Cyrena Pondrom Leadership Grant
Overview
The Cyrena Pondrom Leadership Grant supports students as they plan, develop and implement projects designed to improve UW–Madison and/or the surrounding community. Through the Cyrena Pondrom Leadership Grant, the L&S Honors Program hopes to bring student service project ideas to life, supporting initiatives that benefit others and create lasting change.
Pondrom Leadership Grant recipients receive scholarship funds equal to two semesters of resident, full-time tuition, plus project funds up to $3,000 as justified in the proposed project budget.
On this page
Application opens: Monday, December 15, 2025
Deadline: Sunday, April 12, 2026, at 11:59 PM
If you would like to receive feedback about your project, please consider submitting a draft of your proposal by Sunday, March 29, 2026, at 11:59 PM. More information about how to submit your proposal for feedback can be found in the FAQs.
Info sessions are typically offered in late fall and early spring for students to learn more about the application process and to ask questions. See upcoming Honors information sessions.
Who Can Apply
- Must be a declared student in the L&S Honors Program pursuing Honors in the Liberal Arts, Honors in the Major, or the Comprehensive Honors track
- Must have completed at least one academic year at UW–Madison
- Must have at least one academic year remaining at UW–Madison
- Must have a minimum 3.3 cumulative GPA at the time of application
A student can only receive this grant once.
A student may only receive one Honors grant or scholarship per funding term.
The application includes the following components:
- Questions about your academic background, goals, and mentor information.
- Proposal of no more than ten double-spaced pages with at least 1-inch margins, and no smaller than 11pt font. This proposal must be submitted as a single PDF document. The proposal will include your project title, abstract, introduction, project impact, a project implementation plan, a proposed timeline, and the intended outcomes/sustainability of the project. Download an overview of the project proposal requirements.
- Project budget. You are strongly encouraged to meet with Kendra Ramthun regarding your proposed budget before application submission. To schedule a meeting, please email kendra.ramthun@wisc.edu.
- A personal statement. You will submit a personal statement (no more than 400 words) as a PDF. We encourage students to share the following:
- your experience(s) with leadership and/or service projects
- the potential impact this project will have on you personally, academically, and/or professionally
- An unofficial UW–Madison transcript. For instructions on how to access your unofficial transcript, go to Request Unofficial Transcript.
- Two letters of support.
- One letter from a campus or community partner (uploaded to WiSH as a PDF by you).
- One letter from a UW faculty/staff mentor (submitted through WiSH by mentor).
- For more information about the expectations of these letters of support, please see the FAQ section below.
Your full application, letter from your mentor, and letter from your community partner must all be submitted by the deadline for full consideration.
The Cyrena Pondrom Leadership Grant application is available in the Wisconsin Scholarship Hub (WiSH). You can access WiSH through your MyUW or by logging in at wisc.academicworks.com.
The letter of support from your UW mentor must be submitted by them through WiSH. As soon as you begin drafting your application in WiSH, enter your mentor’s name and email address. This action will notify your mentor that a letter of recommendation is required. Begin your application as early as possible to allow your mentors time to write and submit their letter on your behalf.
The letter of support from your community partner should be written on the organization’s letterhead and signed by the individual. You will need to upload the letter as a PDF into your application in WiSH. Reach out to your community partner as soon as possible so they can begin drafting the letter.
Applicants typically hear whether they have been awarded a grant by early May.
Applications for this grant are reviewed by the Faculty Honors Committee. Applications are evaluated using the following criteria:
- Evidence of your past achievement and leadership in co-curricular or public/community service activities
- Strength, rigor, and clarity of your project proposal
- Clearly defined and justifiable project budget proposal
- Strength of letters of support
- UW–Madison mentor
- Campus/community partner organization advisor(s)
- Progress towards completing your Honors track(s)
All recipients will need to:
- Schedule meetings with Honors staff a minimum of one time each semester during the funding terms.
- Deliver a 5-10 minute presentation to the Faculty Honors Committee at the conclusion of the funding terms (typically early May).
Frequently Asked Questions
Per their website, “[t]he Morgridge Center for Public Service connects University of Wisconsin–Madison students, staff and faculty to local and global communities to build partnerships and solve critical issues through service and learning.” They have a host of resources to help you get involved and begin planning for your own service project!
You may want to start by reviewing the Morgridge Center homepage.
Additionally, you have the opportunity to learn more about meeting with a peer advisor.
If you would like to explore on your own, consider checking out their volunteer opportunities by major, cause, group, and more!
In certain situations, it may be permissible to receive additional funding to support aspects of your proposed project. Please email Kendra Ramthun (kendra.ramthun@wisc.edu) to learn more.
No. Students must be present on campus for the duration of the funding terms (fall and spring).
This grant is currently processed as a scholarship to your Student Account. Students receiving scholarships may have financial aid package adjustments. If you have questions about your financial aid and/or the potential impact of receiving this scholarship, you are encouraged to consult with the Office of Financial Aid. If you have further questions, please contact L&S Honors Program Administrator Kendra Ramthun at honorsprogram@honors.ls.wisc.edu.
Yes! If you would like to receive feedback on your application materials before your final submission, please complete the following steps:
- Complete all application requirements in WiSH (including uploading all required files), but do not click submit.
- Email Pete Keys (pkeys@wisc.edu) to notify him that you would like to receive feedback on your application materials.
- Requests for feedback must be submitted by Sunday, March 29, 2026, at 11:59 PM. You will receive comments from the Honors staff no later than Friday, April 5.
Feedback deadline: Sunday, March 29, 2026, by 11:59 PM.
Interested in more inspiration? We invite you to review recent Wisconsin Idea Fellowship awardee projects. Their projects are very similar to those funded by the Cyrena Pondrom Leadership Grant.
Please reach out to Associate Director of Admissions and Engagement Pete Keys (pkeys@wisc.edu).
Additional Resources
The Honors Program strives to make submitting a proposal as easy as possible. We strongly encourage you to meet with Pete Keys (pkeys@wisc.edu) and/or Kendra Ramthun (kendra.ramthun@wisc.edu) as you write your proposal.
Please also consider downloading and reviewing each of these materials:
- Student Planning Resource: Project Preparation Timeline
- Student Planning Resource: Project Creation Guide
- Student Planning Resource: Project Proposal Template
- Student Planning Resource: Tips for Creating a Budget
- Student Planning Resource: Tips for Success
- Student Planning Resource: Sample Leadership Proposals (Please note that these proposals may not meet current requirements. Instead, they are meant to provide a general idea of what has been done in the past.)