Clifford B. Kinley Trust

The Clifford B. Kinley Trust was established in 1978 to fund research relating to human welfare and was activated in 1991 upon Mrs. Kinley’s death. The competition is exclusive to the West Lafayette and Indianapolis campuses. For additional information, contact us via email at KinleyTrust@purdue.edu.

2025–26 Schedule

• Pre-proposals are due to the Office of Research, by 5:00 P.M. on October 20, 2025.
• Full proposal invitations will be sent to selected faculty in mid-December 2025.
• Full proposal submissions are due by 5:00 P.M. on February 2, 2026.
• Awardees will be notified by early April.

Guidelines

The Kinley Trust competition limits eligibility to faculty (tenure-track/tenured, research, clinical) principal investigators (PIs). The endowment was established to fund research which uses a social science perspective to explore methods for improving the human condition.

• maximum budget: $25,000 total costs
• project period: one year

Review criteria for pre-proposals and full proposals

Proposals will be reviewed on the following criteria:

• Impact for improving the human condition
• Clear rationale, grounded in theory and has a clear relationship to the literature
• Clear methodology, including a description of the source of human subjects and the likelihood of their successful recruitment, if applicable

Selection committee

The Kinley Trust Selection Committee is appointed by the Office of Research and consists of Purdue faculty members drawn from both the basic sciences and the social/behavioral sciences, as specified in the Trust. Committee members serve for approximately three years.

Pre-proposal process and submission requirements

Pre-proposals must be submitted directly to InfoReady by clicking the button below.

The 2025-26 deadline for submission is 5:00 P.M. on Monday, October 20, 2025. Only one application is allowed per principal investigator.

Guidelines

• provide all information requested on the pre-proposal application template
• single-spaced
• 0.5-inch margins on all sides
• font no smaller than Times New Roman 11 or Arial 10
• not to exceed one (1) page in length

Descriptions longer than one page or deviations from the above guidelines will be returned without review. References are not allowed.

Invitations to submit full-proposals will be sent to selected faculty in mid-December.

Full-proposal submission requirements

Invited full-proposals for Kinley Trust funding should be submitted through the PI’s assigned SPS pre-award unit to the application link in InfoReady (provided within the invitation to submit) by 5:00 P.M. on Monday, February 2, 2026.

Guidelines

• provide all information requested on the full proposal application template
• single-spaced
• 0.5-inch margins on all sides
• font no smaller than Times New Roman 11 or Arial 10
• not to exceed five (5) pages in length

Descriptions longer than five pages or deviations from the above guidelines will be returned without review.

Budget instructions – Full proposals only

The budget should not exceed a total cost of $25,000. Indirect costs should not be included. The project period is one year beginning May 1.

Budgets must be completed in accordance with the following:

Compensation

• Faculty/Post-doctoral Support:
  The budget should identify by name (or to be named) faculty/post-doctoral staff, the percent of full-time university effort, and the amount of salary requested. Use of funds is limited to Purdue University staff. Requested funds for faculty support exceeding one month of salary must be specifically justified.
• Graduate Research Assistants:
  The budget should indicate the number of graduate research assistants to be employed on the project, the percent of full-time university effort each will devote to the project, and the amount of salary requested for each.
• Undergraduate Student Support:
  The budget should identify the amount requested for undergraduate student support.
• Graduate Student Fee Remission:
  Budget in accordance with university policy.

Fringe Benefits
Calculated in accordance with university policy.

Equipment
Each item of permanent equipment must be separately identified along with its estimated cost. Capital equipment requests must be carefully justified and require a major cost share commitment from the college and/or department and must receive pre-approval from the Office of Research. Questions should be directed to KinleyTrust@purdue.edu.

Supplies and Expenses
The budget should identify major items of supplies and expenses by category (such as computer services, consumables, etc.).

Travel
Funds for travel are allowed but must be well justified.

Other Expenses
Graduate Fee Remissions should be included here.

Facilities and Administrative Costs
Not allowed per program guidelines.

Reporting requirements

Project expenditures will be reviewed relative to the approved budget. Changes in personnel or redistribution of funds between budget categories may require prior approval through standard university processes. Further instruction on appropriate changes in project scope and spending practices will be provided with a notice of award.

Progress reports will be required at the conclusion of the project.

Re-budget and no-cost extension

Rebudgeting and no-cost extensions are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. You should work with your business office to complete the Prior Approval Request Form. After obtaining your business office and department head approvals, please submit any prior approval requests directly to kinleytrust@purdue.edu.