Wellness Grant FAQs

There is no set number. Grant award decisions depend on the quality of applications, the total number of applications received, and the resources available. Grant submissions go through a review process; not every application is selected.

The budget range is between $200-$1,000. When planning your budget, aim for less than $50 per person participating in the wellness activity. If possible, aim for less than $35 per person.

Key considerations in our decisions include:

• Having a well-researched budget, including checking with vendors or instructors providing proposed services
• Prior needs assessment conducted to confirm the project has buy-in from colleagues
• Demonstrated buy-in from leadership in the department/workgroup
• Obtaining prior approval if the proposal involves changes to facilities (e.g., bringing in equipment or modifying the built environment)
• Clearly stated wellness activity that is at the workgroup level. Occasionally, we will fund applications supporting specific employee groups, across workgroups.
• Majority of those benefiting from the activity are benefits-eligible university employees (i.e., not postdocs, residents, fellows or hospital employees)
• Well-articulated plan to measure outcomes
• Concrete ideas to sustain the well-being practice
• Thoughtful articulation of how the activity would improve the culture of wellness
• Cost-effectiveness in terms of cost per employee (less than $50 per person is strongly encouraged; less than $35 per person is even better)
• Ability to benefit a relatively large number of people
• Demonstrated ability to offer wellness activities
• A grant award that directly supports — and is necessary for — the stated well-being activity
• Novelty of proposed concept
• In addition, if we receive multiple proposals for the same type of activity, we select the best of those proposals.

See below to understand the selection process and ensure that your team’s application is as competitive as possible:

• Read the sample application. Review the application criteria to ensure that your activities follow the SMART format. Clearly state your proposed wellness activity.
• Applications with missing, under-specified or inaccurate information will not be considered. Please check the following:
  • Before submitting your application, confirm that your activity and plans for measurement are stated in clear, unambiguous language.
  • If your proposal involves bringing a Healthy Living for Teams class to your department, complete an online request form to confirm the feasibility and price of the class before submitting your application. (Completion of the form does not commit you to holding the class if your application is not selected.)
  • If your proposal involves bringing a Stanford Recreation and Wellness group fitness class to your department, confirm cost and feasibility by emailing recprograms@stanford.edu (include whether you’re on the Stanford campus or at Stanford Redwood City) before submitting your proposal.
  • If your proposal involves bringing in an outside instructor or the purchase of equipment, please confirm pricing and feasibility before submitting your proposal.
  • If your proposal involves changes to facilities (e.g., bringing in equipment or modifying the built environment), confirm that you have gotten approval for these changes prior to submitting your application.
• Grant award decisions depend on the quality of applications, the total number of applications received and resources available. Due to these factors, we may not be able to award as many applications as we would like.
• We focus on awarding grant projects that have buy-in from colleagues and support from department leadership, with a high probability of being sustained, regardless of future funding.

Yes, we encourage teams to re-submit a proposal that was not previously selected. Before doing so, please consult the BeWell Champions team (bewellchampions@stanford.edu) if you have any specific questions. Please note that working with us to review your submission is not a guarantee for future funding.

You can, however, the aim of the grant program is to increase scope. Therefore, priority will be given to teams that have not had a grant awarded within the past 12 months.