The Sponsored Programs Foundation, the HSU Foundation, and University Advancement are launching an exciting new pilot program to support and cultivate research & creative activities at Cal Poly Humboldt!

The intent of this program is to gain Principal Investigators additional time to source matching funds and encourage greater leveraging of grants and donations.

“Cash Match” is a major challenge and a deterrent for many interested in pursuing external funding. Matching funds must be committed and documented at the time of proposal submission, which can limit the time available to search for those funds.

Principal Investigators will now be able to leverage $10,000 in ‘placeholder cash matching funds’ for external grant proposals, expanding opportunities for new project submissions, and ultimately increasing the number of Principal Investigators.

This new fund will be used to document a temporary source of funds at the time of submission. Then, once fully routed, the Sponsored Programs Foundation & Principal Investigator will work with the University’s Advancement Initiatives team to actively seek alternative funding from off-campus sources.

Parameters:

• Principal Investigators are eligible to receive funding from this account once per calendar year. In the case where a proposal was submitted to a funding agency and not awarded within the calendar year, the PI may request funding for another external submission.

• Proposals can request up to $10K per submission on grants up to $250K; higher matching amounts for larger grants would need to be discussed with the SPF Executive Director on an ad hoc basis.

• Cash Match provided could be used to support allowable project costs with the exception of overload wages or reimbursed faculty effort.

• $200,000 total is available to leverage. To ensure continued availability of funds throughout the calendar year, half will be made available each semester ($100K January-June, $100K July-December).

The Strategic Matching Fund is a pilot program and will be assessed annually. This initial year will help us explore how best to design and administer this new program, as well as modify as needed. 

If you are interested in participating in this program or have any questions, please contact one of our Pre-Award Specialists.