Corcoran Center Project Grants

The Corcoran Center Project Grants are designed to help students turn their curiosity and innovative ideas about the built environment into real-world projects. We welcome proposals from undergraduate students across BC interested in any form of research. Research includes scholarly or creative activities that lead to new knowledge, address society’s ability to solve practical problems, provide critical interpretation, or produce public communication or a creative product related to the Center’s themes.

Students may apply for grants ranging from $200 to $1500 to support their project, to be used in the semester following the application semester (awards from Spring applications can be used in the Summer or Fall semester).

Students in any year and any major at BC are eligible, although Junior and Senior students are particularly encouraged to apply. Students must be full-time undergraduate students in good standing enrolled during the academic year in which they are requesting funds. Projects that will be completed in pairs or groups will be considered; however, one student should submit that application and the contributions of both/all students should be detailed in the application.

Students are encouraged to use this funding to enable a more ambitious thesis or Scholar of the College project, develop a new independent project, or substantially enhance the reach and scope of a previous project. Students cannot apply funding toward already completed projects, but they may propose to expand the scope and reach of a previous project, such as a class assignment. Students should work with their advisor or other faculty mentor who will oversee the work, but the grant is not intended for students assisting in faculty-led research.

Here are some examples of ways you might use the grant:

• Cover fees to access a dataset or specialized software.
• Pay for bus, train, or rideshare expenses to conduct fieldwork.
• Purchase equipment or materials to construct an art installation or produce a video or podcast.
• Get training in skills needed to perform a specialized analysis or produce a professional-quality creative work.
• Cover costs related to distributing a survey or running a focus group.

Allowable uses of funding include travel expenses, other itemized expenses incurred during research, equipment and materials, specialized training, or access to datasets. Funds may not be used for general living expenses (as in a per diem allowance), salary/wages, courses for credit, conference fees, or books and other materials that could be obtained from libraries or other lending programs (unless the student plans to donate such materials after project completion). Payment of tuition for coursework or training without a tangible outcome is not a suitable use of funding.

Students can apply in the Spring or Fall for funding to be used in the following semester. The application deadline for funding in Fall 2026 is Friday, May 1, 2026.

Application Instructions: Submit a project proposal to corcoran.center@bc.edu as a single PDF document. It should be written for a general audience without jargon. The total length of the proposal should be about 2-3 single-spaced pages or 1000-1500 words. It should include the following elements:

• A heading with your project title, your name, the project dates, and amount of funding requested.
• A brief (150-200-word) abstract summarizing the proposal.
• An introduction describing the objectives and contribution of the project, and how it aligns with the thematic goals of the Corcoran Center.
• The project plan and methodology, explaining the specific work that will be undertaken and the justification for doing so. This section should be longer and more detailed than other sections. Scholarly research proposals should describe the disciplinary methods to be used, and creative proposals should describe the processes and techniques. If a project will involve group work, the contributions of each individual student should be detailed. Students proposing research with human subjects should document interaction with BC’s IRB office (see note below).
• What the tangible outcome of the project will be (ie, a thesis, paper, or creative product such as a video, photo essay, sculpture, or design output) and how it will be shared.
•  A brief statement of your relevant background and how this project advances your goals. If more than one student is involved, include a statement for each group member.
• A budget summary that describes the project's total estimated budget and how funds will be used. Be specific in estimating expenses and include an itemized list of anticipated expenditures. If you will be using additional funding sources, specify how each source of funding will be allocated toward the project total.
  
  

Applicants must also solicit a letter of support from a BC faculty member. The letter should address the overall value and research contribution of the project to the student’s discipline, as well as the project’s feasibility and the student's ability to complete the proposed work. The letter of support is due at the application deadline and should be emailed to: corcoran.center@bc.edu. 

Note about human subject research: Students whose research involves interactions or interventions with people, such as collecting interview or survey data, must have their proposal reviewed by the BC Office of Research Protections before starting their project, as it may require obtaining approval or exemption from the BC Institutional Review Board (IRB). Applicants proposing this type of work should contact the IRB office at irb@bc.edu for guidance before submitting their application, and then document the interaction in the application when describing the methodology. Students must adhere to human subject guidelines in their projects.

For further questions, contact Jennifer Kelley at kelleyjv@bc.edu.

At the project’s end, recipients will be asked to provide a brief summary report of the work they have completed and a photograph for use in the Center’s website and promotional materials. An outline of the expected summary report will be provided to successful applicants upon receipt of the grant. Grant recipients are asked to credit the Corcoran Center in any presentation or publication resulting from the project. Beyond these requirements, students who receive Corcoran grants are invited to participate in the Center’s programming and events, and they are encouraged to present the results of their project at the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium.