NOTE: The 2012 Spring round of Alumni Small Grants program is now announced. The deadline for submitting applications is April 30, 2012.
The Alumni Small Grants Program, a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the US Department of State, provides grants of up to $3,000 for individual projects or $6000 for joint projects to alumni of the Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship program and the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program in Eurasia and Central Asia (Global UGRAD).
The two small-grant categories are:
1. Community or Public Service Grant – This grant is designed to provide funding for projects that benefit the community-at-large. Alumni are encouraged to work with other alumni and/or volunteers to carry out project activities. Activities proposed under this category may include, but are not limited to:
- Conduct a public awareness campaign on HIV/AIDs
- Organize a series of volunteer events (i.e. environmental clean-ups)
- Develop a mentoring program for at-risk youth
- Launch a campaign to build school workers’ capacity to sustain healthy schools
- Organize a week-long Model UN conference for local youth
- Teach professional skills to disadvantaged populations
2. Professional Development Grant – This grant is designed to provide funding for professional development activities that develop professional knowledge and skills of the applicant, other ECA alumni, and/or professional colleagues, and facilitate professional networking opportunities. Activities proposed under this category may include, but are not limited to:
- Develop a technology training program for EFL teachers
- Launch a pilot program on literacy promotion at a local NGO
- Fund the travel of a US professor to an eligible Eurasian country and co-facilitate
- A series of seminars on US foreign policy for graduate students
Applying: Applications for the Alumni Small Grants program are submitted online. The web address of the Online Application is: http://oas.irex.org/asg_muskie_ugrad
For detailed information, please see the attachments below:
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Winter 2012 Project Smile
IREX is pleased to announce Project Smile, an initiative that aims to improve the lives of Eurasian children, the elderly or people with disabilities through alumni-driven community-based activities. The program will not only benefit under-served people, but will provide alumni with further professional development opportunities.
If you are an alumnus or alumna of the UGRAD or Muskie program you are eligible to apply for Project Smile.
Purpose
The purpose of Project Smile is to help the youth of Eurasia and the US through community based activities. Possible activities include:
- Cleaning a school yard or community playground
- Planning a visit or activity at an orphanage or hospital
- Organizing a book drive to benefit a local library, school, orphanage, or hospital
- Conducting any other projects judged by ECA and/or IREX to be in the interest of program goals
The grant maximum is $300.00. The money should be used to purchase necessary materials, provide a pizza lunch for participants and children and for advertisements. Each project must be led by an ECA alumnus/a team leader, but not all volunteers must be ECA alumni.
Application Procedure
To apply, be sure that
- You are living in your home country
- You are an alumnus or alumna in good standing of UGRAD or Muskie
Then, just fill out the application, making sure to include your project proposal. Remember that all proposed activities must benefit local children, the elderly or people with disabilities. Sample project ideas include cleaning a schoolyard, visiting and/or planning an activity at a children’s hospital or orphanage, or planning a book drive. (Remember, these are just ideas. How original can YOU be?) Finally, email your application to smile@irex.org and submit a copy to your local IREX office to the attention of Ibrahim Rustamov.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Application for Winter 2012 Project Smile is no longer available.
Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Ibrahim Rustamov irustamov@irex.tj.
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