WAC Funding Opportunities
Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC), in collaboration with the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning, sponsors Curriculum and Teaching Leadership (CTL) Funds: Extended Projects to faculty involved in a high-impact teaching and learning project. We solicit proposals from all departments, programs, colleges, and schools at George Mason University, including full-time and/or part-time faculty. Faculty may not apply for multiple funding opportunities in the same academic term.
These funds will take the form of stipends to faculty who design, develop, and lead a project that seeks to enhance the intentionality and sustainability of writing instruction across disciplines. For this reason, successful grant proposals must demonstrate the sustainability and/or broad impact of the proposed project in relation to WAC’s mission of designing meaningful writing-learning experiences across all disciplines. This funding is not intended to support the development of a WI course application; funding will not be given for an individual faculty member’s effort to learn about WAC pedagogy or for bringing in external consultants or speakers.
Available Funding
To enhance the intentional and sustainable integration of writing across the curriculum, WAC encourages academic units to invest in projects that effectively increase local capacity for faculty learning, course- or curriculum-development, or the systematic support of faculty teaching writing. Projects can focus on writing-intensive courses or other courses that assign writing but wish to more effectively integrate writing, writing instruction, or assessment of writing.
Three funding streams are available to facilitate innovative approaches to faculty support, course management, and curriculum development.
- WAC Leader Startup funds: awards a $500 stipend to individual unit leaders to support
- the initial planning of writing initiatives or
- the creation or curation of resources that enhance the management or sustainability of a WI or writing-enriched course
- Course Development funds: awards up to $4,000 per semester to unit teams ($1,000 stipend per person) to support
- course redesign initiatives
- the creation of high-quality instructional materials or course-based resources that enhance the intentionality of writing instruction
- Curriculum Planning funds: awards up to $8,000 over two semesters to unit teams ($2,000 stipend per person) to support
- curriculum planning and assessment projects following a method established by WAC staff
Example Projects
Possible projects include (but are not limited to) the following:
| WAC Leader Startup | Planning for a WAC Course Development or WAC Curriculum Planning project Creation of a course/unit clearinghouse curating teaching-related materials Revision of course learning outcomes Plan for onboarding / training faculty new to teaching a course or faculty who cycle teaching assignments across semesters Design for the assessment of writing at the course level |
| WAC Course Development | Development of assignments, scaffolded learning tasks, and/or teaching materials designed for adoption by multiple instructors teaching in a course or curricular area Pilot implementation and assessment of course modules or materials employed by multiple instructors teaching in a course or curricular area Development of a course-wide rubric and/or related assessment materials A systematic study of student experiences with writing in a course (e.g., analysis of course materials; survey or interview of students) Development of student-facing guides to writing in the course / major |
| WAC Curriculum Planning | Development of a plan for writing in the major that follows a method established by WAC staff briefly outlined below: Semester 1: understand and describe the culture of writing in your major using surveys and document analysis Semester 2: draft a plan for integrating and assessing writing in your major |
Eligibility
- Open to faculty from all departments, programs, colleges, and schools at George Mason University; teams should include at least three members
- Team members should be from the same academic unit; exceptions will be considered for interdisciplinary programs
- Team members are eligible for only one Stearns Center sponsored funding opportunity per cycle
Timeline
- Proposal Submission Deadline: December 5, 2025
- Award Decisions Announced: January 9, 2026
- Project Implementation Periods:
- Spring 2026: January 20 – May 24
- Summer 2026: May 25 – Aug 9
- Spring & Summer 2026 (for Curriculum development only): January 20 – Aug 9
- Final Project Report: due two-weeks after the cycle concludes
- Budget Reporting
- Mid-term Budget Check-in Period(s): March 16 – 20 / July 6 – 10
- Final Budget Check-in: April 27 – 30 / July 13 – 17
- Final Budget Requests Due: May 9 / July 24
- Stipends will be distributed in equal payments throughout the funding cycle
Project Requirements & Deliverables
All funded projects must submit:
- A final report assessing project outcomes and identifying any upcoming implementation steps
- Supporting artifacts demonstrating project completion
- Recommendations for adapting the project across different disciplinary contexts
Reports should clearly contextualize the project within the unit’s broader curriculum and provide detailed guidance for potential adaptation by other units or programs.
Awardee Support: Grant recipients should plan to attend four meetings during the funding cycle; sessions will focus on writing instruction and curriculum design practices and provide time for teams to exchange ideas and receive feedback from attendees.
Dissemination: Teams should anticipate presenting (as a Teaching Talk) at the next Innovations in Teaching and Learning Conference.
Submission
Please assemble all parts of the proposal as outlined by the submission guidelines into a single PDF, and submit it to WAC by 11:59 pm on or before the application deadline through our online form.
Please email WAC staff ([email protected]) with any questions.