NOAA: Climate and Weather Impacts on Society and the Environment

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) invites applications to establish a four-year cooperative agreement with the agency under the Climate and Weather Impacts on Society and the Environment (CWISE) program. The CWISE program was established in 2003 by the NOAA Coastal Services Center (CSC) and the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). The mission of CWISE is to enhance the resiliency of natural, economic and social systems to weather and climate-related environmental stressors through interdisciplinary research and application development, information and services delivery, education and outreach. Sea level change compounded by the potential for increased impacts from storms and extreme weather events can magnify the impacts of coastal hydrologic processes, flood risk, erosion, inundation, and salt-water intrusion. Impacts to human development and natural systems, often lead to major socioeconomic disruption.

NOAA will collaborate with the selected applicant on cooperative research and development activities and provide financial support to enhance the public benefits to be derived from research results, including practical applications of climate and extreme weather event research for coastal communities. The selected applicant will work with NOAA to engage the support of the science and management communities, and ensure that a broad group of constituents will benefit from the products as well as contribute to their design and use. The cooperative agreement will be established based on a common commitment between NOAA offices, particularly the National Climatic Data Center (www.ncdc.noaa.gov) the Coastal Services Center (www.csc.noaa.gov) and the Climate Program Office (www.climate.noaa.gov/cpo_pa/sarp). The selected applicant will also be expected to identify, and as appropriate, establish relationships with other NOAA programs that may benefit from, or collaborate in, the work conducted under the cooperative agreement.

Applicants are encouraged to partner with other universities or complementary programs or to develop a consortium of universities or programs. The selected applicant should be familiar with the contents of grant announcement “FY 2007 Information Resource Supporting the Resiliency of Coastal Areas in the U.S. Portion of the Gulf of Mexico” in this same federal register notice and consider applications of this related hazard resiliency work. In addition, CWISE proposed projects should align themselves with two priorities of the U.S. Integrated Earth Observing System (IEOS) effort; improved observations for disaster warnings such as tsunamis and coastal inundation, and the development of an integrated Sea Level Observing System. Finally, this work should contribute to the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) effort to understand and provide improved decision support in the area of Human Contributions and Responses to Environmental Change. Specifically, the proposal should include activities that address Question of the CCSP Strategic Plan with regards to sea level, inundation and community resilience: What are the current and potential future impacts of global environmental variability and change on human welfare, what factors influence the capacity of human societies to respond to change and how can resilience be increased and vulnerability reduced?

Program Priorities: This cooperative agreement is expected to have two main components:

• The production of scientifically verified observational analyses and predictions of the potential impacts of SLC, with emphasis on the associated risks for regions with rising sea levels; and
   

• The analysis of socioeconomic impacts and the development of decision support tools and methods to enable risk assessment and adaptation related to the effects of sea level rise and inundation.

Methods for incorporating climate and sea level change considerations into hazard risk and vulnerability assessment processes and for use in community resilience planning, will be required from this cooperative agreement. Education and outreach geared towards an appropriate and fully engaged target audience will also be required. The geographic area of interest for this funding opportunity is the United States coast from Texas to Maryland.

In regard to sea level change and coastal inundation, submitted proposals must focus on a minimum of one topic from each of the three main scientific areas of interest: physical processes and impacts; biological and ecosystem impacts; and economic and social impacts and adaptation. The following is a list of example topics under each of the main scientific areas of interest.

• Physical processes and impacts:
  
  a. Coastal wave processes and events resulting in coastal erosion and inundation, including seasonality aspects
  b. Potential for increased flood risk related to sea level variability, tides, surge, and wave events
   

• Biological/Ecosystem impacts:
  
  a. Salinity changes and effects on aquatic plants and animals, and water supplies as a function of extreme events, as well as long-term variability
  b. The effects of SLC and variability in estuaries and the ability of the estuaries to mitigate the impacts of, or recover from the impacts of SLC
  c. Ecological modeling of the impacts of sea level rise in coastal regions
   

• Economic and Social impacts and adaptation:
  
  a. Induced modifications in commercial and residential infrastructure and transportation corridors
  b. Employment and related economic changes in coastal regions
  c. Induced population density and attribute changes such as demographic, social, cultural and anthropological
  d. Methods for incorporating extreme weather event and climate-related risks and societal vulnerabilities into community resilience planning

Amount: Funding is anticipated to be up to $600,000 per year for the term of the cooperative agreement. Project funding is contingent upon availability of appropriations and is at the sole discretion of NOAA. No more than one award is anticipated from this announcement

Deadline: Aug. 28, 2006 by 4:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

For further information, please visit: http://www.csc.noaa.gov/funding/

EPA: Market Mechanisms and Incentives: Case Studies and Experimental Testbeds for New Environmental Trading Programs

Sponsor: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Market approaches to environmental management have been suggested by economists for decades and have the potential to increase the efficiency of environmental policy considerably by reducing compliance costs for regulated entities and individuals and/or achieving otherwise uneconomical pollution reduction. The success of the sulfur dioxide trading market has led to the creation of (or proposals for the creation of) trading markets for other pollutants, especially at the regional, state, and smaller (e.g. watershed) scales.

However, many desired environmental trading markets have not succeeded or even been established due to difficulties in establishing trading rules, monitoring, or enforcement. Establishing a trading market that fails is a costly enterprise. This RFA will fund research in two areas to increase the understanding of trading programs for new pollutants, media, and geographical areas. These research results will assist policymakers at all levels to better understand how to design effective trading programs and realize the potential costs savings associated with these approaches.

The first area of research (Part 1) uses case studies to examine the reasons for the success or failure of trading programs, to measure the benefits of trading programs in comparison to more traditional regulation, and to identify lessons for future trading programs. Well-designed case studies can provide a wealth of information about why a specific trading program succeeds or fails and what the relative benefits of the program are (e.g. Hoag and Hughes-Popp 1997; Fang et al. 2005). Insights gleaned from these case studies will complement EPA’s research program on trading.

The second area of research (Part 2) uses experimental testbeds to compare alternative market designs, monitoring approaches, and enforcement regimes prior to instituting markets in the field. Plott (1997) defines a testbed as:

“a simple working prototype of a process that is going to be employed in a complex environment. The creation of the prototype and the study of its operation provides a joining of theory, observation, and the practical aspects of implementation.”

The purpose of the testbed (in the case of market mechanisms) is to see if a mechanism works and if it works as predicted by theory. Shogren (2004) compares testbeds to wind tunnels. Economists have long used experimental testbeds to verify theoretical predictions regarding the performance of various mechanisms before implementing those mechanisms as policies (Samuelson 2004). Several notable examples are mechanisms to allocate airport time slots (Rassenti et al. 1982), coordinate and price Space Shuttle payloads (Banks et al. 1989), and to auction mobile phone licenses (Binmore and Klemperer 2002). Economists (e.g., Baumol and Oates 1988) developed the theory behind trading programs and therefore it is only natural that they have implemented a number of experimental testbeds to evaluate this theory (e.g., Cason 1995, Ishikida et al. 2000, Cason et al. 2003). These studies have, for the most part, examined larger trading programs and so this RFA emphasizes programs for new pollutants, media, and geographical areas.

The EPA currently supports a number of market mechanism research grants resulting from previous solicitations. Information regarding current research can be found on ORD's National Center for Environmental Research (NCER) web site at http://www.epa.gov/ncer/grants/.

Specific Research Areas of Interest/Expected Outputs and Outcomes

The Agency is soliciting research that proposes to increase the scientific understanding of the causes for success or failure of trading programs for new pollutants, media, and geographical areas, as well as the costs and benefits of such programs. This research will develop methods, models, or tools to translate the success of the SO2 and similar trading markets to new markets where trading has been (or may be) less successful. There are two parts to this RFA: Part 1 - Case Studies and Part 2 - Experimental Testbeds. The methods used in these two parts differ but the scope of research is identical across both parts. Research in either area can be prospective or retrospective.

Proposals responding to Part 1 - Case Studies may use any research methods (preferably quantitative) typically employed by environmental economists, including traditional case studies (e.g. Boyd 1998), numerical or simulation methods (e.g. Horan et al. 2005), or others (excluding experimental methods, which must be submitted under Part 2). Proposals responding to Part 2 - Experimental Testbeds may utilize any laboratory, computer, or field experimental methods used by environmental economists. Applicants wishing to apply to both Part 1 and Part 2 must apply separately, using the Funding Opportunity Number for the respective Parts.

The markets encompassed in the scope of research can cover any environmental quality issue: water, land, air, pesticides, etc. (Only markets addressing environmental quality will be considered for funding. For a more complete description of the focus of markets within the scope of this solicitation, see III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION.)

Applicants should not propose to study markets that are special cases; the insights gained from funded projects are anticipated to be transferable to other existing or potential markets. Successful proposals will be based on realistic scenarios and include as much realistic information as possible. (This could be demonstrated, for example, by the participation of local trading officials or market participants or by the use of calibrated, location-specific simulation models.)

Examples of areas within the scope of this research include (but are not limited to) those that consider:

• Regional haze, criteria, toxic, and other air pollutants; persistent non-attainment areas for ambient air quality standards
   

• Water pollution in the context of a TMDL or other standard for an estuary, aquifer, lake, or river system
   

• Transferable development rights
   

• Toxic chemicals and pesticides
   

• Wetland or other mitigation banks

Because they are highly-studied, large-scale, and well-established, the SO2 trading program (established under Title IV of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990) and NOx trading programs (NOx Budget Trading Program or NOx SIP Call promulgated in 1998) are not within the scope of this solicitation. Offset programs (see U.S. EPA 2001) are not within the scope of this solicitation if the offsets are one-time transactions; there should be an actual market or similar system for credits to be exchanged.

Proposals must address at least one of the following three primary research questions to be considered for funding:

• Why is a particular trading program effective or ineffective? What institutional, regulatory, and/or economic factors led to the success or failure of the program? For successful trading programs, how were barriers overcome? Why have unsuccessful programs not functioned as expected?
   

• What are the efficiency gains (cost savings) and/or environmental gains from trading?
   

• How can distributional concerns (e.g., hotspots) be accounted for in trading programs? What are the tradeoffs between efficiency and equity in trading programs?

(A “successful” trading program can be demonstrated in the proposal by such factors as the activity in the market, number of buyers and sellers, cost savings, or similar factors.)

The following research questions are also within scope of this solicitation:

• How does monitoring frequency affect trading (e.g., in terms of participation rates, trading volumes, or market power of some participants)? How effectively does trading work without sufficient or credible emissions monitoring? Is continuous monitoring required for a successful program?
   

• How does enforcement (e.g., number of inspections, amount of fines) affect trading?
   

• How do trading ratios affect market activity? How should trading ratios be set? How does uncertainty regarding measurement or monitoring affect trading and trading ratios?
   

• How does geographic or temporal scale affect trading?
   

• How well does trading work in the context of multiple pollutants, pollutant precursors, media, and/or services?
   

• In what contexts are third party facilitators/aggregators (e.g., local government entities) important for reducing transactions costs? In what context does banking improve market performance?
   

• Can trading programs be effective in a voluntary context? What issues are involved with markets that begin as voluntary programs but could become official compliance tools and vice versa?
   

• How do you design an effective trading program for environmental services?
   

• How can trading programs that include non-point, mobile, and/or unregulated sources be successful?

The outputs of the proposed projects are descriptions of the trading programs or testbed results, applications of these, and experiences in using related methods. These items should appear in reports, presentations, and peer-reviewed journal publications, as well as in publicly-available knowledge-bases accessible through the internet. The desired outcomes of the proposed projects are research results to provide improved designs of trading programs to enhance environmental protection.

Amount: It is anticipated that a total of approximately $2 million will be awarded under this announcement, depending on the availability of funds and quality of applications received. The EPA anticipates funding approximately 6 grants under this RFA.

The projected award per grant is $50,000 to $125,000 per year total costs, for up to 1.5 years, for Part 1, and $100,000 to $400,000 per year total costs, for up to 3 years, for Part 2. Requests for amounts in excess of a total of $200,000, including direct and indirect costs, for Part 1, and a total of $1,000,000, including direct and indirect costs, for Part 2, will not be considered. The total project period for an application submitted in response to this RFA may not exceed 1.5 years for Part 1 and 3 years for Part 2.

The EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no awards under this RFA or make fewer awards than anticipated. The EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this RFA, consistent with Agency policy, if additional funding becomes available. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than 4 months after the original selection decisions.

EPA intends to fund approximately 4 distinct projects (approximately $250,000-$333,000 each) investigating different markets under Part 2. These projects may be under multiple grants or encompassed in one award.

Deadline: September 27, 2006

For further information, please visit: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2006/2006_star_mmi.html

SOA: Financial Shock of Widowhood

Sponsor: The Society of Actuaries (SOA)

The death of a spouse may be the life event that has the greatest emotional impact on women. The emotional impact can be even more disorienting and devastating when it comes suddenly and with no warning. In addition, widowhood is not an issue just confined to the elderly. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average age of widowhood is 55. For many women, they are also thrust into a new area previously handled by the spouse -- primary responsibility for handling financial issues. These responsibilities can include maintaining an adequate cash flow, tax payments, proper insurance coverage, and estate planning among others.

Clearly, the event of widowhood affects many women in profound ways. But, although many women inherit additional responsibilities for managing their finances, to what extent does widowhood impact their relative financial health?

Research Objective

The Society of Actuaries Pension Section Research Committee is interested in a research study that explores the short-term financial shock to widows from the event of widowhood. The study would be longitudinal in design covering the two years immediately prior to widowhood and the two years immediately post widowhood. Furthermore, the study would be focused on widows near or after retirement (age 50 or older). The primary objective would be to examine the financial history of widows over the course of this period and assess how their overall financial condition has been affected.

The study would also focus on couples making near the national median income.

The actual format of the study has been deliberately left open and will be the decision of the researcher. Potential formats for the study include focus groups, phone survey, and a literature search. As a byproduct of the research, it is hoped that specific risk management strategies for widowhood can be culled from the study. In addition, the Committee would also be interested, if feasible, in extending the study to include the financial shock to widowers.

Deadline: August 30th, 2006

For further information, please visit: http://www.soa.org/ccm/content/areas-of-practice/retirement-pension/research/widowhood-/

PMI: Literature Review on the Implementation of Research to Practical Project Management Applications

The Project Management Institute (PMI) is interested in defining the impact that project management research has had over the past 20+ years on the actual practice of project management. The research will include an in-depth review of project management literature, and as necessary, the allied discipline literature such as IEEE, industrial engineering, economics, etc, to delineate seminal research which has resulted in practical applications of use to the project management community. By example, we today look at portfolio and program management as normal organizational entities in mature organizations. But these concepts did not exist as such until some 15 years ago when they were described in research papers. Most maturity models in existence today are the product of research. Many tools used in project management have come from allied disciplines and have been validated by researchers as useful I the practice of project management. While not required, in addition to identifying specific research studies which have resulted in practical applications to practice, it would be useful to quantify the percentage of research so implemented.

The information sought is required in a timely manner: therefore, greater consideration will be given to proposals that can accomplish the research in a short timeframe.

Amount: $ 20,000

Deadline: September 15, 2006

For further information, please visit: http://www.pmi.org/prod/groups/public/documents/info/PP_RFP-PracticalPM.pdf

RWJF: Project HealthDesign

Project HealthDesign: Rethinking the Power and Potential of Personal Health Records is a $3.5-million national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) designed to stimulate innovation in the development of personal health record systems by:

• Supporting design and prototyping efforts that focus on the needs, preferences and living environments of individuals; and
   

• Promoting a systems approach to personal health records, in which an array of personal health applications can be built upon a common platform of core data elements and technical utilities.

Applicants may be either public entities, nonprofit organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or for-profit entities.

This call for proposals challenges grant applicants to design personal health applications that address specific health challenges faced by individuals and families. The specific health challenges should be organized by population group (e.g., parents of young children receiving Medicaid), by condition or cluster of conditions (e.g., metabolic syndrome), by a cross-cutting function (e.g., medication management), or by other justifiable approaches. In general, the design of the applications should span the processes of capturing and storing data, providing information to support decisions and prompt actions, and communicating information to members of a person`s care team that can include family members or friends, physicians, nurses and other providers.

Applicants must demonstrate:

• a bold vision of innovations to aid people in using personal health information to pursue and maintain good health and/or to manage significant health challenges;
   

• clear focus on a target population and strategies for ensuring that its needs and preferences will shape the personal health applications to be designed;
   

• willingness to work as part of a collaborative network and contribute to an overall effort of promoting an interoperable environment for managing personal health information and activities;
   

• an innovative and feasible technical approach;
   

• a strong, interdisciplinary design team.

Amount: Grants up to $300,000 each will be provided to 8-10 applicants for 18-month projects.

Deadline: September 19, 2006

For further information, please visit: http://www.rwjf.org/applications/solicited/cfp.jsp?ID=19646

NineSigma-J&J: Human Motivation-Adoption and Long-term Formation of Positive Habits

Sponsor: NineSigma, Representing Johnson & Johnson

Convincing consumers or patients to make and maintain changes to their lifestyle whether it is the usage of a new product form or adherence to a weight loss or smoking cessation program is a significant challenge.

Johnson & Johnson is interested in methods, tactics, or models for motivating consumers or patients to change and maintain a new healthier behavior. This could include behavior ranging from adopting a new product form to adopting a new routine to making a lifestyle change.

Possible approaches:

Johnson & Johnson seeks to examine the concept of motivation in new ways, particularly from biological and neuroscience perspective. Approaches of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Methods of measuring motivation/adoption/change intentions
   

• Step-wise systems for helping consumers make change
   

• Adjunctive products or programs
   

• Diagnostics
   

• Ways of communicating
   

• Active ingredients
   

• Theoretical models

Purely marketing or advertising approaches are not of interest

Amount: To be negotiated as appropriate - propose funding or JD needs
Highly competitive consulting opportunities are expected.

Deadline: September 29, 2006

For further information, please visit: http://www.ninesigma.net/mx/30496-2

CE: Research on Canada

Sponsor: Canadian Embassy (CE)

The Research Grant Program promotes research that contributes to a better knowledge and understanding of Canada, its relationship with the United States, and its international affairs. The grant is designed to assist individual scholars, or a team of scholars, in writing an article-length manuscript of publishable quality and reporting their findings in a scholarly publication and at scholarly conferences, thus contributing to the development of Canadian Studies in the United States. We welcome efforts to integrate the research findings into the applicant's teaching load.

We welcome submissions from all fields in the social sciences and humanities. We are particularly interested in projects that have policy relevance for Canada-U.S. relations as well as Canadian social, economic, political, security, and quality of life issues. Topics particularly relevant to Canada-U.S. relations include trade and economics, defense and security, border management, energy, softwood lumber, environment, and agriculture.

Applications will be considered in accordance with the procedures, guidelines and conditions described below. The program is administered by Foreign Affairs Canada, through the Canadian Embassy, Washington, D.C., in cooperation with Canadian Consulates General throughout the U.S. Over the past three years applicants have had a 39-percent success rate.

Eligibility

This program is intended for full-time faculty members at accredited U.S. four-year colleges and universities, as well as scholars at American research institutions. Recent Ph.D. recipients who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States are also eligible to apply. Applicants are ineligible to receive the same grant in two consecutive years or to receive two individual category Canadian Studies grants in the same grant period.

Terms and Conditions

Foreign Affairs Canada, through the Canadian Embassy, Washington, D.C., will provide the successful candidates with funds to help meet expenses for the period of time for which an award is sought in accordance with the following conditions:

• applicants must personally apply for the grant and carry out their own research. Contractual or commissioned research does not qualify for support, and grants are not given for work undertaken as part of the applicant's formal program of studies leading to a degree;
   

• grants are provided to help defray direct costs related to a project, including travel primarily within Canada and the U.S. as necessary, and research materials. Allowable budget items include: first-time membership fee for the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States or a Canadian academic association for the principal investigator and/or research assistant; funding to attend a conference to present research related to the proposed project; and research support. No provision is made for release time stipends, salaries, or overhead costs to the institution;
   

• applicants may request funding up to US$15,000;
   

• 70 percent of the total amount granted will be forwarded to each successful applicant upon receipt of a signed Notice of Grant. The second payment will be made only after the Embassy receives an electronic version or two copies of an article-length manuscript of publishable quality, an abstract, and a letter that summarizes activities supported by this grant, describes publication plans, and offers feedback on the grant program. These materials are due by February 15, 2008 unless an extension is approved by the Embassy. Failure to do so may result in cancellation of the second payment.
   

• the rights to the manuscript will remain the exclusive property of the researcher. The Embassy requests an offprint or a photocopy of the published article. The article should acknowledge that the research was completed with the assistance of the Government of Canada.

Amount: up to US$15,000

Deadline: September 30, 2006

For further information, please visit: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/can-am/washington/studies/grantguide-en.asp#research

NMSS: Develop and Evaluate Comprehensive Quality Indicators for MS Medical Care

Sponsor: National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS)

The goal of the proposed study is to address the quality of health care delivered to persons with MS through investigation of what constitutes quality MS health care and how quality can be measured and improved. This study could be focused on 1) claims data, but should go beyond claims data to include factors such as 2) patient perceptions of quality, 3) provider perceptions of quality, 4) clinical outcomes, 5) evidence-based practices, or some combination of these or other quality indicators. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society invites qualified investigators to submit two-page letters-of-intent describing a proposed study of the quality of health care in MS.

Proposed projects should:

• Develop a definition of what constitutes high quality MS health care in terms of specific and measurable outcomes,
   

• Create a methodology to measure quality based on the above definition and related outcomes, and 3) field test that methodology. The ultimate goal of this priority is to improve health outcomes for people with MS based on improving the quality of their health care.

Amount: $300,000-$450,000 (total amount for all years of the study, not per year) for up to 3 years (plus 10% indirect costs).

Deadline: The deadline for receipt of letters-of-intent is 9/29/2006.

For further information, please visit: http://www.nationalmssociety.org/research-RFP.asp

NMSS: Financial Modeling of Multiple Sclerosis Medical Care

Sponsor: National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS)

The goal of the proposed study is to acquire, analyze, and interpret data that addresses the financial structures and processes that underlie the costs of MS medical care.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society invites qualified investigators to submit letters- of-intent describing proposals to conduct a comprehensive economic analysis of the costs of Multiple sclerosis (MS) medical care. The proposed project should address:

• The principal diagnostic and therapeutic procedures required by people with MS;
   

• How these procedures are organized and delivered as services;
   

• The costs to providers to provide these services;
   

• Sources and amounts of payments for these services, e.g., third party payers, out of pocket payments, and other sources;
   

• A comparison of costs vs. payments; and
   

• The longitudinal trends in these costs over the last 15 years.

In addition the proposed project, in collaboration with the NMSS, must develop and implement a comprehensive dissemination plan designed to utilize the findings of the study for the purposes of public education and policy reform. The ultimate goal of this priority is to improve health care for persons with MS by achieving a more effective utilization of health care resources.

Amount: $300,000-$400,000 (total amount for all years of the study, not per year) for up to 2 years (plus 10% indirect costs).

Deadline: The deadline for receipt of letters-of-intent is 9/29/2006.

For further information, please visit: http://www.nationalmssociety.org/research-RFP.asp

LJMF: Collaborative Process in Environmental Decision Making

Sponsor: The Laura Jane Musser Fund (LJMF)

Through its Initiative to Promote Collaborative Process in Environmental Decision Making, the Laura Jane Musser Fund seeks to build a community-based approach to solving environmental problems and encouraging environmental stewardship. The fund will assist public or not-for-profit entities to initiate or implement projects in rural areas to undertake consensus-based activities in environmental stewardship or dispute resolution.

Applications are accepted in following two funding areas:

• The Environmental Stewardship Program will support programs that work to manage resources (whether of ecological, economic, or aesthetic values) where a broad range of community members and stakeholders are involved in both planning and implementation of the program, and, especially, those programs that involve local citizens in a hands-on grassroots approach to stewardship that helps to develop a common vision of the future and harness their energies to make that vision come true.
   

• The Environmental Dispute Resolution Program will support programs that engage in a collaborative process that works to build consensus instead of confrontation, where parties may be able to resolve a conflict and move forward without resorting to litigation; and, particularly where both the environmental health and economic livelihood of a community are at stake.

The fund provides support for programs in their first three years, as well as projects in the planning or implementation phase. The program does not support capital expenses, general operating support for organizations, or ongoing program support.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations, start-up organizations with a tax-exempt fiscal sponsor, and units of government at the local level are eligible to apply. Organizations must be located in and serve the population of the United States.

Amount: Grants of up to $35,000 each may be made for projects in this program. The Musser Fund is likely to make a total of four to six grants through its Environmental Initiative this year.

Deadline: September 5, 2006

For further information, please visit: http://www.musserfund.org/environmental.htm

USDA: North Central and Southern Regions Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program

Sponsor: United State Department of Agriculture (USDA)

The North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCSARE) and Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SSARE) both have competitive grant programs funded by the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA). The goal for these programs is to enable the full spectrum of American farmers and ranchers to move profitably toward production systems that are compatible with the concepts of sustainable agriculture. Those concepts, listed as “Definitions” in Section 1603 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990, define sustainable agriculture is an integrated system of plant and animal production practices that will, over the long term, (1) satisfy human food and fiber needs; (2) enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the economy depends; (3) make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls; (4) sustain the economic viability of farm operations; and (5) enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole. NC- and Southern-SARE strive toward these goals by funding research, education, on-farm research, and professional development activities.

The “Chapter 1” Research and Education (R&E) grants program has enabled NCSARE to award more than 200 Research and Education grants worth more than $13M to investigators in 12 Midwestern states since the overall SARE Program began in 1988. Maximum funding for any one project funded by NCSARE is capped at $150,000 dispersed over a three-year time period. SSARE has distributed a similar amount of grant money, although recent projects have ranged from $130,000 to $230,000 and averaged of $175,000 dispersed over a period of one to three years.

To evaluate the effectiveness of these grant programs, NCSARE and SSARE have traditionally gathered results-based data directly from grant recipients in the form of annual and final reports. The recent transition toward evaluating the effectiveness of government programs based on “outcomes” rather than “outputs” has created the need for an objective, scientifically-based survey and perhaps selected interviews to help the NCSARE and SSARE staff and Administrative Councils quantify the direct and in-direct changes in agricultural practices and/or behaviors that can be attributed to the projects they have funded. This joint Request for Proposals (RFP) is being made for efficiency and optimum use of fiscal resources but will result in two different survey and assessment products (i.e. separate evaluations of NCSARE and SSARE R&E Grant Programs and separate technical reports).

This RFP is soliciting survey research specialists familiar with the North Central and/or Southern SARE regions (see http://www.sare.org/about/regions.htm) to conduct a mail, electronic and/or other type of survey (e.g. phone or in-person) contacting all R&E grant recipients for the period of 1994 through 2004, a representative sampling of recipients from 1988 through 1993, as well as farmers and ranchers that have been directly impacted by the results of such research programs. In addition, there will be some ancillary survey questions that deal with customer service and satisfaction with the SARE Host Institutions by the same target groups.

The grant recipients' survey has been developed, but has not yet been made regionally specific. The farmer/rancher survey draft will be completed by mid-September, 2006. These surveys will serve as the basis for the surveys conducted in the North Central and Southern SARE regions. It is expected that the modified survey instruments and the regional technical reports will be developed with input from, and in partnership with NCSARE and SSARE.

Survey Purpose and Objectives

The purpose of this survey research is to determine the quantifiable impacts of the R&E grants and the reach or diffusion of the grantees’ efforts to farmers, ranchers, agribusiness, or other community entities (e.g. farmers’ markets) in the general locale of the funded project. The primary research objectives are to:

• Determine if the scientific community accepted the research (refereed publications, extension publications and/or bulletins). Did the research project result in new knowledge or change scientific thinking in any way? (Impact)
   

• Determine how many non-participating farmers, ranchers, or other stakeholders were reached by the distribution of “Extension-Ready” publications, websites, research demonstrations or other “field days” or had personal visits with the researcher/educator regarding this SARE-funded research project and its results. (Outreach)
   

• Determine who and how many people made lifestyle and/or management practice changes as a result of the project (especially farmers and ranchers) (Impact)
   

• Determine what economic, environmental quality, and/or quality of life effect the customers experienced by adopting those within their farming or ranching operations (e.g. changes in profitability, increase or decrease in labor and/or management time, fertilizer costs, yields per acre, soil/air/water quality). Were those who were directly involved with SARE projects more likely to seek out and/or adopt other innovations? (Impact).
   

• Determine how graduate students benefited from their involvement in SARE projects and if those experiences were influential in subsequent career choices and directions. (Outcome or next-generation effect)
   

• Determine if changes in the grant-making, contracting or reporting process or requirements are necessary to make the NCSARE and SSARE programs more user-friendly, based on the comments of the grantees. (Customer Service)

Deadline: September 1, 2006

For further information, please visit: http://www.southernsare.uga.edu/currentcalls/CH1surveycall.doc

NIH: International Tobacco and Health Research and Capacity Building Program

Sponsor: National Institutes of Health (NIH)

This Request for Applications (RFA) solicits research and capacity building projects that address the burden of tobacco consumption in low- and middle-income nations by:

• Pursuing observational, intervention and policy research of local relevance; and
   

• Building capacity in these regions in epidemiological and behavioral research, prevention, treatment, communications, health services and policy research.

Research: This RFA encourages trans-disciplinary research. Applications may address one or more of the provided categories of research. Both research and capacity strengthening must be included in the application. Categories of research may include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following activities:

• Epidemiological and Surveillance Research: A broad spectrum of epidemiological and surveillance research may be pursued to enhance the knowledge of tobacco-related health problems and risks relevant to low- and middle-income nations.
  
  1. Characterize the prevalence and trends of tobacco initiation, use and consumption patterns, including oral tobacco use, particularly to identify high-risk groups;
  
  2. Describe patterns and trends in tobacco-attributable morbidity and mortality;
  
  3. Document and monitor trends in the nature, extent, and patterns of co-occurring tobacco and drug use and/or abuse (including polydrug use) and drug-related behavioral and social consequences in general and in special populations, especially in youth, adolescents and young adults; and
  
  4. Determine tobacco’s effect on responses to other abused drugs, including the inclination to self-administer.
   

• Susceptibility and Risk: Examine the differences of tobacco initiation, consumption and cessation by gender, ethnicity, culture, income and education relevant to low- and middle-income nations.
  
  1. Identify susceptibility factors that initiate tobacco use and prompt tobacco dependence, including gender, ethnicity, culture, income and education, to better characterize high-risk individuals and populations;
  
  2. Develop new targets for interventions.
  
  3. Examine differential rates of tobacco addiction and their association with factors such as nicotine content and other product characteristics;
  
  4. Examine the potential interaction between ETS and occupational or ambient air pollutants on the pathogenesis of respiratory diseases, including its effect on childhood respiratory diseases, cancer, infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and middle-ear disease; and
  
  5. Identify biomarkers for quantitating human exposure to ETS in the home and workplace and for predicting potential health risks for exposed individuals, especially youth, adolescents and young adults.
   

• Biobehavioral and Social Research: Biobehavioral and social research may emphasize tobacco advertising and awareness, smoking uptake and quit rate, and intervention strategies relevant to the cultural differences and needs of low- and middle-income nations.
  
  1. Examine factors that influence positive and negative responses to advertising, and promotional, mass media, and warning messages aimed at encouraging or discouraging tobacco use;
  
  2. Identify levels of awareness of health risks associated with tobacco consumption among different segments of the population;
  
  3. Identify sociocultural, psychological, physiological and genetic factors that influence smoking initiation and progression to nicotine addiction, and smoking cessation in all populations, not only high-risk groups;
  
  4. Examine co-morbid and medical disorders (e.g. depression, anxiety, heart disease and cancer) associated with tobacco use. Identify risk and protective factors for co-morbidity, and develop and test new intervention strategies;
  
  5. Examine tobacco use in mental illness, and the role of depression and other psychiatric disorders in risk and relapse; and
  
  6. Analyze the meaning of “branding” (i.e., to mark as desirable) and tobacco marketing images as determinants of tobacco uptake and continuance. Develop interventions aimed at testing consumer reaction to plain packaging.
   

• Intervention Research: Building on established intervention research conducted in high-income nations, investigators may engage in studies that examine different methods of tobacco control implementation and interventions that are appropriate to developing country needs, infrastructure and resources.
  
  1. Evaluate prevention and treatment programs and sociocultural studies to elucidate differences in responsiveness to interventions among different ages, ethnic and racial groups, and gravid and non-gravid women;
  
  2. Examine the effectiveness and consequences of prevention interventions that employ single-risk versus multiple-risk strategies, especially in youth, adolescents, and young adults;
  
  3. Examine community-based interventions that have the potential to impact large populations, such as those using evidence-based behavioral, sociological, and communication methods;
  
  4. Evaluate new pharmaceutical or behavioral interventions and delivery mechanisms, their cost-effectiveness and impact in diverse sociocultural, physiological and genetic subgroups. Compare medication and behavioral treatment, alone or in combination, in children, adolescents, young adults, and gravid and non-gravid women;
  
  5. Examine the combined impact of tobacco control measures, (i.e., the “optimal policy mix”) with respect to prevalence in different groups, especially in children, adolescents, young adults, and gravid and non-gravid women; and
  
  6. Examine the effectiveness of various health service settings to assess smoking rates, to prevent initiation and to promote quitting.
   

• Policy-Related Research: Policy-related research may examine current tobacco control policy and enforcement, or lack thereof, in low- and middle-income nations. Studies may also determine the impact of current and needed tobacco control policies, regulations and trade on public health and the risk factors associated with tobacco consumption relevant to low- and middle-income nations.
  
  1. Assess the use of morbidity and mortality data and other information on the development of government tobacco reduction policies;
  
  2. Examine the effectiveness of price increases, ETS restrictions, youth access measures, advertising and marketing bans and restrictions, and regulatory and legal approaches to reducing tobacco initiation and promoting tobacco cessation;
  
  3. Examine the availability and effectiveness of the range of information, advertising and marketing approaches to increase the cessation rate in study populations;
  
  4. Encourage research on the effect of counter-advertising and stigmatizing tobacco use, including smokeless tobacco, on uptake and sustained use by different age and gender groups, especially in youth, adolescents and young adults;
  
  5. Assess the long-term health and economic implications of failure to control future tobacco-related health efforts; and
  
  6. Examine the political economy of tobacco control and its impact on health.

Capacity and Infrastructure Strengthening: A strategic goal of this RFA is to strengthen capacity and infrastructure within low- and middle-income nations. Capacity building and infrastructure strengthening promote the advancement of research and the enhancement of the number and the knowledge of tobacco investigators in low- and middle-income nations. A long-term outcome of capacity and infrastructure strengthening is the ability to augment scientific competence and skills nationally and internationally, and develop a cadre of tobacco researchers with proper research training and support who will continue to carry out tobacco control research in (a) low- and middle-income nation(s). Capacity and infrastructure strengthening provide important opportunities for investigators from high-income nations to gain knowledge of and experience in tobacco control issues of both high-income and low- and middle-income nations. Capacity strengthening provides investigators in low- and middle-income nations with the skills and infrastructure to expand and enhance their work in tobacco control research. Capacity strengthening is a requirement of this RFA. Applications should include plans to:

• Support research training of faculty to meet the goals of the proposed research, as well as the needs of the low- and/or middle-income nation(s). Capacity strengthening will focus on the outcomes of tobacco consumption, and the evaluation of public health and policy interventions relevant to the low- and/or middle-income nation(s).
   

• Promote institutional strengthening in tobacco control research through support for and linking of relevant departments or institutions working on tobacco-related scientific research;
   

• Encourage research training opportunities for low- and middle-income nation investigators, including long-term research training as part of the research, practical and applied short-term courses and workshops “in-country” for professionals or technicians; and course work, laboratory or field research training in essential research skills for technical assistants, graduate degree candidates, or other health professionals;
   

• Promote the advancement of tobacco control-related training for tobacco control investigators and health professionals from low- and/or middle-income nation(s) by career enhancement and institutional capacity strengthening in low- and/or middle-income nations.
   

• Post-doctoral and degree candidates must be listed as research associates on PHS application Form 398, page DD, and would be considered as having an employee-employer relationship. Salaries, tuition remission, and other forms of compensation paid as, or in lieu of, wages to degree candidates or post-doctoral trainees to conduct research related to the goals of this RFA are allowable. Costs and plans must be included in the text of the proposal and reflected in the proposal’s budget;
   

• Enhance low- and/or middle-income nation investigators’ observational, intervention and policy research on tobacco control by promoting multidisciplinary approaches to research training. Institutional capacity strengthening could encompass basic, social and behavioral sciences, economics, community-based research, and legal studies.
   

• Promote clinical, operational and health services research on the effects, risk assessment and risk reduction related to tobacco use;
   

• Support tobacco-related institutional infrastructure development and research training in bioethics, informatics, economics and other crosscutting disciplines; and
   

• Support the development of “in-country” tobacco control infrastructure at the institution, academic, and non-government organization (NGO) level, including laboratory and field research on a country- and project-specific basis.

Amount: This funding opportunity will use the individual research grant (R01) award mechanism. The Fogarty International Center, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute, intends to commit approximately $3 million in fiscal year (FY) 2007 to fund eight new and/or competing continuation grants in response to this RFA. An applicant may request a project period of up to five years and a budget for direct costs of up to $300,000 per year.

Deadline:

Release Date: May 8, 2006
Letter of Intent Receipt Date(s): August 25, 2006
Application Receipt Date(s): September 25, 2006
Peer Review Date(s): January 2007
Council Review Date(s): May 2007
Earliest Anticipated Start Date(s): July 15, 2007
Expiration Date: September 26, 2006

For further information, please visit: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-TW-06-006.html

NSF: Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)

The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation. REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects designed especially for the purpose. This solicitation features two mechanisms for support of student research:

• REU Sites are based on independent proposals to initiate and conduct projects that engage a number of students in research. REU Sites may be based in a single discipline or academic department, or on interdisciplinary or multi-department research opportunities with a coherent intellectual theme. Proposals with an international dimension are welcome. A partnership with the Department of Defense supports REU Sites in DoD-relevant research areas.

• REU Supplements may be requested for ongoing NSF-funded research projects or may be included as a component of proposals for new or renewal NSF grants or cooperative agreements. Undergraduate student participants in either Sites or Supplements must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions.

Students may not apply to NSF to participate in REU activities. Students apply directly to REU Sites and should consult the directory of active REU Sites on the Web at http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.cfm.

Deadline:

Full Proposal Deadline Date: June 7, 2006 for REU Site proposals to the Antarctic Program
Full Proposal Deadline Date: August 17, 2006 for REU Site proposals
Deadline for REU Site proposals: September 7, 2005; August 17, 2006.
Deadline for REU Site proposals to the Antarctic Program: June 7, 2006; June 6, 2007.
Note that the June 2, 2005, deadline is covered by the previous REU program solicitation, NSF 04-584.
Deadline for REU Supplement requests: Varies with the research program. Contact the cognizant program officer for the award or proposal that would be supplemented

For further information, visit: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5517

SOA & AAA: Analysis of the Z-Factor in Principles-Based Reserving for Life Insurance Products

Sponsor: The Society of Actuaries (SOA) and American Academy of Actuaries(AAA)

In collaboration with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the Life Reserve Working Group (LRWG) of the American Academy of Actuaries is working to develop a principles- based reserve methodology for life insurance products. Considerable discussion has taken place as to a method for measuring the margins for uncertainty utilized in estimating reserves under a principles-based approach resulting in the development of a potential measure known as the “ Z-Factor”. In order to finalize recommendations on a metric for quantifying margin, a thorough validation of the Z-factor methodology is needed.

A description of the Z-factor methodology, “Setting the Level of Margin in a Principles-Based Valuation Using a Cost-of-Capital Approach”, is available in the June 2006 issue of the SOA’s Financial Reporter (pages 8-13) available on the SOA’s web site at: http://library.soa.org/library-pdf/frn0606.pdf

More information on principles-based reserves may be found on the American Academy of Actuaries web site at: http://www.actuary.org/risk/reserving_life.asp

PURPOSE

The purpose of this project is to create reference material that addresses the educational needs of practicing actuaries and provides at a minimum solutions to the following questions:

• Is the Z-Factor methodology mathematically sound?
   

• How sensitive is the Z-Factor to different levels of capital?
   

• Does the Z-Factor provide consistent results across all general account life insurance product lines such as term, universal life, equity indexed life, par and non-par whole life, survivor, etc.?
   

• Is the Z-Factor applicable to separate account products – variable life and variable universal life?
   

• Under what circumstances would the Z-Factor fail, if any?
   

• Are there alternative measures that should be considered?

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE

The objective for this project is to perform analysis related to the validity of the Z-Factor as a possible measure of reserve margins for life insurance companies under a principles-based approach. Inputs to be considered in meeting the research objective include work completed by the LRWG and made available to the researcher:

Research results will be summarized in a report that consists of but is not limited to the following:

• A summary of the Z-Factor methodology and discussion of its mathematical soundness
   

• A discussion of the sensitivity of the Z-Factor metric to different levels of capital
   

• A discussion of its consistency as a measure across general account life insurance product lines
   

• A discussion of the applicability of the metric to separate account products
   

• A discussion of situations under which the Z-Factor would fail, if any
   

• A description and critique of alternative methods that might be considered, including the percentile level of asset adequacy method.
  

Results will be made available to the SOA membership and utilized by the LRWG in developing its final recommendations on principles-based reserving to the NAIC.

For this topic, the SOA and AAA envision a short-term project with an expected timeframe for completion of three to four months. For final evaluation of proposals, it is important that researchers comment on how this timeframe can be reasonably ensured.

Deadline: If you intend to submit a proposal, please send written notification by August 21, 2006 to Jan Schuh, SOA Research Assistant, by e-mail (jschuh@soa.org), FAX (847-706-3599), or mail to the Society of Actuaries, 475 N. Martingale Road, Suite 600, Schaumburg, IL 60173-2226.

For further information, please visit: http://www.soa.org/ccm/content/areas-of-practice/life-insurance/research/requestfor-proposal-analysis-of-the-z-factor-in-principles-based-reserving-for-life-insurance-products/

USAID: Health Communications Marketing

The United States Agency for International Development Mission to Kenya (USAID/Kenya) issues this Request for Applications (RFA) for the APHIA II – Health Communications and Marketing Project (APHIA II – HCM).

The purpose of this award is to improve health outcomes through increased prevention and adoption of healthy behaviors. This will be done through marketing and communications activities within the health sector that will also build the sustainability of local organizations to do this work. Implementation and management will be done in partnership with Kenyan commercial and non-governmental entities in order to build their organizational and technical capacity, and so that they may be sustainable after the term of this agreement. Social marketing and communications initiatives will be in line with Government of Kenya policies and regulations, and will support and complement health service delivery broadly in the public, private, and faith-based sectors. The project implementation should ensure adequate coverage and consistency of product marketing and distribution, service promotion, and information dissemination across public and private sectors. This activity has both a national component and a community-level component in targeted areas or with targeted populations. National priorities are set by the Government of Kenya. Community priorities should be set by consultation with a variety of stakeholders, relative to the initiative.

The objectives of the AIDS, Population, and Health Integrated Assistance Program II – Health Communications and Marketing (APHIA II – HCM, or “HCM”) are to:

• Improve the preventive behaviors of Kenyans related to HIV/AIDS, in particular increasing the percent of men and women aged 15-24 abstaining from sex, fidelity and partner reduction, the correct and consistent use of condoms in high risk sexual encounters, and the percent of men and women going for VCT and receiving their test results (the “ABC” approach).
   

• Improve the behaviors of Kenyans related to family planning, maternal and child survival, and family health, in particular, decrease unmet need for family planning (uptake of voluntary family planning), and achieve better birth spacing, better prevention and treatment of childhood illnesses. These interventions include use of “safe water” in the home, use of insecticide treated nets (ITNs), better breastfeeding practices, full immunization, and prompt recognition and treatment of childhood illnesses, including oral rehydration solution (ORS) use at home, and use of cleaner indoor stoves).
   

• Improve service utilization rates for voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV, reproductive health/family planning services (RH/FP), and child survival (CS) services, including the percent of pregnant women who access PMTCT services including VCT; the number of Kenyans who use VCT services and receive their test results; the number of clients who receive RH/FP services; the average number of antenatal care visits and percentage of deliveries assisted by a trained provider; and the prevention and treatment of childhood illnesses.
   

• Build the capacity of local institution(s) (Kenya’s commercial, non-governmental, and/or faith-based sectors) by working in collaboration with them to:
  
  a) develop and manage a cost-effective marketing, sales, and distribution network that improves availability and access by key populations to products related to HIV/AIDS, RH/FP and CS;
  b) develop and manage a communications initiative to increase the knowledge and change behavior of Kenyans with respect to HIV/AIDS, RH/FP, and CS, including accurate information to increase demand for and use of beneficial products and services and information to encourage and sustain healthy behaviors, in line with GOK strategies and priorities; and
  c) develop the management and technical capacity of these organizations to manage and implement social marketing and communications programs.

Amount: Subject to availability of funds per annum, USAID intends to make an award for approximately $40 million to be allocated over a three-year period, with an option for extension for two additional years. Extension will depend on program performance, availability of funds, and USAID/Kenya goals and priorities. The bulk of funding for this integrated program will be allocated for HIV/AIDS-related programming (75 percent), with the remaining funds earmarked for malaria initiatives and child survival and health (CSH) activities (15 percent), and a smaller proportion for reproductive health (RH) and family planning (FP) initiatives (10 percent).

Deadline: THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2006, 3.00 PM NAIROBI

For further information, please visit: http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=10219

ASTA: Holland America Line-Westours, Inc. Research Grant

Sponsor: American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA)

The Holland America Line Research Scholarship Fund is interested in funding research projects in the travel and tourism field. The Fund is requesting proposals from schools with travel and tourism programs to conduct research in one of the following areas:

• "Why Haven't You Ever Taken a Cruise?" – uncover the misconceptions, negative attitudes, etc. that prevent travel consumers who can afford to buy a cruise from doing so.
   

• "Who Buys Adventure and Special Interest Travel and How?" – Survey of special interest and adventure tour packagers to determine the demographic and psychological profiles of special interest travel buyers and the most effective marketing techniques agents could use to reach them.
   

• Distribution Issues: Five years from now, what will be the size and composition of the Travel Agency Distribution Channel? What will be the mix of full-service, leisure only, 800#, and on-line agencies? What kind of strategies are proving successful for the retailer? Are there lessons for retailers and suppliers in reshaping their approach to their market?
   

• Leisure Related Issues: Future vision of today's leisure travel retailer? How do they see their business developing in terms of service and value provided? What are the major competitive challenges they face in growing their business? What kind of growth do they project over the next five years? And what will be the mix (i.e. tours, cruises, package tours, F.I.T.'s and other?)
   

• Consolidations as a Survival Formula: Advantages of merging may benefit from centralized technology, and buying and marketing power. Keeping existing customers, while generating new profit opportunities thru selling greater diversity. Consolidation activities can lead to productive partnerships with non-traditional organizations inside and outside the travel industry. Smaller agencies may feel less valuable as suppliers and destinations cater more to the bigger firms.

Deadline: August 16, 2006

For further information, please visit: http://www.astanet.com/education/scholarshipa.asp

SIF: Research Grants on Social Problems

The Sociological Initiatives Foundation (SIF) was established in 1999 to support research and social action projects that focus on understanding and finding solutions to a broad array of social problems.

The primary goal is to encourage research, including community-based research, that supports and promotes social change.

The Foundation recognizes community-based research as:

• A collaborative enterprise between researchers and community members. Community members and researchers are often jointly involved at every step of the research process, from choosing the research question through reporting the results.
   

• Validating multiple sources of knowledge and promoting the use of multiple methods of discovery and of distribution of the knowledge produced. Local community traditions may dictate oral or artistic forms of knowledge generation and dissemination.
   

• Having a goal of social action and social change for the purpose of enhancing social justice. Community-based research changes both material inequality and knowledge inequality, helping community members become their own information producers.

Preference will be given to projects that address institutional rather than individual or behavioral change and/or research and initiatives that provide insight into sociological and linguistic issues that may be useful to specific groups and or communities.

Areas of particular interest include:

• social and political inequalities
   

• poverty and employment issues
   

• social welfare issues (e.g. education, housing, and health care)
   

• minority group and gender issues
   

• second language learning and use
   

• literacy (first and second language)
   

• topics related to language in its social contexts (attitudes, dialects, gender, law and medicine, education, etc).

Types of Support and Limitations

Preference is given to providing support in areas that tend to be under-funded and for projects of a size where a Sociological Initiatives Foundation grant can make a difference.

Grants are restricted to organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code and classified as "not a private foundation" under section 509(a). The Sociological Initiatives Foundation does not make grants directly to individuals for any purposes.

However, it welcomes applications from academic institutions and other qualified organizations wishing to sponsor research projects by individual scholars or practitioners.

No awards are made for dissertation research, honoraria or political purposes. The Foundation does not provide operating support or capital grants.

Amount: Grant sizes normally range from $5,000 to $15,000. The geographic focus is limited to the United States.

Deadline:

Concept Application Deadline: August 15, 2006
Proposal Deadline: November 13, 2006
Grants Awarded: January 2007

For further information, please visit: http://www.grantsmanagement.com/sifguidelines.html

FTA: Research to Assess the Impacts that Transportation Planning and Investment Operations have on Minority and Low-Income Populations (DOT-FTA-PLAN)

Sponsor: Federal Transit Administration (FTA)

This solicitation is for proposals for up to three cooperative agreements for research to assess the impacts that transportation planning and investment operations have on minority and low-income populations under the Transportation Equity Research Program (TERP). The major goal of the TERP is for research and demonstration activities that focus on the impacts that transportation planning, investment, and operations have on low-income and minority populations that are transit dependent. These cooperative agreements are four year awards.

FTA will fund research proposals that meet the objectives of SAFETEA-LU Section 3046(a)(3) under the TERP. Examples of types of research and/or demonstration projects that would meet these objectives are:

• Research on the health impacts in low-income and/or minority communities associated with transportation impacts on air quality, pedestrian safety, and transportation access to health-related services along with research on efforts made to avoid, minimize, and mitigate these impacts.
   

• Research on the economic effects of limited transportation options to employment locations and effective practices in providing job-access transportation.
   

• Research or demonstration projects designed to assist low-income households reduce the percentage of their income that must be spent on transportation costs, without affecting opportunities and standard of living, so that low-income households can direct more money towards savings for necessities and future needs.
   

• Research on the economic effects of transit-oriented development in minority and low-income communities and in particular the extent to which transit-oriented development has resulted in the involuntary displacement of minority and low-income households due to rising property values.
   

• Research and/or demonstration projects on the quality and accessibility of public information on transportation decision-making and strategies on public engagement processes that overcome linguistic, institutional, cultural, economic, historical, or other barriers that may prevent minority and low-income persons and populations from effectively participating in a recipient’s decision-making process.
   

• Research or demonstration projects designed to collect and disseminate effective practices from and to recipients that transportation agencies can use to comply with Federal civil rights policies related to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Amount: FTA will fund up to three cooperative agreements for a four-year award. Funding for each cooperative agreement under this program will range from $50,000 to $500,000. The total available funding for the first year is for $245,000. Subsequent funding is authorized at $250,000 per year in SAFETEA-LU; actual funding will be based on annual appropriations.

Deadline: Proposals must be submitted electronically by August 7, 2006

For further information, please visit: http://www.fta.dot.gov/16734_18357_ENG_HTML.htm

FTA: Research on Strategies to Promote Employment in Transit Construction Projects by Members of Minority and Low-Income Communities

Sponsor: Federal Transit Administration (FTA)

This cooperative agreement will fund research on Strategies to Promote Employment in Transit Construction Projects by Members of Minority and Low-Income Communities.

This grant is for Fiscal Year 2006. Subsequent to the initial phase of this research FTA intends to award funds for demonstration projects on conducting employment and training activates.

BACKGROUND

Public transit projects have been shown to generate jobs and a significant return on investment. According to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA):

“In project after project, a capital investment in public transportation sparks a chain reaction in business activity that far exceeds the initial investment. The dollars flow to hundreds of industries, from specialized rail or bus construction firms to maintenance and software suppliers. Every $1 billion invested in public transit capital projects generates 30,000 jobs, and the same amount invested in transit operations generates 60,000 jobs. The return on investment could be as high as 9 to 1.” (See “The Economic Importance of Public Transit,” November 2003).

In cities around the country, transit projects have been undertaken or are being planned in communities that have high numbers and proportions of minority and low-income residents and high unemployment rates. FTA-funded New Starts projects in preliminary engineering and final design as of 2005 include projects in Cleveland, Columbus, Philadelphia, New York, Miami, New Orleans, and Charlotte, NC to name a few. Research by the Center on Transit-Oriented Development found that median incomes of households living in transit zones (that is within ¼ miles of an existing or planned transit station) tend to be lower than the incomes of those households in the larger metropolitan region. There are some regions where incomes are dramatically lower in the transit zones, including Los Angeles, Seattle, and Baltimore. Virtually every metropolitan region has a higher proportion of households with incomes of less than $10,000 living in transit zones, although these neighborhoods are by no means enclaves of only low-income households (See “Hidden In Plain Sight: Capturing the Demand for Housing Near Transit,” September 2004).

While the Department of Transportation has detailed Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) regulations and technical assistance programs to ensure that minority and women-owned businesses can compete fairly for the jobs created by investments in transit, there has been little research or demonstration activities on whether minority and low-income residents (not just business owners per se) have been able to take advantage of the job opportunities generated by transit projects, particularly by those projects in their communities.

OBJECTIVES

The proposed research and demonstration activities will:

• Fulfill the purpose of the transportation equity earmark at Section 3046(a)(3) to conduct “research and demonstration activities that focus on the impacts that transportation planning, investment, and operations have on low-income and minority populations,” and to “develop training programs that promote the employment of low-income and minority residents on Federal-aid transportation projects constructed in their communities.”
   

• Support FTA’s vision of thriving communities that grow around transportation.
   

• Support the FTA’s commitment to its disadvantaged business enterprise program and equal employment opportunity practices.

TASKS

The research and demonstration activity will perform the following tasks:

• Identify the transit construction projects that are scheduled to begin or are ongoing between 2006 and 2009 and identify the subset of these projects (or portions of these projects) that are taking place in communities with disproportionately high numbers of minority and low-income residents.
   

• Identify the education levels, prior work experience, skill sets, and employment and career expectations of minority and low-income populations living near planned transit construction projects.
   

• Identify the types of employment opportunities that accompany the projects during and after construction as well as the education, skill sets, and experience that is required for these positions.
   

• Identify the subset of these employment opportunities that best match the existing education and skill sets of the community and analyze opportunities and barriers for hiring community residents to fill these jobs.
   

• Identify the subset of employment opportunities that community residents could be trained to perform and analyze opportunities and barriers for training community residents to apply for these positions.
   

• Identify specific instances where transit agencies and/or local government have employed local minority and low-income residents on transit projects in their communities and discuss lessons learned from these examples.
   

• Develop technical assistance tools to assist transit agencies and metropolitan planning organizations in training and employing minority and low-income persons on transit projects in their communities.
   

• Evaluate the effectiveness of the demonstration projects.

Amount: This cooperative agreement is a four-year award. The total available funding currently available is $250,000. Subsequent funding will be based on annual appropriations.

Deadline: Proposals must be submitted electronically by August 7, 2006

For further information, please visit: http://www.fta.dot.gov/16734_18357_ENG_HTML.htm

USAID: Promoting Transformation: Linking Natural Resources, Economic Growth, and Governance

Over the last two decades, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has made substantial investments in building analytical and institutional capacity to improve livelihoods and governance of rural people through natural resource management and biodiversity conservation. This experience has enhanced understanding of the importance of simultaneously addressing resources (nature), income generation (wealth), and governance dimensions (power) to achieve lasting results in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. Over the past 5 years USAID has worked more closely on the links between resources, economic growth and governance and has made some progress on developing and implementing programs based on these relationships.

This program will be global in nature. It is anticipated that most activities will take place at a national level with some regional work possible. Several countries in each developing region, Africa, Latin America, Europe and Eurasia, and Asia, will be targeted, with special attention to Africa. While it is not possible to specify countries with precision, especially given the present reform of Foreign Assistance, possible target countries include in Africa: Senegal, Guinea, Ethiopia, Mali, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi and Zambia; in Europe and Eurasia: Ukraine, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan; in Asia: Nepal, Philippines, Indonesia, Bangladesh; in Latin America: Guatemala, Bolivia, Peru, Honduras, Haiti.

This program supports the USAID Office of Natural Resource Management (EGAT/NRM) objective of increased social, economic and environmental benefits through healthy ecosystems and sustainable resource management. The objective has four intermediate results:

• Improving management and conservation across diverse landscapes through science, interdisciplinary approaches and the adoption of best practices;
   

• Promoting equitable natural resources governance and management of natural resource conflicts;
   

• Increasing economic opportunities through sustainable production, marketing and trade of natural resource-based products and services;
   

• Strengthening USAID operating units and partners through field support, technical leadership and knowledge management.

The program will support and expand upon a range of ongoing research, tool development, capacity building, and technical assistance programs to address complex rural development needs. Conservation activities have shifted to broader approaches that address ecosystem services across diverse landscapes, build capacity and social capital of local resource users, and partner with industry to promote economically and environmentally sustainable production practices. Expanding democratization and decentralization have encouraged attention on local governance and the roles of the private sector and civil society in advocacy, decision-making and resource management. Several democracy and governance programs now look to natural resource management as key issues in decentralization. Economic approaches now extend beyond national level economic policy to incorporate local, regional and global markets by analyzing value chains to identify key players and constraints to equitable growth. Some field programs have used a model of the links – Natural, Wealth and Power – to organize, strategize and implement their cross cutting programs. The overarching objective is to improve natural resource management and governance to enhance biodiversity conservation and productivity for sustainable poverty reduction and economic growth.

Amount: The funding mechanism will be a Leader-with-Associate Cooperative Agreement (LWA). Subject to the availability of funds, the total estimated cost of the Leader Award is approximately $4 - $5 million and approximately $6-$9 million for Associate Awards.

Deadline: August 07, 2006

For further information, please visit: http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=10083

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SDDOT: Analysis of Maintenance Decision Support Systems (MDSS) Benefits and Costs

Sponsor: South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT)

To improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their winter maintenance activities, state transportation agencies are actively developing Maintenance Decision Support Systems (MDSS). An MDSS uses knowledge of existing road conditions, forecasts of impending weather, and principles of chemistry and physics of road surfaces, ice, and deicing chemicals to suggest maintenance treatments and timings that will most efficiently maintain the level of service specified by the agency.

Experiences gained through the development and deployment of the Federal Highway Administration's MDSS Functional Prototype and the subsequent MDSS Pooled Fund Study product suggest that significant benefits are possible, including improved safety, reduced material and equipment use, reduced environmental impact, and more efficient scheduling of maintenance workers. However, these experiences also suggest that significant investments-in hardware, information systems, and training-may be required. The magnitudes of the investments and the resulting benefits-both tangible and intangible-may depend on how completely and extensively a transportation department adopts the essential functions of MDSS. They may also depend on other factors such as agency size, institutional constraints, and geographic conditions.

Transportation departments' deployment decisions will depend on the costs and benefits associated with the adoption of MDSS. The magnitude of required investments and expected tangible and intangible benefits will help determine whether a transportation department should commit to MDSS and, if so, at what rate it might budget and schedule deployment. Research is needed to characterize and quantify the benefits of MDSS deployment based upon a comparison between current winter maintenance practices and practices attainable through use of MDSS.

Research is needed to document specific costs and benefits of deploying MDSS. Information is needed on the type of benefits, the amount of those benefits in relation to the costs of deploying MDSS, and the extent to which those costs and benefits vary depending upon local operational characteristics.

Research Objectives:

• To describe the essential functions of a winter MDSS.
   

• To describe the resources needed to supply the essential functions of an MDSS.
   

• To characterize and estimate the costs of deploying MDSS in state transportation departments.
   

• To characterize and estimate the benefits of deploying MDSS in state transportation departments.

Research Tasks:

• et with the project's technical panel to review project scope and work plan.
   

• Interview stakeholders involved in the MDSS Pooled Fund Study to identify objectives for MDSS deployment, the nature of potential costs and benefits associated with deployment, and specific sources of data to support a formal benefit/cost analysis.
   

• Submit, for approval of the project's technical panel, a technical memorandum defining a detailed analysis methodology, including specification of analysis assumptions, definition of a current base case, and identification of practical MDSS alternatives.
   

• Upon approval of the project's technical panel, estimate tangible benefits and costs of MDSS deployment alternatives relative to the current base case, and evaluate the risk associated with each estimate. Estimate how the costs and benefits might vary for agencies with different operating characteristics.
   

• Characterize, in qualitative terms, intangible benefits and costs of MDSS deployment alternatives.
   

• Report findings, conclusions, and recommendations concerning the benefits and costs of MDSS deployment to the project's technical panel.
   

• Develop outreach materials suitable for distribution to elected officials and state DOT decision makers highlighting the salient findings of the analysis.
   

• Prepare a final report summarizing the research methodology, findings, conclusions and recommendations.
   

• Make an executive presentation to the project's technical panel and provide electronic copies of the presentation material to participating states.

Implementation: The results of this research will be summarized in a final report, executive summary, executive presentation, and outreach materials to enable states currently involved in MDSS deployment to plan their efforts most effectively and to assist other states in their decisions whether to deploy MDSS. State and local agencies in the northern tier of the United States, in Canada, and possibly in European nations are expected to be primary customers of the research.

Amount:

Funds Available: $125,000.00
Contract Period: 12 months

Deadline: 8/4/2006

For further information, please visit: http://www.state.sd.us/applications/hr19researchprojects/onerfp_search.asp?projectnbr=SD2006-10

UI: Research Grants on Employment Issues

Through its Research Grant Program, the Upjohn Institute(UI) supports policy-relevant research on employment issues as described in our Research Program that includes the following research areas:

• Causes and Consequences of Unemployment
   

• Poverty, Inequality, and Welfare Reform
   

• Employee Benefits, Compensation, and Retirement
   

• International Trade and Labor Market Comparisons
   

• Labor-Management Relations
   

• Regional Economic Development and Local Labor Markets
   

• Workforce Quality: Childcare, Education, and Training
   

• Unemployment Insurance and Workers’ Compensation

Grants made under this program are expected to result in research of a rigorous nature that is accessible and of interest to practitioners and policymakers. The research is expected to produce a book-length manuscript publishable by the Upjohn Institute.

Priority Research Topic

Again this year, as part of its Research Grant Program, the Institute is seeking proposals related to the effects of health care costs on labor demand. Relevant research questions might include: