Grants Program

Deadline: On-going

Introduction

Welcome to the APA International Division 2007–2008 Grant Program.

This backgrounder describes our grant program for the year and provides specific guidelines for those who wish to consider sending an application.

About the Grant

The International Division annually awards THREE (3) US$500 grants to undergraduate or graduate students pursuing a study abroad program, doing research, or participating in an international internship program approved by their School or Department. Our program is relatively flexible recognizing the varied needs that many students have for assistance.

A subcommittee of planning practitioners from the APA International Division will review all proposals. We can only make partial grants and; therefore, we do not think it is fair to ask applicants to waste a lot of their time preparing us lengthy proposals for small grants, nor do we think it is useful for our volunteer grant reviewers to have to wade through lots of material. In summary, shorter is better.

Every proposal will be seriously considered. If you have a good project that fits our objectives, please take a few minutes and write it up for consideration. We do not give out copies of previously submitted proposals. We want to see YOUR proposal.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must:

• Be currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate planning program.
• Have academic support in the form of at least one academic reference (We might ask for a letter of support from the head of your department or advisor).
• Applicants must be members of the APA International Division (non-members may contact the Division to discuss joining the division prior to submitting a grant proposal).

Selection Criteria

• Proposals will be judged on one or a combination of the following:
• Relevance of the proposal to international planning issues;
• Applicant's demonstrated need for support; and
• Demonstrated support/proof of acceptance into an internship program, study abroad program, or research project.

Award Announcement

Funds may be disbursed as soon as decisions are made. Grant winners will be announced at the National APA Conference in 2008. Winners will also be posted on the Division's webpage and published in InterPlan, the APA International Division Newsletter.

Grant Application Details

Format

• Proposals must be limited to a maximum length of TWO pages.
• Font style and size shall be Times New Roman or Arial, not smaller than 12" font.
• There will be no attached illustrations or pictures unless they are on the page itself. If we want more detail, we will ask for it after we evaluate your initial proposal.
• Specific information required includes:
  • Page One: Name and Contact Information
    Applicant's name, address, educational institution and degree program, email and phone number.
  • Page Two: Description of Proposal
    In one page, clearly describe your proposal in the simplest terms possible. Start with a short descriptive title then expand your description in the remaining paragraphs on the page. It is best in this section to indicate in your own words what your project is and what you expect will be its benefits. You may indicate how the APA-ID Grant support will be important to your project or academic goals. Conclude this section with "Your Future Goals in International Planning."
  • References
    Provide the name, title, and contact information including phone numbers for each of two references willing to be contacted by us regarding you and your project. One of these references must be your Department Chair or Advisor.
  • Do NOT ask them to send us letters of reference or to contact us in any way. We will contact them with our specific questions if we need further information. "

Submittal

• Please send material ONLY in electronic format, which makes it easier for us to circulate it to our reviewers. You may send your proposal as plain text within the email message itself or as an attached file in Microsoft Word format or rich text format (.rtf).

• Send only one proposal in one email. If you send more than one proposal to us please put each one in its own email message. If you do not receive an acknowledgement within a week, please follow up and ask us if we received your proposal because sometimes they get lost in the mail or in passing through the Internet.

• Send your submission to: Christopher Kemper

Conditions for Acceptance (COA) for Awards:

If we decide to award a grant we will send the applicant an acceptance form that indicates all conditions to be fulfilled by the applicant, and the applicant must agree at that time to comply with all such requirements by signing and returning the form.

The conditions simply provide for such reporting and feedback as needed by the Division to assure that the project is completed as promised, that the applicant will be responsible for reporting and paying any taxes that might be due, plus other conditions as appropriate for each grant.

General Reporting Requirements

• If host country conditions permit, interim performance reports may be required during the course of a project in the form of a weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly emails or weblog. These performance reports serve as a measure of progress achieved on a project and help keep the entire APA International Division membership apprised of the Grantee's activities.
• At the conclusion of the grant (no later than six months following Grant Award), Grantees are required to submit a report/debrief of their experience: starting with a description of the current nature and context of planning in their host country and concluding with a summary of their project accomplishments. This report/debrief will be published in InterPlan.
• Grantees will be the sole authors of the report/debrief. Papers written for classes, master's theses, terminal professional reports, and student group projects are not acceptable. 
• Reports should not exceed 10 pages, including references (Photos are welcome and highly encouraged). Tables, maps, and other diagrams may also be used to supplement the 10 pages of text, but should not exceed two pages.
• Reports must be word processed in Microsoft Word format "Times New Roman" or "Arial" style, double-spaced with margins of at least 1-inch and 12" font.
• The title page should include the Grantee's name, address, educational institution and degree program, email address, and phone number.
• Only electronic copies of reports will be accepted.
• Reports should be submitted electronically to Christopher Kemper at christopherkemper@gmail.com or Beth Offenbacker at beth@waterfordinc.com no later than the date stipulated in the COA with "International Division Grant Report Submittal" in the subject line.
• APA International Division reserves the right to edit submitted papers.
• All reports become a permanent record of project accomplishments. These reports provide information that the Division uses to evaluate the significance and impact of the Grant. It's our way of measuring the success of the program.

Please contact Christopher Kemper or Beth Offenbacker for clarification or if you need additional information.

Our best wishes to you in your worthy endeavors.