Here are some frequently-asked questions about the grant process. Have a question not listed here? Contact us.
Grants FAQ
Who is eligible to apply for a J-WEL’s Education Innovation grant?
Faculty members and Principal Investigators are eligible to apply for J-WEL grants. Others may apply on behalf of a team that includes a Faculty or PI (such applications require a statement from the collaborating Faculty or PI).
Whether they are applicant or team member, the identified lead Faculty or PI should participatesignificantly throughout the project and oversee the work. Grant activities, including design, development, testing, and documentation may also involve students, postdocs, and others.
Employees of MIT Open Learning whose work falls entirely within Open Learning are not eligible forJ-WEL grants. OL staff who are collaborating with researchers or faculty elsewhere at MIT are encouraged to apply through the collaboration anchored elsewhere at MIT.
All applications require an expression of support from the relevant department chair, due by the application deadline.
When does the application portal open? When is the deadline to submit a proposal?
The application portal will open in February. The J-WEL Grants Advisory Committee will review and select proposals after the March submission deadline. The Committee is anchored by senior MIT faculty along with MIT research and project collaborators. Grants will be selected for funding based on specified criteria and available funding.
J-WEL will announce this year’s grants by the end of April. Funds will be made available by the end of June.
Can I review the application questions prior to entering the application portal?
A PDF of all application questions can be viewed here.
Is there a maximum amount of funding a project can request?
Proposals may request up to $80,000.
Where can I access the budget template before entering the application portal?
The budget template can be viewed here.
Is it essential that there be an application to MIT students, or could a proposal address educational issues specific to some non-MIT needs?
J-WEL welcomes proposals that address learners throughout the life cycle of learning: pK-12, higher education, and workplace learning. Successful proposals in the past have addressed education innovation on MIT campus, in Boston and Cambridge pk-12 schools, and displaced learners around the world.
Does the J-WEL budget accept MIT standard’s F&A rate?
J-WEL Education Innovation grants do not require MIT F&A.
If a grant is coming from two departments, who should write the letter of support?
A letter from either department is acceptable.
Who will administer the grant account after the funds are transferred?
Funds will be transferred to the MIT PI participating in the collaboration who will disburse them according to the budget. The MIT PI's department will be responsible for any reimbursements or other financial processes.
Can the project budget be modified after the grant is awarded?
Minor modifications to the project budget are allowed. The PI or Project Lead should contact j-wel-grants@mit.edu to make any changes.
If a professor has a current award with J-WEL, are the team members of that project eligible to apply for respective grants for different projects in an upcoming cycle?
If a professor has an on-going project, it is recommended that the professor request a no-cost extension (NCE) for the existing grant prior to submitting a new proposal. The NCE request should describe what remains to be done on the current project and a timeline for those activities. Additionally, that information along with how both projects will be managed simultaneously should be attached as a memo to the new project proposal.
Can a previous grantee reply for a second grant on a different topic?
Yes; faculty are welcome to apply multiple times to the Education Innovation grant program.
Are there other requirements of grantees?
Brief quarterly reports are required for all grantees.
We expect you to join scheduled meetings with our team and other grantees at two to four events over the year. In particular, we want to ensure that J-WEL members and project partners learn from your work and anticipate several opportunities for you to interact with our global collaborators.
We require grantees to release specific content, which we invite you to define, under a CreativeCommons Attribution 4.0 International License.
If you are seeking funding to extend or develop an ongoing or prior effort supported by MIT or through funding obtained by anyone at MIT, disclose existing funding sources and define the incremental effort and additional deliverables that a J-WEL grant would enable.
Should any revenue accrue from the work undertaken through the grant, it must be shared with J-WEL through an agreed-upon arrangement.
Our team is presenting on our J-WEL funded project; how should we acknowledge J-WEL’s contribution?
Grantees must acknowledge funding from MIT Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab in all presentations and publications and products/services related to this project. When appropriate, include links to J-WEL’s website. If you wish to use the J-WEL logo in publications or resources, please obtain written approval from J-WE.
After the completion of a project, what are the next steps?
At the project’s end, plan to submit a summary report that describes the work completed, surprises encountered, and the specific outcomes from the grant, including results with respect to defined project metrics and all work products, including reports, papers, tools, documents, and materials we can share, within two months of the project end date.
Additionally, we encourage past grantees to continue participating in on-campus and virtual J-WEL events.
