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Contact UsIn collaboration with our Office of Sponsored Research Programs (OSRP) and University Advancement, our HSI Committee has been able to strengthen the process and criteria for the identification, review, and prioritization of HSI/MSI grants.
If you are interested in applying for government (state or federal) funding for a Hispanic Serving Institution Grant, please visit our Office of Sponsored Research and Programs Website.
If you are interested in corporate and foundation funding, our Corporate and Foundation Relations team at MSU Denver exists to help build relationships with corporate and foundation entities and have a grant toolkit. This is meant to help campus grant seekers get started with their proposals to funders.
Due to the current COVID-19 Pandemic, various Minority Serving Institutions and Hispanic Serving Intuitions received CARES Act Federal Funding as part of a COVID-19 grant in the Spring/Summer of 2020. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion reached out to various departments, faculty, and staff for recommendations on programs and activities that meet the funding guidelines for the grant. Of the 22 ideas proposed, 11 were awarded that met the guidelines of focusing on students, technology, pedagogy, accessibility, operations, and programs.
We wanted to make sure that students received as much as they could from the grant by supporting students in their roles as Learning Assistants, Teaching Assistants, and Transfer Peer Mentors. Through these opportunities, students in these roles also contributed to supporting faculty in the classrooms to improve student experience as faculty switched their curriculum to online/hybrid formats. Faculty also had the opportunity to participate in the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) full academic-year course. The course assisted faculty with inclusive online teaching tools that also helped with the transition online. Because of Teaching Assistants, we saw an increase in student retention of 3.37% in those who participated. Additionally, the Transfer Peer Mentor program had a caseload of 2,760 during the 2020-2021 academic year. From Fall 2020 through Fall 2021, the Learning Assistants program saw 122 Learning Assistants support 81 different faculty members in 149 courses. Finally, through the CARES funding, we also provided books and supplies for students that participated in the Admissions and Center of Equity and Student Achievement’s mentoring program as well as the School of Education’s Roadrunner Diversity Scholars program.
Since the pandemic required faculty/staff/students to transition from in-person to online and hybrid formats, we used CARES funding to support students using online tutoring programs such as TutorMe. Based on the fall student impact survey, students reported having outdated hardware and no laptops to complete their course assignments. 52 students, including student employees, benefited from laptops purchased using HEERF funding for the spring 2021 semester. We were also able to provide additional Zoom services for affinity group graduations for students, faculty, staff, and families to be able to celebrate the accomplishments of their students.
Lastly, as a Hispanic Serving Institution that is intentionally finding ways to serve our students, we believe translating website content and university documents into Spanish illustrates our continued dedication to our Hispanic/Latina/o/x students and families from Spanish speaking homes and values the knowledge and skills of our current staff and faculty. Remaining HEERF funding were allocated to lost revenue to continue to fund some of the programs such as Teaching Assistants, ACUE Cohort, Spanish translation, and Transfer Peer Mentors for the remaining of the spring 2022 semester.
• 2019
• Project Title: US Dept of Education – Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans in Denver Nutrition Program (POHA-Denver)
• Total Award Amount: $2,000,000
• PI: Dr. Rachel Sinley
Description: The POHA-Denver grant housed within the Department of Nutrition focuses on encouraging students from diverse backgrounds and those with interest in serving diverse populations, to pursue post-baccalaureate study here at MSU Denver. The POHA-Denver program here at MSU Denver aims to diversify the field of nutrition and dietetics through many avenues including: Conducting outreach to students in high schools, community colleges and in baccalaureate programs. Providing financial support to help students navigate barriers to participating in post-baccalaureate degree programs. Hiring diverse support staff to fuel the grant efforts and to provide advising for current and prospective students. Offering financial-literacy training focusing on loan payback and budgeting. Development of regular seminars and an annual conference focused on diversity in dietetics and health care. The grant also aims to promote cultural intelligence among faculty, students, staff and practitioners in the field.
Manuel Del Real, Ph.D.
Executive Director of HSI Initiatives and Inclusion
Office StaffJordan Student Success Building (JSSB) 440
890 Auraria Parkway
Denver, CO 80204
P.O. Box 173362
Campus Box 1
Denver, CO 80217-3362