Class of 1971 Robert J. Holtz Fund

• Undergraduate Research
• / Funding Opportunities

General Information

The Class of 1971 established this fund in honor of its 25th reunion and in memory of their classmate Robert J. Holtz to help pay the costs of research projects proposed by students. The Holtz Fund provides support for students pursuing an independent scholarly project during the academic year or summer. Funds can be used for costs of materials and supplies, toward travel costs, or for costs of the project.

Deadline

Applications and all supporting materials, including a Faculty Recommendation, are due electronically to CURF by 11:59pm on Monday, March 17, 2025 (Applicants notified by April 30).  Applications will be evaluated by a faculty committee designated by CURF. Applications with late material risk being not considered.

Eligibility and Guidelines

The Holtz Award is open to all full-time, regularly enrolled 1st year, sophomore, and junior undergraduates in good standing at any of Penn’s undergraduate schools.  International students are welcome to apply, but must be eligible to work in the US to receive funding.  International students should consult Penn Global’s Office of International Student and Scholar Services if they have questions about eligibility to work in the US. 

Research in any field is eligible for support, and the maximum award is $1,000.  Students in the College should apply for the College Alumni Society Undergraduate Research Grant. Students in the College will also be considered for the Holtz Award as funds are available.

Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to speak with potential faculty mentors as early as possible, and applicants may schedule an appointment with Dr. Kerry Milch, Associate Director for Undergraduate Research, or with Dr. Ann Vernon-Grey, Senior Associate Director for Undergraduate Research, at the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CURF), to discuss their ideas.

The Holtz grant will be administered according to the following guidelines:

1. The project shall represent original research or scholarship allowing the student to make a significant contribution to knowledge.
2. The project shall be largely conceived and executed by the student and not simply represent faculty research in which the student assists.
3. While students inherently must investigate their projects before applying for funding, grants will be made only for projects to be carried out after the proposal has been approved. Decisions will be made in April of each academic year for projects that are to be conducted during the summer or the following academic year. In no case will projects already completed be funded. Funding may not be used for expenses that have been incurred prior to the award decision.
4. These funds will be issued in the form of an award directly to the student. Please note that students receiving awards of $600 or more will be subject to taxes. In limited instances, to facilitate the purchase of restricted items, funds will be issued as a transfer to a research account within the university.
5. Each project shall have a faculty advisor who will normally be a member of Penn’s standing faculty. In some cases, a qualified adviser from outside Penn’s standing faculty may be appropriate, subject to the approval of the student’s undergraduate chair or program director. Please see Letter of Recommendation section below for instructions in cases where a student is working with a post-doctoral researcher as their mentor.
6. If several students are applying to work on aspects of the same project, each student must apply individually and describe clearly their independent research project, approach, methods, and evidence. Each student should also note in their individual application that their work is part of a larger project, and identify the other students working on aspects of the project.

Procedure for Application

Prepare your proposal in consultation with your faculty research advisor.If you have previously been awarded a CURF grant, be sure to explain in your current proposal:

• The progress you have made on the project, goals that were met, reasons for continuing AND also outline how this new project is different from your previously funded project. Proposals that are identical to previously funded submissions will not be considered.
• If your current proposal is entirely unrelated to your previously funded project, please explain why you did not continue with the original project. What was your reason for discontinuing that project and moving in a new direction?

Prepare the following six components before proceeding to the Application Form. You must request a Letter of Recommendation as part of this process. Save each document as a PDF.

1. Short abstract (~100 words): On a separate page, explain the overall goals of the project
2. Proposal (~750 words): Use the following as suggested areas to cover rather than required categories:
   1. Background: Evaluate existing knowledge and work in the area and briefly summarize/justify the proposed project’s potential contribution to the field
   2. Objectives: State the objectives and relevance of the proposed work in terms intelligible to an educated non-specialist
   3.  Methodology: Describe the design and procedures to be employed and provide a timetable and implementation plan for completion of the project
   4. Predicted Outcomes/Future Plans/Statement of Impact or Importance: Discuss some potential results to be generated from the submitted project, proposed next steps for the research, and a statement of lessons to be learned from the undertaking
3. Bibliography (no more than one page – limit of 12 items) of key scholarly works (listed in the citation format used in your discipline) providing background for your project. These may be books or articles, and they may be a mix of theoretical and empirical works that inform the project. If desired, a one-sentence annotation may be used to explain a specific item’s relevance to the project, but annotations are not required
4. Personal Statement (~250 words): Describe how this project fits with your academic, personal, or career plans for the future, and with your current academic, personal, and career interests and activities
5. Budget (Itemized and Total Overall): On a separate page list each budget item in order of priority and justify it in terms of the work proposed. Include the total amount needed to complete the project, even if this is more than the grant limit of $1000. Depending on availability of funds, the amount awarded may be less than the total amount requested.  Last year’s awards ranged from $200 to a maximum of $1,000.
   • Funding provided should be used to help defray the student’s research costs and should not be a substitute for financial aid nor for the adviser’s research funding.
   • Funds are NOT to be used as programming or course costs.
   • Funds cannot be used to pay a student stipend.
   • Conference travel, registration, poster printing etc. are NOT acceptable expenses.
   • Funds may not be used to reimburse expenses that have been incurred prior to the awarding of the grant .
   • Types of expenses to which the funds may be applied include travel to libraries, museums, archives, and research sites; living expenses that would enable the student to participate in the project (outside of academic term time), research equipment, and supplies. 
   • Funds issued to a student that are used for living expenses or to offset living expenses will be taxed. 
   • Software and capital equipment are almost never funded.
   • If funds are being sought from other sources, state the source and potential amount of such funding.
6. Transcript: Create an electronic "unofficial" version of your transcript by going to Path@Penn —> Academic Records —> Transcript & GPA, and print your transcript as a .pdf.  If you don’t have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer, download the free installer or use a Penn computer that has Adobe Acrobat installed. Do not request an official transcript from the registrar's office.  Do not upload a "locked" or official transcript.

Fill out the application form at Common Research Grant Application. You must submit all these materials in .pdf format. No other format will be accepted. 

Letter of Recommendation

As early as possible, request a letter from your faculty research advisor via the application process. Completing this form automatically generates an email to your recommender with instructions on how to upload their letter to the CURF site. Please ask your advisor to anticipate the arrival of this email (which is sometimes sorted to junk or spam folders), and inform them whether you have chosen to keep their letter confidential and waive your right of access to it.  **If a student is working primarily with a post-doctoral researcher as their mentor, then it is OK for the post-doc to write the letter. However, the supervising faculty member should include a brief paragraph in the letter indicating that they are aware of and support the proposed project.** It is your responsibility that this letter be submitted to CURF no later than midnight on the grant application due date.

The letter should:

• Discuss the project’s feasibility and the adequacy of the applicant’s preparation to complete it
• Review and comment on the student’s projected budget
• Make clear the nature and extent of the student’s contribution in formulating and carrying out the project
• Advise the student on any applicable Institutional Review Board or related issues
• Detail what supplies and/or support they are able to provide to ensure project completion
• Outline the active ways in which the student will be mentored during the research process (both in summer and beyond)

Procedures for Receiving Funding and Expectations for Grant Recipients

Students must review CURF’s information on Ethics and Compliance and complete and submit all necessary forms. All CURF-funded student researchers must complete CURF’s Research Experience Checklist and Waiver of Liability, which will be presented to recipients. Students conducting research outside the US are required to provide International Travel and Emergency Contact information on the Checklist and register their trip with Penn’s Global Activities Registry. Appropriate Environmental Health & Radiation Safety training modules must be completed, and research involving animals must be approved by the relevant University oversight committees. Students should consult with their faculty research advisors to correctly submit any necessary forms.

Funds will be issued in the form of an award directly to the student. Please note that students receiving awards of $600 or more will be subject to taxes. In limited instances, in order to facilitate the purchase of restricted items, funds will be issued as a transfer to a research account within the university.

Undergraduates receiving this funding are expected to (1) present a poster at a designated CURF event and (2) submit a research summary and photograph suitable for posting on CURF’s website. The summary should describe the project’s goals and content, what the student learned through the research experience and how participating in this research project contributed to the educational experience.

Details:

Research Offering Type

Grant, Independent Research

Location

USA, United Kingdom, International (Not UK), Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East

Undergraduate School

College, Engineering, LPS, Nursing, Wharton

Source

CURF-Administered

Contact Information