Grants and Scholarships

ALEX CHARTERS RESEARCH GRANT  WAYNE L. WHELAN SCHOLARSHIP 

GRADUATE STUDENT CONFERENCE GRANT   MEMORIAL STAFF DEVELOPMENT GRANT 

INSTITUTIONAL MINIGRANT  REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT GRANT

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Alex Charters Research Grant

Open to: ACHE members who have maintained a membership for at least one year immediately preceding application or doctoral students with sponsorship from an ACHE member institution
Focus: Research in adult and continuing higher education
Submission period: TBD

The purpose of the ACHE Alex Charters Research Grant is to promote the development and dissemination of new knowledge, theories, and practices in adult and continuing education. Up to two grants of $1500 each may be awarded.

ACHE members who have maintained membership for at least one year or doctoral students with sponsorship from an ACHE member institution are eligible to submit research grant proposals. Members of the Research Committee, national officers, and board members are not eligible. The Research Committee urges ACHE members to encourage doctoral students to apply for the grants.

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Submission:

Please submit an Alex Charters Research Grant Application, which will includes the following in a summary of not more than 1500 words:

Clear description of the problem

  • The problem should be stated clearly.
  • The problem should be significant enough to warrant research.

Level of applicability to the practice of adult and continuing education

  • The proposal should describe the relevance of the research project including how the literature review will critique pertinent studies.
  • The proposal should discuss the implications of the findings for the proposed research project. (Applicants are requested to submit the literature review, if completed already at the time of proposal submission.)

Theoretical or Conceptual Framework

The theoretical framework should link with the problem.
Concepts and the relationships between concepts should be defined.

Research Design

  • The proposal should provide a thorough description of the design and its relationship to the problem.

Contribution of Research

  • The proposal should discuss how the findings would relate to specific theories and concepts.
  • The proposal should address ways in which the proposed research will foster additional research activities.

Budget

  • The proposal should include a budget for the proposed research, including personnel and operating expenses that relate directly to the research activities.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Dianna Rust
Chair, Research Committee
Dianna.Rust@mtsu.edu

Award winners who submit proposals for consideration in a given year will be notified in August of that year of their award. Recipients are then asked to share their research with the ACHE membership in one of three ways:

  • by presenting at the Annual Conference & Meeting of the Association within 3 years of their award,
  • by submitting their research to the Journal for Continuing Higher Education,
  • or by writing about their research for the association's news, Five Minutes with ACHE.

Wayne L. Whelan Scholarship

The Association will award a scholarship to an ACHE member who has held membership in ACHE for at least one year immediately preceding application and who is engaged in graduate studies on either a full-time or part-time basis. One scholarship in the amount of $1000 may be awarded.

Open to: ACHE members who have maintained a membership for at least one year and are studying in the field of adult continuing higher education
Focus: Graduate study in adult and continuing higher education
Submission period: TBD

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Eligibility

Applicant must:

  • Be a full- or part-time graduate student currently enrolled or accepted for admission in an accredited graduate degree program;
  • Be interested in the field of adult continuing education as a profession;
  • Be an adult student 25 years of age or older;
  • Have maintained an ACHE membership for at least one year prior to application.

Requirements

Applicants must submit the following:

  • A personal statement and explanation from the applicant (500-1000 words) of his or her interest in the award, why he or she should be considered a candidate, and financial interests/needs for his or her degree program;
  • Three letters of support delineating the applicant's merits, course of study and how it relates to continuing higher education, and related explanations for the applicant's candidacy. Letters of support should include those from faculty and supervisors;
  • A completed scholarship application form; and
  • If the scholarship proceeds go toward research, the awardee shall make the results of that research available to the ACHE membership via Five Minutes with ACHE, the Journal of Continuing Higher Education, or a conference presentation within two years from the time of the award.

Graduate Student Conference Grant

Open to: ACHE members who have maintained a membership for at least one year immediately preceding application and are studying in the field of adult continuing higher education
Focus: Graduate study in adult and continuing higher education
Submission period: TBD

The purpose of the ACHE Graduate Student Conference Grant is to provide financial support to graduate students interested in attending the annual ACHE meeting. The Association members believe that their interest and future contributions to the field of continuing higher education will help maintain the vitality of the organization. The ACHE Graduate Student Conference Grant covers the awardee's conference registration fee, travel and lodging up to a maximum of $1500.

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With Roger Maclean as Local Arrangements Chair for ACHE’s 67th Annual Meeting and the support of Dean Howard Martin, Division of Continuing Studies, the University of Wisconsin-Madison donated their administrative fee back to ACHE. This fee was the initial funding for the ACHE Graduate Student Conference Grant. ACHE is very grateful to Roger Maclean and the University of Wisconsin-Madison for creating this opportunity.

Future funding for this Grant will be through cash donations, endowments, memorial gifts and planned giving. The ACHE Graduate Student Conference Grant funds are held in a separate account from the ACHE annual budget.

ACHE Graduate Student Conference Grant Award Eligibility and Requirements

The Association will provide an award of up to $1500 to an ACHE member who has maintained a membership for at least one year and is engaged in graduate studies on either a full-time or part-time basis. Funds will go toward attendance at the ACHE Annual Conference & Meeting.

Eligibility

Applicant must:

  • Be a full- or part-time graduate student currently enrolled in an accredited graduate degree program. The course of study must be applicable to the advancement of adult continuing education as a profession;
  • Be an adult student 25 years of age or older;
  • Have demonstrated commitment to the field through a minimum of 5 years experience in adult/continuing education;
  • Be an active ACHE member who has maintained a membership for at least one year;
  • Agree to share the results of graduate work with the membership of ACHE via Five Minutes with ACHE, the Journal of Continuing Higher Education, or a conference presentation within two years from the time of the award.

Requirements

Applicants must submit the following:

  • A personal statement and explanation from the applicant of his or her interest in the award, how the applicant meets the requirements for the award, and how the applicant feels attendance at the ACHE Annual Conference & Meeting will meet his or her professional goals (500 - 1,000 words);
  • A resume or vitae outlining his or her experience in continuing higher education;
  • A completed graduate student conference grant application form.

Memorial Staff Development Grant

Open to: ACHE members who have maintained a membership for at least one year immediately preceding application and are working in the field of adult continuing higher education
Submission period: TBD

In 2015, ACHE lost two champions of continuing higher education just prior to the Annual Conference and Meeting in St. Louis: Charlee Lanis of East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, and Don Devilbiss of Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania. But Charlee and Don were not just champions of the students they served. They were also champions of supporting their staff in obtaining key professional development needed to do the important work of serving adult and non-traditional students. In honor of the spirit and character of Charlee, Don, and other ACHE champions of CE who have passed away, the ACHE Board of Directors authorized establishment of the ACHE Memorial Staff Development Grant in order to assist with funding CE unit staff to participate in professional development activities.

Each year, ACHE will award one grant in an amount not to exceed $1500 for a CE staff member to attend an ACHE professional development event - to include the annual or a regional conference, leadership training, or other type of activity as seems appropriate to the needs of the selectee - in order to further their professional development growth and hone their skills.

More Information

Eligibility

Applicants must:

  • Be ACHE members who have maintained a membership for at least one year immediately preceding application
  • Be working in the field of adult continuing higher education


Requirements

Each applicant must submit the following:

  • A personal statement and explanation (maximum of 500 words) of interest in the grant and how they hope to grow professionally through the opportunity;
  • A letter of support from the person responsible for approving the applicant's attendance at the event, which should include a statement of what the approving official expects the applicant to gain through the experience;
  • A completed grant application form.

Institutional Minigrant

Open to: ACHE Institutional Members who have maintained a membership for at least one year and are applying the funds toward a program with focus on adult continuing higher education
Focus: Programs in adult continuing higher education
Submission period: rolling

As a professional organization, ACHE is dedicated to the promotion of lifelong learning and excellence in continuing education. It encourages professional networks, research, and exchange of information for its members. In the spirit of ACHE's mission and goals, the Board of Directors has established a grant program for member institutions.

A member institution can apply for an Institution Minigrant to support a special initiative, project, or research effort that would advance the deliver of continuing education. The maximum award amount for an Institutional Minigrant is $1500.

More Information

Applications:

Grants may be applied for anytime within the Association's fiscal year. Grant applications are to be sent to the ACHE Home Office via surface mail or email and and include any necessary attachments.

Mailing address:

ACHE
2900 Delk Rd.
Suite 700, PMB 321
Marietta, GA 30067

Email: admin@acheinc.org

Application letters/emails must include the following information:

  • Purpose of the grant
  • Activities supported by the grant
  • Persons responsible for distributing the funds and submitting the final report
  • Amount of monies requested up to $1500
  • Timeline for execution of the grant

Accountability:

A brief written report on the use of the grant must be submitted to the ACHE Home Office within one year of the distribution of funds. This report must include information on the distribution and use of funds and briefly describe all outcomes.

Regional Development Grant

Regional Development Grants were established by the Board of Directors to enhance ACHE regional activities, increase membership, and increase attendance at ACHE regional conferences.

A region can apply for a Regional Development Grant to enhance its activities, increase membership and increase attendance at the regional conference, or foster a closer relationship with the Association.

Applications:

Grants may be applied for anytime within the Association's fiscal year. Note that a region can apply for only one grant per year. Grant applications are to be sent to the ACHE Home Office via surface mail or email and and include any necessary attachments.

Mailing address:

ACHE
2900 Delk Rd.
Suite 700, PMB 321
Marietta, GA 30067
Email: admin@acheinc.org

Application letters/emails must include the following information:
  • Purpose of the grant
  • Activities supported by the grant
  • Persons responsible for distributing the funds and submitting the final report
  • Amount of monies requested up to $1500
  • Timeline for execution of the grant
Accountability:

A brief written report on the use of the grant must be submitted to the ACHE Home Office within one year of the distribution of funds. This report must include information on the distribution and use of funds and briefly describe all outcomes.

Other Considerations:

Regions are encouraged to work cooperatively. In lieu of separate Regional applications, collaborating Regions may submit a joint application for one grant per year.