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Digital Strategies Grant Program

CETLI offers two grant programs that encourage experimentation with online teaching and learning in the non-credit and for-credit spaces, nurture technological innovation in online education, and enhance the learning experiences of online students and learners at Penn.  

In addition to financial support, recipients of either grant will receive support from CETLI, including marketing and professional consultation, project planning resources, and connection to other supports across Penn. 

Submit an inquiry form to learn more about the individual grants and begin the application process.

Ignite Micro Grants

The Ignite Micro Grants program is designed to give faculty, instructors, and online program staff the ability to quickly launch small-scale projects or meet one-time costs associated with improving existing online offerings. 

Ignite Micro Grants are best suited for faculty, instructors, lecturers, and program teams who are not looking for direct support from CETLI’s Digital Strategies or Instructional Design and Technology teams to complete their proposed project. 

Grant examples:

  • Creating a new online module or redesigning a current module within an existing course. 
  • Improving an established orientation program for students or learners engaged in online programs. 
  • Piloting or deploying an existing technology or tool to improve community building for online cohorts. 

Grant amount:

Up to $5,000. 

Who can apply:

Ignite Micro Grants are open to all Penn faculty, instructors, lecturers, and online program teams. Instructors, lecturers, or online learning teams at the school or departmental level must have a standing faculty member involved in the project. The standing faculty member must be actively engaged throughout the project.  

Important application dates:

The application announcement and link to apply will be shared twice a year, at the start of the fall and spring semesters.

Applications will be accepted year-round on a rolling basis, except from May 1-June 30 and December 1-31. The application turnaround will generally be about one month.

Submit an Inquiry Form

Spark Innovation Grant

The Spark Innovation Grant program aims to support faculty and online program teams who are developing new online learning offerings in the for- and non-credit spaces.

The Spark Innovation Grant is best suited for faculty, instructors, lecturers, and program teams who have a clearly defined scope and budget for a project that will either spark sustained investment in online learning or fundamentally change online learning in their course, department, center, institute, or School.   

Grant examples:

  • Production costs or short-term freelance instructional design support for a new online course.  
  • The development of a new online non-credit or for-credit course on an important yet currently under-explored topic, issue, or field of study. 

Grant amount:

Up to $35,000. 

Who can apply:

Spark Innovation Grants are open to all Penn faculty, instructors, lecturers, and program teams. Instructors, lecturers, or online learning teams at the School or departmental level must have a standing faculty member involved in the project. The standing faculty member must be actively engaged throughout the project.  

Important application dates:

Annual Requests for Proposals and the application deadline will be announced each fall.

For 2024-2025, the application will launch on December 1 and close on February 2.

Due to the nature of large projects and the scope of CETLI’s support for Spark projects, applicants must engage in a brief consultation with CETLI at least 4-6 weeks before applying. To get started, submit an inquiry form.

Submit an Inquiry Form

For Online Program Teams

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