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Support for Scholarly Activity Fund (SSAF)

Overview

Yorkville University values and promotes intellectual engagement and scholarly inquiry among our faculty and academic staff. The Support for Scholarly Activity Fund (SSAF) is an internal fund that supports faculty and staff in advancing scholarly, creative, and applied research aligned with Yorkville’s academic mission and Boyer’s Model of Scholarship. The SSAF aims at fostering high-quality scholarly activities across disciplines that helps to advance knowledge, improve teaching practices, and contribute to professional and community engagement.

Two competitions annually:

  • Spring Competition: Applications due in Winter, awards announced April/May
  • Fall Competition: Applications due in Fall, awards announced November/December

Award Details

Who can apply?

Principal applicants for SSAF funds may include:

  • full- and part-time faculty affiliated with any Yorkville University campus(es) who have taught at least two terms and are scheduled to teach two upcoming terms.
  • academic administrators, librarians, or academic staff.

Group submissions are also welcome, and in such cases the principal applicant must be affiliated with Yorkville University.

  1.  

The SSAF supports a broad range of research and scholarly projects. The projects must align with Boyer’s (1990) Model of Scholarship. Eligible individuals or groups may apply for funding to support projects in one or more of these areas of scholarly activity. Applicants should identify which of the following categories best describe their project.

    • Scholarship of Discovery: The complex application of activities seeking to satisfy curiosity and the quest for new knowledge.
    • Scholarship of Integration: The synthesis and connection of knowledge across disciplines, fields, or time.
    • Scholarship of Application/Engagement: The deployment of knowledge and expertise to address real-world problems and benefit society.
    • Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL): The systematic study of and development of methods to improve teaching effectiveness, curriculum development, and pedagogy.

Maximum funding amount for each proposed project is $10,000 and funds must be expended within one year since it is awarded. Final allocations depend on merit and justification and will be decided by the SSAF Committee.

Fundable activities include, but are not limited to:

  • Research-related supplies and materials
  • Specialized software or licenses
  • Equipment and goods (become university property upon completion)
  • Research assistant compensation
  • Travel, accommodation, and meals for research activities
  • Publication and dissemination costs (editing, layout, open access fees)
  • Retroactive costs
  • General office supplies
  • Honoraria for Yorkville employees
  • Conference registration and travelling
  • Equipment already available through the university 
  • Projects must typically be completed within 12 months
  • Award holders cannot pay themselves for their time
  • No support for doctoral research or degree completion activities
  • No funding for course/program development or commercial ventures

Applications are evaluated on the following dimensions: 

  • Scholarly merit and methodological rigor
  • Alignment with Boyer’s model and institutional priorities 
  • Clarity and feasibility of the research plan 
  • Budget justification and cost-effectiveness 
  • Potential for impact and dissemination

Projects involving human participants must receive REB approval before funds can be released, but it is NOT required at the time of application. 

Yes, previous SSAF recipients may apply again, provided they have submitted the required final report for any prior awards and propose a new or clearly extended project. 

Yes, external collaborators are permitted. However, SSAF only supports research activities led by Yorkville University faculty and staff and cannot be directly transferred to other institutions. 

Typically, only one application per faculty member is accepted per competition cycle. However, faculty may participate as co-investigators on more than one proposal. 

Yes. Applicants may request summary feedback and are encouraged to revise and reapply in future cycles.

You’ll receive an SSAF Award Letter and be asked to sign an SSAF Acceptance Form confirming your agreement with SSAF terms.

Yes. All recipients are required to submit the SSAF Final Report Form within one month after the fund ends (regardless of project completion). The report should describe the project outcomes, actual use of funds, and include supporting documentation (e.g., publications, presentations, workshop materials).

Minor changes may be allowed with prior written approval from the Director of Academic Research. Email tle@yorkvilleu.ca to discuss.

SSAF funds must be used within one year after the Award Letter is released. In exceptional cases, a one-time deferral request may be submitted for review by the Director of Academic Research. 

Yes. 1:1 consultations and proposal reviews are available. Email Dr. Thu Le, the Director of Academic Research at tle@yorkvilleu.ca to book an appointment.

For all inquiries related to SSAF, contact ssaf@yorkvilleu.ca, or email Dr. Thu Le, the Director of Academic Research at tle@yorkvilleu.ca

 

SSAF Funding Cycle 

Pre-application

  • Call for Proposal: The OAR announces funding opportunities and application deadlines. 
  • Application Guidelines: Comprehensive instructions and requirements are provided for each funding cycle. 
  • One-on-One Support: Individual consultations are available to assist applicants in proposal development and address questions.

Application Review

  • Application Submission: Applicants complete the Application Form, which requires a research summary and supporting documentation (e.g., curriculum vitae, detailed research proposal). 
  • Committee Evaluation: The SSAF Committee assesses all applications using established, transparent evaluation criteria. 

Post-application

  • Funding Decisions: All applicants receive written notification of outcomes. 
  • Award Acceptance: Successful applicants execute an SSAF Acceptance Letter to formalize the funding agreement. 
  • Project Completion: Recipients submit a a final report documenting project outcomes and expenditures. 
Ready to apply?

Relevant documents 

Matthew Dunleavy wearing a pink and purple polka-dot shirt under a grey blazer with red-framed glasses and a long reddish-brown beard smiling into the camera
Matthew Dunleavy

Senior Educational Developer, Faculty Excellence and Development

mdunleavy@yorkvilleu.ca 

Matthew Dunleavy (he/him) is an educational developer and scholarly teacher with over 9+ years’ experience. He immediately joins our CTEI from York University where he was an Educational Developer with the Teaching Commons; before entering that role, he served as the Program Director of the Online Learning and Technology Consultants (OLTC) Program at the Maple League of Universities (Acadia University; Bishop’s University; Mount Allison University; and St. Francis Xavier University). In 2022, he was awarded the D2L Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning by the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) for this work.