The Arts & Humanities Initiative (AHI Program) at the University of Iowa offers grant funding for humanities scholarship and work in the creative, visual, and performing arts. There are two cycles per year (fall and spring), with 15-25 applications submitted each cycle. In a Peer Spotlight webinar, Cheryl Ridgeway (Research Support Coordinator) and Britt Ryan (Research Development Coordinator) shared how InfoReady has influenced the facilitation of this internal funding program over time.
As Cheryl notes: “The Arts and Humanities process was first run in the mid-90s. At that time, there was no electronic application system...it was all done by email, which is not ideal.”
The current setup in InfoReady provides a handy, all-in-one system for administrators, applicants, and reviewers:
Administrators
- View draft applications and activity: It's very easy and straightforward to remind applicants before the deadline approaches.
- Take individual, private application notes: Makes it easy to keep track of important details for reviewing and awarding.
- Replicate easily each cycle: “For the administrators, all previous competitions are in one place, and this makes it easy to copy and update each new competition -- no reinventing the wheel!”
Applicants
- Access materials in one place: Britt and Cheryl provide program guidelines, budget forms, and examples of past budgets.
- Submit simply, even with a variety of file uploads: Short answer questions, along with the option to upload required and extra files, make the process both consistent and adaptable.
- Receive feedback with final decision: “Notifications and comments are sent to all applicants. These are the review comments or critiques that are formally written out and they are all sent, but the reviewer names are removed. Those remain anonymous.”
Reviewers
- Receive automatic notifications: New and upcoming tasks go right into their inbox, making it easy for them to jump into action.
- Access everything they need: You can see all the custom instructions, rubrics, application materials, and the review form right in one easy-to-use interface.
- Provide feedback to complement in-person meetings: “Scores and comments are due in InfoReady 48 hours in advance of that meeting. This allows time for the administrator to capture the scores, enter them into a spreadsheet, and figure out averages.”
In the future, the University of Iowa plans to add another component to how the AHI Program is managed. Britt and Cheryl are excited to use the Progress Reports feature in InfoReady to make it easier for everyone to share their success stories after receiving funding.
We're so grateful to Britt and Cheryl for sharing their expertise in managing the AHI internal funding program. Their keen eye for detail throughout the competition makes the process a breeze for both applicants and reviewers, making the most of their InfoReady system.
