Deadline: 3 December 2010
Open to: interdisciplinary research centers on U.S. universities
Starting date: 15 March 2011
The SSRC is pleased to announce the availability of grants to support public engagement by academic experts on Islamic traditions and Muslim societies.
The grants program seeks to encourage projects permitting the dissemination of academic research on Islamic traditions and Muslim societies to targeted constituencies, with particular emphasis on media and policymakers.
Eligibility
Grants are available to interdisciplinary research centers on U.S. university campuses, including but not limited to Title VI National Resource Centers.
Research centers are eligible to apply individually for grants up to $50,000 to be used over a period of fifteen months. Extraordinary projects involving multiple collaborating centers or universities may be considered for grants up to $100,000.
Funding Priorities
Funds are available to innovative projects that will effect change by creating robust and sustainable capacities for public and policy engagement on university campuses.
Successful applications will demonstrate usage of adequate distribution channels for all deliverables intended to reach targeted constituencies.
Funds may be used additionally to promote collaborative partnerships between existing institutions on university campuses, such as interdisciplinary research centers and journalism or international affairs schools.
Applicants may also propose collaborative working relationships with relevant, non-academic institutions in order to produce jointly-developed deliverables that will be useful to journalists, policymakers, or the general public.
Activities
Activities to be proposed by applicant centers engaging journalists may include (but are not limited to) one or more of the following
- Media appearances, including print journalism and national or local broadcast affiliates
- Sustained and intensive collaborations with journalists, journalism schools, media studies departments, public radio or television departments
- Hiring of assistants or researchers to work with scholars on op-ed pieces
- Development of curricula to train journalists or to train faculty or graduate students
- Building of basic infrastructure such as installation of ISDN or high quality audio lines to facilitate interviews or the management of materials supporting engagement of different constituencies
Activities to be proposed by applicant centers engaging policymakers may include (but are not limited to) one or more of the following
- Sessions bringing together academic specialists and policymakers on topics of importance to policy circles
- Training of scholars to write effective policy briefs, memos and recommendations which can be provided by international affairs schools, public policy schools
- Sustained, intensive collaborations with think tanks or advocacy groups on issues which result in various deliverables improving policymakers’ understanding of key topics
- Policy-relevant research and subsequent dissemination on understudied but critically important topics
This grants program also will support the dissemination of academic expertise to general public. Applicants may propose activities addressing the history, culture, intellectual traditions, contributions to global culture, civilization, thought and the contemporary politics of Muslim societies.
Application
* Completed administration form
* Executive Summary of Project (no more than 250 words)
* Uploaded Narrative Proposal (no more than 8 pages)
* Completed online budget
* Uploaded Budget Form (signed by financial officer)
* Uploaded Letter of Support (signed by university administrator)
* CVs of primary project participants (1-2 pages and no more than 4 CVs total)
* Supporting materials (if relevant)
Grant
Grant funds can be used for honorarium, travel, meeting expenses, collaborations with partner organizations and schools, acquisition and preparation of materials for dissemination, web development, and costs associated with media appearances, communications training, and consultations with experts. Limited staff salary, graduate student stipend support, and summer research support for faculty can also be covered if directly relevant to the proposed project, but in total these costs should not exceed 25% of the overall budget. The grants program will not support university overhead or indirect costs.
Deadlines
* Applications due – December 3, 2010
* Notification given – February 18, 2011
* Grant period commences – March 15, 2011
* Grant period concludes – June 30, 2012