Mini-Grants

ACORN’s call for mini-grant submissions takes place annually in February. ACORN issues two to five grants of up to $10,000 each.
See previously funded projects

Topic

Proposals should be 1-2 pages long and include the following:

  • Description of how the proposal focuses on one or more ACORN pillars
  • Description of the interdisciplinary nature of the team and how each team member will contribute to the project
  • How an intentional partnership with community members will be cultivated within the proposed project
  • Plans to incorporate community outreach and dissemination 
  • Future direction of the proposed project, including the potential to create pilot data for further funding 
  • How the project aligns with ACORN’s mission to inform research, practice, and policy surrounding substance use, addiction, and health
  • Proposal should be submitted as a PDF

Eligibility

  • Eligibility is limited to teams that include Michigan State University employees as principal investigators or co-principal Investigators. 
  • Teams should include faculty from more than one college as principal investigators or co-investigators.
  • Priority will be given to teams that include MSU faculty or staff who are already actively engaged in scholarship focused on addiction science.
  • Teams applying for the funds are encouraged to include a community partner in Michigan as a co-principal investigator or co-investigator.

Mini-Grant Processes and Requirements
When preparing your 1–2-page (max) PDF response to this RFP, please adhere to the following requirements and guidelines: 

  1. The responder’s proposal should consist of the following sections, in the order listed below:
    1. Title
    2. Identify which of the five pillars will be the focus of your project
    3. Project description
      • Clearly demonstrate intentional partnership with community members
      • Incorporate community outreach and dissemination
    4. List of key partners and their roles
      • MSU faculty or staff required from two or more colleges, with priority given to applications with student involvement
    5. Future direction of project/proposal
      • Research proposal
      • Ensure community engagement
    6. Align with ACORN’s mission to inform research, practice, and policy surrounding substance use, addiction, and health
    7. Processes and requirements
      • Include projected budget
  2. Reporting Requirements:
    1. Present project findings as a PowerPoint to the ACORN Collaborative that describes the following:
      • Money spent
      • Timeline
      • Actions completed
      • Next steps/future directions
    2. 6-month progress presentation to the ACORN Collaborative in November 2025
    3. Final presentation May 2026

More Information

Contact
Cara Poland, M.D., M.Ed.

Sponsors of Mini-Grants

College of Human Medicine; College of Social Science