University of St. Thomas

Ireland Fund for New Initiatives

Fall 2008 Application Deadline: April 11th

 For further information, click on Ireland Fund Criteria for proposal Evaluations.

To apply: Ireland Fund Application Instructions.

 The Ireland Fund for New Initiatives encourages new programs and activities across the University that support the objectives of Beyond Career to Calling.  The grant provides one-time seed money for long-term projects that will be sustained and, ideally, institutionalized beyond the Ireland grant period by other sources of University or outside funding.  All proposals must demonstrate how they meet one or more of the three Beyond Career to Calling themes:

• Vocation to the priesthood or religious life.   Projects focused on this theme will encourage students to consider the possibilities of a religious vocation and discern whether they may be called to it.
• Vocation in a larger sense, in which the major choices students make about their future lives--career, marriage, public service, etc.--can be seen in terms of response to a call.  Projects focused on this theme may take a wide variety of forms but they must help students think about their lives as integrated wholes, not loosely related parts.  Projects that integrate faith with career preparation are particularly encouraged.
• Vocation of the University itself.  What is our institutional vocation and how do we live it out in a coherent manner?  Projects focused on this theme stimulate thinking among faculty and staff about the nature of a Catholic university or about how St. Thomas could be more faithful to its Catholic mission.  A project could focus on a single department or programs, or engage faculty or staff across departments or programs.