Resources Adoption Grant

The Open Educational Resources (OER) Adoption Grant is a funding initiative managed by the University Libraries at Western Michigan University. The grant is designed to encourage faculty and instructors at the university to adopt openly licensed educational materials in place of commercial textbooks. The overarching goal is to support student affordability, improve accessibility, and enable greater flexibility and customization in teaching materials. By incentivizing the transition to open educational resources, the university also seeks to enhance teaching practices and promote the long-term use of cost-free instructional content. This grant specifically supports the adoption—not adaptation or creation—of existing open textbooks or open course materials. Eligible faculty must demonstrate how they will replace previously purchased materials with openly licensed alternatives or free-to-use resources such as library-provided ebooks or course reserves. The funding helps transition traditional courses to ones using open access resources, thereby reducing the financial burden on students. Additionally, faculty have the opportunity to tailor materials to better align with pedagogical goals and student learning needs. A total of ten grants of $1,000 each are available for faculty and instructors who are scheduled to teach in spring, summer, or fall of 2026. Preference is given to proposals for undergraduate courses with high enrollment, which are likely to yield greater cost savings and broader impact. Selected recipients will be notified after review and evaluation based on the expected student impact and estimated cost savings. Applicants are required to complete an online application that outlines their replacement of commercial textbooks with open alternatives. If selected, grant recipients must meet with the Scholarly Communications Librarian, submit a syllabus for the targeted course, complete a faculty survey post-instruction, and invite students to complete an optional feedback survey. The grant funds are disbursed upon completion of the project and can either be paid directly to the individual (subject to tax) or deposited into a university research account following WRAP (Western Michigan University Research Acceleration Program) policy guidelines. The application window opens on October 6, 2025, and all proposals must be submitted by November 21, 2025. Award notifications will be issued by December 5, 2025. There is no mention of recurring grant cycles, and applicants should adhere strictly to the current cycle’s deadlines. Questions about the grant program may be directed to Michele Behr, Scholarly Communications Librarian at Western Michigan University.

Proposals for high-enrollment undergraduate courses receive priority; emphasize cost savings and student impact.