ICAST 2026 Seed Grant Opportunity

The Institute for Community and Society Transformation (ICAST) is pleased to announce $20K seed grant funding opportunities. One purpose of this opportunity is to foster the creation and/or development of multidisciplinary research teams in key areas related to community and society transformation. A second purpose is to increase conpetitiveness of OU multi-disciplinary research teams to compete for external funding. In line with ICAST's mission and strategic plan, this seed grant opportunity focuses on proposals that align with any of the areas of emphasis below. If you have questions regarding the appropriateness of your proposal for this opportunity, please contact icast@ou.edu. Proposals may focus within or across these areas.

Areas of Interest

Health & Opportunity
Education
Data, Technology, and Society
Native Nations Partnering

Submission Details

We encourage submissions from ICAST affiliates from any of the Norman campus programs, including those located in Tulsa. Please submit a two-page summary of your research idea that includes a purpose, description of research activities, budget and budget justification, targeted/possible future funding opportunities, and a description of the team members. Each team must include two or more members drawn from different disciplines. Note: funding is not intended for conference travel.

Expectations for Funded Teams

Provide a 1-page progress report to ICAST at the 6-month mark. The progress report should describe the progress to date relative to proposed work plan and identify any risks to completing the project.
Present project at a future ICAST networking session, either during the performance period of within 1 year of completion
Work with ICAST to identify external funding sources/opportunities and engage in teaming sessions with ICAST for proposal developnent
Provide a 3-page summary at the end of the project summarizing findings and future plans. This summary should include identifying one or more potential funding opportunities that the team has pursued or will pursue that aligns with the project's topic or theme.
Work with ICAST to develop social media content and award announcement at project completion

Anticipated Timeline

Due Date - April 15, 2026, 5:00 PM, CST - submit via email to icast@ou.edu
Proposal review period - April 16 to May 5, 2026
We anticipate making 6-7 awards of $20K each for this opportunity
Anticipated award announcements - May 10 - May 15, 2026
Anticipated performance period - June 1, 2026 - May 31, 2026

Click here to download a PDF of the ICAST Seed Grant Opportunity

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Seed Grant funds eligible to be used for summer salary or international travel?

Yes, ICAST funds can be used for these purposes. If funds will be used for summer salary, teams will need to include benefits, as well as salary in the budget and budget justification portion of the two-page summary.

For a full list of allowable costs, please see below:

Faculty, Postdoc, or Research Scientists salary
Graduate Student salary
Supplies or equipment essential for the research
Human participant payments/costs
Community partner or external collaborator costs
Food and beverage to support directly relevant meetings hosted by OU PI - all food costs should be clearly requested in the proposal
Travel costs directly related to collecting data are allowed - all travel costs should be clearly requested in the proposal.

Can a team composed solely of members from the same department participate in the Seed Grant opportunity?

No. Teams may include more than one person from the same department if they reflect different disciplinary expertise, but at least one team member must be from a different department and discipline. ICAST Seed Grants are intended to foster interdisciplinary collaborations.

Can individuals outside of the University be included on the research team?

Yes. There are a couple of options for including collaborators who are not directly compensated through the Seed Grant. One option is to list the individual as a collaborator without providing salary support. Alternatively, the individual may be included as a consultant. In this case, they would need to complete the appropriate University of Oklahoma paperwork, which is typically processed through the department after the Seed Grant funds have been transferred.

Do references count toward the two-page proposal limit?

No. References do not count towards the two-page proposal limit.

Is there a required format for the two-page proposal?

No. ICAST does not require a specific format for proposal submissions.

Please reach out to kelly.peters@ou.edu with further questions.