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.

In this first round of recurring grants, a pool of $150,000 is available. Four grant opportunities organized into two categories have been created with entry points for faculty, staff and programs.

Start-Up/Scale-Up Applied Learning Experiences

K-State Course or Student Organization Activity Pilot

Description: Seed funds are available for faculty or advisors to pilot new ideas for Applied Learning Experiences. This funding opportunity ranges in award amount, giving applicants creative agency to innovate. A faculty or staff member could use funds to pilot new activities by:

Traveling within the state to create new community partnerships

Add-pay to expand their summer capacity to design a new experience

Offering a stipend to an undergraduate student to co-design an experience with a faculty or staff

Eligibility: Faculty member or Advisor of student organizations

Funding Range: $500-$5,000

Funding Period: 1 year, must be spent by conclusion of Fiscal Year 2026

Matching Funds Required: N/A

Preview Application (PDF)

Apply Now

K-State Course or Student Organization Activity Expansion

Description: Seed funds for faculty teaching courses or advisors to student organizations to deepen and expand (scale up) existing Applied Learning Experiences. Ranging award amounts offer flexibilty for faculty and staff to creatively expand existing experiences. Ideas for fund utilization could include:

Supplies and equipment

Travel expenses to conduct site visits

Add-pay to expand ability to plan activities

And much more!

Eligibility: Faculty member or advisor (if a student organization) with support of faculty or staff member’s department head, unit leader, or other relevant supervisor.

Funding Range: $500-$10,000

Funding Period: 3 years

Matching Funds Required: 1:1 graduated match over 3 years

Year 1: no match
Year 2: 50/50 match
Year 3: funded by applicant unit or organization

Preview Application (PDF)

Apply Now

Program and/or Curricular Initiatives

K-State Program Curriculum Exploration

Description: Seed funds for the purpose of supporting a unit to explore curriculum changes for a program which enhances applied learning. These small grants help a unit to explore adding or enhancing applied learning in new or existing degree, certificate or micro-credential programs.

Creativity in the utilization of funds is encouraged and could include:

Add-pay for faculty designing courses over the summer
Professional development expenses
Academic materials or supplies
And more!

Eligibility: Faculty member(s) with program chair and department head support.

Funding Range: $5,000- $20,000 total

Funding Period: 1-2 years

Matching Funds Required: N/A

Preview Application (PDF)

Apply Now

K-State Transdisciplinary Applied Learning

Description: Funds to catalyze transdisciplinary applied learning across at least two units at K-State to launch pilot programming. This opportunity is an excellent way to bring teams from across the university community to generate answers to our world's most difficult challenges, while providing excellent learning to our students.

Funding utilization may look like:

Purchasing materials for a transdisciplinary research project

Staffing the creation and design of transdisciplinary idea on a short-term basis

Hosting events to bring groups of learners together

Add-pay for faculty designing courses over the summer

And more!

Eligibility: Faculty or Staff with support of their respective units.

Funding Range: $5,000- $40,000 total

Funding Period: 1-2 years

Matching Funds Required: N/A

Preview Application (PDF)

Apply Now

Application Process

All applications will be accepted through the relevant Qualtrics forms linked above. A PDF/Word list of questions is available for download for applicants' convenience.

Submission deadline: May 16
Review period: May 17-23
Award announcements by May 27
Funds transferred by June 10

Applications will be reviewed by members of the University Steering Committee for Applied Learning Experiences.

Scoring Criteria

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 committment to movement beyond discipline-specific pedagogy.

View Rubric

Criteria	Present (2)	Developing (1)	Not Present (0)
Engagement: The experience is equivalent in time and intensity to a one-credit-hour course.	The application clearly outlines learner engagement expectations.	The application attempts to outline engagement expectations.	Engagement expectations are not clearly outlined.
Guidance: The activity is designed to target skill development with agency given to the learner to self-direct learning.	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.	The experience is authentic and connects to community.	The experience is authentic or connects to community.	The experience is not authentic and does not connect to community.
Intentional Observation: The experience aids in a learner's sense of belonging and being within relevant communities or within their desired career path.	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.	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.	Developing (2) The experience is somewhat transdisciplinary. Only relevant for transdisciplinary applications.
The applicant has considered how they will engage in scholarly growth.		Yes (1)	No (0)
An itemized budget was uploaded.		Yes (1)	No (0)
A timeline for the experience was uploaded.		Yes (1)	No (0)
The applicant indicated an intended learner population.		Yes (1)	No (0)
The experience has required support and potential to be sustainable beyond the grant period.		Yes (1)	No (0)

15 points are possible

20 points are possible for transdisciplinary grants

Applied Learning Experiences
appliedlearning@k-state.edu
103 Leadership Studies Building
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-6087

Funding Opportunities

ALE Incentive Grants

Start-Up/Scale-Up Applied Learning Experiences

K-State Course or Student Organization Activity Pilot

K-State Course or Student Organization Activity Expansion

Program and/or Curricular Initiatives

K-State Program Curriculum Exploration

K-State Transdisciplinary Applied Learning

Application Process

Scoring Criteria

View Rubric