The Ferris Foundation will be awarding annual grants pending a review process soon to begin.
The 2016 Ferris Foundation Exceptional Merit Grant is created to benefit scholarly endeavors such as pilot programs, equipment purchase, expert participation and special projects or research where students are greatly involved.
The deadline for grant proposals will end Feb. 26, with the review process to begin March 27.
Half of all the money raised from the Annual Ferris Foundation for Excellence Benefit will be awarded to successful applicants pursuing scholarly projects or programs, with the other 50 percent awarded to student scholarships through its endowment fund.
Successful applicants will receive a grant of as much as $7,500, though the option for multiple awarding exists where funds are available and candidates viable.
The Ferris Foundation Exceptional Merit Grant awards started in 2001, receiving an average of 30 proposals a year in its earlier inception.
Eleven grant proposals were applied for this year.
“The best thing to avoid, if you are an applicant, is to be unprepared,” said Kimberley Erickson, administrative assistant of the Ferris Foundation. “Have a well thought out project that meets the requirements stated in the guidelines for the Merit Grant process.”
One of the many significant programs having benefitted in the past from this grant opportunity is the 3D printing lab, or maker space, located in the Swan building. Three of the four 3D printers in the lab were purchased with the awarded $7,500, averaging $2,500 apiece.
This year’s grant proposal pool is a diverse one, representing many programs from many participating university colleges, including Kendall College of Art and Design.
Along with merit grants, the Ferris Foundation also awards gifted students with special or exceptional qualities and circumstances through its endowment fund.
Scholarships are awarded to full-time undergraduate Ferris students who can demonstrate multiple situations in which they have overcome obstacles related (but not limited) to social, economic, diversity or gender status.
Award presentations will be held April 18.