91��ɫ

Research Grants (up to $8,000 each) are available to students, faculty members, and staff affiliated with 91��ɫ or other institutions, and non-affiliated scholars to help defray the costs of research projects. The application deadline is November 25, 2025. Applications are evaluated by a multi-disciplinary Awards Panel according to their relevance to the Smallwood Foundation mandate and the merits of the proposals and the applicants. The Awards Panel recommends which applicants to fund and in what amounts. The recommendations are made to the Executive Committee which makes the final decisions. Once awarded, research grants are normally tenable for one year.

Note: Priority will be given to new applicants or former applicants with new projects. Those applying to extend a previously funded project should provide an update on progress since the last application and clarify what new work is proposed under the current application. The same applicant will not normally be funded more than two times over a three-year period.

The Foundation recognizes that some projects have multiple funding sources. However, in the application budgets, researchers should only list items that they are requesting be funded by the requested Smallwood Foundation grant. Elements of the project already funded by other sources, or which might be part of a future funding request, should not be listed.

*NEW*

Separate application instructions are provided for the following three categories of applicants. Applicants should ensure that they download and follow the set of instructions that fits the category relevant to their role.

• 91��ɫ Graduate Students
• 91��ɫ Faculty, Postdoctoral Fellows, and Staff
• Applicants external to 91��ɫ (those affiliated with other institutions or unaffiliated scholars)

 Information for Applicants

1. Submission Processes 

The Foundation's application deadline is November 25, 2025. For the Research Grant, all applicants who are members of 91��ɫ (faculty, students, staff) must submit their applications through the by the internal deadline specified by their Faculty or School, in advance of the Foundation�s deadline. 91��ɫ will submit these applications on applicants� behalf to the Foundation following departmental and faculty review and approval. 91��ɫ applicants should check with their Grant Facilitators or unit approvers about internal deadlines.  

External applicants must submit completed applications directly to iser@mun.ca by November 25, 2025.

To apply for a research grant:

• Complete a Smallwood Foundation Research Grant Application in accordance with the set of instructions that matches your role. Links to new application instructions can be found here: 
• Smallwood Research Grant Instructions - Grad Student
• Smallwood Research Grant Instructions - Faculty
• Smallwood Research Grant Instructions - External

• Fill in the Applicant section on the Smallwood Research Grant Letter of Appraisal form and then email it to the referee so they can fill in their section. These letters are sent directly by referees to iser@mun.ca for both internal and external applicants. Note: letters of appraisal are not required for tenure-stream and tenured faculty at 91��ɫ. Link to the Smallwood Research Grant Letter of Appraisal form can be found here: Smallwood Letter of Appraisal - Research Grant
• Internal applicants should upload their completed applications to the 91��ɫ Researcher Portal. External applicants should email their applications to iser@mun.ca.

2. University/Foundation Policies and Procedures

Applicants from 91��ɫ must follow all relevant university rates, policies and procedures associated with their applications including ethics and other required clearances and licenses. Both internal and external researchers must follow 91��ɫ�s Policy on Research Impacting Indigenous Groups (RIIG).

a. 91��ɫ�s Policy on Research Impacting Indigenous Groups (RIIG)
This policy came into effect in 2020 and applies to all research grant applications. All applicants must follow this policy (if applicable to the project) to be considered for funding by the J R Smallwood Foundation. For more information, please review the material at the Policy web page and ask for assistance from the Indigenous Research Office (indigenousresearch@mun.ca) if you require more information: /research/Indigenous/consent.php.

Note: For internal applicants, compliance with RIIG will be checked as part of the submission to the 91��ɫ Researcher Portal. For external applicants, please email a copy of the Agreement in Principle with your application to iser@mun.ca.

b. Ethics

91��ɫ is committed to ensuring that research is conducted following the highest standards of ethical conduct and scholarly integrity. All Smallwood/ISER funded research involving human subjects must conform to 91��ɫ�s policy, Ethics of Research Involving Human Participants: /policy/browse/policies/view.php?policy=214.

c. Allowable Expenses

Only eligible/allowable expenses can be considered. Please carefully review the application instructions that apply to your role in terms of which budgetary categories apply. If you are uncertain about whether an expense is allowable for your application, please consult the Administrative Assistant (iser@mun.ca). Ineligible expenses that are included in a budget will be subtracted from the approved funding allotted to a grantee.

Graduate Student Researchers:
If you are a graduate student research grant recipient, Smallwood/ISER will release the research grant funds to your supervisor as the account holder. This is in keeping with the practice of other research units at 91��ɫ. You will be listed as the awardee and are responsible for putting the application into the Researcher Portal. 

Travel Expenses:
Expenses are reimbursed according to the 91��ɫ Travel Policy: /finance/sections/Travel.php, at the rates outlined in the university�s Schedule of Reimbursable Expenses: /policy/browse/policies/view.php?policy=317.

Research Assistants:
Research Assistants are paid at 91��ɫ�s rates. A time sheet recording the specific hours worked needs to be submitted for each research assistant.

As noted in the application instructions, only 91��ɫ faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and staff may include research assistantships and contracted services in the budgets of grant applications. Therefore, if such funding is necessary for a graduate student thesis project, the application must be submitted by the student's faculty supervisor rather than by the student.

Note: The Smallwood Foundation and ISER normally limits expenditures on research assistants or technical services to support graduate students' thesis projects to those providing essential fieldwork assistance or highly specialized skills.

Reimbursement of Expenses:
Expenses can only be reimbursed for the period of the grant. Invoices or receipts must be dated between the initiation of the grant and its end date.

Deviations:
Grantees are expected to conform to their approved budget. In cases where a grantee�s expenses (or proposed expenses) deviate from those outlined in their initial budget, they must request a deviation in writing, providing justification for the change. Requests are sent to the Administrative Assistant and decided on by the Administrative Assistant and/or Director.

Ineligible Expenses for all categories of applicants:
- There is no remuneration for �Self Work� at any rate of pay.
- Smallwood/ISER does not fund the purchase of equipment or other capital expenses.
- Smallwood/ISER does not fund travel to conferences as part of research grant applications.

3. Extensions

All funds must normally be spent within the year of the award. An extension will only be permitted in exceptional circumstances. Requests should be made to the Administrative Assistant for the Director's consideration.