August 2026 - The microgrant program has been restructured for the upcoming academic year. The maximum request is now $750 and requests MUST support innovative strategies to better engage students in AI literacy or Civic Education as part of a General Education course.
You are welcome to submit requests for the 2026-2027 Academic Year. We have begun reviewing requests for FA 26 and requests for SP 27 will be reviewed starting December 1, 2026. If there are extenuating circumstances (purchase lead time, etc.) please submit a request and email gened@psu.edu.
These funds are available to support innovative ideas to engage students in Penn State General Education courses and must support AI literacy or Civic Education.
Projects in support of the Public Writing Initiative are strongly encouraged.
Requirements:
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request must be for a Faculty Senate approved General Education course.
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funding must be used for classroom materials or activities to support learning of course and General Education objectives.
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funding must be used to support AI literacy or Civic Education learning.
Funding prioritization:
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faculty members who have not received support previously.
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the potential to impact student learning and course/classroom engagement from the student perspective.
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proposals that include cost sharing with units in addition to the Office for General Education.
Limitations:
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maximum request is $750 per class/section/course per semester.
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limited to one request per faculty member per academic year
Items we cannot fund:
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computers and/or iPad/tablet type devices or “smart” glasses.
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pay for any Penn State person (faculty, graduate student, etc.).
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gift cards or other prizes for students.
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faculty travel to conferences or any other activity that doesn't include students being present during the travel.
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items that are typically course materials to be provided by students (textbooks, etc.), unless there are unique circumstances, and a rationale is provided in the application.
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food for student consumption, unless there is a specific academic rationale related to the food items.
A brief impact statement must be submitted at the end of the semester, module, or activity to summarize how student learning was impacted. Failure to submit this impact statement will disqualify you for future funding from the Office for General Education.