Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship Guidelines "Many of the problems of our modern world, ranging from disease to drugs to crime to terrorism, derive from the inequalities between the rich and the poor . . . be they rich nation versus poor nation or rich community versus poor community. It is in the best interests of the well-off to help empower those who are not as well-off to improve their lives." —Jeff Skoll What's New: • Year-round application and award process • 24-month wait period for declined applications • Eligibility quiz The Skoll Foundation’s mission is to advance systemic change to benefit communities around the world by investing in, connecting and celebrating social entrepreneurs. We believe that social entrepreneurs see opportunities where others see problems and crises. They apply innovative solutions to social and environmental issues, empowering people and communities to envision and create positive change. They work in many kinds of organizations, including nonprofits, social purpose ventures such as community development banks, and hybrid organizations that mix elements of nonprofit and for-profit organizations. The Skoll Foundation believes that social entrepreneurs represent a powerful force for large-scale impact or equilibrium change. Their work has the potential to reduce economic disparities, increase opportunities for the disadvantaged, promote healthy communities, and increase the interpersonal and intercultural understanding that is the foundation for world peace. The Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship The Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship support social entrepreneurs whose work has the potential for large-scale influence on critical challenges of our time: environmental sustainability, health, tolerance and human rights, institutional responsibility, economic and social equity, and peace and security. These issues are at the heart of the foundation’s vision of empowering people to create a peaceful, prosperous, sustainable world. Within these issues, we are particularly interested in applications from social entrepreneurs working in five critical sub-issue areas that threaten the survival of humanity – climate change, nuclear proliferation, global pandemics, conflict in the Middle East and water scarcity. Skoll social entrepreneurs are innovators who have tested and proved their approach, are poised to replicate or scale up their work to create equilibrium change and engage others with a message that resonates with individuals whose resources are crucial to advancing these solutions. The Skoll Awards are designed for leaders who contribute value to a peer network committed to continuous learning. By telling their stories, they join in the foundation’s ongoing celebration of the power of social entrepreneurs. The Skoll Awards provide later-stage, or mezzanine, funding, which is generally structured as a $1 million award paid out over three years, subject to payment limitations described below under Budget Guidance. In most cases, the grant is provided for core support to help organizations expand their programs and capacity to deliver long-term, sustainable equilibrium change. The Skoll Awards are not intended for new or early-stage programs or initiatives. Programs submitted for consideration should have a track record of no less than three years. In addition to core support, the Skoll Foundation supports the participation of Award recipients in the annual Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship. Deadline for Applying: Applications are accepted and reviewed on a year-round basis, with successful applicants receiving initial funding installments shortly after decisions are made. Regular deadlines (listed below and updated regularly) assist us in managing the internal review process for these applications, a process that takes a minimum of six months to be completed. Awards will be presented publicly at a ceremony at the Skoll World Forum, which occurs at the end of every March in Oxford, England. Please note the following application deadlines: August 5, 2008. November 4, 2008. We will post future deadlines as they become available. Please note that, starting in August 2007, applicants who are not selected must wait 24 months before reapplying.
How to Apply Please note that the selection process for Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship is highly competitive. Each year the Skoll Foundation receives hundreds of applications for the small number of Awards offered, which means that many fine organizations are not selected for an Award. We have enormous regard for the important work being done by all of our applicants, whether they are selected for an Award or not. Our application process is designed to select organizations that most closely align with our criteria. We urge applicants to complete the Eligibility Quiz to assess whether their organization meets our selection criteria. Changes in the Application Process: In 2007 the Skoll Foundation revised its application process and materials. There are three major changes in how the program is administered: Applications are accepted and reviewed on a year-round basis, with successful applicants receiving initial funding installments shortly after decisions are made. Regular deadlines (listed below and updated regularly) assist us in managing the internal review process for these applications, a process that takes a minimum of six months to be completed. Awards will be presented publicly at a ceremony at the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, which occurs at the end of every March in Oxford, England. Starting in August 2007, applicants who are not selected must wait 24 months before reapplying. This restriction is not retroactive; therefore, applicants who applied prior to 2007 may reapply if they believe that they now fit the Skoll Award criteria. All applicants must complete an Eligibility Quiz before filling out the Online Application. The Eligibility Quiz is designed to help applicants assess their competitiveness and avoid preparing an application that is not likely to match Skoll’s selection criteria. Application Process Below is a description of the application process.
The first stage is the Eligibility Quiz. This tool is intended to help applicants assess their eligibility and potential competitiveness for a Skoll Award. At the end of the quiz, applicants are given a code that allows them to access the application. Applicants cannot move forward to the next phase until they have completed the Eligibility Quiz. However, you can view a preview of the application before taking the quiz. The second stage is the Online Application. After taking the Eligibility Quiz, applicants who feel that their organization is eligible can proceed to completing an Online Application that requests key organizational details and brief answers to 10 questions. Skoll staff will review all applications. Those that are less competitive or do not fit our criteria will be declined at this stage. The third stage is an invitation to submit a Full Proposal. Applicants selected to move forward in the process will be contacted by a program officer and invited to submit a Full Proposal. We anticipate that between 25 to 35 applicants will be asked to submit Full Proposals each year. The fourth stage is Due Diligence. This process usually includes interviews, a site visit, reference checks, follow-up questions, an in-depth financial review and a discussion of grant objectives. We expect that approximately half of the organizations that are invited to submit Full Proposals will move on to the Due Diligence stage. The final stage is the Selection of the Awardees. Decisions will take place on a year-round basis following completion of Due Diligence. We anticipate making eight to 12 Awards during each 12-month cycle. Timeline: Applications are accepted year round, with black-out periods during holidays, system maintenance and around Skoll Foundation events. Applications are acknowledged electronically, usually within minutes of submission. The application decision and, for successful applicants, an invitation to submit a Full Proposal occurs within six months of submission of an application. Due Diligence takes several weeks to several months, depending on the schedule and project complexity. Award decisions and funding are made year round. All awards will be publicly celebrated during a ceremony at the Skoll World Forum in March of each year, regardless of the grant approval date.
The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy Announces the 2009 National Grant Competition The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy is pleased to announce our 2009 national grant competition. The Foundation's grant-making program seeks to develop or expand projects that are designed to support the development of literacy skills for adult primary care givers and their children. A total of approximately $650,000 will be awarded; no grant request should exceed $65,000. In order to be considered eligible for a grant, an organization must meet the following criteria:
the organization must have current non-profit or public status and have been in existence for two or more years as of the date of the application; the organization must have maintained fiscal accountability; the organization must operate an instructional literacy program that has been in existence for at least 2 years and includes one or more of the following components: literacy for adults, parent education, pre-literacy or literacy instruction for children pre-k to grade 3, and intergenerational literacy activities (Parent and Child Together time or P.A.C.T. time). Your completed application package, one original and one copy, should be mailed directly to the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy at the address listed in the application packet. The application package must be received by the close of business, September 5, 2008. No exceptions will be made. Please note that no supporting documentation or letters of endorsement will be accepted under separate cover or at a later date. Due to the length of the application, faxed material will not be sent or accepted. Should you have questions, please call (202) 955-6183 between the hours of 1:00-5:00 p.m. or e-mail questions to krichardson@cfncr.org, please include your telephone number.
Faith-based Advocacy: Galvanizing Communities to End Childhood ObesityDeadline: Jul 25, 2008 Program Area: Childhood Obesity Purpose: America's vastly diverse faith community is active at the national and local levels, within Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, interfaith and other settings. Collaborations across faith communities have a rich history of working together for social change. They successfully have advanced policies that improve the health and wellness of communities, and their growing role in prompting policy and triggering action is evident across all states. Faith-based coalitions have been at the forefront of local and state efforts on social issues such as homelessness, tobacco use, hunger and poverty. Today, there is emerging energy among faith-based coalitions to advocate for improved food, nutrition and environmental policies. Through this solicitation, RWJF is interested in supporting faith-based coalitions to advance community policies or environmental changes that improve access to healthy foods and/or opportunities for physical activity. We are particularly interested in efforts that reach children at greatest risk for obesity, including African-American, Latino, Native American, Asian American and Pacific Islander children who live in low-income communities or communities with limited access to affordable healthy foods and/or safe opportunities for physical activity. Eligibility & Selection Criteria: Eligibility will be limited to applicants who meet all of the following criteria: Public charities that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Coalitions of congregations or partnerships of faith-based organizations. Organizations with at least two years of experience in policy advocacy to promote social change. Coalitions with an operating budget of at least $350,000 per year. Organizations that are based in the U.S. or its territories. Proposals will be selected on the basis of: organizational or coalition strength; potential to increase the availability of affordable healthy foods and/or access to safe places to play; likelihood that the project will reach children who are at highest risk for obesity; and likelihood that the effort can continue over time without additional resources. Key Dates: June 18, 2008 (1:30–3 p.m. ET) —A Web conference call for potential applicants will be held to provide an overview of this CFP and offer an opportunity to ask questions.Registration is required. July 25, 2008 (3 p.m. ET)—Deadline for receipt of proposals. December 1, 2008—Grants begin. Total Award: Approximately 20–25 grants will be awarded. Each grantee will receive up to $225,000 for 24 months. All grants will be 24 months in duration. Contact: Nancy Cox RWJFChildhoodObesity1@rwjf.org
Contact
Mailing Address: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation P.O. Box 2316 Route 1 and College Road East Princeton, NJ 08543 Telephone Number: (877) 843-RWJF (7953)
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Local Funding PartnershipsDeadline: Jul 8, 2008 Program Area: Vulnerable Populations Purpose: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Local Funding Partnerships (LFP) forge relationships between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and local grantmakers to fund promising, original projects that can significantly improve the health of vulnerable people in their communities. Program Information: How To Apply: Application instructions. Eligibility & Selection Criteria: Projects must be new, innovative, collaborative and community-based. Significant program expansions—into new regions or to new populations—may also be considered. Please note that this program does not fund existing projects. Projects must be nominated by a local grantmaker interested in participating as one of the funding partners. Local funding partners must be willing to work with grantees to obtain sufficient dollar-for-dollar matching funds throughout the grant period. These funders may include independent and private foundations, family and community foundations, and corporate and other philanthropies. Matching funds must represent new funding specifically designated to support the proposed project. In-kind services may not be used to match foundation funds. Applicants may be either public entities or nonprofit organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Private foundations as defined under Section 509(a) are not eligible to apply. Criteria used to assess projects include: Description of the specific vulnerable population to be served and numbers of people to be served by the project. Clarity of the health problem to be addressed and how it can be addressed in the context of specific social factors. Innovation and effectiveness of the proposed strategy and how it would change any current system. Evidence of community involvement that includes new or nontraditional partners and members of the population to be served. Active engagement of local grantmakers including how they became involved and what their role has been. The organization’s capacity to implement the proposed project and manage grant funds. Evidence of a plan to assess the project’s impact with measurable project outcomes. A reasonable and cost-efficient budget. A realistic plan to sustain funding after the LFP grant is completed. Potential for the project to become a national model. In addition to the criteria listed above, our goal is to fund projects comprising a group of grantees diverse in location and type of organization. Important details about eligible projects, matching funds and selection criteria are available on the Local Funding Partnerships Web site. Key Dates: May 13 and May 20, 2008 —Optional conference calls for potential applicants. Visit http://www.localfundingpartnerships.org for details. June 2, 2008 —NPO begins accepting Stage 1 brief proposals. July 8, 2008 (5 p.m. ET)—Deadline for receipt of Stage 1 brief proposals. September 10, 2008 —Applicants notified if invited to submit a full proposal. November 12, 2008 —Deadline for receipt of Stage 2 full proposals. January 27, 2009 —Applicants notified if they will receive a site visit. March–April 2009 —Site visits to selected applicants. July 1, 2009 —Start of grants. Total Award: Up to $6 million is available for the 2009 grant cycle. Up to 14 matching grants of between $200,000 and $500,000 each per project will be awarded.
Active Living Research/Healthy Eating Research Rapid-Response Grants Deadline: Open
Program Area: Childhood Obesity Purpose: Active Living Research and Healthy Eating Research are national programs of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) that support research to identify promising policy and environmental strategies for increasing physical activity, promoting healthy eating and preventing obesity. This call for proposals (CFP) supports time-sensitive, opportunistic studies to evaluate changes in policies or environments with the potential to reach children who are at highest risk for obesity, including African-American, Latino, Native American, Asian American and Pacific Islander children (ages 3 to 18) who live in low-income communities or communities with limited access to affordable healthy foods and/or safe opportunities for physical activity. Research studies may focus on one or both sides of the energy balance equation—on physical activity (including sedentary behavior), healthy eating or both. Studies funded under this CFP are expected to advance RWJF’s efforts to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic by 2015. Eligibility & Selection Criteria: Preference will be given to applicants who may be either public entities or nonprofit organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Applicant organizations must be based in the United States or its territories at the time of application. The timing of the program, event or policy change to be studied must justify the rapid-review process in order to answer the proposed research questions. Key Dates: Grants are awarded on a rolling basis; letters of intent may be submitted at any time. Deadlines for receipt of invited full proposals are August 15 or October 15, 2008. Grant periods are expected to begin 12-14 weeks after receipt of the full proposal. Total Award: Up to $800,000 total will be awarded for rapid-response research grants in 2008. The maximum amount for a single grant is $150,000 with a maximum funding period of up to 12 months.
Because childhood obesity is a major threat to the lifelong health of children across the nation, it is important to learn as much as possible about the impact of these initiatives, and to act as quickly as possible to identify the most promising and effective strategies. Results of evaluations can inform policy debates for local, state and national action. The annual solicitations and funding cycles of Active Living Research and Healthy Eating Research involve a 7- to 9-month period between proposal submission and the start of funding. While those solicitations serve an important purpose, they do not address the need for timely studies on emerging or anticipated changes in policies or environments. This CFP for rapid-response grants is an attempt to address the specific need to support critical research that can only be conducted during a short window of opportunity. Letters of intent for the rapid-response grants may be submitted at any time, and invited proposals, if awarded, may begin within 12-14 weeks after submission of the full proposal. Research studies may focus on one or both sides of the energy balance equation—on physical activity (including sedentary behavior), healthy eating or both. Studies that are not urgent and time-sensitive are not eligible to receive grants under this CFP. It is the responsibility of the applicant to clearly demonstrate why the proposed study needs to be funded, conducted and completed on an urgent and time-sensitive basis. Letters of intent and proposals must: 1) define the window of opportunity to conduct the research; 2) explain why the window is limited by time and why the usual award cycle for Active Living Research and Healthy Eating Research would not be suitable; and 3) outline the relevance of the research to a specific policy or environmental change. Total Awards Available through the Rapid-Response Grant Program Up to $800,000 in total awards are available for rapid-response grants in 2008. The maximum amount for a single grant is $150,000, with a maximum funding period of 12 months. Research Topics Rapid-response grants are not limited to the specific funding priorities for current Active Living Research and Healthy Eating Research CFPs, but must be consistent with the programs' overall goals. The shared goals are to identify and evaluate policy and environmental approaches that have the greatest potential to prevent childhood obesity by increasing children's physical activity, decreasing sedentary behaviors, and improving diet and energy balance. Research projects may focus solely on physical activity (including sedentary behavior), or solely on healthy eating or on a combination. Types of studies eligible for rapid-response funding are described below. These examples are for illustration purposes only. We rely on the creativity of researchers to generate the best ideas for solution-oriented environmental and policy research. Opportunistic evaluations of imminent changes in policies or environments (i.e., "natural experiments"). Examples include: Evaluating the effects of policies that are about to be enacted, such as menu labeling in restaurants; physical activity or nutrition requirements in child-care settings; district or state adoption of school nutrition standards for competitive foods; or new funding to enforce physical education requirements; and Evaluating the impact of environmental changes, such as a new supermarket opening in a low-income neighborhood where none had existed; changes to public transit options for accessing supermarkets; the introduction of farmers' markets in low-income neighborhoods; renovations of parks or playgrounds; street safety improvements as part of Safe Routes to Schools; or the initiation of community policing to improve the safety of parks and playgrounds. Studies that can inform an ongoing or upcoming policy debate ( e.g., small experimental studies, secondary data analyses, cost-effectiveness analyses, health impact assessments, simulations of policy effects or macro-level policy analyses). Examples include: Studies of menu labeling in restaurants; Small-scale evaluations of the feasibility of training Head Start staff to lead physical activity; Studies of how impending school nutrition policies affect youth food- and beverage-purchasing behaviors and the resulting impact on caloric intake; Small-scale evaluations of strategies to improve implementation of, or adherence to, potentially high-impact policies related to school nutrition or physical education, television restrictions in preschool or day care, or restaurant menu labeling; and Cost-effectiveness and health impact assessments to inform the policy debate on promising national, state, community or institutional policy or environmental changes designed to promote healthy eating and/or increase physical activity levels among youth and their families (e.g., an increase in federal or state funding for Safe Routes to Schools). Application Process and Deadlines
How to Apply All letters of intent must be submitted via e-mail directly to either the Active Living Research or Healthy Eating Research national program office. Letters of intent may be submitted at any time. Studies focused solely on physical activity (including sedentary behavior) should be submitted to the Active Living Research national program office. Studies focused solely on healthy eating should be submitted to the Healthy Eating Research national program office. Studies that relate to physical activity and healthy eating equally may be submitted to either national program office. Click here to download the letter of intent application materials. Timetable The Active Living Research and Healthy Eating Research national program offices will make every effort to achieve a rapid turnaround time for each application. Within two weeks of receipt of the letter of intent, applicants will be notified of review results, and selected applicants will be invited by e-mail or letter to submit a full proposal. Invited full proposals must be submitted only through the RWJF Grantmaking Online system by one of the following dates: August 15 or October 15, 2008. It is anticipated that funding for approved studies would begin approximately 12-14 weeks after submission of the full proposal.Contact: Chad Spoon, research coordinator (Active Living projects) cspoon@projects.sdsu.edu Office: (619) 260-5539 Laura L. Klein, M.P.H., research coordinator (Healthy Eating projects) healthyeating@umn.edu Office: (800) 578-8636
Funding Opportunity: Research Program on Migration and Health The UCOP-based Health Initiative of the Americas has announced its 2008 Request for Proposals (RFP), Request for Applications (RFA) and Dissertation Grants on Migration and Health issued by the Migration and Health Research Program (PIMSA, for its Spanish acronym). The following research areas will be given priority: Chronic diseases, including nutrition related such as unhealthy diets related to diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and obesity; Infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and STDs; Mental health, including domestic violence, alcohol and substance abuse, and its relation with culture; Occupational health and injury prevention, especially concerning farm workers; Women’s health; Special vulnerable populations health (indigenous, disabled, elderly); Access to services, including best practices of health prevention and promotion, such as promotoras outreach programs; strategies for expanding health insurance; legal aspect of access to health; and the use of medical technology to reduce health disparities.
Notification of intent due by July 11, 2008.Application materials are due on August 1, 2008. Further information can be found in the program RFP or by contating Rosario Alberro [510-643-1290 / Rosario.Alberro@ucop.edu] or Nefer Kelley [510-643-4121 / Nefer.Kelley@ucop.edu].
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