RSCP Funds (School-Based & Cross-School)
Purpose & Use of Funds
RSCP Funds (Research, Scholarship, & Creative Practice) include both School-Based Funds (SBF) and Cross-School Funds (CSF). Applicants should see these funds as “seed” money for starting a project, or as complimentary funds for completing existing projects.
Funding must be expended within the fiscal year (July 1 – June 30) in accordance with the university's Finance & Business procedures and Parsons' Expenses & Travel Guide.
School-Based Funds (SBF)
The Parsons School-Based Fund (SBF) supports proposals from full time faculty that generally advance the academic reputation and culture of the School by supporting faculty-driven research, public programs, scholarship, and creative practice. All Parsons full time faculty (including fixed term faculty) are eligible to apply for SBF. Faculty are only eligible for one school-based award per fiscal year.
SBF is allocated proportionally across Parsons schools based on the number of full time faculty in each school. In an effort to support as many faculty as possible, awards do not exceed $2,000 per applicant.
NOTE: Funding is contingent upon final budget approval by the university.
Cross-School Funds (CSF)
The Parsons Cross-School Fund (CSF) supports proposals that address Parsons-wide priorities. The purpose of these funds is to bring together faculty from across Parsons schools (ADHT, AMT, SCE, SDS, SOF) to advance the academic reputation and culture of Parsons by supporting faculty-driven research, to include public programs, scholarship, and creative practice. All Parsons full time faculty (including fixed term faculty) are eligible to apply as the primary applicant. Collaborations with full & part time colleagues from other schools are permitted as long as the primary applicant is a full time Parsons faculty member.
In an effort to support as many faculty as possible, awards do not exceed $1,500 per applicant.
NOTE: Funding is contingent upon final budget approval by the university.
Rounds of Funding
There are two rounds of funding each year. Funding must be expended within the fiscal year (July 1 – June 30).
Round 1: Summer
- Application Date: Opens third Wednesday of April for 5.5 weeks
- Award Notification Date: Late June
Round 2: Fall
- Application Date: Opens last Wednesday of October for 3.5 weeks
- Award Notification Date: Mid/Late December
Please reach out to parsonsops@newschool.edu with any questions or to check the balance of your current SBF or CSF.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Am I eligible for to apply for either School-Based or Cross-School Funding?
For School-Based Funds, all Parsons full time faculty (including fixed term faculty) are eligible to apply for SBF. SBF supports proposals that generally advance the academic reputation and culture of the School by supporting research, public programs, scholarship, and creative practice.
For Cross-School Funds, all Parsons full time faculty (including fixed term faculty) are eligible to apply as the primary applicant alongside faculty from another Parsons school (ADHT, AMT, SCE, SDS, SOF). CSF supports proposals that address Parsons-wide priorities.
Can part-time faculty apply for RSCP funding?
No, part-time faculty are not eligible to apply for RSCP Funding. This funding is only available to full-time faculty. If a full-time faculty member wants to hire a part-time faculty member to help with their project, they can do so with their awarded funds (as long as they go through proper channels). The full-time faculty member must work with their school’s part-time faculty affairs person to set up an MOU and payment. The FTF will be charged the part-time faculty’s payment rate as well as 35% fringe.
Can fixed-term faculty apply for RSCP funding?
Yes, fixed-term faculty are eligible to apply for RSCP Funding.
Who reviews the Cross-School and School-Based Funding Applications?
The School Deans collectively review all Cross-School Funding applications.
Each school's RSCP committee reviews their school's School-Based Funding applications. The RSCP Chair sends their recommendations to the School Dean. The School Dean can ask questions/provide their input on the recommendations. Once a final recommendation is reached, the School Dean adds the decisions to the school-based tracker on behalf of the RSCP Chair.
Once all decisions are made, Parsons Operations sends out funded and unfunded award notifications to faculty.
How is funding allocated across Rounds 1 and 2?
It is the School Deans' (Cross School) and RSCP Committees' (School-Based) discretion to decide how to allocate funding across Rounds 1 and 2. If all funding is allocated in Round 1, then that school’s faculty will not be eligible to apply for funding in Round 2.
Can faculty receive funding for both Cross-School and School-Based Funding?
Faculty can receive funding for both Cross-School and School-Based funding as long as the funding will be used for different projects. The Parsons Operations Team will flag any applications for both sources of funding that are going towards the same project before sending to the Deans Council and RSCP Committees to review.
Can faculty receive multiple Cross-School and School-Based Funding awards?
Due to budget limitations, the Deans Council may limit the amount of Cross-School awards a faculty can receive. Faculty can only receive one school-based funding award within the fiscal year (i.e. faculty cannot receive funding for both Round 1 and Round 2).
How should RSCP Committees proceed if a Committee member applied for funding?
That RSCP Committee member should recuse themselves from scoring their own application and any deliberations that involve their application. The RSCP Committee member can still score other applications.
Who should the RSCP Committee reach out to with questions?
If it is a process question, the RSCP Chair can reach out to the Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs, your School Dean, and the Parsons Operations Team (parsonsops@newschool.edu). Please see Key Contacts | Parsons Operations. If it is a question about the application specifically, the RSCP Chair can reach out to the applicant if deemed appropriate.