The Parents Council Grant Awards Program

2027-2028 requirements:

Applications are reviewed, scored, and voted on by Carolina Parents Council members.

• To be eligible to apply, applicants must be a current student-led organization or department/office at UNC Chapel Hill.
• Every applicant must have access to a University faculty or staff member who agrees to manage/support the transactions associated with awarded proposals.
• Applications must be submitted by the stated deadline (see Award Process Timeline below).
• Once Council scoring concludes, selected applicants will be invited for and must attend an in-person interview with the Council Executive Committee.
• Awarded programs will be notified in April with funding made available in July.

For your consideration, Council members value applications that express:

• Sustainability. Show that the initiative can be sustained and repeated for the future.
• Broad Reach. Show an ability to impact many students.
• Diverse Reach. Show an ability to reach diverse groups of students.
• Scalability. Show that it is possible to scale the initiative up and grow it over time.
• Alignment with Council and University values. Show that the initiative supports the University’s mission.

View the scoring rubric below to aid you in filling out your application. The rubric is used to score each application, and with the highest scoring applications moving to the final interview round.

For your consideration, the Carolina Parents Council values initiatives that:

• Offer a positive impact to Carolina students.
• Support student safety.
• Create opportunities for social engagement and building community.
• Are led by students or student organizations.
• Support community wellness and well-being.

All awards are funded directly by Council members who make an annual $1,250 contribution. This year, members will allocate up to $50,000 for overall funding to eligible and successful applicants.

The maximum award amount for each applicant is $3500.

The Carolina Parents Council will fund:

• Typical costs associated with initiatives, including but not limited to supplies/materials, printing, and travel costs.
• Food purchases, but only with specific parameters or spending limits decided on in the interview process by the Council.
• Venue costs or space rental costs that contribute to hosting the initiative.

The Carolina Parents Council will not fund:

• Tangible giveaways with no educational purpose.
• Capital expenses.
• Funding flow-through for other non-profit organizations.
• Salaries or stipends.

Please view below for the 2027-2028 award timeline. Please reach out to New Student and Family Programs at families@unc.edu for questions or concerns.

• 2026
  • Nov. 9: Application Opens at 12pm EST 
  • Dec. 7: Application Closes at 8am EST 
  • Dec. 10: Application Scoring Begins
• 2027
  • Jan. 15: Application Scoring Ends
  • Week of Jan 18th: Application Decisions/Interview Invites Sent to Finalists
  • Feb. 13: Finalist Interview Materials Due to NSFP by 11:59pm EST
  • Feb. 19: Grant Awards Interview Day  
  • Week of April 19th: Award Letters Sent to Grant Recipients  
  • May – June: Recipient Meetings with NSFP 
  • July 15: Grant Funding Available to Recipients 
  • Nov. 19: Mid-Year Report Due
• 2028
  •  Jan. 21: Award Extension Request Due 
  • May 1: Spending Deadline 
  • May 1: Final Evaluation Due