AQHF Research Program Guidelines

Researchers may request funding for a one-year grant period. Proposals for projects of more than one year’s duration must be re-submitted each year thereafter for recurrent consideration. If a project was awarded funding in the previous year, it will be evaluated on individual merit and is not guaranteed continued funding. The average research grant awarded will vary based on the program area and funding category.

Once awarded, an equine research grant agreement outlining the terms and conditions of award will be forwarded to the non-profit institution's office of sponsored programs for execution. Funding will be awarded in three installments, with the final grant installment contingent on the completion of the designated research.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Submitted proposals should be double spaced with exception to the IACUC, References, Glossary and CV pages which may use mixed spacing. However, all proposals must follow the format order provided below and use a minimum 12-point font with one inch margins.

Lay Summary: include a one page brief summary of the project using lay terminology. The summary should contain justification for the project, what the project is trying to accomplish, how you plan to accomplish it, and how it applies to AQHA and the horse industry.

Animal Care and Use Form: a one page letter or memorandum from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) indicating the project has been submitted for review is required for consideration of the project. Upon award of grant funding, final approval by the IACUC is required before funds may be disbursed by AQHF.

Research Plan: the research plan should include a timeline, justification, objectives, materials and methods, and expected outcome(s). Timelines may be submitted in narrative or graphical formats. This section may not exceed 10 pages.

Literature Review: include a critical summary of what the scientific literature says about your specific research topic. The number of pages available for this section is at the researcher’s discretion, but is subject to the maximum proposal limit of 30 pages.

References: provide references specific to the topic along with the literature review, and listed separately from the research plan. The number of pages available for this section is at the researcher’s discretion, but is subject to the maximum proposal limit of 30 pages.

Glossary of Terms: a glossary of terms, including associated acronyms, relevant to the research plan should be included in a separate section from the research plan. The number of pages available for this section is at the researcher’s discretion, but is subject to the maximum proposal limit of 30 pages.

Facilities: describe the facilities and equipment available to conduct the proposed research. A description of the facilities must not exceed one page.

Curriculum Vitae: provide a Curriculum Vitae for each faculty investigator involved in the research. Each CV should not exceed two pages, and should include the researcher’s academic rank, education and training, a list of pertinent publications, and current funded research relevant to the proposal.

BUDGETARY GUIDELINES

General Research Grant: Proposed projects in the general category are not limited to a maximum grant request amount. However, current budgetary limitations include:

  1. AQHF will not fund salary of principal investigator(s), indirect costs (i.e., facilities and administration costs, etc.), the purchase of capital equipment or travel to scientific conferences.
  2. AQHF will not fund overhead no matter how it may be defined.
  3. AQHF will fund salaries of additional personnel such as lab technician(s) and student worker(s).
  4. AQHF will fund graduate student salary or tuition at the resident rate, provided more than 50% of the student's time is being spent on the project and documentation accompanies the grant proposal (i.e., must include copy of tuition and fees for graduate students from university catalog).
  5. AQHF will fund benefits based on time committed to the project. Documentation outlining the formula for determining fringe benefits and items included as fringe benefits must accompany the grant proposal.
  6. AQHF will fund consumable supplies, service contracts and publication costs.
  7. **AQHF will fund the purchase, lease and care of horses. If horses are purchased, salvage value must be documented and deducted from the cost.

Young Investigator Award: Specialized grant funding is available for MS and PhD level graduate students or DVM/VMD level residency interns. Investigators should be graduate or residency students who are currently enrolled in a graduate sciences program. Research performed should be mentored by a graduate level advisor, major professor or senior faculty PhD or DVM/VMD mentor.

Funding will support projects with focused scope and objectives in a specified field of equine research. Research should be completed within a one-year period with a viable outcome leading to publication following project completion. Requests should not exceed $20,000, with the following budgetary limitations:

  1. AQHF will fund graduate student salaries or tuition at the resident rate, provided more than 50% of the student's time is being spent on the project and documentation accompanies the grant proposal (i.e., must include copy of tuition and fees for graduate students from the university catalog).
  2. AQHF will fund consumable supplies, service contracts and publication costs.
  3. **AQHF will fund the purchase, lease, and care of horses. If horses are purchased, salvage value must be documented and deducted from the cost.
  4. AQHF will not fund indirect costs (i.e., facilities and administration costs, etc.), or travel to scientific conferences.
  5. AQHF will not fund overhead no matter how it may be defined.

Applied Practices Grant: Proposals should be one-year in length and structured in a manner to address questions that will provide horse owners with information on how they can improve the care and welfare of their horses in a reasonable and practical manner at completion of the proposed research. Anticipated results from these proposals are expected to be more widely applicable and of interest to a large segment of the AQHA membership. The goal of the Applied Practices Grant is to demonstrate real-world relevance of the proposed research and how it ensures continued best practices and appropriate horse care and management strategies. Proposed projects are limited to a maximum grant of $30,000. Additional budgetary limitations include:

  1. Proposals may include the purchase of materials classified as capital equipment. Materials cannot exceed $6,000 (i.e., 20%) of the proposed budget and will require a detailed justification, including an explanation for funding procurement (i.e., matching funds available, etc.).
  2. AQHF will fund salaries of additional personnel such as lab technician(s), graduate student(s) and student worker(s).
  3. AQHF will fund graduate student salaries or tuition at the resident rate, provided more than 50% of the student's time is being spent on the project and documentation accompanies the grant proposal (i.e., copy of tuition and fees for graduate students from the university catalog).
  4. AQHF will fund fringe benefits based on time committed to the proposed project. Documentation outlining the formula for determining fringe benefits and items included as fringe benefits must accompany the grant proposal.
  5. AQHF will fund consumable supplies, service contracts and publication costs.
  6. **AQHF will fund the purchase, lease, and care of horses. If horses are purchased, salvage value must be documented and deducted from the cost.
  7. AQHF will not fund salary of principal investigator(s), indirect costs (i.e., facilities and administration costs, etc.), or travel to scientific conferences.
  8. AQHF will not fund overhead no matter how it may be defined.

Refrigerator Fund for Equine Head Trauma: This fund was created in memory of the award-winning racing horse “Refrigerator” who passed due to complications of a head trauma injury. Targeted research directed at prevention, treatment, diagnostics and hospitalization or prognosis is desired, including evaluation, comparison, management and historical or retrospective analysis. Special consideration will be given to projects with a collaborative approach between departments and/or institutions. Funding requests should not exceed $50,000, with the following budgetary limitations:

  1. AQHF will not fund salary of principal investigator(s), indirect costs (i.e., facilities and administration costs, etc.), the purchase of capital equipment or travel to scientific conferences.
  2. AQHF will not fund overhead no matter how it may be defined.
  3. AQHF will fund salaries of additional personnel such as lab technician(s) and student worker(s).
  4. AQHF will fund graduate student salary or tuition at the resident rate, provided more than 50% of the student's time is being spent on the project and documentation accompanies the grant proposal (i.e., must include copy of tuition and fees for graduate students from university catalog).
  5. AQHF will fund benefits based on time committed to the project. Documentation outlining the formula for determining fringe benefits and items included as fringe benefits must accompany the grant proposal.
  6. AQHF will fund consumable supplies, service contracts and publication costs.
  7. **AQHF will fund the purchase, lease and care of horses. If horses are purchased, salvage value must be documented and deducted from the cost.

**If a project requires use of privately owned animals not under the institution's or investigator's legal ownership and/or control, additional documentation is required by AQHF to recognize the release of all parties from legal ramification (i.e., ownership release form). Procurement of this release should be stated in the project's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval letter and must be submitted prior to the project's start date and distribution of grant funding.

PROJECT REPORTING

Progress Reports: The following progress reports will be requested from the non-profit institution or grantee. Reports should be prepared by the project's principal investigator and submitted to AQHF by the stated deadline date.

  1. First Quarter Progress Report: A written report outlining and specifying the progress of research completed within the first quarter of the grant period (October 1-February 1) will be required from the grantee. Progress reports should be submitted to AQHF prior to March 1. As stipulated within the executed equine research grant agreement, the second grant installment for the approved project will be released on April 1, pending receipt of this progress report.
  2.  Re-Submission Progress Report: If submitting a research proposal for renewal to a previously approved and funded project, the principal investigator must include a progress report within the newly created funding proposal (submission deadline for proposals is November 1). This should include an update on the existing project and the timeline for its completion. Please remember, if a project was awarded funding in the previous year, it will be evaluated on individual merit and is not guaranteed continued funding. 

Final Reporting: At the completion of the approved research, the non-profit institution or grantee will be required to submit three reports as identified in the executed equine research grant agreement. Any report providing information on research findings should be prepared by the project's principal investigator. Financial reports providing an accounting of grant monies expensed toward completion of the project should be prepared by the appropriate institutional office (i.e., sponsored research, etc.) with input from the project's principal investigator.

The following reports should be submitted within 30 days of the agreed completion date of the funded project (i.e., no later than December 31):

  1. Scientific Report: Written report detailing the scientific research findings of the funded project. Reports should include a title page, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and references sections. Within these sections, the principal investigator should describe the research performed and the status of the project, including objectives, outcome(s), scientific findings, and the actual timeline of project completion. Timelines may be submitted in narrative or graphical formats.
  2. Laymen's Report: Written report providing overview, objectives, findings, and conclusions sections prepared in laymen's terms. Ideally, report information should contain key insights from the research performed and how these takeaways will impact future research, practical application and/or prescribed treatments.
  3. Financial Report: Financial accounting of project expenses related to the completion of the approved research. Statements should include summarized expenditures for the period of the grant (i.e., October 1-September 30).

Publication(s): Upon completion of the research, the principal investigator should submit a copy of the resulting article(s) and/or publication(s). This may also include abstracts, manuscripts and other peer-reviewed papers ready for publication. Grantees are asked to include American Quarter Horse Foundation (AQHF) as a grantor in all resulting publications and presentations.