Bringing Theory to Practice. The Association of American Colleges and Universities is soon going to release its request for proposals in the category of “Bringing Theory to Practice.” In the last round, they requested proposals for projects that addressed:

1. Institutional efforts to examine, learn from and to make sustainable initiatives that foster the gains from the relationship between college students’ civic development and their psychosocial well-being;
2. Institutional ability to demonstrate the evaluation and sustainability of initiatives that address the increasing opportunities for students to have transformative educational experiences and for institutions to transform priorities and practices so as to make such experiences both expected and provided.

Proposals addressing these themes are submitted in three categories: mini-grants and student programming up to $2,500; program or research initiatives up to $10,000; and demonstration site grants up to $75,000 per year for two years (up to $150,000). 

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS 2012-2014

Bringing Theory to Practice (BTtoP) requests proposals in one or more of the following three categories. In the third category, we anticipate but do not require that the institution has already taken steps made possible by support from BTtoP.

Category I. Seminar Grants

Seminar Grants up to $1,000 are available for institutions to bring together diverse members of the campus community for meaningful conversations which will result in institutional actions. Matching support is not required. Proposals are accepted on quarterly deadlines between 2012-2014 (June 15, September 15, December 15, and March 15) and awards are announced 2 weeks after each deadline.

Category II. Program Development Grants

Program Development Grants up to $10,000 are available for institutions to enhance or extend a program which is consistent with our objectives. Institutional matching support is required. Grants may be renewable. Proposals are accepted on quarterly deadlines between 2012-2014 (June 15, September 15, December 15, and March 15) and awards are announced 6-8 weeks after each deadline.

Category III. Demonstration Site Grants

Grants up to $75,000, distributed over two years, are available for institutions proposing to demonstrate the outcomes of building institutional capacity for a program of work consistent with our purpose. Institutional matching support is required. Proposals are due by June 15, 2012, and awards are announced by July 15, 2012. 

For more information, visit: http://www.aacu.org/bringing_theory/index.cfm.

The Spencer Foundation: New Civics Initiative. The Spencer Foundation has announced its “New Civics” Initiative. It embedded within the broader Foundation’s belief that cultivating knowledge and new ideas about education will ultimately improve students’ lives and enrich society. The designation “new” refers to an expanded understanding of civic education and its relationship to civic action. Ultimately, the Spencer Foundation sees civic education not simply as a grounding in historical and procedural knowledge of systems of government, but, more broadly, as education, whether in schools or elsewhere, that develops skills, knowledge, and dispositions that lead to informed and reasoned civic action. With this expanded understanding, we aim to support research that deepens our understanding of educational and other influences on civic action, that attends to social inequalities in civic education and civic action, and that has the potential to shape future research and practice in these fields. And we aim to create occasions for scholars’ learning, inquiry, and exchange – to strengthen the research community and its connections to educational policy and practice. Those interested in submitting a proposal for research within the Initiative should review our current request for proposals. Grants are available up to $40,000 in its small grants category; up to $350,000 in its major grants category. For more information, visit: http://www.spencer.org/content.cfm/mission.