OPPORTUNITY FUNDING ALERT

Community of Science Workship - November 20, 2009

American Art
Terra Foundation for American Art - Summer Residency in Giverny
Biomedical Engineering
Whitaker International Fellows and Scholars Program
Brain Tumor Research
American Brain Tumor Association - Basic Research Grants
Goldhirsh Foundation - Brain Tumor Research Awards
Community Investments
Xerox Foundation - Community Investments
Computing Research
Microsoft - Research Faculty Fellowship Program
Dance
New England Foundation for the Arts - National Dance Project
Energy - Alternative and Renewable
U.S. - Israel Binational Science Foundation - Energy Research
Engineering - Small Business Innovation
National Science Foundation - Small Business Innovation Research Program Phase I
Entrepreneurship
Kauffman Foundation - Entrepreneurs Movement
Environmental Research
Department of Defense - Strategic Environmental Research & Development
National Science Foundation - Environmental Chemical Sciences
Health Impact
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Pew Charitable Trusts Announce Health Impact Project
Journalism / Media
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation - Innovative Digital Projects
Social Entrepreneurship
Echoing Green Foundation - Fellowships
Travel
U.S. - Israel Binational Science Foundation - Travel Grants for Young Scientists
Women 35+
Jeannette Rankin Women's Scholarship Fund

Student Funding Opportunities

American Art

Terra Foundation for American Art - Summer Residency in Giverny
The Foundation offers ten summer fellowships to artists and scholars from the United States and Europe. These fellowships are awarded to artists who have completed their studies at the Master's level and to doctoral students engaged in research on American art (from the eighteenth century to the 1980s). Six fellowships are available to doctoral scholars researching a topic with a significant American art component; four fellowships are available to artists who have completed a Master's program (or its equivalent) in mixed media and/or painting. During their eight-week stay, senior artists and art historians are in residence to mentor fellows and pursue their own work. Each Terra Summer Residency Fellow is provided with lodging and study or studio space, daily lunches, and a program consisting of independent study, meetings, and seminars. Terra Summer Residency fellows are awarded a stipend of $5,000 and artists receive an additional $200 for the purchase of materials as well as lodging and study or studio space, daily lunches, and a program consisting of independent study, meetings, and seminars. Applicants must be nominated by a professor at an academic institution. Such nominees must fall within one of the two following categories: American and European doctoral candidates researching a subject that contains a significant American art component, or that examines artistic exchange between America and Europe. Candidates should be at an advanced stage of their doctoral research and writing. American and European artists who have completed a Master's program (or its equivalent) in mixed media and/or painting. Preference is given to applicants who completed a Master's program within the past five years. All applicants are expected to be fluent in English. Knowledge of French is desirable, but not required. Fellowships are awarded on the basis of the quality of the proposed project, the level of excellence and intellectual rigor or artistic creativity achieved in the applicant's previous work or studies, and the applicant's ability to engage in a community environment. A selection committee (made up of international jurors) will review applications. Fellowship recipients will be notified in March 2010. Deadline: January 15, 2010. Go to: http://terraamericanart.org/news/index.asp?key=64&subkey=1617

Biomedical Engineering

Whitaker International Fellows and Scholars Program
The Whitaker International Fellows and Scholars Program makes it possible for emerging leaders in U.S. biomedical engineering (or bioengineering) to undertake a self-designed project that will enhance their own careers within the field. In the first four years of the Whitaker Program, over sixty grants have been awarded to fellows and scholars who conducted projects in sixteen countries worldwide. For the 2010-11 competition, the Whitaker Program intends to fund approximately fifty high-quality projects. Biomedical engineers can use the Whitaker International Fellows and Scholars Program to go overseas to help further their careers as well as the field of BME. Potential overseas activities could include conducting research at an academic institution, interning at a policy institute, establishing ties between home and host institutions, or pursuing post-doctoral research. All applicants must be no more than three years from their most recent degree or be currently enrolled, and must have U.S. citizenship or be a permanent legal resident of the U.S. The Fellows and Scholars Program offers a stipend commensurate with the recipient's experience and expected expenses in the host country. For fellows, the term of the award will be for a maximum of one academic year (as defined by the academic calendar of the host country). For scholars, the term of the award will be as little as one academic semester, or up to two academic years in length (for post-doctoral research fellowships). Scholar awards generally should require a full academic year, but any length of time proposed should be appropriately justified at the time of application. Award benefits include round-trip international airfare, a monthly living stipend, health insurance, and, for fellows, tuition allowance. Deadline: January 25, 2010. Go to: http://www.whitaker.org/

Brain Tumor Research

American Brain Tumor Association - Basic Research Grants
These two-year training awards support the salaries of young researchers entering the field of brain tumor research. This is often the first award of these researchers' careers, and is coveted on an investigator's curriculum vitae. The experience provides an opportunity in which young, bright, motivated investigators learn from motivating mentors. Basic research fellowships are $80,000 payable over two-years ($35,000 salary support and $5,000 discretionary funds per year). Criteria for selection include the quality of the individual applicant, including their commitment to neuro-oncology; the quality of the training program mentorship; and the proposed research. Deadline: January 8, 2010 for Fellowships to begin July 1, 2010. Go to: http://www.abta.org/Research_Progress/2010_Funding_Opportunities/292

Goldhirsh Foundation - Brain Tumor Research Awards
The Goldhirsh Foundation was established by Bernard A. Goldhirsh in 2000, shortly after he was diagnosed with brain cancer. Since his death in 2003, the Board of Directors of the Foundation (which includes his two children) has been shaping a grant making program that reflects his values and entrepreneurial spirit. We are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of people touched by the organizations and projects we support. The Brain Tumor Research Awards Program invites proposals from scientists in non-profit academic, medical and research institutions in the United States, Canada and Israel. We seek the most promising and innovative research strategies that will translate into improved outcomes for brain tumor patients. To date, we have awarded $16.4 million to 59 outstanding investigators with one-year and three-year grants. Deadline: January 7, 2010. Go to: http://www.goldhirshfoundation.org/

Community Investments

Xerox Foundation - Community Investments
The management of Xerox continues to be committed to a policy of community investments. This policy seeks to position the corporation as an active participant in society. We believe that a corporation today has institutional responsibilities that go beyond its primary economic role. These responsibilities include a concern for the communities in which Xerox conducts business. Therefore, we will continue to assist a variety of social, civic and cultural organizations that provide broad-based programs and services in cities where our employees work and live. We also remain committed to a program of grants to colleges and universities to prepare qualified men and women for careers in business, science, government, and general education. Also to further advance knowledge in science and technology, and to enhance learning opportunities for minorities and the disadvantaged. We also invest contribution dollars in a number of organizations that contribute to the debate on major national public policy issues. Worldwide, Xerox philanthropy tries to engage national leadership in addressing major social problems and to support programs in education, employability and cultural affairs. Other areas of particular focus include programs responsive to the national concern for the environment and the application of information technology.

No specific application form is used. Requests for grants/funding should be submitted in letter form describing the project or program. This request should contain the legal name of the organization, the official contact person, its tax-exempt status, a brief description of its activities and programs, the purpose for which the grant is being requested, the benefits expected, the plans for evaluation, the projected budget, and the expected sources and amount of needed funds. Also, any additional factual material related to the organization or the request that may be useful for evaluation, a copy of the latest annual financial statement should be included. Contribution reviews take place monthly and the Board of Trustees meet several times a year. Large grants may be approved for more than one year (multi-year grants). Deadline: None. Go to: www.xerox.com/downloads/usa/en/x/xerox_foundation_policy_guidelines.pdf

Computing Research

Microsoft - Research Faculty Fellowship Program
Microsoft Research http://research.microsoft.com/ seeks nominees who are advancing computing research with the potential to create significant impact on the state of the art, and who demonstrate the likelihood of becoming thought leaders in the field for the 2010 Microsoft Research Faculty Fellows Program. The Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship Program is designed to identify, recognize, and support exceptional new faculty members engaged in innovative computing research. The objective of the program is to stimulate and support creative research undertaken by promising researchers who have the potential to make a profound impact on the field of computing in their research disciplines.

The fellowship was previously known as the Microsoft Research New Faculty Fellowship in the United States and Microsoft Research European Fellowship in Europe. In 2010, the reach of these programs has broadened: Microsoft Research will name seven fellows chosen from nominees from Latin America and the Caribbean; Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; the United States; and Canada.

Each fellowship award includes an unrestricted cash gift of $200,000. The funds can be applied to a wide variety of uses to pursue novel research. Examples of possible research areas include, but are not limited to, interdisciplinary research, scientific computing, bioinformatics, computational biology, software engineering, and other areas where computing transforms the discipline and advances the state of the art.

Nominees for the Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship program must be nominated by their research institution. Direct applications from new faculty members are not accepted. No more than one nomination from each research institution will be accepted. An emphasis is placed on nominations from departments working on computing research areas and on areas that involve the innovative application of computing.

Nominees must be new faculty members in the first, second, or third year of their first faculty appointment. Deadline: November 16, 2009. Go to: http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/collaboration/awards/msrff.aspx#announce

Dance

New England Foundation for the Arts - National Dance Project
Administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts http://www.nefa.org/, the National Dance Project provides a system of support for contemporary dance by supporting the creation (production) and engagement (touring) of dance in the United States and beyond. NDP's production grants fund the creation of new dance work that will tour nationally by supporting costs incurred through the artistic development of the work. These highly competitive grants are awarded to approximately twenty projects annually. Grants generally range from $25,000 to $40,000 each. Projects supported by production grants also receive touring support for the season following the work's creation. Projects applying for production grants should make possible the creation of regionally or nationally significant work that will tour; offer potential to engage audiences; explore collaborations within and across disciplines, if appropriate; and involve creative and dynamic partnership with one or more U.S. presenter partners in the development of the work. Choreographers, artists, and companies are eligible to apply for production grants. Projects must have a U.S. presenter partner. NDP can only award grants to organizations with nonprofit status. Production grants may be paid either directly to an incorporated dance company and/or to a fiscal agent (such as the presenter partner). Production Grant Deadlines: March 2, 2010 - Pre-proposal; June 1, 2010 - Full Proposal. Go to: http://www.nefa.org/grants_services/national_dance_project. For Touring Grants, go to: http://www.nefa.org/grants_services/touring_grants

Energy - Alternative and Renewable

U.S. - Israel Binational Science Foundation - Energy Research
The U.S - Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF) is pleased to announce the opening of a special round of applications devoted to energy research (BSF Energy), supported by special funding from the Israeli Ministry of National Infrastructures in coordination with the US Department of Energy. The terms of this competition are as follows: 1. The call is limited to applications in Renewable Energy, Alternative Energy, and Energy Efficiency. 2. Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of their scientific excellence, as well as on their expected impact on the energy-related problems which the two countries face. 3. Applications must be submitted jointly by, at least one Israeli and one American scientist as required in all BSF research proposals. Deadline (new): November 16, 2009. Go to: http://www.bsf.org.il/, under 'BSF Energy'.

Engineering - Small Business Innovation

National Science Foundation - Small Business Innovation Research Program Phase I
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (NSF 09-609) stimulates technological innovation in the private sector by strengthening the role of small business concerns in meeting Federal research and development needs, increasing the commercial application of federally supported research results, and fostering and encouraging participation by socially and economically disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses. Deadline: December 3, 2009. Go to: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2009/nsf09609/nsf09609.htm

Entrepreneurship

Kauffman Foundation - Entrepreneurs Movement
Through its various initiatives, such as business development programs FastTrac(r) and Urban Entrepreneur Partnership, the Kauffman Foundation works to advance entrepreneurship education and training efforts, to promote entrepreneurship-friendly policies, and to better facilitate the commercialization of new technologies by entrepreneurs and others, all of which have great promise for improving the economic welfare of the nation and world. Entrepreneurs, and those who support them, can join the Movement at http://www.buildastrongeramerica.com/ to become part of an "entrepreneurial community" that can provide feedback regarding policies and initiatives affecting entrepreneurs.

Environmental Research

Department of Defense - Strategic Environmental Research & Development
The Department of Defense's (DoD) "Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program" (SERDP) is seeking to fund environmental research and development proposals. SERDP is DoD's environmental science and technology program, planned and executed in partnership with DOE and EPA. The program invests across the broad spectrum of basic and applied research, as well as exploratory development. SERDP pursues solutions to DoD's most intractable environmental problems. Advances in the understanding and management of DoD's resources support the long-term sustainability of training and testing ranges and facilities. Innovative environmental technologies significantly reduce current and future environmental liabilities.

Proposals responding to focused Statements of Need (SON) in the following areas are requested: 1. Environmental Restoration - innovative technologies for the detection, characterization, containment, and remediation of a wide range of contaminants in soil, sediments, and water. 2. Munitions Management - advanced geophysical sensor and signal processing technologies for the detection, classification, and remediation of unexploded ordnance (UXO) and technologies for range clearance and reduced generation of UXO. 3. Sustainable Infrastructure - natural resources (e.g., key ecological systems, species ecology management, living marine resources, and watershed processes and management), climate change, energy, environmental noise, air quality, water quality and quantity, solid waste, and cultural resources. 4. Weapons Systems and Platforms - advanced alternative environmentally benign technologies and materials that reduce, control, or eliminate the waste and emissions associated with the manufacturing, maintenance, and use of DoD weapons systems and platforms. Deadline: Pre-Proposal, January 7, 2010. Go to: http://www.serdp.org/funding

SERDP also will be funding environmental research and development through the *SE*RDP *E*xploratory *D*evelopment (*SEED*) solicitation. The SEED solicitation is designed to provide a limited amount of funding (not to exceed $150,000) for projects up to one year in duration to investigate innovative approaches that entail high technical risk and/or require supporting data to provide risk reduction or proof of concept. Deadline: March 11, 2010.

Participate in a Webinar - Nov. 13, 2009 - Participate in a webinar hosted through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Technology Innovation Program. SERDP's Executive Director Dr. Jeffrey Marqusee will conduct an online seminar SERDP Funding Opportunities on Friday, November 13, 2009 at 1:00 pm. This "how to play" briefing will offer valuable information for those who are interested in new funding opportunities available through SERDP in FY 2011. During the online seminar, participants may ask general questions about the funding process, proposal submission, and the current solicitation. To learn more about this online seminar and to register, visit www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/serdpfunding http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/serdpfunding

Symposium and Workshop - Attend "The Partners in Environmental Technology Technical Symposium & Workshop" on December 1-3, 2009, in Washington, DC, where SERDP's Executive Director Dr. Jeffrey Marqusee will present a Funding Opportunities session on Thurs., December 3, 2009 at 12:15 pm. This presentation will offer valuable information for those who are interested in new funding opportunities available in FY 2011 as well as answer questions about the funding process, proposal submission, and both the current FY 2011 SERDP solicitation and upcoming FY 2011 ESTCP solicitation. To learn more about the Symposium or to register, go to: http://www.serdp-estcp.org/symposium

National Science Foundation - Environmental Chemical Sciences
The Environmental Chemical Sciences (ECS) Program supports basic research in chemistry that promotes the understanding of natural and anthropogenic chemical processes in our environment. Projects supported by this program enable fundamentally new avenues of basic research and transformative technologies. The program is particularly interested in studying molecular phenomena on surfaces and interfaces in order to understand the inherently complex and heterogeneous environment. Projects utilize advanced experimental, modeling and computational approaches, as well as developing new approaches. Topics include studies of environmental surfaces and interfaces under laboratory conditions, the fundamental properties of water and water solutions important in environmental processes, dissolution, composition, origin and behavior of molecular scale systems under a variety of naturally occurring environmental conditions, chemical reactivity of synthetic nanoparticles and their molecular level interactions with the environment, and application of theoretical models and computational approaches to discover and predict environmental phenomena at the molecular scale. Deadline: November 30, 2009. Go to: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503416&WT.mc_id=USNSF_39

Health Impact

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Pew Charitable Trusts Announce Health Impact Project
A collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation http://www.rwjf.org/ and the Pew Charitable Trust http://www.pewtrusts.org/, the Health Impact Project is intended to encourage the use of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) to help decision-makers better assess proposed policies, projects, and programs with respect to their impact on health so that they may avoid adverse health consequences and costs and improve health. The program partners have issued a call for proposals to demonstrate the effectiveness of HIAs and promote their incorporation into local, state, tribal, and federal decision-making. Eligible applicant organizations include: state, tribal or local agencies; tax-exempt educational institutions; and publicly supported charitable organizations that are exempt from federal income tax as an organization described by section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Applicant organizations must be located in the United States or its territories at the time of application. Up to fifteen demonstration projects will be awarded in this round of funding. Grants will range from $25,000 to $150,000 and must be completed within twenty-four months. Proposals for more than $150,000 may be considered under rare and exceptional circumstances. Grants are awarded on a rolling basis; proposals may be submitted at any time. Go to: http://www.rwjf.org/files/applications/cfp/cfphealthimpactproject2009.pdf

Journalism / Media

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation - Innovative Digital Projects
The Knight News Challenge, an initiative of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation http://www.knightfoundation.org/, seeks innovations that use new or available technology to distribute content in local communities. The contest awards as much as $5 million a year for innovative ideas related to platforms, tools, and services with the potential to inform and transform community news, conversations, and information distribution and visualization. Anyone may nominate a project from anywhere in the world. To be eligible, projects must use digital, open-source technology; must distribute news in the public interest; and must be tested in a local community. Deadline: December 15, 2009. Go to: http://www.newschallenge.org/

Social Entrepreneurship

Echoing Green Foundation - Fellowships
Each year, Echoing Green http://www.echoinggreen.org/ awards twelve to fifteen two-year fellowships to social entrepreneurs. Fellows receive seed funding and technical support to turn their innovative ideas into sustainable social change organizations. Echoing Green seeks individuals or partnerships (organizations led by two people) with innovative solutions to significant social problems; strategies to create high-impact, sustainable change in people's lives; and the ability to grow and lead a new organization. The application process is open to citizens of all nationalities working in any country. Applicants must be 18 years of age or older, and must have sufficient English fluency to participate in interviews and Echoing Green events. Organizations must be the original idea of the applicant, and must be independent and autonomous. (Organizations cannot be considered independent or autonomous if they are started under the direction of an existing organization.) Organizations must be in a start-up phase. To be considered a start-up, the applicant may have been running the organization full-time for approximately two years, and Echoing Green's financial support should qualify it as a major/primary early funder. Applicants who have only worked on their organization on a part-time basis or have yet to start an organization are generally considered eligible. Applicants must make a full-time commitment to the organization's development. Fellows receive up to $90,000 ($60,000 for individuals and $90,000 for partnerships of two people) in seed funding over two years. Deadline: December 2, 2009. Go to: http://www.echoinggreen.org/blog/2010-application-open

Travel

U.S. - Israel Binational Science Foundation - Travel Grants for Young Scientists
The Binational Science Foundation is announcing the availability of funds for short scientific trips by young American or Israeli scientists to the other country. The Program is focused on PhD students and Post-Doc fellows doing research that requires facilities or expertise not available in their home countries. In 2010, a total of 10 grants will be awarded, each for $4,000. Deadline: December 17, 2009. Go to: http://www.bsf.org.il, under 'Grant Programs'/'Travel Grants'.

Women 35+

Jeannette Rankin Women's Scholarship Fund
The Jeannette Rankin Women's Scholarship Fund raises funds and awards scholarships annually to low-income women thirty five years of age and older who are in an undergraduate or vocational training program and have a vision of how their education will benefit themselves, their families and their communities. In working towards these ends, JRF continues the legacy of Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress and a proponent of peace and women's rights. Deadline: March 1, 2010. Go to: http://www.rankinfoundation.org/students/applications

Send comments to Camille Coley, Executive Assistant Vice President or Penny Ashwanden, Content Editor.

Prior Opportunity Alerts

Noember 2009