TCU announces Inclusive Excellence Fund to support campus DEI initiatives

By Collin J. Pittmann

TCU's new administration building, the Harrison, is home to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. (Photo by Collin Pittmann)

TCU has announced a new Inclusive Excellence Initiatives fund that aims to support campus projects regarding topics of diversity, equity and inclusion.

The fund, created by TCU’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, will provide up to $2,500 per campus project.

“Campus community members have great ideas and sometimes may need a small amount of funding to execute,” said Director of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives Aisha Torrey-Sawyer.

Students, registered campus clubs and organizations, faculty and staff are all eligible to apply for funding. The application may be accessed here.

The application has no due date and will be reviewed in the order they are received. Funding will be distributed until funds are exhausted.

“Since the funding was announced I have had conversations with individuals in the early stages of developing programming and educational opportunities,” said Torrey-Sawyer.

One campus organization, Theatre TCU Black Excellence, said they are “very excited to see new funds geared towards DEI and BIPOC works, and plan on looking into applying” for the Inclusive Excellence Fund.

The diversity and inclusion office said it will place favorable consideration towards new initiatives that include collaborative proposals.

“The Inclusive Excellence Fund is just one of several funding opportunities that donors can contribute to through University Advancement,” said Torrey-Sawyer.

Torrey-Sawyer said the fund supports the vision that all members of the campus community are “responsible for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts which should be infused into all aspects of the university.”

TCU joins a long list of universities across the country with the creation of the new Inclusive Excellence Fund. Schools including University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of Oregon and University of Kansas, to name a few, provide similar funding opportunities to their campus communities.

For more information about the Inclusive Excellence Fund, visit the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion website or contact Director of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives Aisha Torrey-Sawyer directly at a.torrey-sawyer@tcu.edu.