American River College’s Academic Senate is giving out Innovation Grants, with applications open until Nov. 6. The grants are able to support a large variety of projects for different departments and programs within the ARC community.

“The Innovation Grants were started by me in 2004 as a way to provide funding to support teaching and learning by funding innovative projects where there are limited or no other funding sources,” said Kirsten Dubray, regional director of philanthropy at ARC, in an email to the Current. 

Staff, faculty, administration and clubs, with approval from their advisor, are all able to apply for the $100,000 worth of grants being awarded this year. 

“Applicants must tie their project to the college’s educational master plan or institutional equity plan to ensure that project requests are aligned with college priorities and planning,” Dubray said.

The majority of the money used for the grants is donated from the likes of faculty, staff, administration and ARC alumni and retirees.

“Because the innovation grants are awarded with privately donated dollars, they have [a] huge impact on teaching and learning by providing a margin of excellence in a publicly funded institution,” Dubray said. “Innovative projects help faculty and staff improve student learning outcomes and student success.”

A maximum of $10,000 is available for each project. The recipients of the grants will be notified at some point between November and December, with the money being disbursed in time to be used for the spring and summer semesters.