Transparency in Philanthropy: GlassPockets

Foundations are using the internet like never before to make their interests and activities accessible to the public. Through GlassPockets,the Foundation Center and its partners are working to inspire private foundations to greater openness in their communications and increase understanding of best practices in foundation transparency and accountability in an online world.

GlassPockets features include:

• Grantsfire RSS feed that allows foundations to submit and post grant data electronically in near real-time.
• Facts & Trends in Philanthropy illustrated with easy to understand and interactive charts and graphs.
• Philanthropy at Work tracks the news, grants, commentary, and case studies initiated or funded by grantmaking institutions in select subject areas.
• Foundation Transparency 2.0 allows you to see how, through their web sites and other online communications vehicles, foundations are working to make their operations more transparent.

Visit GlassPockets: http://www.glasspockets.org/

September 2010 Issue of Research Development & Grantwriting Newsletter

Academic Research Funding Strategies, LLC started publication in September of a subscription-based monthly electronic newsletter for faculty on how to compete successfully for research and education funding from federal agencies and foundations. Articles and resources in Research Development & Grant Writing News address how faculty can use proven competitive strategies to achieve success in a very difficult funding climate. The first issue is available for free as a sample for those considering subscribing. It can be downloaded here.

From Foundation Center: Introducing GrantSpace

GrantSpace is the Foundation Center's new learning community for the social sector. GrantSpace is a grantseeker's one-stop shop for information about grants and fundraising.

At GrantSpace, you can: View recordings of discussions with grantmakers Listen to podcasts featuring experts in the field Find answers in the Knowledge Base Chat live with a Foundation Center librarian Get information about opportunities in your subject Increase your expertise in fundraising Attend training and events, in-person and online Register to rate content and leave comments

GrantSpace will help you gain the knowledge and skills you need to get grants, manage your nonprofit, and improve your community.

Go to GrantSpace

Go to Foundation Center Online

Digital Humanities Institutes Seek Summer Participants

The 2011 institutes sponsored by the National Endowment of the Humanities Office of Digital Humanities have been announced and are beginning to accept participant applications (check for updated links as information comes available).

• University of Denver's Institute for the Digital Humanities will host a series of three workshops held over 18 months for faculty and advanced graduate students on the use of digital media in scholarship and teaching.
• Computer Simulations in the Humanities will be hosted by the University of North Carolina, with a focus on computer simulations and modeling techniques in the humanities for twenty four humanities scholars.
• Brown University will lead an Advanced Text Encoding Seminars to provide a more in-depth look at specific encoding problems and topics.
• The SUNY Research Foundation of Albany’s Institute for Globally Networked Learning in the Humanities will include a capstone conference on developing international team taught courses in the humanities.
• The Digital Institute for Archaeology will support advanced training in geospatial technologies critical to the practice of modern archaeology at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
• The University of Southern California Los Angeles will support a month-long summer institute, “Broadening the Digital Humanities: The Vectors CTS Summer Institute on Digital Approaches to American Studies.”
• The University of Virginia will host “Summer Workshops: Emerging Issues in Digital Scholarship,” a two-year series of summer workshops engaging scholars and institutional administrators in concerns relating to peer review and evaluation of digital scholarship.

These institutes bring together scholars, librarians, scientists, museum officials, technologists, and advanced graduate students for intense learning experiences at various institutions. If accepted as a participant, most of the institutes will cover travel costs. Information on hosting an institute is available online.

NCIIA: funding and training to advance your projects

The National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) helps faculty and students move their technology ideas and inventions along the path towards commercial reality - to create socially beneficial innovations and businesses.

NCIIA funds faculty from member institutions (BSU is a member institution) whose programs and projects encourage innovation and invention among students, and whose work benefits people and the environment.

Course and Program Grants
Course and Program grants are awarded to institutions to strengthen existing curricular programs or build new courses and programs in invention, innovation, and technology entrepreneurship, with an increasing emphasis on environmental and social entrepreneurship.
Next Deadline: December 3, 2010
Award: $2,000 to $50,000 for 1-3 years


Advanced E-Team grants
United States-based universities and colleges are eligible to apply. NCIIA provides support for E-Teams (collaborating groups of college students, faculty and industry mentors) to bring innovative technology products and services from idea to prototype, and eventually to market.
Next deadlines: December 3, 2010
Award: $1,000 to $20,000 for 12-18 Months


Please visit the NCIIA grants page for more information on these opportunities and others, including grant guidelines, podcasts, FAQ, and previously funded proposals.

Questions? Please contact Augusta Wray (amwray@bsu.edu or 5-5033) in the Sponsored Programs Office.

The Amazing Taste: Global Food Fair & iFest

Join SPO and the Ball State community for The Amazing Taste: Global Food Fair & iFest on Thursday, Oct. 14, from 5-8 p.m. in the lawn between DeHority, Park, and Woodworth halls. This vibrant street fair atmosphere will combine Ball State's traditional iFest with an elaborate array of foods from more than 25 countries.

See the Menu and Activities list at Dining Services.

Cost is $7.55 or a meal card swipe for Ball State students; $8 for ages 13+; $5 for ages 3-12; and free for ages 2 and under. (Visa/MasterCard and Dining Plus also accepted.)

The Amazing Taste is sponsored by Ball State Dining, the Rinker Center for International Programs, the Multicultural Center, and University Program Board.

See special Dining hours in other locations to accommodate The Amazing Taste.

OER Podcasts: Study Section Mechanics and Scoring Your Application

The Office of Extramural Research (OER) presents conversations with NIH staff members in a series called "All About Grants". Designed for investigators, fellows, students, research administrators, and others, we provide insights on grant topics from those who live and breathe the information. In mp3 and updated every other week. Information on RSS and Podcasts

The All About Grants podcast series continues with:

Dr. Alan Willard, Chief of the Scientific Review Branch at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, who discusses what goes on during a study section meeting in “The Ins and Outs of a Study Section Meeting.”

And Dr. Sally Amero, NIH Review Policy Officer, who explains the application review criteria, how they are scored, and how the reviewers arrive at the final overall score in “Scoring Your Application.”

Previous post about NIH OER podcasts can be found: NIH OER Podcast Episodes: All About Grants

NIH: Act Now to Retain Your eRA Commons Citations

As of October 22, 2010, “PD/PI Entered” citations will no longer be available in eRA Commons. If you an eRA Commons user who has used the Publications page of your Personal Profile to store your professional citation information, you must transfer this information to a My NCBI account in order to retain it (i.e., for use in future progress reports).

The easiest way to transfer the information, and to reduce the amount of cutting and pasting from eRA Commons to My Bibliography, is to use My Bibliography’s “Add Citations in PubMed” option to search for your citations that are in PubMed, using search options such as author or title. My Bibliography will query PubMed and present a list of citations that you may save to your My Bibliography section. For citations that you have entered into Commons that are not a part of PubMed, you can copy and paste the citation information from Commons to My Bibliography.

Several demos released this summer provide users with step-by-step instructions for navigating the integration of eRA Commons and My NCBI.

For more information, see NOT-OD-10-103, “An Easier Way to Manage Citations,” and “My NCBI: Move It or Lose It!”

Office of Management and Budget: Grants World Blog

Looking for up-to-date information on grants-related topics from the Office of Management and Budget? View their new Grants World blog for information on what is being done about improper payments made by the Federal government, a description of recent changes made to the Federal Register, and a Grants.gov update.

From Grants World Blog:
Why blog about grants?
We started this blog in an effort to improve federal grants community communications with external audiences and promote the Administration’s goals of transparency and public engagement. This blog serves as as a vehicle for providing news and updates to the public and grantee/applicant community.

NIH: New Application Forms for 2011

NIH must periodically implement updated versions of SF424 (R&R) application forms to stay current. Beginning this month, NIH will begin adding a new form package, referred to as ADOBE-FORMS-B1, to all funding opportunity announcements (FOAs).

Applicants submitting for Ks (Individual Research Career Development Awards Programs), Fs (Individual National Research Service Awards), Ts and Ds (Institutional Training and Career Development Programs and Other Training Grants) will be required to use ADOBE-FORMS-B1 for due dates of January 25, 2011 and beyond. Applicants submitting for all other NIH grant programs will be required to use ADOBE-FORMS-B1 beginning May 8, 2011.

As always, we encourage applicants to return to the FOA to pick up the most recent form version before applying. To learn more about the transition and the changes resulting from the forms update (they are minor, for the most part), please read NOT-OD-11-007 and NOT-OD-11-008. To learn about choosing the correct forms package, view the recently updated online resource: "Do I have the right electronic forms for my NIH application?"

New Grants Resource Center Deadlines Available

New GRC Deadlines are available here or at the top of the side column. This publication includes deadlines for the month of January 2010 and late announcements for November and December 2010. A Ball State username and password is required to access these resources.

New Videos Reveal How NIH Identifies the Most Promising Research Applications

Via NIH News

The National Institutes of Health's Center for Scientific Review (CSR) today released a new video to show new applicants and others how NIH assesses over 80,000 grant applications each year to help find those with the most merit. With the majority of NIH’s $31 billion budget supporting grants to researchers, these assessments help ensure investments lead to significant advances in science and health.

"The video provides an inside look at the dynamic way reviewers evaluate NIH grant applications," said CSR Director Dr. Toni Scarpa. "You'll see the rigor and integrity of their efforts, which have enabled NIH to identify ground-breaking research year after year."






The NIH Peer Review Revealed video can be viewed and downloaded via CSR’s website.