IWCA Research Grant

Award Description: 

The International Writing Centers Association (IWCA) offers its Research Grant to encourage scholars to apply and advance existing theories and methods or create new knowledge. This grant supports quantitative, qualitative, theoretical, and applied projects associated with writing center research and application.

While travel funding is not the primary purpose of this grant, we have supported travel as part of specific research activities (e.g. traveling to specific sites, libraries or archives to conduct research). This fund is not intended to support conference travel only; instead the travel must be part of a larger research program stipulated in the grant request. (Travel Grants are available for the IWCA Annual Conference and the Summer Institute.)

Award Amount: 

Applicants may apply for up to $1000. NOTE: IWCA reserves the right to modify the amount.

Application Deadline:

Proposal deadlines for the Winter cycle are usually late January/early February and late June/early July for the Summer cycle.

Eligibility:

Applicants should be IWCA members in good standing. While a graduate student can be part of a team who applies for a Research Grant, individual graduate students and teams of graduate students are not eligible for this award. They should seek support through the Ben Rafoth Graduate Research Grant or the IWCA Dissertation Grant.)

Expectations of Awardees: 

Those receiving grants then agree that they will do the following:

• Acknowledge IWCA support in any presentation or publication of the resulting research findings

• Forward copies of resulting publications or presentations to iwcaofficer@gmail.com.

• File a progress report to the IWCA. This report is due within twelve months of receipt of grant monies. Upon completion of the project, submit a final project report to the IWCA Board, in care of the chair of the Research Grants committee. It should be sent to iwcaofficer@gmail.com

• Strongly consider submitting a manuscript based on the supported research to an IWCA publication: The Writing Center Journal or The Peer Review. Be willing to work with the editor(s) and reviewer(s) to revise the manuscript for possible publication

How to Apply:

All applications must be made through the IWCA Research Grant online application. Submissions should be completed by the posted deadline, which depends on the grant cycle. For further information or questions, contact the Grants Committee at iwcaofficer@gmail.com.

Grant Committee Process:

After each deadline, the chair of the Research Grants Committee will forward copies of the complete packet to the committee members for consideration, discussion, and vote. Applicants can expect notification 4-6 weeks from receipt of application materials.

Recent Recipients

2024: Joshua Barsczewski, “Academic Normativity and Tutor Training”

Rebecca Hallman Martini, “Student Perspectives on Race, Access, and Advocacy”

Janine Morris, “Disciplinary Identity, Writing Centers, and Graduate Writing Tutors Across the Discipline”

Jasmine Kar Tang, “The Asian Tutors Project: The Experiences of Asian and Asian American Consultants at College Writing Centers in the U.S. Nation-State”

2023: Leigh Ryan, Kathy Cain and Pam Childers,”Centered Hearts, Centered Minds: The Former Writing Center Directors Research Project.”

Elizabeth Miller, “A Mixed-Methods Study on the Effectiveness of a Typology as a Method for Organizing Peer-Led Graduate Writing Groups”

Joseph Cheatle, “Organization Theory and Writing Centers”

2022: Corina Kaul with Nick Werse. “Writing Self-Efficacy and Writing Center Engagement: A Mixed Methods Study of Online Doctoral Students Through the Dissertation Writing Process”

 All Grant & Award Recipients