True Bruin Values in Action Grants

Applicants should request only the amount needed to complete the proposed work, up to $3,000. Matching funds are not required. Access to additional funding or in-kind support will not make a proposal more competitive.

The number of awards may vary if strong proposals request less than $3,000. An award may be offered below the requested amount only when the project would remain viable and the applicant agrees to the change. Funds will be managed through an eligible UCLA account and will not be paid directly to individuals.

Generally allowable expenses

• UCLA student wages or temporary student project support processed through established UCLA payroll mechanisms.
• Project materials and supplies purchased through approved UCLA channels.
• Accessibility and participation support.
• Modest food or meeting costs when they are integral to the project rather than incidental hospitality.
• Participant incentives when justified, permitted by UCLA policy, and approved through the applicable financial process.
• Internal UCLA services, recharge costs, and limited printing or production needed for the project.
• Development of practical tools, templates, educational materials, or resources.
• Local evaluation, data collection, and sharing of project learning within UCLA.

Expenses that are not allowable

• External consultants or contracted service vendors. This restriction does not prevent the routine purchase of allowable supplies through approved UCLA channels.
• Faculty or staff salary supplementation, bonuses, or honoraria.
• Travel, major equipment, capital purchases, or recurring technology subscriptions that extend beyond the grant period.
• Merchandise, giveaways, general promotional campaigns, or branded items.
• Routine operating expenses, replacement of existing unit funding, or activities already fully supported by another source.
• Direct payments or subawards to external organizations or individuals.
• Costs incurred before January, 2027, or after May, 2027.

All expenses must support the approved project, occur during the project period, use an authorized UCLA financial mechanism, and comply with university policy and program instructions.

A grant award does not replace any required Institutional Review Board, privacy, data-security, safety, accessibility, labor, clinical, or other institutional review. Project teams are responsible for identifying and obtaining all required approvals before the relevant activities begin.

Funded activities, materials, meetings, and resources must be designed for accessibility and must respond to accommodation needs through established UCLA processes. Accessibility and participation support may be included in the project budget.

Applications must be submitted through the 2026-27 True Bruin Values in Action Grants Application by Friday, November 6, 2026, at 5 p.m. The primary project lead should submit the form using a UCLA Google account.

The application should take approximately 30 to 45 minutes. Applicants will not need to upload a separate narrative or provide letters of recommendation. Responses may be edited until the deadline when technically feasible. Please do not include confidential, sensitive, or personally identifiable participant information.

Application components

The form will ask for the following information:

• Applicant and administrative information. Project lead, UCLA affiliation, sponsor or responsible unit leader, project team, UCLA financial home, and fiscal contact.
• Project title and public summary. A brief summary of approximately 100 words that may be published if the project is funded.
• UCLA need or opportunity. Approximately 150 to 250 words describing the current situation and why it matters.
• Proposed change. Approximately 200 to 300 words explaining the specific practice, process, intervention, or experience the team will introduce or revise.
• Connection to the values. Approximately 150 to 250 words explaining how the project advances the selected value and behavior statements.
• Participation. Approximately 150 to 250 words describing who will be affected and how they have informed or will help shape the work.
• Implementation plan. Three to five major activities or milestones with approximate dates.
• Assessment. Two or three practical indicators and an explanation of how the team will gather the information.
• Reuse and continuation. The resource, documented practice, or lesson the project will produce, and what may continue, change, or be shared after the grant period.
• Budget. The total amount requested and an itemized budget with a brief justification.
• Certifications. Acknowledgments concerning program rules, public project information, proposal review, and recipient responsibilities.

Program staff will first confirm that each application is complete, within the award limit and project period, UCLA-centered, administratively eligible, and consistent with the project and expense rules. Proposals that clearly fall outside the program will not advance. Applicants may be asked for factual or administrative clarification, but substantive revisions will not be accepted after the deadline.

Each eligible proposal will be reviewed by multiple reviewers using the following criteria:

• 25% – Potential to improve a UCLA practice, process, relationship, or experience.
• 20% – Connection to the True Bruin Values and behavior statements.
• 20% – Feasibility within the project period and proposed budget.
• 15% – Meaningful participation by the people affected.
• 10% – Potential for continuation, adaptation, or reuse.
• 10% – Practical and proportionate assessment plan.

Reviewers will assess each proposal in the context in which it will operate. Institutional prestige, writing polish, audience size, and access to matching resources will not determine competitiveness. Cross-unit collaboration is welcome when it strengthens a project, but it is not required and does not receive automatic preference.

After scoring, the full portfolio will be considered for reasonable breadth across Integrity, Excellence, and Belonging and across student, staff, faculty, academic, research, clinical, administrative, and co-curricular settings. These are portfolio considerations, not quotas or reserved award pools. All applicants are expected to be notified by November 30, 2026. Decisions are final, although documented administrative errors may be corrected.

Selected teams will receive written notice of the approved amount, project period, conditions, and required deliverables. Recipients will be expected to:

• Confirm the project lead, sponsor, fiscal contact, and UCLA financial home by the stated deadline.
• Use funds only for the approved project scope and allowable expenses.
• Obtain all required institutional approvals before the relevant activities begin.
• Design project activities and materials for accessibility and respond to accommodation needs.
• Request advance approval for material changes in project scope, leadership, timeline, or budget use.
• Participate in the cohort kickoff, midpoint learning exchange, and final learning showcase. A knowledgeable delegate may attend when the primary lead is unavailable.
• Complete a short midpoint check-in and final report.
• Submit or link to a reusable resource, documented practice, or concise implementation lesson.
• Return or relinquish unspent funds at the end of the grant period in accordance with fiscal instructions.

Evaluation will be proportionate to the size of the grant. Recipients will not be expected to conduct formal experiments, use control groups, or prove lasting culture change within one academic year. Each team will identify two or three practical indicators in areas such as:

• Implementation. Was the proposed practice introduced and used as intended?
• Experience or effect. What did participants notice, experience, understand, or do differently?
• Continuation. Will the group continue, change, share, or discontinue the practice, and why?

Evidence may include a short participant poll, participation or use data, brief interviews, observation, completion of a planned tool, or evidence that a practice has become part of a recurring process. A well-supported negative or mixed result may still provide useful learning.

UCLA may publish the title, project lead, UCLA affiliation, and brief summary of funded projects. Separate permission will be required before publishing identifiable participant stories, quotations, photographs, video, or sensitive findings.

Applications will be shared with program administrators and assigned reviewers for selection. Access to application and reporting data will be limited to people with a legitimate program role. Project teams are responsible for handling participant information in accordance with applicable UCLA privacy, data-security, research, and records requirements.

Questions about the program or application may be directed to TrueBruinValues@ucla.edu.