Saturday, January 14, 2006

MLK '06 Event

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the national Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. On Monday, January 16, 2006, the New York State Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Observance will be held at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany starting at 8:30AM with a musical prelude by the King Interdenominational Choir. The live satellite program will begin promptly at 9:00AM. This year’s program will feature a presentation by the State University of New York at Albany’s Department of Africana Studies.

Over the past six years, the State University of New York has co-sponsored the live satellite broadcast working with cable television systems throughout the State of New York. As a result, citizens throughout NYS have been able to view this tribute to the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

2006 Partners in Cable

CAPITAL DISTRICT, MID-HUDSON VALLEY AND NORTH COUNTRY
Albany / Saratoga / Troy / Schenectady / Amsterdam / Glens Falls
Time Warner Cable – Capital Division
Channel 3
Approximately 48 hours after the live event this programming will be available through Cable on Demand.

Columbia, Greene and South Albany County Mid-Hudson Cable
Channel 11

Saranac Lake
Adelphia Communications – Saranac Lake
Channel 2

CENTRAL NEW YORK AND SOUTHERN TIER
Syracuse, Watertown and Surrounding Areas
Time Warner Cable – Syracuse Division

Syracuse
Channel 98

Watertown/Carthage
Channel 99

Ithaca
Channel 13

Cortland
Channel 2

Rome/Oneida
Channel 99

Ilion
Channel 99

Fulton/Oswego/Central Square
Channel 96

Champlain/Malone/Massena/Ogdensburg/Potsdam
Channel 98

Utica/ Rome
Adelphia Communications
Channel 3

Auburn – Cayuga County
Adelphia Communications – Auburn
Channel 11

Oneonta, Otsego, Chenango, and Delaware
Time Warner Cable - Oneonta
Channel 23

Binghamton
Time Warner Cable – Binghamton
Channel 12

WESTERN NEW YORK

Rochester and Surrounding Counties
Time Warner Cable – Rochester Division
Channel 98

Buffalo and Surrounding Communities
Adelphia Communications of Western New York

Buffalo, all the Suburbs and in Niagara Falls, NY
Channel 13

East Aurora
Channel 96

Olean
Channel 9

Westfield
Channel 15

Dunkirk
Channel 98

New York City
Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island and parts of Westchester and Rockland Counties*
NYC-TV
Channel 25
*Broadcast may be available in parts of Westchester and Rockland Counties.

Friday, January 13, 2006

Underground Railroad Conference

The Underground Railroad History Project of the (New York) Capital Region, Inc.

"The Underground Railroad: Connecting Pathways To Liberty"

A Conference On The Underground Railroad Movement In New York State (For more information and to register: www.ugrworkshop.com)

Friday, Saturday, Sunday - February 24, 25, 26, 2006
To be held at Russell Sage College in Troy, New York

Featuring Speakers:

David Blight, PhD - Director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition of Yale University
and
Erica Ball, PhD - Assistant Professor of History at Union College in Schenectady
(See their photos at www.ugrworkshop.com)
and
Earl White - The leading, and award winning, African American Old Time and Appalachian fiddle player in the country featuring music in the spirit of Solomon Northup
and
a tour of Troy Underground Railroad sites and features
and
35 workshops featuring young people, teachers, scholars, musicians, drummers, dancers, archeologists, historians, and independent researchers...including...

Mayeesa Mitchell, student presenter
Amy Murrell Taylor, Assistant Professor of History, SUNYA
Don Papson, Vivian Papson, Rev. Fred Shaw, independent researchers and re-enactors
Students from New Covenant Charter School, Albany
Dr. Elaine Hadley, Empire State College
Neil B. Yetwin, independent researcher and educator
Stephen Marc, Prof. of Art, Arizona State Univ
Fergus Bordewich, author
Binod Sundararajan, Doctoral Candidate, Literature and Communication, RPI
Greg Mosley, Music artist, Operation Unite Education and Cultural Arts Center
Julia Killey, Meghan Vacca, Zippy Gilmore, Alexandra Ktenas, Regina Morgan, RSC Student presenters
Prof. Jennifer Ball, Adjunct Professor, Russell Sage College
Vibetta Sanders, clinical social worker, school administrator, multi-cultural consultant, independent researcher
Dr. Mary Nell Morgan-Brown, Associate Professor, Empire State College
Norman K. Dann, Prof. Emeritus of Social Sciences, Morrisville State College
Maren Stein, Assoc. Prof. Emeritus, Russell Sage College
Billie Luisi-Potts, Executive Dir., National Women's Hall of Fame
Walter Gable, Seneca County Historian
Dr. Judith Wellman, Historian and Director, Seneca County UGR Railroad Resources
Dr. Milton Sernett, Professor Emeritus, Syracuse University
Harry Bradshaw Matthews, Associate Dean and Director, US Pluralism Programs; Executive Director, USCT Institute
Wanda Webster, Artistic Director, UGR Players
Elena Mosley, Dance artist, Operation Unite Education and Cultural Arts Center
Hugh C. Humphreys, retired Madison County judge and adjunct professor at Syracuse University
Jane Williamson, Director, Rokeby Museum
Scott Christianson, researcher and author
Kevin Cottrell & Jessica Thrope, co-owners, Mo Better Buffalo
Robert K. Wallace, Regents Prof., Northern Kentucky Univ.
April L. Harris, Adjunct Faculty, Sonoma State Univ., Syracuse Univ.
Clifford Oliver, independent researcher, artistic photographer
Nancy Marie Payne, storyteller
Lisa Anderson, Bioarcheologist
Corey McQuinn, archeologist
Cordell Reaves, Heritage NY
Paul Stewart, URHPCR
Edward Shaughnessy, Prof. of Sociology and Law, John Jay College, CUNY
Oscar Williams, Asst. Prof., Africana Studies, SUNYA
Sheri Jackson, Northeast Regional Coordinator, National Park Service Network to Freedom Program
Donald Hyman, educator, writer, actor, singer
Steve Tyson, independent researcher
Amy Godine, independent scholar, curator, and author

Organized by Underground Railroad History Project of the Capital Region, Inc., dedicated to researching, celebrating, and preserving the Capital Region's Underground Railroad story, with an emphasis on African-American Abolitionists and Freedom Seekers.

URHPCR, Inc. - P.O. Box 10851 - Albany, New York 12201 -
(518) 432-4432 - www.ugrworkshop.com

“Stand Up for Truth!” by Rev. Stephen C. Butler

Romans 12: 9-21
McKownville (NY) United Methodist Church
January 15, 2005

On the evening of January 27, 1956, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., could not sleep. He was in the middle of a struggle he did not begin, leading a movement he did not design, in a city where he was not a native
son. King had come to Montgomery, Alabama less than two years previous
to that day, and after about a year of successfully pastoring in the Dexter Ave. Baptist Church, he found himself chosen as the leader of the Montgomery Improvement Association, which had begun a bus boycott. As you may know, the boycott began after Mrs. Rosa Parks had decided that she would no longer put up with the local segregation laws. When the bus driver told her to give up her seat a white person, she refused. The driver called the police, she was arrested, and at her trial she was quickly convicted and fined $10.
But the case didn't end there. Over the next year, it went all the way to the U. S. Supreme Court. In the meantime, African Americans in Montgomery, who were the great majority of bus patrons, staged a boycott. Under the auspices of the Montgomery Improvement Assoc., they met regularly in mass meetings, strategized in small groups, kept the legal battle going, and formed car pools to pick up people each day at various churches to take them to work and back home again.

None of this set very well with those who wished to keep things the way they were. Dr. King and his family received numerous death threats and obscene phone calls. He was only 27 years old at the time, married less than five
years, and had a one-year-old daughter. When the city police began
harassing anyone who participated in the car pools, one of the first to be arrested was Martin King. After spending the night in a filthy jail cell he returned home, but the experience left him quite shaken. So, the next night, he couldn't sleep. And later on, he described that night in the following words.

“The first 25 years of my life were very comfortable years, very happy years.... I had grown up in the church, and the church meant something very real to me, but it was a kind of inherited religion and I had never felt an experience with God in the way that you must, and have it if you're going to
walk the lonely paths of life... It was around midnight. You can have
some strange experiences at midnight. (That night, a phone caller had told
him.) ‘We're tired of you and your mess now, and if you aren't out of
this town in three days, we're going to blow your brains out, and blow up your house.’ And I thought about a beautiful little daughter who had just been born... And I started thinking about a dedicated, devoted, and loyal wife... And I discovered then that religion had to become real to me, and I had to know God for myself. And I bowed down over that cup of coffee. I never will forget it... And I prayed out loud that night. I said, ‘Lord, I'm down here trying to do what's right... But Lord, I must confess that I'm weak now. I'm faltering. I'm losing my courage. And I can't let the people see me like this because if they see me weak and losing my courage they will begin to get weak.’ And it seemed at that moment that I could hear an inner voice saying to me, ‘Martin Luther, stand up for righteousness. Stand up for justice. Stand up for truth. And lo, I will be with you, even until the end of the world.’ I heard the voice of Jesus saying still to fight on.
He promised never to leave me alone. No, never alone." (Bearing the Cross, David J. Garrow, © 1986, p. 57-58.)

That night in the kitchen was a turning point for Martin King. From then on, the pattern continued. Although he became known as the foremost of leaders in the fight for human rights for people of all colors in this nation, he was often swept into events that he did not plan to become involved in.
About a year after the bus dispute was settled and Montgomery's segregation laws declared unconstitutional, there was still the task of applying the same standard to hundreds of cities and states all around the country. In the 1950s, virtually everything was segregated: schools, busses, trains, restaurants, transportation terminals, rest rooms, city parks, movie theaters, even the water fountains were labeled "Whites Only" or "Colored Only". Perhaps you’ve heard of the "Freedom Rides". King didn't start these. Some college students started them to see whether Interstate busses and depots would be open to integrated groups. And often they were not. A lot of people got arrested and went to jail. There was s short skirmish in Albany, Ga. that didn't gain much for the movement, except a lot of experience in how not to run a protest.

But then there was "Bull" Connor, the police commissioner of Birmingham, Alabama. It's been said more than once that he did more for the Civil Rights movement than any other person up to that time. It was his use of police dogs and high-pressure fire hoses to disperse the demonstrators that got the protests on the front pages and the network news shows. The protest in Birmingham started for equal employment and access to downtown department stores. By the time it was over, they made some small gains there, but the Southern Christian Leadership Conference suddenly became a household word.

As I’ve studied the American Civil Rights Movement, one thing I've been impressed with is that it was not a unified project. Many, many people worked to desegregate America and start more equal treatment for people of all kinds. And there was plenty of conflict among all those who participated. The NAACP had been around for a long time before Martin King began his work. They were mainly a legal defense organization, dedicated to pursuing equal rights through the courts. King, and his organization the SCLC, had decided that direct, non-violent action was much quicker and more effective. There was also the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE), and the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee. SNCC began as an offshoot of the SCLC. Some had argued that the students should have been organized as a junior arm of the SCLC. But King and a few others believed that college students should be allowed to go on their own. After King's death, they became quite radical, as you may recall. And when riots broke out in the "Long hot summer" of '68, it was hard to believe that this was the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee. But then, I'm getting ahead of the story.

During the early 1960's as you may recall, President John Kennedy and his brother Robert, were sympathetic to supporting racial equality, but afraid that they couldn't get the votes in Congress to pass any significant civil rights legislation. The Kennedy Administration did help out several times, making sure things didn't get out of hand in several cities. More than once, phone calls from Bobby Kennedy or even John himself helped support King or ease the tensions. So, Dr. King and his allies began to see it was not the Kennedy's who needed convincing, but the Congress. So, the 1963 March on Washington was designed to put pressure on the legislature to pass a meaningful national civil rights bill.

It was there, of course that the crown of 250,000 people gathered before the Lincoln Memorial, Mahalia Jackson sang the Battle Hymn of the Republic, and Martin Luther King delivered his most famous speech, "I have a dream." He ended that speech with the words of that famous Spiritual, "Free At Last, Free at Last, Thank God almighty, we’re free at last." And those words are written on his tomb in Atlanta, Ga. For as we all know, the enemies who circled around him finally got their chance in April of 1968. King had been threatened before. Earlier in his career a mentally unstable person stabbed him in the chest with a letter opener. Had he not remained calm, it could have severed his aorta and killed him then. At various times, his home had been shot at or bombed. Once the whole front of the house was blown off.
How he survived as long as he did is a miracle in itself. Martin Luther King, Jr. would be 75 years old today had he survived. Many have said he could have been elected president. That’s something we may never know. But we do know that when he found himself in a position where he could be helpful in establishing justice, dignity and freedom for all, he did not back down. He stood up for truth.

Perhaps we, in a much smaller way, can do something along the same lines.
What is there today that must be known or done? How can each of us stand up for truth wherever it may be helpful or honorable to do so? These words of Martin Luther King Jr. are still with us today: "Stand up for righteousness.
Stand up for justice. Stand up for truth.” And Jesus Christ continues to say, “I will be with you, even until the end of the world.”

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Count 'em all

Rep. Maloney Says Constitutional Amendment to Remove Non-Citizens From Census Is Counter to American Ideals and Impractical

WASHINGTON, DC - The Government Reform Subcommittee on Federalism and the Census held a hearing on a constitutional amendment to remove non-citizen residents from the Census count. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) acted as the ranking Democrat and made the following statement in opposition to the amendment:

"Unfortunately, before us is a truly reckless constitutional proposal, which on one hand runs counter to our American ideals and on the other hand makes little practical sense. Were it to become part of the Constitution, it would be the second Amendment in our history which did not expand individual liberties - the other was prohibition. This Amendment shrinks liberty and deliberately blinds the national government to the needs of millions upon millions of Americans.

"This Amendment reverses the explicit intent of The Framers - that representation in the House should be based on population and that a periodic count of residents is the only legitimate means to assure equitable representation in a changing nation.

"The Census Act of 1790 - introduced by James Madison and signed into law by George Washington - called for an enumeration of the - quote - 'inhabitants' of the United States. This was deliberate. We were then, and have always been, a nation of immigrants.

"Indeed, seven signers of the Declaration of Independence and eight signers of the Constitution were foreign born. Non-citizens fought for liberty in the Revolutionary War, and for America in every war since. Today, 35,000 non-citizens serve on active duty and 8,000 more enlist every year. Most non-citizens are here legally. They are legal permanent residents and visa holders, who pay local, state and federal taxes.

"The Framers decided that only citizens would have the right to choose their representatives through the right to vote. They just as firmly intended that 'all inhabitants' of the country be counted for purposes of apportioning the seats in Congress.

"They mandated a decennial census of the entire population to prevent the 'manipulation' of political power and taxation. The Census is itself one of the many and vital 'checks and balances' imbedded in our Constitutional form of government which are at the root of why it has endured so long.

"This Amendment, however, turns the Census into a political gadget. As we will hear in testimony today, the Census has become a weapon in today's political debate on immigration. Proponents of this Amendment will point to recent growth in the percentage of foreign-born residents to make a fallacious case that this has somehow "diluted voting representation" of non-border states. The truth is that compared to the post-Civil War counts, for instance, this percentage is historically low.

"As we will hear today, this Amendment is a management nightmare. It requires that the Census Bureau first count everyone, then for the first time in our nation's history, ask everyone for proof they are a citizen, only for the purpose of going back and removing people from the count.

"That will be a huge cost in time and taxpayer money. Imagine when proponents of this amendment demand that residents show proof of citizenship. The end result will be a National ID card.

"And let's not sugar coat the effects of this amendment: it will discriminate. It will disproportionately exclude Hispanics - who make up the lion's share of our most recent immigrants. To politically manipulate the count and generate undercounts in border states to benefit interior states is also discrimination.

"Some our friends on the other side of the aisle profess to prefer a limited federal government. So why would they propose a big-government, expensive, time consuming, invasive and, last but certainly not least, discriminatory amendment to our Constitution?

"It's simple: this amendment is about shifting power by artificially altering the population in certain areas. The consequence, of course, is an inaccurate, insincere census count, a government that sends its resources to the wrong places, skewed representation and a loss of faith in leadership.

"This is about sacrificing 210 years of Constitutional practice and history, merely to increase short-term power - at the expense of millions of Americans and those that will soon be Americans."

###
December 6, 2005 Contact: Afshin Mohamadi
202-225-7944

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Grants

RFP-BULLETIN
a service of the Foundation Center =========================================
December 30, 2005
Volume 6, Issue 51
The RFP Bulletin is a publication of the Foundation Center. To search or browse the Bulletin on the Web,
visit: http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/
To subscribe or unsubscribe, or to change your e-mail address, visit: http://fdncenter.org/newsletters/
This week's PND Poll wants to know: Were you more willing to donate to charity in 2005 than in previous years?
To vote, visit: http://fdncenter.org/pnd/
::::::::::::::::: PND E-MAIL ALERTS :::::::::::::::::
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****************** ANNOUNCEMENT *********************
REGISTER NOW for Our Five-Day Grantseeker Training Institute in San Francisco.
Sharpen your grantseeking skills with five days of comprehensive training by the Foundation Center's experts, February 6-10, in San Francisco. Join non- profit professionals from across the nation. In just one week, you'll learn how to prepare a fundraising strategy, enlist your board's involvement, find and prioritize funding prospects, and write effective proposals. As a participant, you will receive a free, one-month subscription to the new Foundation Directory Online Professional.
Limited to 20 participants -- register now!
http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10000142/grantseeker/sf
------------------------<<>>--------------------------
1) American Music Center Invites Applications for Aaron
Copland Fund for Music Performing Ensembles Program
2) Nominations Invited for National Awards for Museum and
Library Service
3) Washington State Artists Invited to Apply for Grants
for Artist Projects Program
4) Hitachi Foundation Opens Youth Community Service Awards
Nomination Process
5) VSA arts Invites Entries From Students and Teachers for
Playwright Discovery Award
6) National School and Business Partnership Awards Program
Accepting Applications
7) Teachers Invited to Apply for ING Unsung Heroes Awards
8) Competition Opens for Canon National Parks Science
Scholars Program
9) National Forest Foundation Accepting Applications for
Matching Awards Program
10) New Grants Program to Help Coastal Counties With
Marine Habitat Restoration
11) Arts Journalists Invited to Apply for USC
Annenberg/Getty Arts Fellowship Program
12) ADA Foundation Invites Grant Applications Focusing on
Dental Literature
13) Association of American Medical Colleges Seeks
Applicants for Caring for Community Grant Program
14) Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Announces
Distinguished Clinical Research Award Competition
15) Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Invites Applications
for Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development
------------------------<<>>--------------------------
1) American Music Center Invites Applications for Aaron
Copland Fund for Music Performing Ensembles Program
Deadline: June 30, 2006
A program of the American Music Center ( http://www.amc.net/ ), the Aaron Copland Fund for Music Performing Ensembles Program seeks to support organizations whose performances encourage and improve public knowledge and appreciation of serious contemporary American music.
Funds are available for general operating or project support to professional performing ensembles with a history of substantial commitment to contemporary American music and with plans to continue that commitment.
Applicants must have nonprofit tax-exempt status; a per- formance history of at least two years at the time of application; at least 20 percent of the ensemble's programming (in terms of duration) for the preceding two seasons consisting of contemporary American music; and demonstrated commitment to contemporary American music.
Individuals, student ensembles, festivals, and presenters without a core ensemble are not eligible. Grants will not be made for the purpose of commissioning composers.
In general, grants range from $1,000 to $20,000.
See the American Music Center Web site for complete program guidelines.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10000111/amc
For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit:
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml
------------------------<<>>--------------------------
2) Nominations Invited for National Awards for Museum
and Library Service
Deadline: February 15, 2006
The Institute of Museum and Library Services'
( http://www.imls.gov/ ) National Awards for Museum and Library Service honor outstanding museums and libraries that demonstrate an ongoing institutional commitment to public service. The awards program is the sole national award to recognize the public service record of America's museums and libraries.
Recipients exhibit innovative approaches to public ser- vice, reaching beyond the expected levels of community outreach and core programs generally associated with libraries and museums. These national awards pay tribute to museums and libraries that make a real difference in individuals' lives, improve communities, and make our nation better. Each award recipient also receives $10,000 and is honored at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.
All types of museums -- from anthropological to zoo- logical, fine art to folk art, urban and rural, large and small -- may be nominated for the award; nominations of libraries of all sizes are encouraged.
Any individual may nominate a museum and/or library in the United States and its territories. Nominated insti- tutions must be open to the general public for at least 120 days per year. Federally operated institutions are not eligible for this award.
See the IMLS Web site for complete program information.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10000112/imls
For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit:
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml
------------------------<<>>--------------------------
3) Washington State Artists Invited to Apply for Grants
for Artist Projects Program
Deadline: February 24, 2006
Artist Trust ( http://www.artisttrust.org/ ) is a nonprofit organization whose sole mission is to support individual artists working in all disciplines in order to enrich community life throughout Washington State.
The trust's GAP (Grants for Artist Projects) program provides support for individual artists' projects. The program is intended to help artists develop new ideas and directions for specific projects.
Artists working in all disciplines are eligible for GAP support. Artist projects may include, but are not limited to, the development, completion, or presentation of new work; publication; travel for artistic research or to present or complete work; documentation of work; advanced workshops for professional development; etc.
GAP applicants must meet all of the following criteria:
be a practicing artist and submit only one application per year; be 18 years of age or older by February 24, 2006; and be a resident of Washington State at the time of application and when the award is granted. The appli- cant must not be a graduate or undergraduate matriculated student enrolled in any degree program. Applications must be made in the name of an individual artist. Applications made in the name of collectives, companies, bands, groups, and ensembles will not be accepted.
GAP recipients will be awarded the amount they request, up to a maximum of $1,400.
See the Artist Trust Web site for complete program information.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10000113/artisttrust
For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit:
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml
------------------------<<>>--------------------------
4) Hitachi Foundation Opens Youth Community Service Awards
Nomination Process
Deadline: April 1, 2006
The Hitachi Foundation ( http://www.hitachifoundation.org/ ) presents the Yoshiyama Award for Exemplary Service to the Community each year to ten high school seniors from around the United States on the basis of their community-service activities.
The award is accompanied by a gift of $5,000, dispensed over two years. Recipients may use the award at their discretion. (The award is not a scholarship.)
Yoshiyama Award selection is based upon service and the opportunity for longer-term social change rather than on academic achievement or extracurricular activities. Grade- point averages, SAT scores, and school club memberships are not considered in the selection process.
To be eligible for the award, candidates must be gradu- ating high school seniors in the U.S. or U.S. territories (nominees need not be college bound); individuals whose activities impacted a socially, economically, or cul- turally isolated area; nominated by someone familiar with their service (clergy, school official, teacher, service agency representative, etc.); individuals whose activities created longer-term, sustainable social change; individuals whose service has surpassed what is ordinarily expected of a socially responsible citizen; individuals who have demonstrated self-motivation, leadership, creativity, dedication, and commitment in pursuing their service; and individuals who have made a conscious effort to involve and inspire others to participate in community action.
Students must be nominated for the award. Self-nominations and nominations from family members are automatically disqualified.
Visit the Hitachi Foundation Web site for complete program guidelines and nomination procedures.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10000114/hitachi
For additional RFPs in Children and Youth, visit:
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_children.jhtml
------------------------<<>>--------------------------
5) VSA arts Invites Entries From Students and Teachers for
Playwright Discovery Award
Deadline: April 14, 2006; and July 1, 2006
As part of its mission to help create a society where all people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts, VSA arts ( http://www.vsarts.org/ ) administers awards and events that recognize the artistic achievements of young artists with disabilities, as well as the leadership of cultural institutions and educators for excellence in inclusive arts programming.
The VSA arts Playwright Discovery Award invites middle and high school students to take a closer look at the world around them, examine how disability affects their lives and the lives of others, and express their views through the art of playwriting. Young playwrights with and without disabilities are encouraged to submit an original one-act script that explores any aspect of dis- ability. Entries may be the work of an individual student or collaboration by a group or class of students. Authors must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S.
and must be a middle or high school student (i.e., grades six through twelve). Winning playwrights receive a $1,000 award and a trip to Washington, D.C., to attend the VSA arts Playwright Discovery Award Evening and see a profes- sional production or staged reading of his/her play at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
(Deadline: April 14, 2006.)
The VSA arts Playwright Discovery Teacher Award was established to recognize middle and high school teachers who creatively bring disability awareness to their classrooms through the art of playwriting. A panel of theater professionals and educators will select one middle or high school teacher for this award. The selected teacher will receive national recognition, funds to purchase playwriting resources for the class- room, and a trip to Washington, D.C., to be honored at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Teachers must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. and must teach students in middle or high school (i.e., grades six through twelve). Teachers may self-nominate themselves for this award, or they may be nominated by a middle or high school colleague.
(Deadline: July 1, 2006.)
Complete program guidelines and application forms are available at the VSA arts Web site.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10000115/vsarts
For additional RFPs in Disabilities, visit:
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_disabled.jhtml
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------------------------<<>>--------------------------
6) National School and Business Partnership Awards Program
Accepting Applications
Deadline: January 30, 2006
A program of the Council for Corporate & School Partner- ships ( http://www.corpschoolpartners.org/ ), the National School and Business Partnerships Award recognizes exemplary partnerships between schools and businesses around the United States. Partnerships involving kindergarten through 12th-grade public schools and/or school districts and businesses are eligible to apply.
The council presents six awards per year. Those selected for the award receive national recognition and their schools or districts receive $10,000 to support partner- ship efforts.
Applications are judged using a number of criteria, including the strength of the partnership's foundation, as evidenced by shared values and the school and busi- ness partner's ability to define mutually beneficial goals; the success of the partnership's implementation, as evidenced by such factors as the management process and determination of specific, measurable outcomes; the partnership's sustainability, based on such factors as support by school and business leaders and by teachers, employees, students, and other constituents; and the partners' ability to present a clear evaluation of the partnership's impact, as measured by evidence that the partnership was developed with clear definitions of success for all parties and that it has resulted in improvements of the academic, social, or physical well- being of students.
Partnerships between kindergarten through 12th-grade public schools and/or school districts and businesses are eligible to participate in the program. The following partnerships are not eligible: nonprofits (except business foundations and organizations established by businesses to support community involvement), faith-based organizations, governmental agencies, universities, independent schools, or international schools.
Visit the Council for Corporate & School Partnerships Web site for complete program information and application procedures.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10000116/corpschool
For additional RFPs in Education, visit:
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_education.jhtml
------------------------<<>>--------------------------
7) Teachers Invited to Apply for ING Unsung Heroes Awards
Deadline: May 1, 2006
Created as a way for financial services company ING ( http://www.ing.com/ ) to demonstrate its commitment to the education community, the ING Unsung Heroes awards are given to K-12 educators pioneering new teaching methods and techniques that improve learning.
Each year, educators submit applications for an ING Unsung Heroes award by describing projects they have initiated or would like to pursue. Each project is judged on its innovative method, creativity, and ability to positively influence students. The awards program selects one hundred finalists to receive a $2,000 award, payable to both the winning teacher and his or her school. At least one award is granted in each of the fifty states. Of the one hundred finalists, three are selected for additional financial
awards: $25,000 for first place; $10,000 for second place; and $5,000 for third place.
All K-12 education professionals are eligible to apply.
Applicants must be employed by an accredited K-12 public or private school and be a full-time educator, teacher, principal, paraprofessional, or classified staff with an effective project that improves student learning
Visit the ING Web site for complete program information and an application from.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10000117/ing
For additional RFPs in Education, visit:
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_education.jhtml
------------------------<<>>--------------------------
8) Competition Opens for Canon National Parks Science
Scholars Program
Deadline: May 3, 2006
The Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program is a collaboration among Canon U.S.A., Inc.
( http://www.canon.com/ ), the American Association for the Advancement of Science ( http://www.aaas.org/ ), and the U.S. National Park Service ( http://www.nature.nps.gov/ ).
The program awards scholarships to Ph.D. students through- out the Americas to conduct research critical to conserv- ing the national parks of the region.
Awards are made in four categories, broadly defined: bio- logical sciences (including such disciplines as botany, ecology, or conservation biology); physical sciences (including such disciplines as geology, hydrology, and atmospheric sciences); social/cultural sciences (including such disciplines as economics, sociology, anthropology, and archeology); and technology innovation in support of conservation science (including such fields as informatics, remote sensing, photomonitoring, and radiotelemetry).
The program will award eight scholarships based on two separate competitions. Four Canon National Parks Science Scholars will be selected from students studying at universities in the United States (i.e., one winner in each of the four program categories). Four Canon National Parks Science Scholars will also be selected from students studying at universities throughout the Americas but outside the U.S. (i.e., one winner in each of the program categories). In addition, four Honorable Mentions will be selected from throughout all of the Americas.
Each winning student will be awarded a Canon National Parks Science Scholarship of $80,000.
Proposals can be considered only from currently enrolled Ph.D. students at an accredited university within the Americas who are citizens of a country in the Americas.
The Americas include Canada, the United States, Mexico, the countries of Central and South America, and the Caribbean. At least some portion of the student's proposed research must take place in -- or be significantly and specifically relevant to -- one or more national parks in the student's country of citizenship.
Complete program information is available at the National Park Service Web site.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10000118/nature/nps
For additional RFPs in Environment, visit:
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_environment.jhtml
------------------------<<>>--------------------------
9) National Forest Foundation Accepting Applications for
Matching Awards Program
Deadline: January 27 and July 28, 2006 (Pre-proposals)
The National Forest Foundation
( http://www.natlforests.org/ ) supports projects that address community-based forest stewardship, watershed health and restoration, wildlife habitat improvement, and recreation issues in proactive ways by completing innovative on-the-ground conservation work in partnership with other community groups.
The NFF Matching Awards Program focuses on "action- oriented" projects that serve to demonstrate and evaluate measurable outcomes. The program provides challenge cost- share grants, on a competitive basis, to community-based nonprofit organizations to engage in on-the-ground conservation initiatives benefiting National Forests and Grasslands. The Matching Awards Program doubles the money available to forest conservation projects by providing matching federal funds to private, non-federal dollars.
During the 2006 MAP, the NFF will concentrate its efforts in five geographic areas: Southern Appalachians (TN, NC, SC, GA), Oregon Coast and Central Cascades (OR), the Selway-Bitterroot (MT, ID), Central Colorado Rockies (CO), and Central Sierra (CA). For the 2006 MAP, approx- imately 80 percent of available funds will be allocated to projects within the five current geographic priority areas, while the remaining 20 percent will be made avail- able for projects outside these areas. Groups nationwide are eligible to apply.
The NFF will accept applications from non-governmental, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations working on or adjacent to National Forests and Grasslands. Applications cannot be accepted from federal agencies, regional, state, or local governmental entities.
All grants awarded by the NFF require a cash match through non-federal donations. Donations must be sent to the NFF for at least a 1:1 match ratio. In-kind contributions may be noted to show leverage for a project but cannot be matched by NFF funds.
Over $2.6 million in matching funds is available in 2006, with no average grant award. Past awards range from $500 to over $100,000, with most awards in the $20,000-$40,000 range.
Project funding is for one year, with two award decision cycles per year. The submission dates for the 2006 Matching Awards Program are as follows: Round 1 Pre- proposals -- January 27, 2006; and Round 2 Pre-proposals
-- July 28, 2006.
See the NFF Web site for complete program guidelines and application materials.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10000119/natlforests
For additional RFPs in Environment, visit:
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_environment.jhtml
------------------------<<>>--------------------------
10) New Grants Program to Help Coastal Counties With
Marine Habitat Restoration
Deadline: February 24, 2006
The National Association of Counties
( http://www.naco.org/ ), the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation ( http://www.nfwf.org/ ), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Community-based Restoration Program ( http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ ), have announced the creation of a new grant program targeting marine habitat restoration in coastal counties.
The Coastal Counties Restoration Initiative will provide financial assistance on a competitive basis to innovative, high-quality, county-led or -supported projects that support wetland, riparian, and coastal habitat restoration projects.
The initiative is currently accepting applications for its first annual grant awards. The program will disburse grants in the range of $25,000 to $100,000. Grants that are community-based in nature and include partnering with NOAA will be given special consideration.
NACo (http://www.naco.org/) member counties, or public or nonprofit private agencies, institutions, and organizations, educational institutions, and any form of local government (i.e., departments, townships, cities, villages, boroughs, conservation districts, planning districts, utility districts, or other units of local
government) working in partnership with a NACo member county are eligible for funding. All applicants must include a letter of support from their chief elected county official. Non-county applicants should ensure that the letter demonstrates a substantial county partnership in the project.
For more information and to access the full RFP and/or application instructions, visit the NFWF Web site.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10000120/nfwf
For additional RFPs in Environment, visit:
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_environment.jhtml
***************** ANNOUNCEMENT *********************
Ready to ship: 12 new GRANT GUIDES
Do you know who's giving grants -- and who's getting them
-- in your field? Strengthen your search for funds with the Foundation Center's newest Grant Guides. Each Guide provides descriptions of thousands of grants of $10,000 or more within a particular field of interest. Easy-access indexes help you find the most relevant information quickly by subject, types of support, geographic location, or by recipient.
Order the Grant Guides for your fields of interest through our online Marketplace. Only $75 each:
http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10000144/grantguides
------------------------<<>>--------------------------
11) Arts Journalists Invited to Apply for USC
Annenberg/Getty Arts Fellowship Program
Deadline: January 27, 2006
Funded by a grant from the J. Paul Getty Trust ( http://www.getty.edu/ ), the USC Annenberg/Getty Arts Fellowship seeks to establish a new standard of excellence in arts and culture coverage. The program's philosophy is guided by a core belief in first-hand encounters with artists, arts administrators, and journalism colleagues.
The three-week residencies in Los Angeles are designed to familiarize the fellows with the city's vibrant cultural scene as a means to strengthen their intellectual and analytical journalism skills, fill them with new story ideas, and make them consider their hometowns in new lights.
Six distinguished arts journalists will be selected as
2006 Fellows for the program, which will be held from April 22 to May 13, 2006.
Applications are accepted from arts journalists from around the world. To apply, editors/critics/reporters must submit three articles published within the last year.
Broadcast journalists must send one audiotape, videotape, or CD that includes three complete or sampled stories. All material must be dated and have aired or been published within the last year.
Visit the USC Annenberg Web site for complete program information and application materials.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10000121/annenberg
For additional RFPs in Journalism/Media, visit:
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_journalism.jhtml
------------------------<<>>--------------------------
12) ADA Foundation Invites Grant Applications Focusing
on Dental Literature
Deadline: January 30, 2006
With a goal of integrating and consolidating existing scientific research relating to evidence-based dentistry, the ADA Foundation's ( http://www.adafoundation.org/ ) Request for Proposals for 2006 focuses on available dental literature addressing four specific clinical questions.
Applicants are asked to choose one question for a systematic literature review: 1) At what frequency is dental prophylaxis effective in preventing periodontitis in individuals with and without known risk factors?
2) Does correcting malocclusion in children and adults reduce the risk of periodontal disease? 3) What are the clinical, biological, psychosocial, and/or economic out- comes of treating a pulpally involved (periodontally
sound) single tooth through endodontic care, extraction and implant placement, fixed partial denture, and/or extraction without implant placement? 4) What are the longitudinal beneficial and harmful effects of endodontic services compared to extraction and implant placement?
A systematic literature review reduces large quantities of information into palatable pieces for greater under- standing, integrates critical pieces of available bio medical information by various decision-makers to formulate guidelines and legislation concerning the use of certain diagnostic tests and treatment strategies, and provides an efficient evaluation technique that is less costly in the long run than embarking on a brand-new study.
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be affiliated with a dental school or advanced education program accred- ited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation, a dental specialty organization, or a national dental-related organization; should be knowledgeable and experienced in systematic review; should have a demonstrated track record in research; and should have published studies in clinical dental research.
The foundation will award grants of up to $50,000 through this program.
For program details, visit the ADA Foundation Web site.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10000122/adafoundation
For additional RFPs in Medical Research, visit:
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_medical_research.jhtml
------------------------<<>>--------------------------
13) Association of American Medical Colleges Seeks
Applicants for Caring for Community Grant Program
Deadline: March 13, 2006
The Association of American Medical Colleges ( http://www.aamc.org/ ), with the support of the Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative ( http://www.positiveprofiles.com/ ), is offering an institutional grant program to encourage the development of student-initiated services and programs to the community.
As part of the Caring for Community Grant Program, medical schools conferring the M.D. or D.O. degree are eligible to receive support for community service- oriented projects that explore new ways to serve their local communities. Eligible programs may range from those that promote awareness about sexually transmitted diseases, to vaccination and literacy programs, to any program that fulfills an unmet need within the community.
Grant awards will also be offered to eligible service programs that are currently under way.
The unique aspect of the Caring for Community Grant Program is its focus on projects initiated, developed, and run primarily by medical students. While faculty and institutional involvement is integral to sustaining community service efforts, the ultimate goal of the program is to encourage students to identify untapped avenues of community service. Caring for Community will also help students to translate great ideas into meaning- ful service by contributing needed start-up funds.
Grants are available in the following categories:
New project grants will be provided to institutions for new student-oriented community-service projects. Grant support will be provided on a sliding scale for a period of not more than four years. The maximum amount available per year in this category is as follows: Year One - $12,000, Year Two - $9,000, Year Three - $6,000, and Year Four - $3,000.
Supplemental grants will be provided to institutions to support existing community-service programs initiated and operated by students. Grants will supplement existing program activities and provide funding for potential expansion of the services offered. Grants will be provided on a sliding scale, not to exceed four years. The maximum amount available per year in this category is as follows:
Year One - $8,000, Year Two - $6,000, Year Three - $4,000, and Year Four - $2,000.
Non-continuous grants of up to $15,000 will be provided for short-term (less than one year in length) community- service initiatives. An example of a one-year program would be a community influenza-vaccination program for the elderly.
AAMC will present up to ten grant awards annually.
Visit the AAMC Web site for complete program information and application procedures.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10000123/aamc
For additional RFPs in Medical Research, visit:
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_medical_research.jhtml
------------------------<<>>--------------------------
14) Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Announces
Distinguished Clinical Research Award Competition
Deadline: February 14, 2006
A program of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation ( http://www.ddcf.org/ ), the Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award recognizes outstanding mid- career physician-scientists who are applying the latest scientific advances to the prevention, diagnosis, treat- ment, and cure of disease and who are wager to support and mentor the next generation of physician-scientists conducting clinical research.
In 2006, up to five grants of $1.5 million each will be awarded to mid-career physician-scientists conducting translational clinical research in any disease area.
Awards must be used over at least a five-year period.
All nominees must have received an M.D. from an accred- ited institution in the United States (holders of M.D./ Ph.D. degrees are also eligible, as are holders of M.D.-equivalent degrees from non-U.S. institutions); have a full-time university faculty appointment at the level of associate professor or above as of February 14, 2006; have been appointed to their first full-time, faculty- level position no earlier than February 14, 1991 (all full-time post-fellowship instructor-level positions will be considered full-time faculty-level appointments); and have an established translational clinical research pro- gram (in any disease area).
Nomination packages will be accepted from U.S. academic medical centers and other U.S. nonprofit research institutions.
Visit the DDCF Web site to download the 2006 Request for Nominations and/or an eligibility FAQ.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10000124/ddcf
For additional RFPs in Medical Research, visit:
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_medical_research.jhtml
------------------------<<>>--------------------------
15) Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Invites Applications
for Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development
Program
Deadline: March 20, 2006
An initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ( http://www.rwjf.org/ ), the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program ( http://www.amfdp.org/ ), formerly known as the Minority Medical Faculty Development Program, was created to increase the number of faculty from historically disadvantaged backgrounds who can achieve senior rank in academic medicine and who will encourage and foster the development of succeeding classes of such physicians.
The program offers four-year postdoctoral research awards to physicians from historically disadvantaged backgrounds who are committed to developing careers in academic medicine and to serving as role models for students and faculty of similar background. The program defines the term "historically disadvantaged" to mean the challenges facing individuals because of their race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or similar factors.
To be eligible, applicants must be physicians who are from historically disadvantaged backgrounds (ethnic, financial, or educational); are U.S. citizens or permanent residents at the time of application; and are now completing or have completed their formal clinical training. (Preference will be given to physicians who have recently completed their formal clinical training.) Successful applicants will demonstrate that they have excelled in their education; are prepared to devote four consecutive years to research; are committed to pursuing academic careers; and are com- mitted to serving as role models for students and faculty from historically disadvantaged backgrounds and/or to improving the health status of the underserved and decreas- ing health disparities.
Up to twelve four-year awards will be funded in this grant cycle, with scholars receiving an annual stipend of up to $75,000, complemented by a $26,350 annual grant toward support of research activities.
Applications for this program must be submitted online.
Visit the RWJF Web site to download the Call for Applications.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10000125/rwjf
For additional RFPs in Medical Research, visit:
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_medical_research.jhtml
::::::::::::::: THIS WEEK IN PND ::::::::::::::::::
NPO SPOTLIGHT: Architecture for Humanity
Through competitions, workshops, educational forums, partnerships with aid organizations, and other activities, Architecture for Humanity creates oppor- tunities for architects and designers to help communities around the globe where resources and expertise are scarce.
To read the complete profile, visit:
http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10000145/spotlight/afh
::::::::::::::::: ON THE BOARDS ::::::::::::::::::
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