Summer 2008 Funding Sampler

A. General

1. Humanities Collections and Resources
Humanities Collections and Resources combines support for activities that were funded previously through two separate grant categories: Grants to Preserve and Create Access to Humanities Collections and Reference Materials Grants. The program also provides support for activities funded previously through the Division’s Research and Development category.  Applications may be submitted for the following activities: digitizing collections; arranging and describing archival and manuscript collections; cataloging collections of printed works, photographs, recorded sound, moving image, art, and material culture; preservation reformatting; deacidification of collections; and preserving and improving access to humanities resources in “born digital” form.
• Funding: ceiling of $350,000
• Deadline: July 31, 2008
• Website: http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&flag2006=false&oppId=41630

2.  National Resource Center -Paul P. Fidler Research Grant
Through its Paul P. Fidler Research Grant, the National Resource Center supports efforts to improve student learning and transitions into and through higher education. Proposals must focus on issues related to college student transitions; articulate a strong research design; explore unique issues, subjects, analysis, participants or samples; have potential national impact on student success initiatives; and propose research that can be completed by November 2009.  Eligibility: Faculty, staff and graduate students.
• Funding: The award provides a $5,000 stipend.
• Deadline: July 1, 2008
• Website: http://sc.edu/fye/research/grant/index.html

3. National Endowment for the Humanities
Summer Stipends support individuals pursuing advanced research that is of value to scholars and general audiences in the humanities. Recipients usually produce articles, monographs, books, digital materials, archaeological site reports, translations, editions, and other scholarly tools. Summer Stipends support full-time work on a humanities project for a period of two months. Summer Stipends support projects at any stage of development. Summer Stipends are awarded to individual scholars. Organizations are not eligible to apply. Summer Stipends may not be used for: research for doctoral dissertations or theses by students enrolled in a degree program; specific policy studies or educational or technical impact assessments; the preparation or publication of textbooks; studies of teaching methods or theories, surveys of courses and programs, or curriculum development; inventories of collections; works in the creative or performing arts (e.g., painting, writing fiction or poetry, dance performance, etc.); projects that seek to promote a particular political, philosophical, religious, or ideological point of view; or projects that advocate a particular program of social action.
• Funding: $6,000
• Deadline: Oct. 1, 2008
• Website: http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/stipends.html

4. Archives - Basic Projects
The National Historical Publications and Records Commission seeks proposals for archives and records projects to carry out fundamental archival activities that promote the preservation and use of America's documentary heritage essential to understanding our democracy, history, and culture.  The Commission is particularly concerned that some historical collections in archives and repositories are difficult for most researchers to find because they are not processed or represented in national catalogs. It hopes to encourage repositories to reveal these "hidden collections" by concentrating on materials in their backlogs. In addition, the NHPRC wishes to continue support for planning for archives, collection development, and appropriate preservation.  As a result, the Commission seeks proposals for projects that support backlog processing and collections cataloging, phased preservation, and/or collections development.
• Funding: up to $150,000
• Deadline: Oct. 6, 2008
• Website: http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&flag2006=false&oppId=41708

5. Small Grant Program for Conference Support (R13)
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) seeks to support conferences that help to further its mission to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans. The types of conferences eligible for support include: 1) Research development - conferences where issues or challenges in the delivery of health services are defined and a research agenda or strategy for studying them is developed; 2) Design and methodology - conferences where methodological and technical issues of major importance in the field of health services research are addressed or new designs and methodologies are developed; 3) Dissemination conferences - where research findings are summarized and communicated broadly to organizations and individuals that have the capability to use the information to improve the outcomes, quality, access to, and cost and utilization of health care services; and/or, 4) Research Training, Infrastructure and Career Development-conferences where research faculty and students are brought together with users of research to develop, share and disseminate research products, experiences, curricula, syllabi, approaches or core competencies required to train individuals from multi- and interdisciplinary backgrounds or prepare developing or emerging research institutions to conduct and translate research related to fostering improvements in health care delivery in the US.
• Funding: up to $50,000
• Deadline: Oct. 20, 2009
• Website: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-06-074.html  

6. America's Media Makers: Development Grants (NEH)
Grants support media projects that explore significant events, figures, or developments in the humanities and offer creative and new approaches to humanities content. America’s Media Makers projects promote active exploration and engagement for broad public audiences in history, literature, archaeology, art history, comparative religion, philosophy, and other fields of the humanities. Development grants enable media producers to collaborate with scholars to develop the humanities content and format and to prepare programs for production. The product of development grants should be the refinement of the humanities ideas, a script, or a design document for (or a prototype of) digital media components or projects. Before applying, applicants must have a solid command of the major humanities scholarship on the subject, have clarified the ideas the project will consider, and have consulted with a team of scholarly advisers to work out the intellectual issues the program will explore. Applicants must also have made preliminary decisions about the format and storyline and located essential materials for the program(s). Finally, they must have recruited the appropriate media professionals, especially the producer, writer, or interactive designer.
• Funding: $40,000 to $75,000
• Deadline: August 27, 2008
• Website: http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/AmMediaMakers_development.html

7. America's Media Makers: Production Grants (NEH)
Grants support media projects that explore significant events, figures, or developments in the humanities and offer creative and new approaches to humanities content. America’s Media Makers projects promote active exploration and engagement for broad public audiences in history, literature, archaeology, art history, comparative religion, philosophy, and other fields of the humanities. Production grants support the preparation of a program for distribution. Applicants must submit a script for a radio or television program or a prototype or storyboard for a digital media project that demonstrates a solid command of the humanities ideas and scholarship about the subject. The script for a radio or television program or prototype or storyboard for a digital media project should also show how the narrative elements, visual approach, and interactive design combine to present the humanities ideas. Applicants must have consulted with the appropriate scholars about the project and obtained their commitment as advisers. Finally, applicants must have recruited the media team, including at a minimum the producer, director, writer, and, for a digital media project, the interactive designer.
• Funding: $100,000 to $800,000
• Deadline: August 27, 2008
• Website: http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/AmMediaMakers_production.html

8. John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation offers fellowships to further the development of scholars and artists by assisting them to engage in research in any field of knowledge and creation in any of the arts. Fellowships are designed to help provide artists with blocks of time in which they can work with as much creative freedom as possible and place no special conditions on recipients.
• Funding: averaging around $43,000
• Deadline: For applicants in painting, sculpture, graphic art, and writing and constitutional studies: Sept. 15 for U.S. and Canadian completed applications. For applicants in music composition, photography, film, video and choreography, from Nov. 1 to Dec. 15 for U.S. and Canadian fellowships. Grants are for six to 12 months.
• Website: www.gf.org

9. NEA American Masterpieces: Presenting, FY2008
American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius is a major initiative to acquaint Americans with the best of their cultural and artistic legacy. Through American Masterpieces, the National Endowment for the Arts will sponsor performances, exhibitions, tours, and educational programs across all art forms that will reach large and small communities in all 50 states. This category is for projects that embrace multiple arts disciplines. Projects must consist of either a single multidisciplinary presentation or a multidisciplinary series comprised of several different single-discipline presentations. Projects with components that primarily feature or support a single discipline (e.g., dance, music, musical theater, opera, visual arts) will not be considered. Presenting organizations of all sizes, genres, and aesthetics are encouraged to apply.
• Funding: $10,000 to $100,000
• Deadline: Sept. 26, 2008
• Website: http://www.arts.gov/grants/apply/AMPresenting.html

B. Science

1.  Mouse Models Containing Human Alleles: Novel Tools to Study Brain Function
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), issued by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA),  invites Phased Innovation (R21/R33) grant applications from organizations /institutions that propose the development and characterization of novel mouse models that express human genes or human genetic elements that can aid in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying brain function and the physiological function/significance of gene variants and gene dosage abnormalities that have been identified as possibly being involved in mental disorders, addiction, neurodegenerative disorders of aging, and alcoholism as well as related comorbid conditions
• Funding: up to $350,000
• Deadline: June 26, 2008; Jan.28, 2009  and more 
• Website: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-08-158.html

2. Environmental Protection Agency
The EPA is issuing this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) soliciting applications from eligible applicants for the planning, arranging, administering and/or conducting of conferences, workshops, and/or meetings (hereinafter referred to as “conferences”) that focus on research to protect human health and safeguard the environment. Specifically, EPA is interested in supporting scientific and technical research conferences that address the following research program areas: (1) human health; (2) ecosystems; water and security; (3) economics and sustainability; (4) air and global climate change; and (5) technology. This BAA is open from December 10, 2007 through December 9, 2008.
• Funding: $15,000 to $75,000
• Deadline: Dec. 9, 2008 
• Website: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2008/2008_baa.html

3. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The purpose of this notice is to request proposals for special projects and programs associated with the Agency’s strategic plan and mission goals, as well as to provide the general public with information and guidelines on how NOAA will select proposals and administer discretionary Federal assistance under this BAA. This BAA is a mechanism to encourage research, education and outreach, innovative projects, or sponsorships that are not addressed through our competitive discretionary programs. NOAA issues this BAA for extramural research, innovative projects, and sponsorships (e.g. conferences, newsletters etc.) that address one or more of the following five mission goal descriptions contained in the NOAA Strategic Plan:
1. Protect, Restore, and Manage the Use of Coastal and Ocean Resources through an Ecosystem Approach to Management;
2. Understand Climate Variability and Change to Enhance Society's Ability to Plan and Respond;
3. Serve Society's Needs for Weather and Water Information;
4. Support the Nation's Commerce with Information for Safe, Efficient, and Environmentally Sound Transportation; and
5. Provide Critical Support for NOAA's Mission.
• Funding: varies
• Deadline: Sept. 30, 2009
• Website: Click here to visit site
           
4. Academic Career Award (NIH)
The purpose of the NIH Academic Career Award is to provide support to increase the pool of individuals with academic and research expertise to become academic researchers and to enhance the educational or research capacity at the grantee sponsoring grantee institution.  The Academic Career Award supports Development awards for more junior level candidates and Leadership awards for more senior individuals with acknowledged scientific expertise and leadership skills.
• Funding: varies
• Deadline: May 7, 2011
• Website: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-08-152.html

5. West Coast Estuaries Initiative for the California Coast
U.S. EPA Region 9 is soliciting proposals under this announcement for projects that conserve, restore and protect the water quality, habitat and environment of California coastal waters, estuaries, bays and near shore waters through comprehensive approaches to water quality management. The emphasis is on supporting implementation activities based on existing plans, such as Comprehensive Conservation Management Plans (Clean Water Act Section (CWA) 320), State programs such as the Integrated Regional Water Management Plans, and local watershed plans.
• Funding: $250,000+
• Deadline: August 25, 2008
• Website: http://www.epa.gov/region09/funding/west-coast-estuaries.html

6. San Francisco Bay Area Water Quality Improvement Fund
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 9 is soliciting proposals under this announcement for projects that restore and protect the water quality, habitat and environment of the San Francisco Bay and its watersheds through comprehensive approaches to water quality management. EPA is soliciting proposals for demonstration projects and studies of approaches that will focus on the effectiveness of an integrated approach for the following water quality priorities: Invasive species management; Reduction of trash in our waterways; Innovative wetlands restoration; Storm water management including impacts to urban streams; Reductions of pollutants identified in draft or completed Total Maximum Daily Loads; Climate change impacts on water quality.
• Funding: $500,000+
• Deadline: August 25, 2008
• Website: http://www.epa.gov/region09/funding/sfbay-water.html

7. Foundation for Child Development
During its 100-year history, Foundation for Child Development has focused on improving the life prospects of children, focusing on research (physical, cognitive, social and emotional development), policy, programs and advocacy. Under a newly announced PK-3 initiative, which supports the restructuring of pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and grades one through three, the foundation seeks proposals for small grants to: stimulate research that spans early education and early elementary education to inform PK-3 efforts nationally; foster multidisciplinary perspectives and build a field of research that examines how children’s education and home contexts influence developmental outcomes at least through third grade; and increase the use of datasets that can inform the initiative.
• Deadline: July 15.
• Funds: The program will provide up to four awards of $50,000 each for one to two years.
• Website: www.icpsr.umich.edu/PK3/spotlight/rfp.html 

8. Short-Term Research Education Program to Increase Diversity in Health-Related Research (NIH)
This FOA issued by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, solicits Research Education (R25) applications from institutions/organizations to promote diversity in undergraduate and health professional student populations by providing short-term research education support to stimulate career development in cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematologic, and sleep disorders research.  The overall goal of the program is to provide research opportunities for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, racial and ethnic minorities, and others who are underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral research (e.g., individuals with disabilities), that will significantly contribute to a diverse research workforce in the future.
• Deadline: August 15, 2008
• Funds: varies
• Website: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HL-08-016.html#SectionII