2001 Call for Proposals: Mini-Grant Program: Sustainability
in the Upper Mississippi River Basin
(Second Round Call for Proposals – Deadline extended to January 11, 2002)
The Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (HECUA) announces a mini-grant program on social and institutional challenges of environmental sustainability in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. The mini-grant program is part of a new HECUA initiative aiming to build networks and strengthen partnerships between academic institutions and community organizations addressing these questions:
* What are the causes of environmental degradation in the Upper Mississippi River Basin?
* Who wins and loses in the process?
* What strategies can help watershed communities move towards sustainability?
The goals of the initiative are to build collaborations for public scholarship on these themes along with an environmental studies program for students that integrates field experiences, internships, and action research.
Who is eligible?
* Faculty and researchers from colleges and universities in the Upper Mississippi River Basin
* Staff of nonprofit organizations addressing environmental sustainability
What activities will be supported?
* Preparation of short reports, briefing documents, video, web-sites, or articles for newspapers and popular magazines that reformulate or synthesize the results of existing research with the goal of broadening public awareness or influencing public policy decisions.
* Outreach efforts at public events, policy forums, or workshops (but not academic conferences) that make existing research more accessible to the general public, policy officials, or professionals addressing environmental sustainability.
* Development of curricula, action-research projects involving students or events to integrate treatment of social and environmental sustainability in the Upper Mississippi into course offerings for undergraduate or graduate education.
What costs will be supported?
* Mini-grants will range from $500 to $1500. Of this amount, up to $500 may be honorarium for time dedicated to the effort. Other eligible costs could include production expenses for a short report or video, travel or other costs to participate in an event or organize a workshop. In most cases, the grant will provide supplemental funding to allow an activity to be undertaken that might not have otherwise been possible but will not necessarily cover all costs associated. For this reason, organizational overhead may not be included.
* Each grant recipient will be required to participate in a small half-day workshop in the Twin Cities in February 2002 that will provide a forum for sharing the work with colleagues and assessing opportunities for future collaboration. For individuals located outside the Twin Cities area, travel to the February 2002 workshop should be included. Work supported under the mini-grant must be completed by April 2002, and a short activity report must be submitted at that time.
How do I apply?
* Prepare a short proposal (two pages) with your complete contact information that concisely describes: the proposed activity, audience and intended outcome; the existing research to be used for the activity (including citation information for any published material); how the activity relates to your own research program or your organization’s work; and a budget (see guidelines above).
* Submit your proposal by the deadline indicated below. By post: Blake Ratner, River Project Director, HECUA, 2223 University Ave. W., Suite 210, St. Paul, MN 55114-1629. By email (as attachment in MS Word or WordPerfect format only): [email protected]
* Two mini-grants were awarded in the first round, in September 2001. Up to six additional mini-grants will be awarded, with decisions made shortly after the deadline. Funds will be available immediately upon awarding of grants. Descriptions of projects supported will be posted on the HECUA web site.
Extended Application Deadline: January 11, 2002
HECUA is a unique educational collaborative that engages students, faculty and practitioners in community building and social transformation. The River Project is made possible by a grant from the McKnight Foundation and the initiative of HECUA membership. For more information, please visit us on the web at www.hecua.org
|
