Grant - Melinda Gray Ardia Environmental Foundation

Grant Name: Grant

Funding Organization: Melinda Gray Ardia Environmental Foundation

Grant Cycle: September 20

Address:

The Melinda Gray Ardia Environmental Foundation
1024 Wheatland Ave.
Lancaster, PA 17603

Website: http://www.mgaef.org/grants.html#ToApply

How to Apply: First you must submit a pre-proposal and then be invited to submit a full grant application

Application Materials:

Applications will occur in two steps:

1. A single page "pre-proposal" should be submitted via email. The last day for pre-proposals for 2011 is  Sept 20, 2011 

• This pre-proposal will summarize the application. An application form is here. The pre-proposal must not exceed one page.

• Pre-proposals can be submitted at any time- you will receive notification of whether you can proceed to the full proposal stage within a week or so after you send your pre-proposal. 

• Pre-proposals must be submitted via email to info@mgaef. Please use PRE-PROPOSAL in the subject line. It is strongly preferred that you submit the proposal as a PDF. You can easily convert your word document to a pdf at http://convert.neevia.com/ 

• Please use a descriptive file name that is specific to your project and if possible include the year and the word preproposal. For example "Vermont Coyote Searchers Preproposal 2010.pdf". Remember, you might only have one file called MGAEF preposal.pdf file, but we receive dozens of similarly named files. 

• Pool of eligibility:
  Consideration for funds from The Melinda Gray Ardia Environmental Foundation is available to everyone regardless of race, gender, religion, national origin, age, handicap, or sexual orientation.

• Any organization is eligible to apply... schools, non-profits, governmental agencies and others. The only criterion is that we can only provide funds to an organization not to an individual. If you are self-employed, you need to find a sponsoring organization.

• We fund organizations across the globe, for example in Kenya, Guatemala, Chile and Bangladesh. 

2. A subset of these proposals will be selected to submit a full proposal.

• You should only submit a full proposal if you receive a request to do so based on your pre-proposal.

• Full proposals are due September 25, 2011. Email is the preferred way to submit the proposal. Please send to info@mgaef.org. It is strongly preferred that you submit the proposal as a PDF. You can easily convert your word document to a pdf at http://convert.neevia.com/

• If you prefer to send your full proposal by mail, it should be sent to:

The Melinda Gray Ardia Environmental Foundation
1024 Wheatland Ave.
Lancaster, PA 17603

For full proposals, your application should provide the following information:

1. An application form is required and can be downloaded here.

2. A proposal that indicate the focus, mission, and/or philosophy of the curriculum. Include the following sections:

Project Description:
What do you plan to do and to accomplish?
What grades/ages are involved?
Where will this work occur?

Rationale:
Why is your project important?

Goals and Objectives:
Be specific and try to avoid vague and jargon-filled descriptions

Methods:
How will the project be conducted?

Impacts:
What areas of content will your curriculum address?
Are there broader community impacts?

Evaluation:
How will you assess you have met your goals and objectives?

3. A budget. We give grants of up to $1500. If the MGAEF contribution will be part of a larger requirement, include the total budget of the project indicating what our funds will support).

If your total budget exceeds $1500, as many projects do, it is important to:

(1) State whether you have obtained or applied for additional funds
(2) Give an honest appraisal of whether the project can succeed without these additional funds but with our $1500 grant.

4. A letter of endorsement that convinces us that the curriculum (or equivalent) will be implement. Generally this is from the science supervisor and principal of the school involved. If other partners are involved, letters from these sources are requested. If you work with many schools, letters from them all are not required.

5. A timetable of when work will be conducted and completed.

6. Resumés of key individuals involved. This is your chance to convince us that you can do what you propose to do.

7. A stated understanding that the Foundation will require a progress report, with the preferred product the curriculum itself.

Pool of eligibility:
Consideration for funds from The Melinda Gray Ardia Environmental Foundation is available to everyone regardless of race, gender, religion, national origin, age, handicap, or sexual orientation.

Any organization is eligible to apply... schools, non-profits, governmental agencies and others. The only criterion is that we can only provide funds to an organization not to an individual. If you are self-employed, you need to find a sponsoring organization.

We fund organizations across the globe, for example in Tanzania, Kenya, Guatemala, Chile and Bangladesh. 

Background: To facilitate learning and student empowerment, environmental curricula should be holistic and strive to synthesize multiple levels of learning (facts, concepts, principles), often including experiential integrated learning and problem solving. We believe the strongest curricula are founded on basic scientific principles, including hypothesis testing and experimental design. A solid foundation of ecology promotes thoughtful and appropriate analysis and understanding of the natural world. Controversial issues should be presented objectively stressing the development of individual student opinions.

In summary, the Foundation supports curricula that empower and encourage students to become involved in solving environmental and social problems as informed decision makers through the emphasis and application of basic ecological principles.

The Foundation seeks to facilitate the development and implementation of holistic environmental curricula that incorporate basic ecological principles and field environmental activities within a primary or secondary school setting. Accordingly, the Foundation is interested in contributing to the development, implementation and/or field testing of curricula that are consistent with the mission of the Foundation. For more information about the foundation, and to learn how to apply for a grant.