College students with a yen to combine travel and personal enrichment have until Jan. 17 to apply for grants from the Rhode Island Foundation through the Michael P. Metcalf Memorial Fund (www.rifoundation.org/Scholarships/ScholarshipFellowshipOpportunities/MichaelPMetcalfMemorialAward/tabid/662/Default.aspx0.  

College freshmen, sophomores and juniors can receive fellowships of up to $5,000 to pursue self-designed projects that broaden their perspectives and enhance personal growth. Permitted uses include travel in the United States and abroad as well as participating in internship and public service programs. Grants cannot be used for standard semester-abroad programs or for post-graduate travel. 

Established in 1989 to honor the late publisher of the Providence Journal, the Fund has enabled at least 89 students to gain experience in locations from Appalachia to Zaire. Past recipients have traveled throughout Europe visiting landmarks of Western historical and political thought, done a medical internship in Tanzania and volunteered at a Costa Rican orphanage. 

Applicants can attend any college or university, but must have been legal residents of Rhode Island for at least five years prior to the Jan. 17, deadline to apply. Grants are not intended for the purchase of equipment or other capital expenses. Applications must include a thorough description of the proposed activities, demonstrate clear purpose and show financial need.

Criteria for evaluating applications include clarity and thoughtfulness, creativity, motivation, evidence of self-direction and initiative and financial need. At the conclusion of their project, recipients must submit a final report describing the value of their experience in furthering their long-term goals.