Gates Foundation’s New Grant Opportunity: “Achieving Healthy Growth”

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has issued a Request for Proposals for its new grant program called “Discover New Ways to Achieve Healthy Growth” under the Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative.

The goal of this opportunity is to elucidate new pathways or mechanisms that will directly inform the development of interventions for the prevention of impaired growth, i.e. stunting and wasting, and the associated impaired cognitive development during the first 1,000 days following conception in the developing world.

The program seeks to address the challenge of lack of new research needed to address the underlying biological mechanisms and pathways associated with growth restriction, stunting, and wasting during the first 1,000 days following conception (-9 to 24 months).

The program will address three developmental age groups:

• Prenatal, including preconception factors as well as those during fetal development
• Infants from birth to 6 months of age
• Infants from 6 to 24 months of age

For each of these developmental segments, the program will be focused on approaches to discover or inform the development of novel interventions and the capacity to monitor the effect of these interventions at a mechanistic level, while addressing the role of infection, exposure to environmental toxins (e.g. aflatoxin), and nutritional insults.

The deadline to submit applications for this grant opportunity is January 25, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.

For more information, visit this link.

USAID invites Private Voluntary Organizations and Cooperatives to implement Food for Peace Programs in Guatemala, Niger and Uganda

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Office of Food for Peace (FFP), is seeking applications (proposals for funding) from private voluntary organizations or cooperatives that are, to the extent practicable, registered with the USAID Administrator, or intergovernmental organizations for Title II Development Food Aid Programs.  This includes  U.S. and non-U.S. nonprofit organizations.

Food for Peace’s goal for multi-year, development programming is to reduce risks and vulnerabilities to food insecurity and increase food availability, access and utilization/consumption. Title II programs must target the vulnerability of food insecure individuals, households and communities directly. Assistance made available pursuant to this RFA may be used to meet emergency/exceptional circumstances.

Location and Funding Size

Subject to the availability of funds and commodities, under this Request for Applications (RFA), FFP plans to enter into awards for the following countries:

• Guatemala – Up to two awards for a total of approximately $15 million in the first year.
• Niger – Up to two awards for a total of approximately $15 million in the first year.
• Uganda – Up to two awards for a total of approximately $15-20 million in the first year.

Eligibility Requirements

To be considered for an award, the applicant must be a private voluntary organization or cooperative that is, to the extent practicable, registered with the USAID Administrator, or an intergovernmental organization, such as the World Food Program.  This includes U.S. and non U.S. nonprofit organizations as defined in Section 402 of the Food for Peace Act and as described in the Private Voluntary Organization Conditions of Registration on the USAID website.

USAID encourages applications from potential new partners

Program Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for assistance under this RFA, the program must use Title II food aid resources for direct distribution.  Given this eligibility requirement, FFP will not consider applications for 100 percent monetization.  The direct distribution activities should be accompanied by complementary activities that increase availability, access and utilization/consumption of food and reduce vulnerability to food insecurity.

Activities:

The range of activities may include, but is not limited to, sustainable agricultural production and marketing, natural resource management, non-agricultural income generation, health, nutrition, water and sanitation, education, gender equity, emergency preparedness and mitigation, vulnerable group feeding, and social safety nets.

Last date for submitting the concept notes is February 3, 2012.
For more information, visit this link and search by the Funding Opportunity Number FFP-FY-12-0001

The Tech Museum invites Nominations for the Tech Awards to encourage Use of Technology for Betterment of the Society

The Tech Awards is an initiative of the Tech Museum that was launched in November 2000 to recognize innovators who try to apply technology for the benefit of the humanity. These awards honor individuals, non-profit organizations and for-profit companies who are using technology to significantly improve human conditions in 5 award categories. The award concept and the five different categories of Tech Awards were inspired in part by the State of the Future report, published by the Millennium Project of the American Council of the United Nations University.

The Tech Museum is currently inviting nominations for the Tech Awards 2012. The Tech Awards program inspires global engagement in applying technology to humanity’s most pressing problems by recognizing individuals, organizations, and companies that use innovative technology solutions.

The Laureates

The Tech Awards laureates represent regions as diverse as the Netherlands, Brazil, India, United Kingdom, Philippines and the United States. Their work influences people in many more countries worldwide. This year’s laureates were selected from more than 1,000 nominations sourced largely by The Tech Museum’s program partner, SCU’s Center for Science, Technology, and Society (CSTS), an interdisciplinary center focused on promoting the use of science and technology to benefit underserved communities worldwide.

Award Categories

• Intel Environment Award
• Flextronics Economic Development Award
• Microsoft Education Award
• Katherine M. Swanson Young Innovator Award
• Nokia Health Award
• Sustainable Energy Award

Selection Criteria

Nominations are evaluated according to the following criteria:

• The technology application significantly improves the human condition in one of the five award areas: environment, economic development, education, equality, or health.
• A serious problem or challenge with global significance is addressed by this use of technology.
• The application of this technology, which may be either a new invention or an innovative use of an existing technology, makes a noteworthy contribution that surpasses previous or current solutions.
• The technology application has the potential to serve as an inspiration or model for further innovation.
• The technology application is in the field and has demonstrated a measurable benefit.

Submissions

After submission of nominations by the applicants, the Tech Awards team will review them to ensure they meet the program’s requirements for eligibility. If your nomination is accepted, you will be invited to submit a more detailed application, and required to provide references (e.g., business colleagues, professors, mentors, or members of the group applying).

Last date for submitting the nominations is April 6, 2012.

For more information, visit this link.

DRL seeks Proposals under Democracy and Human Rights in the East Asia and Pacific Region

The State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) has issued a request for proposals from eligible organizations outlining the program concepts and capacity to manage projects targeting the issues related to regional and country specific Democracy and Human Rights in the East Asia and Pacific region.

Regional and Country Specific Objectives

Regional:

Community Participation to Improve Government Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) (approximately $300,000 available).

DRL seeks to fund a multi-country regional program and proposals should include a minimum of two countries in Southeast Asia. DRL prefers proposals that include Laos, Thailand, and/or Cambodia.

Vietnam:

Improving Civil Society Influence at the National Assembly (approximately $400,000 available). DRL’s objective is to improve the capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs) to effect policy decisions of the National Assembly in Vietnam.

DRL seeks proposals to train civil society organizations and NGOs how to build relationships and advocate on community issues with members of the National Assembly. Proposals should include working with organizations operating across the country and covering a wide range of civil society issues.

Supporting Implementation of Convention Against Torture (CAT) (approximately $250,000 available). DRL seeks proposals to work with individuals and departments across government ministries on how to proactively fulfil Vietnam’s obligations under the CAT. This could include training of judges and ministry officials.

Cambodia:

Supporting Civil Society in Cambodia (approximately $350,000 available).

DRL’s objective is to assist Cambodia’s civil society to successfully operate and advocate in a changing environment. DRL seeks proposals that support public-interest legal assistance and the use of the judicial process to challenge laws that may hinder the country’s ability  to advance as a democratic society.

Indonesia:

Strengthening civil society’s role in security service reform (approximately $500,000 available): DRL’s objective is to stem human rights abuses by Indonesial military and police personnel. DRL seeks proposals that will enhance the ability, and expand the reach, of NGOs working to stem human rights abuses by Indonesian military and police personnel. Proposals that seek to strengthen engagement between civil society and the security apparatus, including NGO training of security service leaders, and that seek to increase civilian leaders, and that seek to increase civilian leaders’ awareness of more effective ways to address abuses by uniformed and civilian subordinates and root out human rights abuses will be positively evaluated.

Last date for submission of proposals is December 13, 2011.

For more information, visit this link and search by the Funding Opportunity Number DRLA-DRLAQM-11-006.