The Davis United World College Scholars Program has announced a “100 Projects for Peace” competition. Each successful application will be funded at $10,000!
Undergraduates at approximately 90 colleges and universities, including Tufts, are being asked to design a “grassroots project for peace,” and to submit the application to a local review committee. Each participating university will nominate its first choice which, subject to confirmation at the national level, will receive full funding. The Tufts selection committee will also forward an alternate proposal that will compete for one of the remaining awards.
The proposals must be short: no more than two pages of narrative plus a one page budget. Proposals should be written in Times New Roman, 12 pt font, with 1'' margins. They are due on Monday, January 25, 2010 at noon and should be submitted electronically to pjs@tufts.edu. Projects may be submitted by an individual, or they may come from a group. They may be conducted with or without a community partner. They may be carried out in the United States or abroad. The project is to be carried out during the summer of 2010 with a final report due on September 17, 2010.
The selection criteria are as follows:
• a clear description (who, what, where, how) of the project;
• an explanation of how the project contributes to peace;
• an explanation and evidence of how the project meets a clearly specified need;
• the qualifications and resources of the individual/group submitting the project;
• a clear description of expected outcomes and means of self-assessment as the project proceeds.
• Any project involving an outside party or organization(s) should attach a letter of commitment from that organization.
• A justification for expenses. Please note that while Davis limits their funding to $10,000, projects with larger budgets are welcome, as is co-funding from other sources (other philanthropists, a college or university, foundations, NGOs, or students’ own fundraising).
This is difficult to do in two pages (plus the one page budget). To help with this, students may take advantage of the Proposal Development Committee, co-chaired by Dale Bryan, Assistant Director of the Peace and Justice Studies Program and Kathleen Devigne, Assistant Director of International Relations. The first information/advisory session will take place Wednesday, December 2, from noon to 1 in Eaton 102. A second session will be held on Monday, December 7, from noon to 1 in Eaton 203. Attendance at one of these sessions is not mandatory but is strongly recommended.
A short letter of intent to submit a proposal is due, by email, to pjs@tufts.edu, on Friday, January 15, 2010 at noon (the week before classes begin). For more information on how to write these requirements, please visit the 2010 Guidelines for Applicant Letter of Intent and Partner Letter of Commitment .
The first stage of proposal review will be conducted anonymously. Proposals should be submitted with a cover sheet which will be detached from the three page proposals (plus supporting documents) before review. The members of the Selection Committee are Christina Sharpe (English/Americans Studies), Nancy Wilson (Tisch College), Sherman Teichman, (Institute for Global Leadership), Jennifer Simons (Admissions), Modhumita Roy (English/Women’s Studies), and Amahl Bishara (Anthropology/PJS). Please do not ask any member of this committee for advice as you develop your proposal.
Good luck,
Amahl Bishara,
Assistant Professor, Anthropology
Peace and Justice Studies Executive Board
What constitutes a peace project?
For Tufts' winning project, see www.therisingtidekiribati.org , and download the Rising Tide Proposal. Additional information and inspiration can be found on the 2010 Competition Resources document.
How will the proposals be evaluated?
The first stage of proposal review will be conducted anonymously. Proposals should be submitted with a cover sheet which will be detached from the proposals before review. In the second stage, the Tufts Selection Committee will interview the selected finalists in early February.