Nord Grants

Nord Grants support UCITE’s goal of empowering people to learn through the development of innovative faculty teaching and research projects that directly benefit student learning. These innovative projects move learning beyond standard elements of course development or course revisions and they lead to substantial and sustainable change in teaching and learning. Proposals may be created by individual faculty members or in collaboration with others, including members of educational and cultural institutions external to CWRU.

The Nord Family Foundation is a successor to a charitable trust established in 1952 by the entrepreneur and industrialist Walter G. Nord. Mr. Nord and his family believed that it was both responsible and prudent for a business to invest in the community it served. Further, he valued innovative approaches to problem solving and application of interdisciplinary methods to move systems forward. Two of Walter's children, Evan and Eric Nord, were early donors to UCITE, and sponsored the Nord Grant program promoting faculty innovation in teaching.

Nord Grants may of particular interest to those who wish to:

• Explore innovative teaching and learning strategies or projects that go beyond standard elements of course development or curricular revision (e.g. curricular application of competency-based learning or expansion of active learning opportunities)
• Innovate instructional techniques through the application of teaching and learning technology (e.g. collaborative projects with ThinkBox or application of AI tools in learning)
• Develop Inter- and Trans-disciplinary collaborations to develop student learning opportunities beyond the classroom environment (e.g. experiential learning through community engagement)
• Apply inclusive engagement teaching frameworks to expand educational access (e.g., application of Universal Design for Learning framework)
• Evaluate the impact of innovative teaching strategies on student learning (e.g., assessment of learning in courses or curricula)

NEW: Two Funding Tiers

• Nord grants are available in two Tiers which are delineated by funding caps. Project support is commensurate with provided justification. Priority is given to applicants who have not previously been awarded a Nord Grant.
  • Funding Tier 1: Nord Grants up to $7,500. Awards may apply to innovative course development, revision, or similar projects to improve teaching and learning that go above and beyond standard elements of course development or course revisions. Tier 1 Nord Grant applicants are encouraged to meet with the UCITE Director to review draft proposals.
  • Funding Tier 2: Nord Grants up to $15,000. Tier 2 projects will have a more expansive impact than Tier 1 projects, and they will lead to publication or conference presentation of project results. Tier 2 Nord Grant applicants are required to meet with the UCITE Director to review draft proposals, prior to submitting a final proposal online.
• Awards are typically given twice yearly, with starting dates of February 1 (Winter awards) and August 1 (Summer awards).
• Winter awards are typically provided for 1.5 fiscal years (e.g., February 2026-June 2027)
• Summer awards are typically provided for 1 fiscal year (e.g., August 2026-June 2027)

Eligibility

Full-time CWRU teaching faculty are eligible to apply for a Nord Grant (including tenure-track faculty, clinical instructors, and lecturers with continuing instructional appointments). Visiting faculty, part-time faculty, post-docs and graduate students may collaborate as team members with a full-time faculty member for grant proposals (the team leader must be full-time faculty and they must submit the proposal).

Application Procedure

Nord Grant applications consist of three required components and optional support documents: 1) an online information form, 2) a project description form, 3) department chair or dean’s office endorsement form, and 4) appropriate letters of support. 

Tier 2 applicants must meet with the UCITE Director prior to submitting a final proposal.

Part 1: Faculty Information Form - online submission

Complete an online form that provides UCITE with necessary faculty contact and summative project information.

Part 2: Project Description Form - online submission

Submit a PDF copy of your completed Project Description Form through the UCITE website link for Nord Grant Applications no later than 11:59 pm on the deadline date. The information in your project description should be concise and clear. Keep in mind that an interdisciplinary panel of CWRU faculty colleagues will be reviewing these proposals. All of us have competing time obligations, so please ensure that your are addressing proposal prompts completely and succinctly.

Part 3: Department Chair Endorsement & Support Letters - email submission

• Submit a completed Department Chair/Dean endorsement form, indicating their initial review of your proposal and budget. The chair/dean may comment on your proposed project timeline, the possibility of departmental or outside financial support, and the overall practicality of the proposal. A signed form will indicate support for proposal, including the total funding amount.

• Additional Letters/Emails of Support are requested, as appropriate, from university resources centers. These email communications are necessary to acknowledge collaborative support of your proposal from other units within the university. For example, if you are planning a new interdisciplinary project, you will need to include a letter or email from the other department(s) involved, demonstrating support for your proposal. 

Nord Grant Project Description

Applicants prepare proposals using the UCITE Nord Grant Project Description Template. This template contains specific prompts and expandable fields for your proposal narrative. Take time to ensure that you address the prompts completely and clearly. While the only word limitations apply to the project abstract, please remember that interdisciplinary faculty colleagues will be reading your proposals. Concise and specific information is greatly appreciated by reviewers.

NEW Application Guidelines and Documents

• CWRU applicants may access the complete guidelines with this link.
• CWRU applicants may access the Nord Grant Project Description Template with this link.

Reporting 

Within two months after the award period ends, the grant recipient must file a report with UCITE (approximately 500 words) that contains project accomplishments, including impact on student learning. The report will be linked in UCITE’s annual impact report.

Presentation  

At the end of each academic year, Nord Grant recipients will give a short public presentation at the UCITE Teaching Forward: An InspirED Celebration event.
 

Publicity and Acknowledgements

• Any resulting publications and presentations must acknowledge the support of UCITE. For example, “The author of this publication/presentation received financial support from a CWRU UCITE Nord Grant for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.” Please submit electronic copies of any publications.
• Nord Grant recipients may be invited to record brief comments about their project for the UCITE website or other university publicity purposes.

Nord Grants Awarded

The following faculty were awarded grants to fund the listed proposals.