GrantStation International Insider - February 2017

International | Canadian | U.S. Govt. | Canadian Govt.

International Funding Opportunities

Funds Enhance the Confidence and Skills of Computer Science Teachers
Google Computer Science for High School
Google's program, Computer Science for High School (CS4HS), provides annual funding to support teacher professional development (PD) in computer science​. Using these grants, PD practitioners from around the world create, deliver, and support local communities of teachers who need additional support and resources to teach computer science and computational thinking. The teachers apply what they’ve learned during their CS4HS workshops to inspire and empower students to not just be consumers but creators of technology. Funding is available in Canada, the U.S., China, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Applicants must be affiliated with a research institution, two- or four-year educational institution, or an educational nonprofit such as a professional development organization, school district, or a local office of education. Applications must be submitted by midnight March 19, 2017. Visit the CS4HS website to apply. ​Use the Application Companion as a reference guide

Prizes Honor Reporting in the Americas
Maria Moors Cabot Prizes
The Maria Moors Cabot Prizes, administered by Columbia University Journalism School, recognize journalists and news organizations with a distinguished body of work that have contributed to Inter­-American understanding. Journalists or news executives who work for any news organization based in the Western Hemisphere or any press association, news service, or syndicate that serves such an organization, along with other individuals, including freelance journalists, with a long record of reporting on the region, are eligible to apply. Journalism in all media is eligible, including Internet publications. A gold medal and a $5,000 honorarium are awarded to each winner. The deadline to submit a nomination is March 16, 2017. (Self-nominations are accepted.) The online nomination form is available on the Columbia University website in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Grants Empower Women and Girls in Developing Countries
Weyerhaeuser Family Foundation: International Initiative
The Weyerhaeuser Family Foundation's International Initiative seeks to help women, girls, and their families overcome violence, poverty, and other hardships in under-developed countries. Programs in the following areas that aid women and children are of special interest to the Foundation: education, including projects that address the needs of at-risk youth; environment, conservation, and preservation, including forestry projects and projects that preserve and protect the environment by using scarce resources wisely; health, including projects addressing mental health, chemical dependency, and family planning; and economic development, including micro-lending. The average grant size for the Initiative is $25,000 or less. U.S. nonprofit organizations with international programs are eligible to apply. Stage 1 applications must be submitted by March 1, 2017. The funding guidelines and online application form are available on the Foundation’s website.

Support for Roma Advocacy Efforts in Selected EU Countries
Open Society Foundations: Roma Initiatives Office – Roma and EU Funds
The Open Society Foundations work to build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable and open to the participation of all people. The Foundations’ Roma Initiatives Office has issued a call for proposals targeting Roma and pro-Roma organizations and networks (formal or non-formal) from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain. Funding supports advocacy aimed at ensuring that civil society remains a critical actor in the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of European Union financial assistance. Grants are provided for policy-oriented and strategic actions that promote structural changes that could help better the lives of Roma, hold governments accountable, improve government decision-making and public service delivery, and promote and protect the rights and freedoms of Roma. Submitted proposals must advocate for the improved absorption of EU assistance in order to support inclusive reforms at the institutional and systemic levels and to bring meaningful changes to the lives of Roma. The application deadline is March 15, 2017. Visit the Foundations’ website to download the call for proposals.

Funding Available for Exploration and Adventure Around the World
National Geographic Expeditions Council
The National Geographic Expeditions Council is a grant program that supports exploration and adventure worldwide. The program is editorially driven; thus, supported projects must have the potential to yield compelling stories and images. Grants generally range from $15,000 to $35,000 and cover direct field expenses. Applicants are expected to have qualifications and experience pertinent to the expedition or project they propose. Those planning work in foreign countries (i.e. a country other than their own) should include at least one local collaborator as part of their research teams. Online applications are accepted throughout the year and reviewed on a quarterly basis; the Council recommends submitting an application at least six to eight months before fieldwork is due to begin. Visit the National Geographic website to learn more about the program.

Film Production and Distribution Support Available
World Cinema Fund
The World Cinema Fund works to develop and support cinema in regions with a weak film infrastructure, while fostering cultural diversity in German cinemas. The Fund supports the production and distribution of feature films and feature-length documentaries by filmmakers in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Caucasus. Funding is provided for films that stand out with an unconventional aesthetic approach, that tell powerful stories, and that transmit an authentic image of their cultural roots. Production companies with directors from the target regions, as well as German production companies working with a director from these regions, are eligible to apply for production funding. (Projects from target regions will need a German partner.) German distributors can apply for funding for the distribution of films from the target regions to German cinemas. The application deadline for production funding is March 2, 2017. Applications for distribution funding are accepted year round. Visit the Fund’s website to review the funding guidelines.

Awards Honor Sustainable Agriculture Initiatives
Solution Search: Farming for Biodiversity Contest
Solution Search, a contest created by Rare and run by a host of partner organizations, is designed to source, reward, and disseminate what is already working in conservation and development. The Farming for Biodiversity contest rewards organizations that have promoted changes in human activities (including their own practices) to ensure sustainable harvests/food security while also conserving, strengthening, and restoring biodiversity on agricultural lands or the surrounding environment. Examples of potential entries include sustainable land use management that integrates the consideration of biodiversity and ecosystems, alternative pest control practices that reduce toxic run-off into local water sources, organic farming methods that increase soil biodiversity, livestock control measures that protect local flora and fauna, and innovative approaches that reduce human-animal conflicts in agricultural zones. The following prizes will be awarded: the Early Entrant Prize ($5,000), the Grand Prize ($30,000), and four Category Prizes ($15,000 each) in the areas of Social/Community Impact, Biodiversity Impact, Food Security/Nutrition Impact, and Water Impact. The contest is open to all organizations who have a proven solution in biodiversity-friendly agricultural practices. The deadline to submit an application or nomination is March 10, 2017. Visit the Solution Search website (www.solutionsearch.org) to learn more about the contest.

Grants Target Poverty and the Environment in Europe and Africa
Mitsubishi Corporation Fund for Europe and Africa
The Mitsubishi Corporation Fund for Europe and Africa seeks to promote environmental conservation, environmental education and research, and the relief of poverty. The Fund awards grants for initiatives within those objectives, with priority given to projects that also support the economic and social development of local communities in an environmentally sustainable manner. Charitable organizations, nonprofit organizations, and academic institutions with activities in Europe and Africa are eligible to apply. Online applications must be submitted by March 31, 2017. Funding guidelines and the online application form are available on the Mitsubishi Corporation website.

Canadian Funding Opportunities

Support for Social and Economic Justice Initiatives in the U.S. and Canada
Unitarian Universalist Association: Fund for a Just Society
The Unitarian Universalist Association’s Fund for a Just Society supports organizations in the U.S. and Canada that are addressing issues of social and economic justice. Funding is provided to non-Unitarian Universalist groups that use community organizing to bring about systemic change leading to a more just society; mobilize those who have been disenfranchised and excluded from resources, power, and the right to self-determination; and have an active focused campaign to create systemic change. Priority is given to active, specific campaigns to create change in the economic, social, and political structures that affect people’s lives. Grants of up to $15,000 are provided; most grants are between $6,000 and $8,000. The Fund also offers challenge or matching grants. The application deadlines are March 15 and September 15, annually. Visit the Fund’s website to review the funding guidelines.

Grants Target Mental Health and Type 2 Diabetes in Canada
Medavie Health Foundation
The Medavie Health Foundation, funded by Medavie Blue Cross and Medavie Health Services, is dedicated to contributing to the well-being of Canadians by partnering with community-based organizations and supporting programs that will act as catalysts for healthy change. The Foundation's grants program supports smaller, targeted programs aligned with child and youth mental health, post-traumatic stress disorder, and type 2 diabetes. The focus is on initiatives that encourage active living and mental resiliency, involve the community, are sustainable, and have the potential to serve as a model for others. Registered charities based in Canada are eligible to apply. Letters of Inquiry must be submitted by February 28, 2017. Visit the Foundation’s website to review the Grantmaking Guidelines and FAQs.

Grants Nurture the Arts in Alberta
Alberta Foundation for the Arts
The mission of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts is to encourage and support the arts as a significant contributor to quality of life in Alberta. The Foundation's grants support a wide range of initiatives, including festivals/artists-in-residence programs, emerging artists, exhibits, community events, performances, and education. Funding is provided for creative activity in the performing, visual, literary, and film/video arts disciplines. Types of grants offered by the Foundation include individual grants, organizational operational and project grants, Aboriginal arts support, and awards and scholarships. Application deadlines vary by grant program. A list of grant programs and deadlines is available on the Foundation’s websites.

Funding Available for Environmental Initiatives in British Columbia
Bullitt Foundation
The mission of the Bullitt Foundation is to safeguard the natural environment by promoting responsible human activities and sustainable communities in the Pacific Northwest. The Foundation’s grantmaking is focused on the Pacific Northwest Emerald Corridor– the region bounded by Vancouver, BC, to the north, Portland to the south, and the Cascades to the east. Program areas open to applications consist of Regional Ecosystem Health; Energy, Climate, and Materials; Deep Green Buildings; and Resilient Cities and Healthy Communities. Canadian registered charities and U.S. nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply. The annual deadlines for submitting a letter of inquiry are March 15 and September 15. Visit the Foundation’s website to learn more about the program areas and grantmaking process.

U.S. Government Funding Opportunities

HIV Programs in South Africa Funded
Department of State
The HIV and AIDS Community Grants Program funds organizations in South Africa that offer evidence-based activities in HIV prevention, care, and support; capacity building; reduction of stigma and discrimination; and democracy, governance, and human rights as related to the national HIV response. Applications must be submitted by March 15, 2017.

Grants Aid Refugees in Selected African Countries
Department of State
The Department of State has issued a funding opportunity for NGO programs benefiting refugees from Sudan or the Central African Republic (CAR) in Chad or Nigeria, or CAR refugees in Cameroon. The application deadline is March 24, 2017.

Canadian Government Funding Opportunities

Grants Promote Economic Development in Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
The Atlantic Innovation Fund helps Atlantic Canadians develop and bring to market new products and services that lead to market success, help grow strategic sectors, or lead to the creation of research and commercialization partnerships. Support is provided for projects in the area of natural and applied sciences, as well as in social sciences, humanities, arts, and culture that lead to the successful development and commercialization of technology-based products, processes, or services. Eligible applicants include private-sector businesses, universities, colleges, non-government research organizations, and provincial Crown corporations operating in Atlantic Canada. Project Concept Forms may be submitted throughout the year to the nearest Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency office.

Travel Grants Available to Canadian Professional Artists
Canada Council for the Arts
The Audience and Market Development Travel Grants program assists Canadian professional artists to develop their careers and reach new audiences and markets in Canada and internationally. Areas of interest include media and visual arts, writing and publishing, and performing arts. Applications are due by February 28, 2017.

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Editor: Diana Holder
Contributing Writer: Ashlyn Simmons