Annual call for pre-proposals for the Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment

The Office of the Provost is soliciting proposals from faculty, staff and students for the 2020-21 Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment grant competition.

Proposals are encouraged for new outreach and public engagement activities that partner with community and off-campus organizations to extend and apply our research, education and clinical knowledge to help solve problems or take advantage of opportunities. New criteria for the 2020-21 cycle: Project leaders must demonstrate how the proposed project can make progress under current COVID-19 health and safety restrictions.  If more direct interpersonal contact is required, we encourage proposers to wait until the 2021-22 cycle.

Awarded projects may begin using the Reilly Baldwin funds on or after July 1, 2021, and projects may extend for up to three years. The committee will again consider funding approximately ten Seed projects of $4,000 or less, in addition to larger awards of up to $120,000. The amount granted each year is determined by the annual income from the Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment. This year we anticipate we will make awards totaling up to $800,000.

Please see provost.wisc.edu/baldwin-wisconsin-idea-endowment for detailed pre-proposal guidelines and instructions for budget preparation. Several online information sessions will be held in October.  Please check the Reilly Baldwin website for more information. Also available on the website are lists of previously funded projects.

Pre-proposals and Seed project proposals are due via the Baldwin website to department chairs by Nov. 9, 2020. Department chairs should review and advance approved proposals via the web to the office of their dean or director by Nov. 20. Deans’ offices should review and advance approved proposals to the Provost’s Office by Dec. 4.

Toward the end of January 2021, the Office of the Provost will announce Seed project award recipients, as well as which pre-proposals have been selected for advancement to the final proposal stage. We anticipate announcing the final selection of full proposals in mid-May, 2021.