Donovan Trust Seeks Funding Proposals

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 7, 2016) — University of Kentucky faculty, staff and students are invited to submit proposals for the 2016-17 academic year for projects to be funded by the Herman Lee and Nell Stuart Donovan Memorial Endowment. Qualifying projects should provide for the creation of an atmosphere of culture and enrich educational opportunities by developing an appreciation of culture and beauty in the environment in which students live and study.

The endowment was created by a permanent trust in 1963 by former UK president Herman Lee Donovan and calls for "no part of this endowment ever be spent for ordinary recurring expenses of operation or maintenance, but that it be spent for what are so frequently thought of as the luxuries of an institution, such as beautiful books, for the promotion of musical programs, for acquiring beautiful pictures, for the production of flowers and shrubs, or for any investment that will promote an appreciation of the lovely and beautiful in the environment in which students live and study.”

Last year, the Donovan Trust advisory committee approved funding for four projects including

• "Cultivating Asian Soundscapes in the Bluegrass," a project that established traditional Asian ensembles in a space for world music instruction;
• "Design Library Reading Chairs," the purchase of two iconic mid-century modern reproduction "womb" chairs; 
• "Parts of a Whole: A Photo Mosaic," the purchase of a photographic art installation in the C.T. Wethington Building; and 
• "Our Beautiful Brains," the purchase of art that shows the beauty of the nervous system to hang in the lecture room where "Introduction to Neuroscience" is taught.

Awards may range from $1,000 to $15,000. Anyone interested in submitting a proposal may download a copy of the application from the Office of the Treasurer website at www.uky.edu/EVPFA/Controller/ or call Mary Fister-Tucker, chair of the advisory committee for the Donovan Trust, at 859-257-2956.

Applications must be submitted by Jan. 31, 2017. The advisory committee for The Donovan Trust will consider all eligible proposals. In some cases the advisory committee may request a more detailed proposal or request the applicant to make a presentation on the project. Applicants will be contacted if additional information or a presentation is necessary.