Maternal/Child Health Grants

Dear Colleague:

It is our pleasure to invite you to nominate up to two individuals for the 2009 Lewis Hine Awards for Service to Children and Youth. These nationally recognized awards, now in their 24th year, are presented annually by the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC) to ten recipients -- five professionals and five volunteers -- for their unheralded and exceptional service to young people...

We depend on leaders such as you to identify the outstanding work being done in your community on behalf of children and youth. That work can be of almost any kind, from health and welfare to education and recreation.

The deadline for this year’s nominations is Thursday, October 23, 2008. A distinguished national panel of judges will then make the selections, which will be announced early in 2009.

The Lewis Hine Awards seek to identify not the one-time hero, but the individual who has made a commitment to the well-being, growth and development of youth. That commitment may be carried out in a paid job or through volunteering. In either case, the individual’s efforts should symbolize the exceptional work done to improve the lives of young people.

We will bring the awardees to New York City for a media-covered ceremony where their outstanding public service will be recognized and each will receive an award of $1,000.

PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATIONS TO:
NCLC 2009 Lewis Hine Awards
Selection Committee
1501 Broadway, Suite 1908
New York, NY 10036

Nominations will NOT be accepted by fax or email.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Please call 212-840-1801

Anna Lalor Burdick Program
Guidelines
Mission and Purpose

The Anna Lalor Burdick Program seeks to educate young women about human reproduction in order to broaden and enhance their options in life.

The Program focuses particularly on young women who have inadequate access to information regarding reproductive health, including the subjects of contraception and pregnancy termination, and as such may be particularly lacking options in their lives.

Funding Interests

Because limited foundation funding is available in the field of human reproductive education for young women, the trustees are interested in stretching the benefit of its grants as far as possible. Accordingly, the Anna Lalor Burdick Program emphasizes:

# Support for one-time projects, ongoing projects, new projects and initiatives that demonstrate realistic plans to achieve greater financial self-sufficiency.

# Support for new or smaller organizations, including grassroots efforts, where funding will increase public visibility, improve standing with funders, facilitate overall organizational development, or, in the case of the well defined projects of larger organizations, add a new dimension or capability to operations.

# Support for collaborative efforts among nonprofit organizations.

# Support for organizations that can demonstrate a proven ability to reach out to, include and involve young women with inadequate access to information regarding reproductive health.

# Support for new ideas, initiatives and demonstration projects, which, if proven effective, may be successfully replicated or provide multiple benefits.

Geographic Focus

The Program has no geographic limits.

Funding Availability and Limits

The trustees award a small number of grants in the range of $10,000 to $50,000.

Normally grants are awarded for one year only. Under special circumstances, renewals are considered, such as for projects which clearly require more than one year of support for effective implementation, or for projects which demonstrate outstanding results or promise during their first year.

Eligibility

Eligible U.S. applicants must be tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service Code, and defined as "not a private foundation" under section 509(a) of the Code.

If the applicant is not located in the United States and has not already been classified by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, please contact the Foundation office at the address or phone number listed at the end of this document.

Reproductive education must be the centerpiece of the proposed project, which should include attention to the subjects of contraception and pregnancy termination.

The project must focus on young women, including young mothers and preteens.

The proposal should include a succinct plan for assessing and reporting on the project's results. In this regard, the trustees are interested in learning from projects that have fallen short of expectations as well as those which have succeeded.

Areas Where Grants Are Not Normally Made

To full proposals submitted in advance of a concept paper that has been reviewed and approved by the trustees for further consideration.

To individuals, or for individual research projects and scholarship.

To requests for endowment or major capital support.

To prior grantees which have failed to provide grant reports.

To organizations with no track record or no personnel known to the trustees or to the staff at Grants Management Associates.
Application Procedures
Organizations are asked to begin the application process by submitting a concept paper in accordance with the foundation's concept paper application format. The concept paper application form is available on the Foundation's web site or through the Foundation office at the address and phone number listed at the end of this document. Concept papers should be submitted by mail.

Full Proposals - Applicants whose concept papers have been approved by the trustees will be invited to submit full proposals. If you are invited by the trustees to submit a full proposal, please download the proposal application and instructions from the Application Forms page of the website.

Deadlines
The trustees meet twice a year, in June and December. Proposals are not normally considered out of cycle. The respective deadlines for the receipt of concept papers are May 15 and November 1, or in the case of holidays or weekends, on the next business day.

Applicants will be informed of the foundation's decision regarding the concept paper by July 15 and January 15 respectively.

Please submit your concept papers no earlier than 8 weeks prior to a deadline. For the November deadline, concept papers may be submitted between September 1 and November 1. For the May deadline, concept papers may be submitted between March 15 and May 15.

Applicants who are invited to submit a full proposal will have 60 days from the date of notification to submit their proposal and will be notified of the foundation's decision 30 days after receipt of the proposal.

The Lalor Foundation, Inc.
c/o Susan Haff
Grants Management Associates
77 Summer Street, 8th Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 02110-1006
Phone: 617-426-7080 x 323
FAX: 617-426-7087
E-mail: shaff@grantsmanagement.com

SPR Fellow's Clinical Research Award

(Presented by the Society for Pediatric Research)

The Society for Pediatric Research annually honors students, house officers and fellows engaged in pediatric research. These awards are designed to encourage pediatricians in training to pursue careers in academic pediatrics. Winning candidates are selected based on the quality of the work presented in the abstract. Each award ($1,000) is given annually to one to three individuals.

Eligibility Criteria: Fellow must submit and present the abstract prior to the completion of fellowship

Candidates must fulfill the following conditions:

Check the appropriate box in the PAS abstract submission program and complete the online application form.
Abstract and supplemental materials must be received by the PAS abstract submission deadline.
First authorship on an abstract submitted to the Pediatric Academic Societies' (PAS) Annual Meeting. The abstract must be accepted for presentation at the PAS Annual Meeting to be considered.
A letter from the senior investigator or sponsor that includes a statement that the work was performed by the nominee and fully addresses the role the candidate had in the work and why the caliber of this study is worthy for a national award.
The recipient must present the study at the PAS Annual Meeting.
For additional information:
SPR Awards
3400 Research Forest Drive, Suite B-7
The Woodlands, TX 77381
Tel: 281-419-0052
Fax: 281-419-0082
E-mail: info@aps-spr.org
URL: www.aps-spr.org

Dear Colleagues and Friends:

On behalf of the Society for Pediatric Research, the Young Investigator Selection Committee invites nominations for the 2009 Society for Pediatric Research Young Investigator Award. The highly prestigious Young Investigator Award honors the early achievements of scientists and physician-scientists engaged in a discovery-based career addressing diseases that affect children. The Award seeks to recognize past achievements and encourage the further ascendance of a research star. In addition to individual recognition, the Award honors the Department and Institution responsible for creating and preserving a research environment conducive to profound research accomplishment. Given annually since 1983, the Award has consistently recognized early and outstanding research accomplishments of leading scientists involved in pediatric research.

A single Award is presented annually. The Award includes a $2,000 honorarium and provides resources to fund travel to the Annual Meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies. The Award recipient is expected to attend the Annual Meeting to receive the award and provide the Society with a research presentation.

Please be kind enough to give news of this announcement to outstanding physician-scientists eligible for the Award and to faculty members interested in nominating potential Awardees. The present Award provides an excellent opportunity to recognize both past and future contributions of an individual dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of childhood development or disease.

Sincerely,
Rebecca Simmons
Rebecca Simmons, M.D.
Chair, Young Investigator Award Selection Committee

Stipulations for Making Nominations ~ 2009 Young Investigator Award

The winning applicant is selected on the basis of published research and potential impact on childhood diseases.

Nominees must be individuals who have completed not more than seven (7) years of post residency training (residency or post-doctoral clinical or research fellowship) at the time of the 2009 PAS Annual Meeting, Nominees must not hold a rank higher than Assistant Professor or equivalent rank. Nominators of candidates who have completed more than 7 years of post training due to interruptions in their research careers but who are otherwise eligible may request that the committee waive this stipulation.

Individuals with an M.D. and/or Ph.D. degree are encouraged to apply.

The research work for which the award is made must have been undertaken after graduation from medical school or completion of the nominee's Ph.D.

Nominations must be made by a member of the Society for Pediatric Research.

A single award will be given, and notification will be made in late January 2009 regarding the selection of the awardee. In the event no outstanding application is submitted in a given year, the award will not be given.

The awardee will be asked to present the research work during the Society for Pediatric Research Presidential Plenary session of the 2009 Pediatric Academic Socieities' Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland. The presentation of the award will be made during the meeting. The awardee will be reimbursed for his/her travel expenses.

The awardee will be solicited for a manuscript describing the research project. The manuscript will be considered for publication in Pediatric Research following a standard peer review process.

The Committee for the Young Investigator Award will solely be responsible for the selection of the recipient.

Members of the Selection Committee cannot nominate or support any nominations.

Directions for Making Nominations ~ 2009 Young Investigator Award

Complete the nomination form for the candidate. The same instructions and process must be followed for individuals being renominated.

List and include manuscript(s) in which the research work (the basis for this nomination) is fully described. This could be in the form of preprint(s) or reprint(s) of manuscripts representing the fundamental research of the nominee. Maximum of five (5) key papers.

List other publications (list complete citations). Case reports, literature reviews and publications in which the nominee is not principal author should be submitted by title only.

Prepare nominator's essay. This must include a detailed explanation of the applicant's role in the research work submitted.

List and include letters of support. The nominator should solicit letters from established investigators in the nominee's field. These letters should provide a critical evaluation of the research work submitted for the award. The sponsor should screen the letters and include at least three but no more than five with the nomination.

Include a letter of support from the senior investigator (if other than the nominator) in whose laboratory the nominee carried out the research. Include dates, department and location of where research was carried out.

ONE set of completed nomination materials and all supporting documents must be received at the SPR Central Office by December 3, 2008.

Send complete packet to:

Society for Pediatric Research
Young Investigator Award Committee
3400 Research Forest Dr., Ste. B7
The Woodlands, TX 77381

For more information, contact the SPR Executive Secretary at jwells@aps-spr.org or phone 281-419-0052.

For further information:
Society for Pediatric Research
Young Investigator Award Committee
3400 Research Forest Dr., Ste. B7
The Woodlands, TX 77381
Phone: (281) 419-0052
Fax: (281) 419-0082
Email: jwells@aps-spr.org

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.

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

The mission of The Gerber Foundation, to enhance the quality of life of infants and young children in nutrition, care, and development, has remained the guiding beacon for Foundation giving throughout its history. Accordingly, priority is given to projects whose primary beneficiaries are young children from birth to three years of age.

The Trustees of The Gerber Foundation expect the Foundation’s grant dollars to make a significant impact on issues facing infants and young children. Through our grant-making efforts, the Trustees are committed to improving the health and well-being of the youngest members of our society.

The primary focus of grantmaking is on health and nutritional issues affecting infants and young children. Research projects aimed at finding solutions to children’s health and nutritional problems are sought. Of particular interest are those offering a substantial promise of meaningful advances in prevention and treatment of diseases and those with broad applicability to the general population.

Interested researchers may contact the Program Manager to discuss how specific research ideas fit with the Foundation’s current interests.

How To Apply

Step 1: Concept Paper

The Foundation may receive grant proposals from unsolicited sources as well as from organizations with which we have been in contact. However, our preference is for an initial concept paper with subsequent communication between the grant applicant and Program staff as the grant proposal is being developed. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Foundation at any point in the process to discuss their project.

The format for the concept paper can be located under the “Concept Paper Format” tab on this website or can be obtained by contacting the Foundation office.

Concept papers are due June 1 and December 1 of each year. If these dates fall on a weekend, the papers are due the next business day. Determination of interest in receiving a full proposal is generally made within two weeks.

Step 2: Full Proposal

The application format can be located under the “Full Proposal Format” tab on this website or can be obtained by contacting the Foundation office. Full proposals should be submitted only at the request of the Foundation after approval of a concept paper.
Full proposals are due February 15 or August 15 of each year with grant approval or denial determined by the end of May or November, respectively.

Videotapes, CD's or DVD's are discouraged. They should be attempted as a method of application only if the Foundation requests them.

The Gerber Foundation • 4747 West 48th Street, Suite 153 • Fremont, MI 49412-8119 • (231) 924-3175 • FAX (231) 924-7906 • Email: tgf@ncresa.org

Program Summary-Early Career Awards
The Thrasher Research Fund is pleased to announce the third year of its New Researcher Award Program, for 2008. Due to the number of high quality applications received in 2006, the Fund’s Executive Committee expanded the program from 21 awards in 2006 to 30 awards for 2007, and will continue with 30 more awards in 2008. The Fund recognizes that young investigators may find it difficult to remain in pediatric research because of a lack of funding. Therefore, the purpose of this program is to encourage the development of medical research in child health by awarding small grants to new researchers. There are three funding cycles per year for New Researcher Award Program grants. Up to ten grants per cycle will be made in 2008.

The Fund is open to a variety of research topics important to children’s health. The Fund’s current focus is on clinical/translational pediatric research. Emphasis is placed on projects with the potential for findings that could be clinically applicable in a relatively short period of time for the prevention, diagnosis and/or treatment of pediatric medical problems.

Eligibility-Early Career Awards

Those eligible to apply include:

Physicians who are in a residency/fellowship training program, or who completed that program no more than one year before the date of submission of the concept paper.

Post-doctoral researchers who received the doctoral level degree no more than three years prior to the date of submission of the concept paper.
A new investigator who holds a National Institutes of Health (NIH) K award is not eligible to apply for the Thrasher award. An investigator with an application pending for a NIH K award may apply to the Thrasher Research Fund New Researcher Award Program, but if both are awarded, the Thrasher award must be relinquished.

There are no restrictions with regard to citizenship. Each project needs to be under the guidance of a mentor. The qualifications and experience of the mentor will be considered in the evaluation of the application. A mentor may have only one Thrasher Research Fund New Researcher grantee at a time.

Budget Guidelines-Early Career Awards
The grant amount is based on the actual budgetary needs of the project, with a maximum of $25,000 in direct costs for the entire grant. The duration of the project can be up to two years. Indirect costs of no more than 7% of direct costs will be paid on New Researcher Award Program grants. Up to $12,500 in total of the proposed budget may be used for salary (including fringe) of the new researcher. Funds not needed for salary are to be used for research supplies or other research-related expenses.

The cost of attending one conference is allowed for the New Researcher to report findings resulting from Thrasher-supported research. Such travel costs may not exceed $2,000.

Thrasher Research Fund
Gateway Tower West
15 W. South Temple Street, Suite 1650
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Phone: (801) 240-4753 • Fax: (801) 240-1625

Medical Grant Policies

The Medical and Scientific Advisory Council periodically reviews grant applications from investigators and selects those studies that best fulfill the Council's objectives in regard to solving the mystery of SIDS, Stillbirth and other causes of sudden infant deaths.

Request For Proposals
We are pleased to announce the availability of funds for research aimed at uncovering the causes, means of detection, additional risk factors and potential preventions for these tragic causes of infant death.

First Candle offers financial awards supporting scientific programs of merit, with funding of up to $50,000 a year for two or three years. These awards serve to seed scientific projects; prepare projects for federal funding submission; bridge projects between grants; and attract new scientists and ideas to the field. Year-to-year extensions of funded projects already in progress are also available.

Interested researchers are invited to submit a proposal for consideration by following the NICHD Small Grants Program/Modular format. Proposals should include a summary of the research to be conducted, proposed method of investigation, budget, personnel and curriculum vitae of the principal investigator and timeframe. Additional information may be requested by the MSAC.

For more information, or to receive detailed information on the First Candle grant policies, please call 1-800-221-7437.

Research Grants

AWHONN awards grants to researchers who will investigate variables relevant to women's health, obstetric, and neonatal nursing. Studies that are clinically relevant and outcome-based are a priority. Projects that focus on the nurse's role in delivering cost-effective care in these subspecialties will also be considered.

Program Overview

The AWHONN small research grants program is designed for researchers who are working on first-time efforts at beginning development of a program of research. The purpose of the funding is to provide seed money, pilot funding, or total funding for small projects with promising contributions to nursing knowledge in clinical practice. The focus of the research is women's health, obstetric, or neonatal nursing phenomena.

All AWHONN grants are awarded to members only. Membership must be current at the time of application and at time of selection/funding. An application for membership may accompany the proposal. If there are multiple investigators, the individual named as principal investigator must be a member. Researchers who are currently principal investigators on a federally funded grant or who have already received an AWHONN-funded research grant in the past five years are not eligible.

AWHONN Novice Researcher Award
$5,000
Through the generous donations from members to HealthFunds, AWHONN offers a research grant award for novice researchers. The award is intended to assist new researchers to begin areas of study, investigate clinical issues and/or launch a pilotstudy. The following criteria must be met for the Novice Research Award, as well as criteria identified for all awards underproposal guidelines:

The principle investigator can have received no more than a cumulative total of $5,000 of previous funding.
The principle investigator must have a minimum of a Masters degree or currently enrolled in a Masters program and completing a thesis or clinical research project.
A senior researcher must be identified to serve as a mentor. A letter of support from the mentor describing the role he/she will be implementing with the principle investigator is required with the application.

 Submission Deadline: December 1

Submissions must be postmarked no later than December 1 every year. Incomplete applications and those with later postmarks will not be considered. Send proposal to:

AWHONN Research Grants
2000 L Street, NW, Suite 740
Washington, DC 20036

For more information:
Research Programs
800-673-8499 x2431