Funding Opportunities
ALE Incentive Grants
Guided by the university's Next-Gen K-State strategic plan, recurring Applied Learning Experiences, or ALE, incentive grants are now available to support, expand, deepen, and scale applied learning experiences at K-State. For questions about ALE incentive grants, contact Dr. Ash Mitchell, Assistant Director for Applied Learning at ashm@ksu.edu.
Fall 2026 Grants
In this round of recurring grants, a pool of $150,000 is available. Two grant categories are available to support the integration of Applied Learning Experiences into courses. Submission Deadline: Oct. 1, 2026, 11:59 p.m.
Eligibility: Faculty member(s) with program chair and department head support. Funding Range: Up to $20,000.00 Funding Period: A one-time grant will be awarded by January 2027. Funds are to be utilized for the implementation of the experience by the 2028-29 academic year. Matching Funds Required: No matching funds are required, but applicants should demonstrate reasonable support for continuation two years beyond the grant period. Creativity in the utilization of funds is encouraged and could include: All applications will be accepted through the relevant Microsoft Forms linked below. A PDF/Word list of questions is available for download for applicants' convenience. Submission deadline: Wednesday, October 1, 11:59 p.m. Review period: October 5-15 Award announcements within the week of November 2 Funds awarded in January 2027 A panel of reviewers will be selected from across the University and approved by the University Steering Committee for Applied Learning Experiences. All applications will be evaluated for alignment with the ALE Framework. Criteria are clearly outlined below. Applications that are transdisciplinary in nature will also be evaluated for commitment to movement beyond discipline-specific pedagogy. It is recommended to use this budget template and this timeline template with the application. Items in this section are required. Failure to meet these criteria will result in disqualification. Need and Learner Impact Criteria Exemplary (3) Present (2) Developing (1) Not Present (0) Engagement: The experience is equivalent in time and intensity to a one-credit-hour course, or 45 hours. Clear and specific examples demonstrate how learner engagement fosters deeper learning. The application clearly outlines learner engagement expectations. The application attempts to outline engagement expectations. Engagement expectations are not clearly outlined. Guidance: The activity and mentorship are designed to target skill development with agency given to the learner to self-direct learning. Specific skill development is clearly accounted for in experience design and the inclusion of mentorship. Specific skills are targeted in experience design. Learners have agency. Either specific skills are targeted in experience design or learners have agency. Specific skills are not targeted and learner agency is not considered. Purposeful Experience: The experience is connected to a community, which extends relevance to authentic scenarios. Learners engage with communities in specific ways, leading to clear application beyond the experience. The experience is authentic and connects to the community. The experience is authentic or connects to the community. The experience is not authentic and does not connect to the community. Active Engagement: The experience aids in a learner's sense of belonging and being within relevant communities or within their desired career path. Examples of learners exercising independent judgement within the experience, leading to ownership and a sense of being, are clearly stated. Learners develop a sense of belonging and being within their communities and career paths. Learners develop a sense of belonging or being. Belonging and being is not developed. Critical Reflection: The experience requires learners to self-reflect in an ongoing and meaningful way. Group reflection is used when needed. Multiple modes of reflection are present throughout the experience. New understandings are shared formally. Reflection is meaningful and ongoing. Reflection is somewhat meaningful and ongoing. Learners do not engage in reflection. Transdisciplinary Commitment: Transdisciplinary experiences designed and implemented by faculty from different disciplines working jointly to create new applied learning opportunities that integrate and move beyond discipline-specific pedagogies. Present (Up to 5) The experience is deeply transdisciplinary. Only relevant for transdisciplinary applications. Developing (2) The experience is somewhat transdisciplinary. Only relevant for transdisciplinary applications. Not Present (0) The experience does not align with the definition of transdisciplinary. Only relevant for transdisciplinary applications. Framework Score: _____of 15 Total Score: ______of 25 or 30 Reviewer Recommendation: Acceptable Acceptable with Reservations Not Acceptable
The experience has required support and potential to be sustainable beyond the grant period, as evidenced by letter(s) of support from the department head or other administrator.
An abbreviated CV was submitted for each applicant.
The applicant shared if they had or had not applied for or received other funding.
Document Score (Scores less than 5 result in disqualification of application): __ of 6
Criteria
High (2)
Moderate (1)
Low (1)
Need within department or unit.
No Applied Learning Experiences currently exist within the proposing unit
Few Applied Learning Experiences currently exist within the proposing unit
Many Applied Learning Experiences currently exist within the proposing unit
Number of learners impacted.
41+ learners to be served per semester
11-40 learners to be served per semester
1-10 learners to be served per semester
Impact Score: ___ of 4
Framework + Transdisciplinary Score:______ of 20
Previous grant awards
Activity Pilot:
- Student Employment Pathways to Career Readiness, Kerri Keller, Ph.D., executive director, Career Center
- Applied Health Behavior Counseling, Emily Mailey, Ph.D., associate professor, Kinesiology
- Designing and Simulating Automated Guided- Vehicle (AGV) Systems for Warehouse Material Flow, Saurav Kumar, Dubey, Ph.D., associate teaching professor, Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering
- Reimagining Kansas City's Historically Black Neighborhoods: A Placemaking Research and Design Project, Gabby Coleman, visiting assistant professor, Architecture
Activity Expansion:
- Metal Fab Bootcamp: An Immersive Applied Learning Experience to Build Confidence and Competence in Pre-service Agriculture Teachers, Brandie Disberger, Ph.D., associate teaching professor, Department of Communication and Agricultural Education
Curriculum Exploration:
- Undergraduate Certificate and a Minor in Instrument Repair for Music Educators, Ben Worcester, M. Mus., academic advisor and undergraduate program director and Joshua Cook, B.S., instructor and director of instrument repair, Department of Music, Theater, and Dance
- The Wildcat Mobile Theatre Unit, Shannon Skelton, Ph.D., associate professor and advisor, Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance
Transdisciplinary:
- Spot Fire Press: A Creative Undergraduate Student Publishing Initiative, Jason Scuilla, MFA, professor, Art, Traci Brimhall,Ph.D., University Distingiushed Professor and graduate faculty, Department of English, Mervi Pakaste, MFA, professor, Art, Dan Warner, MFA, associate professor, Art, Jon Hunt, MLA, professor, Landscape Architecture and Regional & Community Planning, Anthony Warnick, MFA, assistant professor, Art, Daniel Ireton, MLS, associate professor, Libraries, Jeffery Sheldon, BFA, director, Sunderland Innovation Lab and Anne Oswald, director, University Printing
- Bridging Disciplines and Campuses: A Collaborative Boot Camp in Design, Drawing, and Diorama Modeling, William Genereux, Ph.D., professor, School of Integrated Studies, and Katrina M. Lewis, MCRP, associate professor, Interior Architecture and Interior Design
- Research and Extension Applied Learning (REAL) Program, Rick Peterson, Ph.D., associate director, Extension Programs,and Kari Morgan, Ph.D., teaching associate professor, Applied Human Sciences
- Reimagining Kansas City: Collaborative Strategies for Urban and Ecological Resilience, Lauren Harness,AIA, director, Kansas City Design Center, professor of practice, College of Architecture, Planning & Design, Stacy Hutchinson, Ph.D., professor, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Ph.D., GISP, professor, Department of Geography & Geospatial Sciences
- Heather Bailey, Aging Well: Lessons from Blue Zones
- Dena Bunnel, Global Agriculture Solutions & Leadership Program
- Sydney Cochran, Community Outreach for Nutrition and Well-Being
- Huan Cui, Paleo-Climate Adventures through Time (Paleo-CAT): Tracing Kansas’ Lost Glaciers via Integrated Field and Laboratory Learning
- Sabine Emonts, Transdisciplinary Case Study Competition on Sustainability in Agriculture
- Nick Homburg, Stories from the Last Frontier: Alaska in Focus, a study away program
- Nathan Klembara, Deeper Digs: A Rejuvenated Anthropology Curriculum for Career Competence
- Yun Liang, From Classroom to National Parks
- Alyssa Morris, “K-State Reed Lab” and MKL Reeds Partnership: Creating Internships and Graduate Assistantships for K-State Oboists
- Isis S.P.C. Scott, Field Methods in Hydrology
- Andrew Smith, ALE Video Podcasting Studio
- Ashlee Westerhold, Returning to the Farm
- Ninghao Zhu, Entrepreneurship in Healthcare Technology (BME Hub)
Applied Learning Experiences
appliedlearning@k-state.edu
103 Leadership Studies Building
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-6087