Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation seeks grants proposals

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation seeks grants proposals to transform health and agricultural development in the world’s poorest countries

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is seeking proposals for Round 8 of its Grand Challenges Explorations. The initiative is the part of a $100 million in grants aimed at encouraging innovation in the fields of global health and development research.

The initiative invites scientists, inventors, and entrepreneurs from around the world to submit proposals for the opportunity to win $100,000 in grant and pursue their unconventional ideas aimed at transforming health and agricultural development in the world’s poorest countries.

Topics of Grand Challenges Explorations Round 8

• Protect Crop Plants from Biotic Stresses From Field to Market
• Explore Nutrition for Healthy Growth of Infants and Children
• Apply Synthetic Biology to Global Health Challenges
• Design New Approaches to Optimize Immunization Systems
• Explore New Solutions in Global Health Priority Areas

Eligibility

Grand Challenges Explorations seeks to involve innovators around the world, including researchers who do not typically work in global health and development; those with innovative ideas in Africa, Asia and other parts of the developing world; people working in the private sector; and young investigators.

Selection Criteria and Grants

The initiative uses a streamlined, straightforward, online grant-making process.  The proposal process makes it easy to apply.  Applications are two pages, and preliminary data about the proposed research are not required.

Grand Challenges Explorations is a unique initiative that supports innovative research of unorthodox ideas. Every aspect of the program, including the carefully designed topics describing critical scientific barriers to progress in global health, the two-page online application, and the rapid review process, are designed to swiftly award funding to scientists who are testing unproven ideas that could lead to breakthroughs in global health.

The Gates Foundation and an independent group of reviewers will select the most innovative proposals, and grants will be awarded within approximately four months from the proposal submission deadline. Initial grants will be $100,000 USD each. Projects showing success will have the opportunity to receive additional funding up to $1 million over two years.

Last date for submission of proposals is November 17, 2011. For more information, visit this link.

First Peoples Worldwide’s Keepers of the Earth Fund

First Peoples Worldwide’s Keepers of the Earth Fund aims at supporting Indigenous-led projects and increasing access to funding for Indigenous communities and supporting Indigenous-led projects that create greater Indigenous control of Indigenous assets.

It supports strategies that address Indigenous development (e.g., land use and conservation, traditional decision-making, climate change, food security, etc.).

Keepers of the Earth Fund is seeking applications from Indigenous-led grassroots or local organizations or groups to apply for grants.

Applicant Eligibility
All applicants must:

• be an Indigenous-led grassroots/local organization or group;
• have an organizational bank account or access to a fiscal sponsor; copies of fiscal sponsor’s terms and requirements will be requested.
• insure project activities will be completed outside of the United States.

Grant Criteria

• Indigenous-led grassroots/ local projects
• Control and self-determination of Indigenous homelands
• Strategies for redressing evictions (i.e., mapping, co-management, advocacy)
• Indigenous stewardship – land and natural resource models
• Traditional knowledge
• Community organizing and Start-up costs for Indigenous organizations (i.e., by-laws, registrations, certifications, etc.)
• Appropriate technology and learning exchanges
• Advocacy for Indigenous voice within policy forums

Grant Size and Timeframe

Grant amounts range between $250 and $20,000 USD. First time awards generally range between US $2,500 to $5,000. Project timeframes are between six and 12 months. It can take up to eight weeks to review and process your request. First Peoples Worldwide may contact you for additional information.

For more information, visit this link.

First Peoples Worldwide’s Keepers of the Earth Fund

First Peoples Worldwide’s Keepers of the Earth Fund aims at supporting Indigenous-led projects and increasing access to funding for Indigenous communities and supporting Indigenous-led projects that create greater Indigenous control of Indigenous assets.

It supports strategies that address Indigenous development (e.g., land use and conservation, traditional decision-making, climate change, food security, etc.).

Keepers of the Earth Fund is seeking applications from Indigenous-led grassroots or local organizations or groups to apply for grants.

Applicant Eligibility
All applicants must:

• be an Indigenous-led grassroots/local organization or group;
• have an organizational bank account or access to a fiscal sponsor; copies of fiscal sponsor’s terms and requirements will be requested.
• insure project activities will be completed outside of the United States.

Grant Criteria

• Indigenous-led grassroots/ local projects
• Control and self-determination of Indigenous homelands
• Strategies for redressing evictions (i.e., mapping, co-management, advocacy)
• Indigenous stewardship – land and natural resource models
• Traditional knowledge
• Community organizing and Start-up costs for Indigenous organizations (i.e., by-laws, registrations, certifications, etc.)
• Appropriate technology and learning exchanges
• Advocacy for Indigenous voice within policy forums

Grant Size and Timeframe

Grant amounts range between $250 and $20,000 USD. First time awards generally range between US $2,500 to $5,000. Project timeframes are between six and 12 months. It can take up to eight weeks to review and process your request. First Peoples Worldwide may contact you for additional information.

For more information, visit this link.

CGIAR Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security seeks proposals

CGIAR Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security seeks proposals to review the current approaches to climate change communications and social learning applicable to developing countries

Climate change is an immediate and unprecedented threat to the food security of hundreds of millions of people who depend on small‐scale agriculture for their livelihoods. The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)  Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) brings together the world’s best researchers in agricultural science, development research and climate science to identify and address the most important and complex interactions, synergies and tradeoffs between climatechange, agriculture and food security through the union of the complementary strengths of the CGIAR system and the Earth System Science Partnership. CCAFS also involves farmers, policy makers, donors and other stakeholders, to integrate their knowledge and needs into the tools and approaches that are developed.

CGIAR CCAFS has issued a call for proposals to review both the current approaches to climate change communications and social learning that are applicable to the developing world and to develop a strategy for future CCAFS engagement in this area.

While a large body of literature is concerned with climate change communications and social learning in the developed world, less is available or applicable to the developing world. The differences between climate change communications approaches and social learning approaches should be articulated. Various approaches and tools are being developed and applied by the development community and the aim is to review the existing approaches, tools and decision aids that are applicable in this context. The abilities of different communication tools to bring out stakeholders’ engagement in the exchange of perspectives on CCAFS issues should be a central consideration.

Key Points

The review is expected to consider the following key points:

-        Review of existing approaches/tools/decision aids in development practice (and academic literature) on climate change communications (or beyond) that demonstrate how complex information is conveyed to various stakeholders

-        Include the communication of risks, uncertainties and response options to different stakeholders to support informed decision making (focus on food security in rural areas and CCAFS themes)

-        Include the communication needs of different stakeholders and how these needs are currently being met (include aspects of perceptions of the risk of climate change and social learning)

-        Review of social learning in relation to risk communication and management (may use examples from outside of climate change)

-        Analysis of strengths and weaknesses of existing approaches

-        Identify gaps and propose an innovative strategy and priority activities for CCAFS to move forward: identify research needs towards producing effective communication strategies, decision aids for exchange of information based on information needs of different stakeholder groups.

The expected outputs include a review paper and a database of existing approaches. The project will be responsible for identifying and securing relevant publications and sets of information from development organisations and the academic literature, where appropriate.

Competencies

The consultant or research team will have a strong communications for development and/or climate change background in developing countries, and proven track record of work in this field.

Budget and timeline                       

Up to US$ 30,000 are available for this project.

This work is to be conducted over 3 months from signing of the contract. The following timeline is to be followed:

-        A progress report (up to 10 pages) should be submitted by 15 November 2011.

-        The final report and all materials should be submitted by 31 December 2011.

Last date for submission of proposals is September 15, 2011

For more information, visit this link.