About Student Funds

The Dance Program Student Development Award money is granted to dance students to fund opportunities that will further their work and career goals. The award is administered by the MSU Denver Dance Program and is funded by generous donations to that program.

Award Amount

Award amounts differ each year and are dependent on the previous year’s donations. Awards are granted on an on-going basis until the funding maximum is reached for the current year.

Applicant Eligibility

  • Applicant can be an individual student or a student organization
  • Applicant(s) must be a current student in the Dance Program and have good academic standing within the program
  • Dance Majors and Minors will be given priority
  • Only 1 application per student per semester is accepted.

Opportunity Eligibility:

  • Performances
  • Conferences
  • Residences
  • Independent dance study outside of MSU coursework

Please confirm eligibility with Dance Program Co-Coordinator, Leslie Merrill Schmidt at [email protected] or Nicole Predki at [email protected] before applying.

Funding Eligibility

  • Entry, registration or tuition fees
  • Travel, accommodation, production materials for performances
  • Students must provide proof of invitation, enrollment or acceptance for an opportunity to be eligible

Award Criteria

Award applications are reviewed by a panel consisting of Dance Program faculty. Each applicant is reviewed on the basis of its own merits and against others in the application pool. Only complete applications will be accepted. Applicants must also meet eligibility requirements.

The applicants will be reviewed based on the following criteria:

  • Strength of opportunity
  • Potential career impact
  • Potential impact on the greater MSU Dance Community
  • Complete, clear and concise applications

Application Process/Deadlines

Grants will be given on a first come, first served basis. Grants should be emailed to Nicole Predki at [email protected].

Applications must include the following:

  • Complete budget for opportunity (not just the part(s) the applicant is asking to be funded)… We recommend using Excel to organize the budget.
  • Explanation of opportunity
  • Proof of invitation, enrollment or acceptance
  • Explanation of how the opportunity will benefit the applicant
  • Explanation of how the opportunity will benefit the greater MSU Denver Dance Community

*Please include a proposal for how the applicant plans to share the opportunity with the greater MSU Denver Dance Community

Notification

Applicants will receive an award notification via email approximately 4 weeks after submission. Award recipients must sign and return an acceptance agreement included in the award notification. Distribution of funds will be made only when receipts for all expenses covered in the grant and a final report are received.

Note:

You must save all receipts to be reimbursed. Funding will likely occur after the start date of the opportunity thus applicants should be prepared to incur initial expenses.

Final Reporting

Upon completion of the project, applicants must submit a final report via email within 30 days of the completion of an opportunity. The final report must include a record of expenses, a description of how the applicant shared the experience with the greater MSU Denver Dance Community, and a short statement highlighting how the opportunity benefited the student.

Professionalism Reminder:

In accepting an award, you are agreeing to present yourself in a professional manner as a representative of yourself and MSU Denver in public contexts. If we are made aware of unprofessional behavior, we reserve the right to revoke money granted.

Note:

The Dance Program reserves the right to describe or reproduce material related to any awards for publication or public relations purposes.

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