In the pursuit of funding for research and other sponsored projects, keywords such as underrepresented minority can be used to an applicant’s advantage, whether the applicant is such or not. 

Anyone intending to apply for a grant or award from a government agency or private foundation needs a broad perspective on the process involved.  This includes the advantages of contemporary terms and labels used to distinguish persons, populations, and areas of study. 

Nearly all grant opportunity announcements include statements like this:

“We are particularly interested in attracting women and underrepresented minority candidates.”

 If not stated outright, embedded in many program descriptions of grant announcements is particular interest in projects that include or focus on:       

ü           studies of underrepresented populations,

ü           service to underrepresented populations,

ü           inclusion of underrepresented populations,

ü           assistance of underrepresented populations (e.g., minority student research assistants)

Examples of phrasing taken from recent grant opportunity announcements:

Initiatives for Underrepresented Minorities

Impacts on Minority and Low-Income Populations

Minority Aging Research

Promoting Pluralism and Academic Freedom on Campus

First Book Grant Program for Minority Scholars

Minority Fellowship Program

Proposal submissions are highly competitive, but using a minority aspect in a grant proposal is a proven advantage.  Whatever the agency or program, read the application guidelines carefully for any link to this advantage.  Even if there appears to be none, USF may provide it through mention of our general, and specific, student populations.

Did you know?— 

ü            There are 432 Hispanic undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences, and 128 in the School of Business & Management.

ü            There are 28 African-American graduate students in A&S, and 75 in the School of Education.  The SOE also has the largest Hispanic graduate student population—127.  However, the Business school has the lowest numbers of African-American and Hispanic students, 4 and 14 respectively.

ü            The largest Hispanic undergraduate populations are majors in Politics, Psychology and Business.

ü            Biology majors include 14 African-Americans and 32 Hispanics.

Depending on the general and specific area(s) of study for a proposal, the college or departmental (majors and minors) minority student population numbers might have an impact.

Given the diversity of the San Francisco bay area, perhaps the demographics of a target population, whether for research or service, could provide a special consideration.

In the sciences, the National Science Foundation reports that the number of minority PI applicants has been increasing yearly by 3-5%.  And—the awards to that population of applicants have matched the general rate (23-25%).