Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Seed Grants

Step 1: Write a narrative that describes the Seed Project and create a budget.

Step 2: Submit a proposal by September 30, 2025, via the online proposal system using your NetID and password. Once logged into the system, click on “Submit a Proposal” in the menu bar and then select “Reilly-Baldwin Seed Grant Proposal, 2025-26.”

Proposals must include a brief project title, proposal abstract and required proposal information.

All materials must be submitted online.

Step 3: Submitted proposals will be routed to your department chair or unit director for approval via the online proposal system. The deadline for approval by the department chair/unit director is October 7, 2025. If an applicant’s unit is not departmentalized (e.g., Law, Nursing, Pharmacy), the proposal will be submitted directly to the dean’s office. The deadline for dean’s office approval is October 14, 2025.

Step 4: Once approved by the department chair or unit director (if applicable), proposals will be routed via the online proposal system to the designated dean for approval. The deadline for approval at the dean level is October 14, 2025.

Applicants should check the approval status of their proposals in the online system. Applicants are responsible for securing approval of their proposals by their department chairs/unit directors and deans.

Step 5: Applicants will receive notification of their proposal status. Target notification date is mid-December 2025. In some circumstances, a Seed grant applicant may be asked to submit additional information before a final selection is made.

For questions regarding the submission process, contact reilly-baldwin@provost.wisc.edu.

Proposal Criteria

Your proposal must demonstrate or include the following:

• Specific goals, methods and objectives of the Seed project.
• Demonstrate that an external partner is poised to collaborate. If applicable, describe the external partner’s role in co-creating the project plan.
• Reference evidence that links Seed activities to the expected outcomes.
• Describe intended outcome and impact, including how this impact will be measured and communicated.

IRB Approval

The application system will ask you to identify if your project requires IRB approval or an IRB exemption from the Institutional Review Boards (IRB) Office. If selected for a grant, projects that require IRB approval or an IRB exemption will need to provide a copy of the IRB Notice of Approval or IRB Exemption to Reilly-Baldwin Administrators before funding can be released.

To learn more about IRB approval or IRB exemption, see the IRB Guidance on Defining Human Participant Research and When IRB Review May Not Be Required. For questions about whether your project requires IRB oversight, contact the IRB.

Length

The combined content for a Seed proposal should be 2-3 letter-sized PDF pages.

Formatting

Page size:  8.5 x 11

Margins: 1″ margins at the top, bottom, and both sides. Page numbers and an identifier may be within the 1″ margin.

Font: 11 point or larger.

Required Seed Proposal Sections

The narrative portion of your proposal must be structured using the following headings:

1. Program Plan and Objectives
2. Primary stakeholders of the project (those served or impacted through the implementation of the project)
3. Partner(s)
4. Anticipated Outcomes
5. Time Frame and Location
6. Personnel
7. Budget

Program Plan and Objectives

• Describe the problem or opportunity to be addressed.
• Describe your goals and objectives and explain the methods, techniques and formats.
• Explain how this project is transferring knowledge and expertise from your unit (and potentially vice versa).
• Include a statement of how this project is a new initiative or is a new dimension to an existing activity.

Primary stakeholders of the project

Describe the stakeholder(s) and how they will be served or impacted by the project. Include how their specific needs have been identified.

Partner(s)

• Identify partnering organizations and co-sponsors.
• Explain how partners will be involved in the project and how they are being included at various stages of project development and implementation.
• List any on-campus department/unit/partnership involvement.

Anticipated outcomes

Describe anticipated outcomes and how the impact will be documented.

Time frame and location

• Describe the project time frame.
• Indicate where the activity(s)/program(s) will take place.

Personnel

• List the name, title, affiliation and a one-sentence description of the role of key personnel.
• Include faculty, staff, RA/PA, or student hourly support, as needed.

Budget Narrative

The review committee needs to understand the ‘why’ and the ‘what’ of your itemized budget. Use this section to:

• Explain necessary costs
• Indicate the most mission-critical items of the budget
• Include in-kind support and/or financial support to be provided by partners or co-sponsors, if applicable

Budget

Applicants can provide the budget details in the narrative as a table within the 2-3 page PDF document. Some applicants prefer to use the Reilly-Baldwin Project Grant Budget Sheet (download here). Applicants who use the separate Project Grant Budget Sheet will upload it as a separate PDF document within the online application system.