JASPA awards a limited number of Innovation Grants each academic year to advance the goals and values of JASPA. These grants support projects that apply current research to address pressing issues in Jesuit student affairs.
While all projects aligned with the goals and values of JASPA are welcome, special consideration will be given to proposals that support inherent dignity of all people. Projects that foster collaboration across departments and/or across institutions are encouraged.
Application
Timeline
Applications are now open for the JASPA Innovations Grants will be given to
Proposals will be accepted until all available funding has been awarded; however, priority consideration will be given to proposals received by Monday, April 13, 2026.
Decisions will be made and communicated between May and June, and grants will be awarded in the new fiscal year.
Selection
Up to $10,000 is available annually across all projects. Typically, the committee awards funding to multiple projects rather than awarding the full amount to a single proposal. Funding decisions are based on merit, feasibility, and potential impact of each project. Applicants may be contacted with follow-up questions to clarify project outcomes and stewardship of resources.
Requirements
Projects should address one or more of the following JASPA goals:
- To articulate and promote the distinctive mission, traditions, and values of Jesuit Catholic higher education;
- To engage contemporary culture and explore contemporary issues that impact Jesuit Catholic higher education;
- To develop and disseminate standards and best practices that advance the work of student affairs professionals at Jesuit Catholic colleges and universities;
- To provide leadership on national issues of importance that impact Catholic higher education.
Projects should promote one or more of the following JASPA values:
- Excellence: a commitment to professional engagement in practice and scholarship
- Integrity: a commitment to professional ethics and Ignatian spirituality
- Service: a commitment to work that promotes justice
- Inclusion: a commitment to supporting diverse leadership and participation
- Leadership: a commitment to values-based leading and learning
Eligibility
Grant applications will be accepted from the following:
- Student affairs professionals at JASPA institutions;
- Faculty members in higher education or student affairs graduate programs at JASPA institutions for projects specifically on Jesuit and/or Catholic higher education;
- Doctoral students in higher education programs at JASPA institutions for dissertations specifically on Jesuit and/or Catholic higher education;
- Doctoral students who are affiliate members of JASPA for dissertations specifically on Jesuit and/or Catholic higher education.
Questions?
Please contact the chair or vice chair with questions about the Innovations Grants:
Patrick Rogers, Chair - College of the Holy Cross - progers@holycross.edu
Jonathan Hinrichs, Vice Chair - Boston College - jonathan.hinrichs@bc.edu
Past Grant Recipients
2025
Executive Functioning Coaching
Rachel Pierce
Rockhurst University
Inspiring and Supporting Social Action Among Arrupe Participants
Marissa Browne & Brianna Diaz
Boston College
Empowering BIPOC Students with Mental Health Support from Barbers and Stylists
Jenny Lee
University of San Francisco
Enhancing Immersion Experiences for Student Leaders
Fatemeh Hosseini
Georgetown University
Free Speech and Civil Dialogue Study
Emily Calderone
Loyola University Maryland
HAWK: Health and Well-Being Kits
Marci Berney
Saint Joseph's University
Hawk Values Ambassador
Joseph Peltzer
Saint Joseph's University
Main Character Energy: Women as Protagonists in Catholic Higher Education
Annie Selack
Georgetown University
Manresa Living Community
Shawn Kenney, Trevor Kelly SJ, & Lizzie Jáuregui
Saint Peter's University
Period Equity Project
Christina Roby
University of San Francisco
Restorative Practices Training
Ayaka Dohi, Melkam Tesfaye, & Sierra Pancoast
Gonzaga University
The Learning Lounge: A Sensory Friendly Place
Sara Keenan & Anna Hinck
Rockhurst University
2024
Mental Health First Aid
Dr. Jason Parcover
Loyola University Maryland
Exploring What Factors Influence How Female Undergraduate Students Make Meaning of Their Personal Boundaries for Consent
Briana Maturi
Loyola Marymount University
First-Gen Forward
Lisa Mankovskaya, Nancy Komada, PhD, Elizabeth Lee, PhD
Saint Joseph's University
SPEAR Program
Jamie Bartlett, PhD
Gonzaga University
Building a Restorative Culture
Danielle Phillips
Saint Louis University
2023
Queer Book Fair: Celebrating culture with the written word
Jamie Bartlett, PhD
Gonzaga University
The A Team
Sarah Shaaban
Arrupe College of Loyola Chicago
Cura Apostolica: Jesuit Higher Education’s Support for the Development of Social Justice and Inclusion Professional Competencies in Student Affairs
Lisha K.M. McGrue
Loyola Marymount University
One Family: First-Gen Family Pre-Fall Program
Mary Beth Mudric
Loyola University Maryland
Student DEI and Mission Liaison Program
Dr. Victoria L. Martin
Saint Louis University
SJU's "All-Inclusive": The OLR Sensory-Friendly Study Space
Kris Goldberg
Saint Joseph's University
2022
Student Mental Well-Being Support Fund
Cynthia Terry
Loyola University Maryland
Root to Rise Retreat: A Retreat for Sexual Assault Survivors
Eileen T Suhrhoff, Psy.D.
Boston College
USF Gender Inclusive Housing Welcome Day
Malibu Taylor
University of San Francisco
Nourish LUC
Mira Krivoshey
Loyola University Chicago
2021
Introducing the Ignatian Organizational Culture Framework for Student Facing Staff at Jesuit Universities
Patrick Furlong
Loyola Marymount University
Campus Sensory Room: Serving & Supporting a Diverse Student Population
Kendra Johnston, Andrew Erdmann & Sarah Zimmerman
Saint Louis University
Casa Belize Cultural Exchange & Literacy Project
Brian Sokol & Tom Hare
Saint Louis University
DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) Student Leadership Series
Matthew Quick & Leslie Doyle
Rockhurst University
2020
Black Women Matter: A Retreat
Katie Dalton
Boston College
Graduate Leadership Program
Carole Hughes
Boston College
Restorative Justice Conference Facilitators Apprenticeship & Phase Two Implementation
John Orozco, Julia Wade & Schoene Mahmood
Loyola Marymount University
2019
Professional Development for Women of Color Student Affairs Administrators
Paige Gardner
Loyola University Chicago
Radical Hospitality
Ophelie Rowe Allen
Fairfield University
Sophomore Cura Experience
Ashley Williams, Joe Saucedo & Betsi Burns
Loyola University Chicago