Government Sponsored Programs and Research

Our Mission

Our mission is to provide exceptional service in assisting faculty and staff who seek external funding for projects of benefit to the University and community. GSPAR is one of the administrative units of Johnson C. Smith University and serves as the central office for coordinating proposal submissions, internal grant reviews, compliance and overall management of government grants and contracts for the university.

The Office of Sponsored Programs strives to become a model within this institution, and beyond, for providing exemplary services to the campus community in its efforts to engage in scholarly activities and a pillar for institutional financial stability and student retention. attain recognition as a successful private undergraduate research institution by:

Serving as an advocate for research and related activities.
Facilitating a supportive research environment to enhance intellectual discovery, creative problem solving, and the dissemination and application of knowledge.
Offering superior support services to our stakeholders and customers, and
Establishing external beneficial collaborations and partnerships.

Working Together in a new Era of Excellence

GSPAR is here to assist researchers through all phases of the grant lifecycle. A successful grant lifecycle requires collaboration between GSPAR staff and researchers. The graphic below gives a few examples of how GSPAR staff and researchers work together to conduct stellar federally funded research.

PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT GSPAR pre award staff will assist researchers with all aspects of proposal development and submission. PROJECT START UP Post-award staff will meet wit researchers with financial and support related to project start-up. 01 02 GSPAR Staff AWARD MANAGEMENT Post-award staff will assist researchers with all financial, monitoring. and reporting requirements for your Brant 03 04 CLOSEOUT Our post-award team will assist and guide researchers through all requirements of award closeout. working w

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News stories about grants

Department News

Retool Your School Contest Announcement 2024

Johnson C. Smith University Hopes for a Three-Peat in the 2024 Home Depot Retool Your School Contest

February 26, 2024

Johnson C. Smith University has been the recipient of more than $100,000 in Home Depot Retool Your School grant funds. The Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management is looking to continue its winning streak by placing in the top five once again during this year’s Retool Your School contest. The contest begins Monday, Feb. 26, and is expected to support 30 campuses with grants ranging from $40,000 to $150,000 per school. This is the 15th year that the Home Depot has offered the contest to HBCUs to offer much-needed financial support to often underfunded colleges and universities.

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JCSU Receives $25 million gift as The Duke Endowment Celebrates a Century of Philanthropy in the Carolinas

January 23, 2024

The Duke Endowment made a big announcement last week: a $175 million gift to the four colleges and universities named in the Duke Indenture of Trust. Johnson C. Smith University is among them, celebrating a $25 million gift today. The Duke Endowment also announces $25 million grants to Davidson College and Furman University. A $100 million centennial gift to Duke was shared in November.

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Breast Cancer Study to Take In-Depth Look at Mastectomy Experiences of Older Black Women

October 16, 2023

Dr. Harriette Richard is no stranger to the challenges of breast cancer. As a three-time survivor of the disease, the JCSU associate professor of Psychology decided she wanted to explore the effect the disease has on older African-American women. Richard was awarded a $100,000 grant from Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Health to further research the connections between body image and breast cancer, specifically in the experiences of older adult African-American women’s mastectomy experiences.

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