Off-Campus Community Service program

The purpose of this program is to provide grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) participating in the Federal Work-Study Program under title IV, part C of the
Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA) to recruit and compensate students (including compensation for time spent in training and for travel) for part-time, off-campus employment directly related to community service. Under section 447(b) of the HEA, funds granted to an IHE under this program may only be used to make payments to students participating in work-study programs.

Full announcement available here.

Early Career Research Program

The Office of Science of the Department of Energy hereby invites grant applications for support under the Early Career Research Program in the following program areas: Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR); Biological and Environmental Research (BER); Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES); High Energy Physics (HEP), and Nuclear Physics (NP). The purpose of this program is to support the development of individual research programs of outstanding scientists early in their careers and to stimulate research careers in the areas supported by the DOE Office of Science.

Expected Number of Awards: 50
Estimated Total Program Funding: $6,000,000
Deadline: Nov. 9, 2010

Math Conference and Workshop Grants

Conferences, workshops, and related events (including seasonal schools and international travel by groups) support research and training activities of the mathematical sciences community. Proposals for conferences, workshops, or conference-like activities may request funding of any amount and for durations of up to three years. Proposals under this solicitation must be submitted to the appropriate DMS programs at the deadline specified on the program webpage.

Proposals may only be submitted by the following: -Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums, observatories, research labs, professional societies and similar organizations in the U.S. associated with educational or research activities. -Universities and Colleges - Universities and two- and four-year colleges (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Such organizations also are referred to as academic institutions.

Expected Number of Awards: 100
Estimated Total Program Funding: $4,000,000
Award Ceiling: $100,000
Award Floor: $10,000

GOALI accepting submissions

Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) promotes university-industry partnerships by making project funds or fellowships/traineeships available to support an eclectic mix of industry-university linkages. Special interest is focused on affording the opportunity for: Faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and students to conduct research and gain experience in an industrial setting; Industrial scientists and engineers to bring industry's perspective and integrative skills to academe; and Interdisciplinary university-industry teams to conduct research projects. This solicitation targets high-risk/high-gain research with a focus on fundamental research, new approaches to solving generic problems, development of innovative collaborative industry-university educational programs, and direct transfer of new knowledge between academe and industry. GOALI seeks to fund transformative research that lies beyond that which industry would normally fund.

Solar Energy Research Grants

[From Philanthropy News Digest] The Tucson-based Research Corporation for Science Advancement has announced three-year grants totaling more than $1.3 million to thirteen early career academic researchers working on projects related to solar energy.

The grants are the first made through RCSA's Scialog initiative, a multiyear program designed to accelerate science by funding early career scientists pursuing transformative research on crucial issues of scientific inquiry. This year, the initiative focused on solar energy because of the economic and national security implications associated with a reliable, domestic, and renewable energy supply. The initial grants also were aimed at supporting research with the potential for rapid translational application and development by the private sector, in the hope that federal and private funding will follow suit.

“Scialog Grants for Solar Energy Conversion Awarded to Researchers at 11 Universities.” Research Corporation for Science Advancement Press Release 6/17/10.

Transfer Scholarship Program

[From Philanthropy News Digest] The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation in Lansdowne, Virginia, has announced scholarships to forty community college students so that they can transfer to four-year colleges and universities to complete their bachelor's degree.

The foundation's Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship Program provides up to $30,000 a year for up to three years to exceptional community college students. Hailing from eighteen states, the scholarship recipients will attend some of the best public and private colleges and universities in the country, including Stanford, Duke, New York University, and the University of California, Berkeley. A large percentage of this year's recipients will major in the sciences and pre-medicine, with others majoring in engineering, economics, political science, natural resources, social work, education, film, and photography. Eighteen of the scholars were born outside the United States.

Youth Outdoor Employment

NEW YORK — Leaders from the U.S. Departments of Labor, Interior and Agriculture joined in New York City at the Outdoor Nation Youth Summit on June 20 to announce the launch of a $20 million federal grant opportunity and implementation of an initiative designed to help disadvantaged youth prepare for jobs in the outdoors. Through a national grant competition, funds will be awarded to enable ex-offenders ages 18 to 24 to give back to their communities through service and conservation work, while simultaneously acquiring solid employment skills. The grant competition is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2010.

The program was unveiled by Assistant Secretary Jane Oates of the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration; the U.S. Department of the Interior's Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget Rhea Suh; and U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Harris Sherman. At the Outdoor Nation Youth Summit, administration officials conducted two "listening sessions" with the 500 youth participants in the event to hear their perspectives on the president's America's Great Outdoors Initiative and the challenges and opportunities for youth engaging in outdoor activities and pursuing employment in green jobs.

"This multi-agency partnership will allow disadvantaged youth to prepare for lucrative green jobs and outdoor careers, including federal employment with public land management agencies," said Oates. "Our joint initiative also will provide support for meaningful service projects on public lands currently experiencing a backlog."

Prior to the grant competition, the three agencies will begin their partnership by implementing a pilot program this summer to increase outdoor employment opportunities for youth. The pilot will target local workforce areas to place youth in Youth Conservation Corps and other summer employment opportunities on public lands. Some of those opportunities will include working at national parks and forests, conservation areas, historic sites and tribal lands.

The partnership provides bureaus at the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture with the ability to engage youth looking to work and learn about outdoor occupations. At the same time, local workforce areas are provided with expanded support for their worksites where youth can receive work experience, supervision and an education about natural resources, conservation and becoming good stewards of public lands and resources. For more information on Department of Labor training programs, visit http://www.doleta.gov.