GRC Proposal Development Workshop Broadcast Live

All sessions at the Grants Resource Center (GRC) Proposal Development Workshop, February 25-27, 2010, will be simultaneously available through the web in real time. A list of topics and online registration are now available. For a detailed description of each session, see the conference agenda. All times listed on both the registration form and the agenda are Eastern Time.
 
GRC members may register at a cost of $125 per session.  If a GRC institution registers for five or more sessions, the total cost will be $550. GRC members who have a representative attending the meeting in person will receive a 20 percent discount on all web conference registrations.
 
Non-GRC members may register for individual session at a per-session cost of $165, and for five or more sessions at a cost of $675.
 
Return registration forms to Jim Cummins at cumminsw@aascu.org or Allyson Lords at lordsa@aascu.org by February 23, 2010. The form can also be faxed to 202.296.5819. If you have questions, call 202.293.7070 and ask for Jim Cummins or Allyson Lords.

Seven Agencies Partner on Innovation Initiative

Under a new $129 million annual effort to spur regional economic growth while making buildings more energy efficient, seven federal agencies have issued a solicitation for the Energy Efficient Building Systems Regional Innovation Cluster (E-RIC) Initiative. The clusters will be designed to move new technologies into the marketplace and share best practices with the public and private sectors.  Grants will focus on technology and business development, and will include funding for workforce education and training. Centers will be composed of universities, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories, nonprofit organizations, and private firms, partnering closely with local or state government officials, local architects, builders, and manufacturers.
 
DOE has committed up to $22 million in FY 10 funding, as well as assistance to ensure grant and subgrant objectives are met. The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) Economic Development Administration will provide up to $3 million in Public Works and Economic Development funds and up to $2 million in Economic Adjustment Assistance funds, and another $500,000 in DOC funding will provide support services to existing Manufacturing Extension Partnership centers. 
 
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will award up to $300,000 for existing Small Business Development Centers to provide services to innovation clusters. Current National Science Foundation (NSF) awardees that are E-RIC partners will be able to apply for supplemental NSF funding through existing programs designed for the training of students in sustainable energy fields, and the U.S. Department of Labor will support proposals that link E-RIC funding and existing Workforce Investment Act (WIA) grant-funded programs.

-Marcus Skelton

Reminder: NOAA Informal Education LOIs Due Tomorrow

Letters of intent are required by February 16, 2010 to participate in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Education's FY 10 Environmental Literacy Grants program. Awards will support informal and non-formal science education projects that engage the public in technology-based educational activities to improve understanding and stewardship of the environment. Five to 10 large-scale projects ranging from $500,001 to $1.25 million and small-scale projects ranging from $200,000 to $500,000 will be made in FY 10 and FY 11 (a new solicitation in FY 11 is unlikely). Projects must focus on one or more of these activities:

• Technologically facilitated outdoor experiential learning for youth and adults;
• Public participation in science related to one or more of NOAA's mission goals;
• Exhibitions and online programs allowing the visualization and exploration of data supporting the interpretation of ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, weather, and climate sciences for public audiences;
• Spherical display system (including NOAA's Science On a Sphere) installations and programming; and
• Professional development programs and training programs for informal and non-formal education staff.

Letters of intent should be submitted by e-mail to oed.grants@noaa.gov. Proposals are due by April 6, 2010.

NEA Announces New Eligibility Policy

The National Endowment for the Arts has announced that, beginning with grants that are awarded under this year's May 27, 2010 deadline, an organization that receives Challenge America Fast-Track grants for three years in a row will not be eligible to apply to the Fast-Track category for the following one-year period. For example, if an organization received grants in FY 09, 10, and 11, it would not be eligible to apply again in FY 12. During FY 12, the organization would be eligible to apply to other NEA funding opportunities, including Access to Artistic Excellence and Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth. The organization would be able to apply to the Challenge America Fast-Track category again in FY 13.