Evaluation Criteria

The criteria below are used by the Grant Review Committee to assess the quality of the proposed project. Each item is evaluated on a scale of 1 to 3 (1 is lowest and 3 is highest) with a space for additional comments.

A group of people seated at round tables in a large, ornate room with chandeliers and patterned carpet.

Core Evaluation Criteria

  • The project translates or develops the student’s scholarly and/or pedagogical work by bringing it to a public audience and/or community context.
  • The project demonstrates collaborative practice and an equitable distribution of labor. Good collaborative practice includes:
    • Outlining clear lines of communication
    • Suitable distribution of responsibility
    • Articulating mutual benefit(s) to all parties in the collaboration
  • Quality and salience of the project’s benefits to the student(s) beyond advancing their dissertation research.
  • Quality and salience of the project’s benefits to the community partner(s), including the extent to which the project addresses a community-identified need.
  • Will the project result in the creation of a new public cultural good or service?
  • Is the budget feasible and reasonable?

Will the project result in the creation of a new public cultural good or service?

Public good is evaluated according to:

  • Plan for sustainability beyond the life of the grant
  • Plan for engaging the widest possible public (for example, how you will advertise, engage stakeholders and disseminate impact)
  • Reflection on potential contributions to public/community policy or influence upon professional practice
  • Models that enrich the artistic and cultural life of the community
  • Clear evaluation plan with commitments from partners and/or peers to assess the significance of the public good generated by the project?

Is the budget feasible and reasonable?

Allowable for expenses are as follows:

  • Student stipends can be requested up to $20 per hour
  • Community partner honorariums for organizational costs associated with the project
  • Transportation, research material, supplies, documentation, publication, production of public good(s) such as performances or exhibitions, etcetera.

Contact Us

Students with questions about the eligibility or alignment of their idea or project with Rackham’s Public Scholarship Grants program are encouraged to reach out to connect before starting the application process.

Hours: Our office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The office is closed Saturdays and Sundays and on university holidays.

  • Location
    1530 Rackham Building
    915 E. Washington St.
    Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1070

  • Contact
    Email: [email protected]