How to Apply for a Grant
The IEEE Foundation invites grant applications exclusively from IEEE organizational units for projects that address the pre-defined theme identified by the IEEE Foundation for each year. The theme aligns with the IEEE Foundation's mission to "enable IEEE programs that enhance technology access, literacy, and education." A joint committee of the IEEE Foundation Board of Directors and the IEEE Life Members Committee reviews the grant applications. Funding is provided from the IEEE Foundation Fund or IEEE Life Members Fund.
2017 Theme & Request for Proposals
Eligibility
What We Don't Fund
Funding Range
Duration of Projects
Grant Criteria
Application Process
Submission Deadlines
2017 Theme & Request for Proposals (RFPs)
Raise awareness and understanding of science and technology and their potential to address a global challenge.
Request for Proposals:
For 2017, the IEEE Foundation Grants Program will invest approximately $372,000 to raise awareness and understanding of science and technology and their potential to address a global challenge.
Proposals are invited from IEEE Organizational Units for projects that promote public understanding about how science and technology are being or could be used to address global challenges - including energy, cybersecurity, security, health care, and sustainability.
In evaluating proposals, the Grants Committee will seek to determine the extent to which the proposed project:
- Provides technical information at a level that can be understood by the general public
- Reaches a broad cross-section of society
- Has a well-articulated communications plan, that includes social media, designed to increase awareness and engagement of the target audience
- Presents, in a neutral and balanced manner, an analysis of the social benefits and costs of deploying the subject technology
- Avoids advocating a particular action but encourages and enables participants to make an informed decision
- Directly involves IEEE members including, as appropriate, student members
- Encourages the active participation of the target audience
- Provides an effective means of determining the impact of the project
- Matches the IEEE Foundation's Grant criteria
Eligibility
The IEEE Foundation invites grant applications
exclusively from IEEE organizational units (as defined in
IEEE Bylaws I.107). An IEEE organizational unit is a subset or division of IEEE.
IEEE organizational units include sections, regions, societies, affinity groups, student branches, and major boards.
What We Don't Fund
- Organizations that are not a division of IEEE
- Overhead (general and administrative or indirect costs)
- Ongoing activities or operational costs of the applicant
- Construction or building renovations (unless it is an extraordinary strategic initiative)
- Lobbying or electioneering
- Commercial promotion activities
- Personal or commercial loans
- Grants with an individual as the sole beneficiary
- Scholarships to individuals
- Endowments
- Participation of specific/individual teams at competitions
- Research & development, including prototypes to address humanitarian issues
- Immediate disaster relief efforts
Funding Range
Grants will be awarded for projects requesting funding between US$5,000 and US$100,000.
Duration of Projects
Performance period for funded projects will be limited to no longer than 12 months. The start date of the project must fall after the funding decisions are announced. In 2017, grant recipients will be notified by 15 December 2017.
Grant Criteria
To increase the likelihood of funding, projects should address the following criteria: -
- Furthers the scientific and educational purposes of IEEE
- Relates to fields of interest of IEEE
- Addresses the theme identified in the Request for Proposals (RFPs)
- Is innovative
- Is outside the normal operation of the applicant
- Addresses a clearly defined need
- Has a plan for successful completion of the project that is clear and realistic
- Makes a noticeable difference
- Project beneficiaries are clearly identified and are sufficient in number to assure that the project is likely to make an impact
- The geographic area is broad enough that the project is likely to make an impact
- The application includes a plan to effectively measure success
- Has a high probability of replication
- Project Leader has expertise to conduct project
Note: Project Leaders & Team members cannot be a member or family member of the IEEE Foundation Board of Directors or IEEE Life Members Committee
- Applying organization is qualified to oversee the project and agrees to do so.
- Budget is appropriate to the scope of the project
- Grant request includes only allowable expenses (refer to: What We Don’t Fund)
- Shared funding of project (preferred, not required)
- Project is twelve months or less in duration
Grant applications may be selected for funding that do not satisfy one or more of these criterion if their quality to the other considerations is sufficiently high.
Application Process
Grant applications will be accepted beginning 1 February 2017 until 15 July 2017 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
To be eligible to apply for a grant, you must be able to answer YES to ALL of the following questions.
Applying entity:
The Project:
- Furthers the scientific and educational purposes of IEEE and relates to the fields of interest of IEEE?
- Addresses the theme identified in the Request for Proposals?
- Does not include any items on the “What We Don’t Fund” list?
- Is twelve months or less in duration?
Grants are awarded from two sources - IEEE Foundation Fund and IEEE Life Members Fund. The IEEE Foundation Board of Directors and the IEEE Life Members Committee make the funding decisions. Decisions are announced in December. If awarded, the grant is to be used solely for the activities specified in the grant application
Submission Deadlines
The IEEE Foundation has one grants cycle each year. Submissions are accepted beginning 1 February 2017 until 15 July 2017 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Applications received after the deadline will not be accepted.
If selected for a grant, the grant payment will be released after the funding decision is announced and the Grant Agreement has been signed and returned to the IEEE Foundation. This should be considered during the preparation of grant applications.
| Submission Deadline: |
Funding Decisions Announced by: |
| 15 July 2017 |
15 December 2017 |
Questions
If you have questions regarding the guidelines or forms, please contact us by:
e-mail: foundation-office@ieee.org
Telephone: +1 732 981 3435
Click here to learn about grants offered by IEEE.