The Center for Life Beyond Reed

Evan Rose Fund

Managed by the Undergraduate Research Committee

Proposal Overview

The fund has a first preference for projects focusing on urban design and a second preference for projects focusing on related disciplines, such as architecture, the history of city planning and design, and urban planning. The fund will be awarded without disciplinary restrictions and appropriate uses of the Rose fund include but are not limited to stipends for summer research or internships, funds to attend or present at conferences, or funding for faculty-student collaborative proposals.  

Stipend: The Evan Rose Fund stipend for summer 2025 is $6,400. There is also up to $1,000 available for project supplies. 

Eligibility: all Reed students, including seniors in their final year who are graduating in May 2025, are eligible to apply. Students may apply to multiple opportunities, but a student cannot hold this fellowship at the same time as another summer award. If applying to participate in a specific program, applicants must be accepted to the program by the application deadline. 

Requirements: the successful student will produce a poster describing their experience for display at the summer fellowships poster session early in the fall semester and submit a 500 word narrative on your expereince, or, if that is not possible, submit a written report of no more than 1500 words. Fellows who use the stipend to support an internship will also be asked to evaluate the quality of the mentoring they received.

Application Process

Application: By 12:00 p.m. noon on March 5, 2025, all applicants should upload their application online by applying in Handshake. Bundle items 1–4 (in that order) into one PDF document before uploading. Applicants must address all aspects of the application. Sample proposals can be found on the URC home page.

1. A cover page with the title of the project, the name and email address of the applicant, the name and email address and phone number of the mentor/employer (include organization name if applicable), and the name and email address of the faculty member who has agreed to provide a confidential letter of support.

2. A 1–2 page (maximum) resume describing your relevant work, volunteer, and course experience.
   • The URC asks for resumes to help learn more about each applicant, and to encourage students to develop their application materials. The URC does not make evaluative decisions based on the content of the resume.
3. Project description (no more than 1,000 words) detailing the internship or research experience you plan to undertake. Describe how the opportunity will benefit your educational progress and/or how it relates to your career goals. What are the desired outcomes of the project? How is your project hands on? Mention any relevant work, volunteer experience, or coursework.
   • Note: The URC would like to be able to use successful proposals as examples for future applicants to use. Student names will be redacted from proposals before use. If you are comfortable with this possibility, then please include this statement at the bottom of your project proposal: I give permission to have my proposal used as an example to help future fellowship applicants.

4. When appropriate, a detailed budget for any expenses up to $1,000 (not including the stipend). A budget narrative should explain line items wherever needed. Non-consumable equipment or supplies should be returned to the college on completion of the project. On the budget page, please list any other funding sources to which you are applying, including any pay/financial support you will receive from a sponsoring organization. Use this budget form.

5. A letter of support from the sponsoring organization or faculty member indicating support for the project you describe. Distant sponsor letters must be received by the application deadline. This letter should be emailed directly to Meg Andrews, urc@reed.edu.

6. One confidential letter of support from a Reed faculty who can speak to your qualifications and interest in the project. In the case of a research project with a Reed faculty member, this letter can be provided by a faculty member who is sponsoring the project. The letter need not be long (one paragraph is enough), but should address the student’s readiness for the project and ability to complete the project successfully. This letter should be emailed directly to Meg Andrews, urc@reed.edu. Please make sure you contact your letter writer with adequate advance of the deadline.

Deadline: March 5, 2025 at 12:00 p.m. noon. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Apply in Handshake

IRB Approval

The Institutional Review Board must approve of any project involving the use of human subjects. An award will not be administered without this approval. If your project will require IRB approval, you MUST submit your application to the IRB before applying to this fellowship. 

Available Guidance

Review the best practices for applying to any URC grant. For questions about the application process, applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Meg Andrews (urc@reed.edu). Members of the Undergraduate Research Committee offer office hours to answer proposal development questions. The CLBR advising team can also help you with your application and offers drop-in advising as well as 1:1 appointments. Please see the CLBR website for drop-in hours and for how to make an appointment. We encourage you to take advantage of this.

Inclusivity

The Undergraduate Research Committee seeks to offer students opportunities to support their studies and interests in the form of grants and awards. The URC views the opportunity to apply for grants and awards as a pedagogical one in which students have the chance to learn about how the application process works. The URC grants and awards are open to all students regardless of discipline. The URC is aware of systemic bias in the application process, and seeks in particular to support students from historically underrepresented communities in academia, and we take into consideration bias, oppression, and opportunity as we evaluate applications.

Travel

Reed College prohibits College-funded international travel to countries that are classified with a State Department travel advisory risk of Level 4.