OPPORTUNITY FUNDING ALERT

COS Workshops        Student Funding Opportunities

Aging Research

Glenn Foundation for Medical Research and the American Federation for Aging Research
Breakthroughs in Gerontology Awards Sponsored by The Glenn Foundation for Medical Research in collaboration with the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR), the "Breakthroughs in Gerontology" (BIG) initiative provides timely support to a small number of pilot research programs that may be of relatively high risk but which offer significant promise of yielding transforming discoveries in the fundamental biology of aging. Two two-year awards will be made in 2010, at the level of $200,000 total ($100,000 per year), of which up to 8% may be used for institutional overhead. The amount and the duration of the award may be modified if during the review process or at the funding stage it is evident that such modifications would better serve the objectives of the program. Deadline: Dec, 15, 2009. Go to: http://afar.org/GlennBIG.html.

Arts

MAP Fund
Playwrights, choreographers, directors, composers and performers experimenting in any performance tradition or discipline.

The MAP Fund, which awards $1 million annually up to 40 projects, is supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation http://www.ddcf.org/ and the Rockefeller Foundation. http://www.rockfound.org/ MAP works to build a thriving, risk-welcoming contemporary performance field by providing project-specific funding to playwrights, choreographers, directors, composers and performers experimenting in any performance tradition or discipline. MAP believes that exploration drives human progress, in art as in science and medicine. Sometimes the path of progress is lighted by an act of the imagination on the part of the artist. MAP exists to facilitate these acts and help bring them to their fullest realization. Within that,

MAP has sought especially to support work that brings insight to the issue of cultural difference or the concept of "other" be that it class, gender, generation, ethnicity, or formal consideration. We believe that we learn as much from contrast as we do from likeness. MAP funding affords artists the deceptively rare freedom to go anywhere their imagination leads. Past grantees www.mapfund.org/sps/swish.cgi?search_phrase.grant_year=2008&confirm=1&is_2008=1 include some of the most groundbreaking artists of the last two generations, including playwrights Suzan-Lori Parks and Young Jean Lee, choreographers Bill T. Jones and Tere O'Connor, directors Reza Abdoh and Ibrahim Quarishi, and composers Steve Reich and DJ Spooky, among many others.

MAP accepts proposals in two stages. Stage 1: Online Letter of Inquiry. This is an open call requesting written information about your project and the lead artists involved. After a review by MAP staff and field evaluators, those proposals that most closely align with the MAP Fund goals are asked to make a full application. Stage 2: Full Application (by invitation). The full application requests a complete project budget, statements from the lead artists, and work samples, in addition to the information submitted in the LOI. Go to: http://mapfund.org/about.html

Cancer Research

American Cancer Society
Florida Atlantic University was awarded an American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant (ACS IRG) in 2008. This grant provides seed money for new faculty pursuing cancer-related research. The seed grants are for $30,000. In order to be eligible for a seed grant, the FAU faculty member must hold the title of Assistant Professor or Research Assistant Professor or equivalent, and has not received a national competitive research grant for their cancer-related research. Please note that if funded, there is a mandatory cost share requirement of $10,000, per award. All PIs are encouraged to talk to their deans to ensure these cost share funds will be available from their college before applying.

Applications for this second round of seed grants are due Nov 10, 2009. The grant application should contain the following sections: (1) Specific Aims, (2) Background and Significance, (3) Experimental Design, (4) References, (5) NIH/NSF formatted bio sketch and (6) Budget. Parts (1)-(3) should be no longer than 10 pages, including figures and tables, using single spacing and 11 point Arial font. Part (6) should be 1 page. No appendix materials are to be included.

Questions about the grant application process should be directed to Dr. Ramaswamy Narayanan rnarayan@fau.edu. Applications should be submitted electronically as PDF files to Ms. Evelyn Hall ehall@fau.edu. Following the review of proposals, it is anticipated that grants will be awarded with a Jan 15, 2010 start date.

Dept of Defense - Breast Cancer
The Fiscal Year 2009 (FY09) Defense Appropriations Act provides $150 million to the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP) to support innovative, high-impact breast cancer research. This program is administered by the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) through the Office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). FY09 BCRP program announcements and application instructions for the following award mechanisms are anticipated to be posted on Grants.gov in October 2009. For the pre-announcement, go to: http://cdmrp.army.mil/pubs/press/2009/09bcrppreann.htm

Conservation Awards

Conservation Leadership Program - 2010 Conservation Awards
The Conservation Leadership Program (CLP) aims to promote the development of emerging conservation leaders and equip them with the capacity to address the most pressing conservation issues of our time. This is done by providing small grants, training, mentoring and networking opportunities, where award winners gain practical skills and experience and develop leadership capabilities through the implementation of projects focused on high-priority biodiversity conservation issues. This year CLP is accepting applications from teams working across Africa, Asia, Eastern and South-eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean. Available awards include: Future Conservationist Awards: 20 awards of up to $12,500 each; Conservation Follow-up Awards: 5 awards of up to $25,000 each (available only to previous CLP award winners); Conservation Leadership Awards: 2 awards of $50,000 each (available only to previous CLP award winners) Successful applicants will: 1) Develop the knowledge, skills and abilities of team members; 2) Implement a focused, high-priority conservation project combining research and action; and 3) Contribute to the long-term success of local conservation efforts. All teams submitting an application will receive feedback on their proposal.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact a member of the CLP team well before the application deadline for advice on project eligibility, methods and project activities. The CLP can also put teams in touch with local partner offices or other experts who can provide additional advice. A representative from each award-winning team will be invited to attend an international training event and the International Congress for Conservation Biology in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in June/July 2010 organized by the CLP. These events will allow winners to share ideas and experience, develop new skills and network with their peers and experts. Deadline: Nov. 6, 2009. Go to: http://www.conservationleadershipprogramme.org/

Education

The South Financial Group Foundation
Education Learning Focus: How will this effort lead to improved and more active learning for primary and secondary age students? How will improvements in learning be measured? Other Community Initiatives: If the grant proposal relates to health and human services and/or arts and culture, please define how this program fosters improvement in the community served by the project, especially with regard to education. http://www.thesouthgroup.com/community/foundation.aspx

Environment

Surdna Foundation - Environment Program
The Surdna Foundation's Environment Program is national in scope and supports a healthy natural environment, the foundation upon which human communities flourish. The Foundation believes that the social and economic concerns of communities are inextricably, and crucially, linked to the natural world. Today, the environment is at great risk due to the interrelated threats of global climate change, biodiversity loss and unsustainable levels of resource consumption. The Foundation's goals are to: build support for programs to stabilize climate change http://www.surdna.org/programs/programs_show.htm at the local, state and national level; improve transportation systems and patterns of land use http://www.surdna.org/programs/programs_show.htm across metropolitan areas, working landscapes, and intact ecosystems; and, safeguard the biological diversity and productivity of U.S. domestic oceans http://www.surdna.org/programs/programs_show.htm?doc_id=314245&attrib_id=12037#Oceans.

Across each of these areas, our strategic approach involves a mixed portfolio of grants that together will build the capacity of non-profit organizations and key constituencies to set the stage for policy change; advance federal, state, regional, and city policy reforms; and ensure the implementation of innovative practices and their adoption by the public and private sector. We have a strong preference for the development of both policy and market based mechanisms for change. Underlying our grant making is a recognition that a diversity of people and interests must participate in addressing environmental problems and devising the solutions, and that the next generation of environmental leadership will be created from these ranks. Deadlines: None. Send a Letter of Inquiry prior to a Full Proposal which is by invitation only. Go to: http://www.surdna.org/programs/programs_show.htm?doc_id=314245&attrib_id=12037

Fellowships

US Dept. of Energy - Graduate Fellowship in Science, Mathematics and Engineering
New Up to $12.5 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be awarded in early 2010 to support at least 80 graduate fellowships to U.S. students pursuing advanced degrees in science, mathematics, and engineering through the newly created Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Fellowship program. The goal of the fellowship program is to encourage outstanding students to pursue graduate degrees in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, engineering, and environmental and computer sciences - fields that will prepare students for careers that can make significant contributions in discovery driven science and science for national needs in energy and the environment. To be eligible for the Fellowship, applicants must be U.S. citizens and currently a first or second year graduate student enrolled at a U.S. academic institution, or an undergraduate senior who will be enrolled as a first year graduate student by the fall of 2010. Applicants must be pursuing graduate study and research in the physical, biological, engineering and computational sciences. Each fellowship award will be $50,500 per year for three years to provide support for tuition, living expenses, research materials and travel to research conferences. Deadline: Nov. 30, 2009. Go to: http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/SCGF.html

National Science Foundation - Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP)
The Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF 09-603) awards fellowships for graduate study leading to research-based master's or doctoral degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) relevant to the mission of the National Science Foundation. NSF Graduate Research Fellowships are intended for individuals in the early stages of their graduate study. All applicants are expected to have adequate preparation to begin graduate level study and research by summer or fall of 2010. In most cases, this will be demonstrated by a bachelor's degree earned prior to Fall 2010. Deadlines: Various - Nov. 2 - Nov. 12, 2009. Go to: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2009/nsf09603/nsf09603.htm

American Association for the Advancement of Science - Fellowships
For 36 years, the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowshipshave provided scientists and engineers with a unique opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills to national and international issues in the federal policy realm, while learning first-hand how to craft policy in Congress and implement policy in more than 15 federal agencies. AAAS seeks candidates from a broad array of disciplines, ethnicities and disability status. Fellows represent a spectrum of career stages, from recent PhD graduates, to faculty on sabbatical, to retired scientists and engineers. Fellows also come from a range of sectors, including academia, industry, non-profit organizations and government labs. Stipends: $73,000 - $95,000; relocation allowance, up to $4,000; insurance, up to $4,000 for fellowship assignment-related travel, conferences, and/or/training. The year-long program includes orientation, monthly seminars, skill-building workshops, career sessions, and networking events. Deadline: Dec. 15, 2009. Go to: http://www.fellowshhips.aaas.org/

Finance

Lumina Foundation for Education
The Foundation supports the following types of efforts to increase awareness of the benefits of higher education, improved student access to and preparedness for college, improved student success in college and increased productivity across the higher education system: 1. Work that stimulates broad-based and systemic change. 2. Work that focuses on promoting educational access and success for underserved populations, especially low-income students, students of color, first-generation college students and adult learners. 3. Collaboration among multiple organizations and institutions to ensure comprehensive and enduring attention to students' postsecondary preparation, enrollment and attainment. 4. Projects that demonstrate capacity for long-term growth and sustainability. 5. Research or evaluation that results in new knowledge and evidence to strengthen opportunities for postsecondary access and success. 6. Work that addresses increasing efficiency, effectiveness and productivity to more cost-effectively educate a significantly larger share of the United States population. Areas of interest: Educational Finance, Educational Improvement, Educational Planning or Policy, Educational Research, Applications: Letter of Interest required. Deadline: None. Go to: http://www.luminafoundation.org/grants/

Geo Sciences

National Science Foundation - Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences
This NSF OEDG Program supports research and education in the Atmospheric, Earth, and Ocean Sciences. It is designed to address the fact that certain groups are underrepresented in the geosciences relative to the proportions of those groups in the general population. The primary goal of the OEDG Program is to increase participation in the geosciences by African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans (American Indians and Alaskan Natives), Native Pacific Islanders (Polynesians or Micronesians), and persons with disabilities. A secondary goal of the program is to increase the perceived relevance of the geosciences among broad and diverse segments of the population. The OEDG Program supports activities that will increase the number of members of underrepresented groups who: are involved in formal pre-college geoscience education programs; pursue bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees in the geosciences; enter geoscience careers; and participate in informal geoscience education programs.

The OEDG Program offers three funding Tracks: OEDG Planning Grants; Track 1: Proof-of-Concept Projects; and Track 2: Full-Scale Projects. The new OEDG Planning Grants track supports planning workshops, conferences, symposia and related short-term activities that facilitate either: development of new strategic plans to implement systemic, community-wide programs to broaden participation in the geosciences; or, development of new partnerships or collaborations between multiple institutions seeking to establish sustainable projects that address the goals of the OEDG program. Deadline: Nov. 3, 2009. Go to: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08605/nsf08605.htm

Mathematics - Topology

National Science Foundation - Topology
The Topology Program (PD 04-1267) supports research on algebraic topology, including homotopy theory, ordinary and extraordinary homology and cohomology, cobordism theory, and K-theory; topological manifolds and cell complexes, fiberings, knots, and links; differential topology and actions of groups of transformations; geometric group theory; and general topology and continua theory. Deadline: Nov. 3, 2009. Go to: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5551&WT.mc_id=USNSF_39

Medical Research Programs

Dept. of Defense - Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs
This URL provides a listing of CDMRP research programs and funding opportunities, including food allergies, lung cancer, multiple sclerosis, orthopedical, spinal cord injury, ALS, autism, breast cancer, Gulf War illness, neurofibromatosis, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer brain injury. Go to: http://cdmrp.army.mil/

Multiple Sclerosis

Dept. of Defense, Army - USAMRAA - Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Metric Development and Validation Grant
The overall goal of this award is to accelerate advances in MS research. Proposals should address a central critical problem or question in MS research. Examples include, but are not limited to, prognosis metrics; disease activity or severity metrics; novel methods for integrating and validating existing data sets; metrics targeting specific subgroups within the MS population; and clinical/research metrics such as biometrics, cognitive disability metrics, imaging metrics, quality of life metrics. $1.4 million is available for this program. Deadline: 11/24/2009. Go to: http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&flag2006=false&oppId=48021

Oceanography

National Science Foundation Centers and Facilities
This NSF program (PD 98-5410) supports construction, conversion, acquisition, and operation of major shared-use oceanographic facilities. The University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) schedules these facilities and expeditionary programs. This program supports expensive facilities that are necessary for NSF-funded research and training of oceanographers. Examples of these facilities are ships, submersibles, large shipboard equipment, and shared-use instruments to collect and analyze data. Deadline: Nov. 1, 2009. More at http://www.nsf.gov/funding/

Of Interest

Community of Science - Workshop - Oct. 16, 2009
Sponsored by the Office of Sponsored Research and the Wimberly Library Information Literacy and Instructional Services Department, a Community of Science workshop will be presented by Dr. Darlene Parrish and Bruce Barron; on Friday, Oct. 16, 11 a.m-12:30 p.m. in Rm. 136, Wimberly Library, Boca Raton campus. Register online at http://www.fau.edu/research/osr/registration-cos.php.

Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County
Grant Seeking & Writing Workshops for Non-profits This course is for novice grant writers and will review the basics of seeking and writing grants for nonprofit organizations. The grant-seeking portion of the course will focus on resources available to charities to find grant opportunities and match your agency's program with the right funding source. The grant writing part of the course will focus on how to be prepared for writing grants, how to review grant application instructions; i.e. Requests for Proposals, and the main components of a grant. Many examples and samples will be provided. This course is only for organizations who wish to seek funding as a "charitable/non-profit" organization. Course materials are not intended to serve agencies who are seeking business grants or individual loans. When: Oct. 14, Oct. 19, 2009. Where: Anderson Room, Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County, 2300 High Ridge Road, Boynton Beach, FL 33426; Phone: 561-740-7000 or 1-800-331-1462; Fax: 561-835-1956. To register, go to: http://www.cscpbc.com/traindate

Smithsonian Lectures: "Breaking Barriers Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: Women and Leadership in Science and Society"
Sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution, Office of Sponsored Projects, with Navy Medicine, the Graduate School of Nursing at the Uniformed Services University and its Faye G. Abdellah Research Center, this final conference of the 2009 Smithsonian Series will offer an in-depth panel discussion by women of science reflecting with one another upon their own journeys and the meaning these journeys have for the next generation of women and men whose future rests upon our fidelity to the passion for equality. Nov. 5, 2009, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Location: Smithsonian Quadrangle Lecture Hall, 1000 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20560. Go to: http://www.thechiefinformationgroup.com/conference/smithsonian/0911SIAgenda.pdf

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Prior Opportunity Alerts

October 2009