view and download a preview document, with the link to the actual Qualtrics form submission when you’re ready, here.
You will need to submit a Progress Report Narrative and Updated Budget in this process, so please allocate time accordingly to submit these documents ahead of the deadline.
For projects seeking continued funding, you will need to submit the Progress Report as normal and select “Yes” when asked if you are requesting additional funds for the next cycle (up to a project maximum of $5k for individuals and $10k for teams). This will take you to an additional set of questions regarding project continuance. Continued funding is contingent upon approval of your updated budget and narrative by the selection committee. Decisions will be communicated by December 19th, 2025.
As a reminder, it is of utmost importance that you submit this progress report by the due date. The Franke Honors College has the responsibility to reverse awards if timely and satisfactory reports are not submitted documenting appropriate use of funds. It is okay if your project has needed to shift a bit from your original proposal, that happens frequently and is not cause for alarm in most cases if use of funds is adequately documented through receipts and the narrative submitted. However, if you anticipate shifts, it is highly recommended that you check in with Tori Nardinelli (outfleet@arizona.edu) as soon as you can to ensure we have a plan in place.
When your project is selected for an award, you, your teammate(s) (if applicable), and your faculty mentor will sign an agreement outlining all the stipulations for the award. Most importantly, you need to be aware of the following:
Funds can only be distributed as scholarships to the awarded student(s).
We cannot transfer funds to departments or a faculty member for any reason.
There are some potential impacts that receiving a scholarship can have on your financial aid package, particularly regarding need-based aid. You are highly encouraged to talk with Tori Nardinelli (outfleet@arizona.edu) and Angie Valdez (avaldez3@arizona.edu) during the application and award process if you have any questions or concerns about potential impacts.
Funds will be distributed through your Bursar’s Account, they will automatically apply to any charges (tuition, etc.) that are on your account when they are processed. This means you will need to monitor disbursement; we will share guides and tips with awardees to manage this process.
Funds will be sent to you according to your preferences in the system. The default is to mail a check to your mailing address, unless you have opted to receive a web refund. You can set up a web refund to go directly to the bank account of your choice by going to UAccess Student > Bursar Account > Enroll in Web Refund and providing your account and routing number.
Edits to your budget are negotiated with your faculty mentor. We cannot change award amounts within cycles, but you may find yourself needing to reallocate funds. We know that research is not a linear process and that unexpected changes come up. If this happens, don’t worry. You will want to work with your faculty mentor to find reasonable pivots and communicate changes to your plan with Tori Nardinelli (outfleet@arizona.edu) as needed. Unused funds will need to be returned to the Franke Honors College at the close of the project.
Keep track of all spending for your project. You will be asked to submit receipts, invoices, record of hours worked (in the case of stipends), etc. when you submit your Progress Report. Be sure to organize them from the start so you aren’t scrambling to find what you need at the end of the award cycle!