Since 1986, NASFAA has funded a research grant program to facilitate the
initiation, distribution, and completion of original research activities in areas of
interest to NASFAA and its membership. The purpose is to assist NASFAA and the financial
aid community in gaining needed quantifiable information that can be used to inform
legislators, institutional administrators, and others who make significant decisions
regarding student aid issues.
Sponsored Research Grants are awarded to assist recipients in covering direct project
costs, including temporary assistance, printing, postage, data entry, computer time, and
preparation of papers and reports. Grants are not intended to provide a salary or stipend
for the grant recipient. Grants are not awarded for program start-up expenses; projects
that involve experimental activities and new initiatives should emphasize evaluation of
program effectiveness. Past grants have ranged from $250 to $5,000.
NASFAA receives a donation from Lumina Foundation for Education to fund its
Sponsored Research Grant Program. Lumina Foundation for Education is a non-profit
grant-making organization based in Indianapolis, Indiana, dedicated to improving access to
postsecondary education.
Grant recipients must sign an agreement to submit quarterly progress reports throughout
the life of the project and a final report, including an executive summary, at the
conclusion of the project. NASFAA reserves the right to withhold project funding if
progress reports are not submitted on time. Project milestones and executive summaries
from completed projects may be posted on the NASFAA web site. Where appropriate, NASFAA
may request that authors adapt their work for publication in NASFAA's Student Aid Transcript
magazine, for an article for submission to the Editorial Board of the Journal of
Student Financial Aid, or for a NASFAA Conference presentation. Recipients are also
asked to acknowledge NASFAA's support of their projects in all written and oral
presentations.
Former Recipients
Since 1986, financial aid administrators, students, and researchers have used Sponsored
Research Grant funds to complete projects that have resulted in several master's theses,
doctoral dissertations, articles for NASFAA's Journal of Student Financial Aid, and
interest sessions at NASFAA conferences. Recent recipients and their projects include:
Marguerite M. McClinton, Associate Director of the Hardee Center for Women in Higher Education, Florida State University, “An Evaluation of How the State Merit Scholars Program of Florida’s Bright Futures Funding Has Affected Student Success Among African American Students” (2004).
Dongbin Kim, Research and Policy Analyst, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, “Drop Out, Stop Out, and Transfer Out: Unraveling the Impact of Financial Aid on Students’ College Departure Patterns” (2004).
Michael J. MacCallum, Counselor, Financial Aid and Veterans Affairs, Long Beach City College, “The Effects of Differing Financial Aid Processing Policies on the Retention and Success of Students at California Community Colleges,” (2004).
Ellen Frishburg, Director of Student Financial Services, Johns Hopkins University, “The $40 Billion Tax Break for College Students: Politics and Policy” (2003).
Deborah Below, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Jefferson College, “The Influence of Financial Aid on Within-Year Persistence of Community College Students by Ethnicity” (2002).
Deborah Denny, Director of Financial Aid, John Wood Community College, “Impact of Loan Indebtedness on Economic Choices of Community College Students Who Earn Baccalaureate Degrees” (2002).
Kristen E. Salomonson, Assistant Dean of Enrollment Services and Director of Institutional Research and Testing, Ferris State University, “Beyond Selection: Examining the Impact of Financial Aid on Student Retention in 2- and 4-Year Institutions” (2002).
Preparing Your Proposal
(Information on identifying a research topic and some suggested resources for
researchers follows this section.)
Required Materials
Applicants are required to submit the following materials:
I. Application form (see below), including a brief abstract. The
abstract should summarize the problem being addressed, proposed research activities, and
intended outcomes.
II. Statement of Proposal describing the research project. This
statement must be limited to a maximum of 10 single-sided, double-spaced pages and
must include a complete description of all of the following:
1. The problem to be investigated.
2. Review and discussion of relevant literature that demonstrates an understanding of
previous research, if available, and how it relates to the topic to be addressed.
3. Project methodology, including, where applicable, drafts of data collection
instruments, listing of data bases to be used, a description of the variables to be
examined, and statistical analysis techniques.
4. Expected results and their relevance to student aid policy issues.
5. Timeline for completion of the project.
III. Budget. Grants are intended to assist recipients in covering
direct project costs, including temporary personnel, printing, postage, data entry,
computer time, and preparation of papers and reports. They may not
provide a salary or stipend for the grant recipient. Grants also may not be used to cover any indirect costs. Projects that involve
experimental activities and new initiatives should emphasize evaluation of program
effectiveness; in general, funds are not available for program start-up expenses.
IV. Attachments. Draft questionnaires and other instruments, charts and
tables, if applicable and available.
V. Statement of Capability. Submit a brief biographical statement that
describes how your education and experience enable you to carry out the proposed project.
Include resumés, list of previous research projects, if any, and professional
association memberships and activities.
VI. Reference (students only). Student applicants must have an
academic sponsor who will be responsible to NASFAA for the successful completion of the
project. If you are a student researcher, please explain how the project relates to
your academic program and attach a letter of reference and sponsorship that attests to
your ability to conduct the proposed research.
Submit the original application packet (see "Required Materials" above) to:
Sponsored Research Grant Program
Meihua Zhai
Director of Research and Policy Analysis
NASFAA
1101 Connecticut Avenue NW
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20036.
Phone 202-785-6952, Fax 202-785-1487
Incomplete application packets will not be considered.
Proposals are evaluated by NASFAA's Research Committee at its fall and spring meetings.
Award notification takes place following each meeting.
For further information on the NASFAA Sponsored Research Grants Program, please contact:
Meihua Zhai
Director of Research and Policy Analysis
NASFAA
1101 Connecticut Avenue NW
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20036
Phone 202-785-6952, Fax 202-785-1487
Email zhaim@nasfaa.org
Projects that address any financial aid-related topic are invited, particularly those
that focus on the federal student aid programs, need analysis, delivery, and
management/administration. In addition, the committee offers the following suggestions,
adapted from NASFAA's Strategic
Long-Range Plan, to help applicants begin to shape their thinking about possible
proposals. This list of topics is not intended to suggest priorities for the grant
competition.
Institutional impact of actual or proposed changes in law, regulations, and program
appropriations;
Relationship of loans, work, or childcare subsidies to student persistence;
Impact of undergraduate indebtedness on decisions about graduate education;
Technology utilization;
Early awareness and planning for postsecondary education;
Economic, social, and cultural benefits of higher education;
Role of financial aid in enrollment management;
Need analysis theory;
New strategies for meeting the needs of students; and
The NASFAA Web Site provides excellent resources and information
for researchers, including links to many other research-related web sites. Access to some parts of the NASFAA Web Site is restricted to NASFAA members and is accessible by password only. If you are a NASFAA member and are not able to access the Web Site, please contact the NASFAA office for assistance at 202-785-0453, ext. 115. Here are several Web addresses that may provide useful information:
NASFAA's Annotated Bibliography of Student Financial Aid.
NASFAA maintains a
comprehensive Annotated Bibliography of Literature on Student Financial Aid that is often
used as the basis of a literature review for proposed research projects. The most recent
version includes citations from periodicals, research reports, journal articles, and
government documents published
from 1998 to present. NASFAA members and non-members can search the bibliography via NASFAA's web site under Research News and Tools.
The Educational Resources Information Clearinghouse (ERIC).
For very recent
publications on student aid, a search of the Education Resources Information
Clearinghouse (ERIC) data base is recommended. Consult your institutional library for
guidance on conducting an ERIC search.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
of the U.S. Department of
Education conducts a number of national studies of interest to financial aid researchers.
For information, visit the NCES web site at http://www.nces.edu.gov/ or contact Aurora
D'Amico at NCES; telephone 202-219-1365.
