Instructions for Completing Grant Application Form
Applications for grants are now closed for 2010.
The deadline for receipt of applications will be 9.00 a.m. Monday November 2nd 2009. This is for funds that will be available for use between April 2010 and March 2011. Potential applicants should first read carefully the Guidelines for Applicants, in order to check what types of application are likely to be supported. They should then read carefully the Instructions for Completing the Grant Application Form, in order to obtain advice on precisely what information is required. They should then complete the Online Application Form.
These instructions give advice on how to complete the on-line grant application form, available on the Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF) website (www.saveourseas.com). Please read them in conjunction with the Guidelines for Applicants which are provided separately. In the event that there is difficulty completing the form on line, Save Our Seas will consider applications sent in by e-mail (in Word or pdf format), or by post, so long as the application follows the same structure.
Applicants are requested to observe, so far as practicable, the word limits indicated for the various text sections.
Project Title
If you do not have a formal title for the project, please give an informative working title.
Name of Applicant
Give the name of the project leader or principal investigator, or the person originating the application, who will also act as a contact point. Where other individuals will be actively involved, their names may be mentioned in the section asking for general background information on the project, and their details given in the section asking for the details of collaborators.
Organisation
This is the name of the organisation, if any, that will involved in the project. Normally it will be the organisation for which the project leader works, but this is not necessarily the case.
Project Summary (200 words)
Please summarised the project and the activities that you propose, in not more than 200 words.
Project Period / Duration
This is the period over which the funding will be used, rather than the total duration of a longer project. Note that funding can only be awarded for one year at a time, that funding normally becomes available to successful applicants from March of the year following submission of the application, and that the funds should normally be expended within 18 months of that date.
Budget
The total amount requested from SaveOurSeas in one financial year. Note that the amount of the award can only be specified in US dollars. As explained in the Guidelines for Applicants, grants are only awarded for a single financial year. This does not preclude grant-holders for applying for and being awarded grants in successive years, and successful projects are not infrequently supported for up to three years. However, projects should not be constructed so that they rely on, or their success depends on, receiving follow up funding for a further year or years.
What are the Origins of, and the General Background to, the Project? (500 words)
Explain briefly how the project proposal came about, and how the need for the project was identified. Do NOT explain here the scientific background which should be described in the next section.
Summarise the Relevant Scientific Information on the Species or Habitat(s) Concerned (600 words)
Summarise the key known scientific knowledge of the species or habitats with which your proposed project is concerned, focussing on the information most relevant to their conservation and to the project. Do not repeat material that you have included in the previous section. For public awareness or environmental education projects this section may be briefer or consider in addition evidence of the importance of public awareness and environmental education in relation to the conservation of the species or habitat concerned. Refer to key scientific or other publications where appropriate, but try to keep the number of these references to a reasonable number (e.g. 10 – 20 maximum). Details of these publications can be given in a later section.
What are the General Aims and the More Specific Objectives of the Project? (200 words)
State clearly the broad aim(s) or general purpose of the project and list in more detail the specific objectives of the work which you intend to undertake. If the planned work will be part of a larger project, please describe all the relevant aims and objectives, highlighting (e.g. with an asterisk) those objectives which it is hoped to achieve with funding from SOSF. Consequential conservation benefits may be referred to here, but are more conveniently listed in the next but one section “What are the Particular Conservation Objectives?”
How will Each Aim and Objective be Achieved? (500 words)
Describe the methods which you intend to use, or the precise activities which will be involved, in achieving the above objectives.
Explain how the Project will Benefit the Conservation of the Species or Habitat Concerned (500 words)
SaveOurSeas Foundation funded projects are expected to include or be directed at action that will clearly help, directly or indirectly, to secure the protection of threatened marine species or resources or environments. Explain in more detail how the activities you plan will result in the achievement of clear conservation objectives, or assist with securing conservation benefits, such as enhancing the protection of a marine species, habitat, or resource.
List the Planned Activities and Timings (500 words)
Give a reasonably detailed timetable for the activities required for the work, showing how the project will be phased. Demonstrate how sufficient time will be allocated for each element of the work, including both initial planning and preparation, and final reporting or product production.
List any Foreseeable Administrative, Logistical or Technical Problems, and Explain how these will be Addressed? (300 words)
Many of the projects funded by SOSF involve work (e.g. underwater or in remote areas) that sounds difficult to organise or accomplish. The grant-awarding panel is naturally concerned to assess whether the major or obvious difficulties have been considered. In this section list what you expect to be, or what other might imagine to be, the most significant problems involved in undertaking the work of the project? Describe how these problems have or will be avoided or overcome.
How will the Project and the Save Our Seas Foundation Sponsorship be Publicised? (300 words)
SOSF regards promotion of public awareness concerning marine environmental activities and issues as critically important if progress is to be made in the task of protecting the marine environment and species. Applicants are asked to incorporate a public awareness element into their projects; they are also requested to publicise the support from and work of SOSF, which will help strengthen SOSF’s conservation role. This may involve regular news releases to the media, the distribution of publicity material or holding community meetings. In addition SOSF grant holders are encouraged to contribute blogs to the SaveOurSeas web site. Projects that are principally public awareness or environmental education projects (for example the making of a film) need not repeat the information already given, but consideration should be given as to how the product(s) of the project will be distributed or made available to the public.
What will be the Educational and Public Awareness Component of the Project? (300 words)
The founder of the SaveOurSeas Foundation regards education of young people regarding the importance of and threats to the marine environment as especially important. Thus all applicants are encouraged to incorporate some more formal environmental education elements into their project, though care should be taken that this does not jeopardise other project aims. Such elements might include talks to schools, a display in a local museum, or the erection of one or more interpretive information boards. In addition successful applicants are expected within reason to publicise their project and the conservation problems that it seeks to tackle. This might involve such activities as distributing informational leaflets or posters, issuing of press releases, or writing of one or more popular articles.
Give Details of any Proposed Collaborators, Advisors or Employees
This is where you may give details of other collaborators or members of the team, and of any external experts or specialists from whom you have sought advice.
Give the Names and Contact Details of up to 3 Key Supporters of the Project
Here you may list knowledgeable or influential individuals who are prepared to indicate their support for the project. These might include such people as senior researchers willing to act as scientific referees, government staff able to indicate the acceptability to the local authorities of proposed activities, or experienced producers or educationalists willing to back proposals for a book or film. SOSF may approach one or more of these individuals to invite their views on the proposal.
List any Key Reports, Scientific Papers, Publications or Productions (300 words)
List here details of: 1) Any reports or publications or other outputs (including e.g. films or educational presentations) which you or your team have generated in the recent past and which are relevant to the project, and 2) The other key publications or sources to which you have referred in previous sections of the application. It is suggested that a list of no more than 10-2o items should normally be sufficient.
Budget Details
Please give a reasonable breakdown of the budget for the project. This should be organised under such standard headings as: staff costs, travel, field costs, capital equipment (items costing more than $500) listing the items concerned, consumables, administrative costs (insurance, phones, permits etc.), and specialist services (e.g. film editing, laboratory testing, library facilities). If you intend that the project is jointly funded, please indicate how much is requested from SOSF, and if funds from SOSF are to be used for specific budget lines or parts of the project, please indicate which these are.
Amounts Requested from Save Our Seas with Payment Schedule
Funds are normally paid in two instalments, in advance, with payment of the second instalment being dependent on reasonable progress during the first part of the project. Usually these instalments would be paid 6 months apart in April and October of the year following the application (and if necessary again in the following April), but modifications to this arrangement can usually be accommodated. Please state how much funding would be required at each of the above dates.
Scan of Signed & Dated Covering Letter
Please upload (or if submitting by e-mail append) a scan of a short (few lines) covering letter which should be signed by the applicant or project leader or, where this is preferred, by the authorising officer the organisation by which the applicant is employed. The letter should also include the date, and where appropriate be printed on the headed notepaper of the organisation concerned. If submitting by post, a top copy of the covering letter may be included.
Curriculum Vitae / Resume of Project Leader & other Key Staff
Please upload (or if submitting by e-mail append) a medium length c.v. of the project leader or principal investigator, and if so desired of other principal collaborators. Normally a c.v. of up to 3 – 5 pages should be sufficient.
Recent Passport-Type Photograph of Project Leader
Please upload a recent passport style or head and shoulders photograph of the project leader. Please insure that the size and resolution of the image is reduced to ensure that the file is not too large.
We will endeavour to acknowledge all applications within 10 days of their receipt by Save Our Seas.
In the event that SOSF believes that further explanation or information is required, the applicant may be contacted by SOSF staff, who may also be approached for general advice in respect of a proposed application. SOSF may also approach applicants in order to suggest or recommend amendments to the project proposal, which might make it more acceptable or effective.
Each application will be reviewed by at least two referees before being considered by the Foundation’s advisory committee. Those that fail to make a particular grade will be rejected at that stage, and the applicants informed during December or January. A final decision on the grants to be awarded is normally made by the Foundation’s Board by the end of February, and subsequently remaining applicants will be informed whether or not their applications have been successful.
Download a PDF version of these instructions here.
Download a PDF version of the guidelines for applicants here.
Save Our Seas Foundation
September 2009
The deadline for receipt of applications will be 9.00 a.m. Monday November 2nd 2009. This is for funds that will be available for use between April 2010 and March 2011. Potential applicants should first read carefully the Guidelines for Applicants, in order to check what types of application are likely to be supported. They should then read carefully the Instructions for Completing the Grant Application Form, in order to obtain advice on precisely what information is required. They should then complete the Online Application Form.
These instructions give advice on how to complete the on-line grant application form, available on the Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF) website (www.saveourseas.com). Please read them in conjunction with the Guidelines for Applicants which are provided separately. In the event that there is difficulty completing the form on line, Save Our Seas will consider applications sent in by e-mail (in Word or pdf format), or by post, so long as the application follows the same structure.
Applicants are requested to observe, so far as practicable, the word limits indicated for the various text sections.
Project Title
If you do not have a formal title for the project, please give an informative working title.
Name of Applicant
Give the name of the project leader or principal investigator, or the person originating the application, who will also act as a contact point. Where other individuals will be actively involved, their names may be mentioned in the section asking for general background information on the project, and their details given in the section asking for the details of collaborators.
Organisation
This is the name of the organisation, if any, that will involved in the project. Normally it will be the organisation for which the project leader works, but this is not necessarily the case.
Project Summary (200 words)
Please summarised the project and the activities that you propose, in not more than 200 words.
Project Period / Duration
This is the period over which the funding will be used, rather than the total duration of a longer project. Note that funding can only be awarded for one year at a time, that funding normally becomes available to successful applicants from March of the year following submission of the application, and that the funds should normally be expended within 18 months of that date.
Budget
The total amount requested from SaveOurSeas in one financial year. Note that the amount of the award can only be specified in US dollars. As explained in the Guidelines for Applicants, grants are only awarded for a single financial year. This does not preclude grant-holders for applying for and being awarded grants in successive years, and successful projects are not infrequently supported for up to three years. However, projects should not be constructed so that they rely on, or their success depends on, receiving follow up funding for a further year or years.
What are the Origins of, and the General Background to, the Project? (500 words)
Explain briefly how the project proposal came about, and how the need for the project was identified. Do NOT explain here the scientific background which should be described in the next section.
Summarise the Relevant Scientific Information on the Species or Habitat(s) Concerned (600 words)
Summarise the key known scientific knowledge of the species or habitats with which your proposed project is concerned, focussing on the information most relevant to their conservation and to the project. Do not repeat material that you have included in the previous section. For public awareness or environmental education projects this section may be briefer or consider in addition evidence of the importance of public awareness and environmental education in relation to the conservation of the species or habitat concerned. Refer to key scientific or other publications where appropriate, but try to keep the number of these references to a reasonable number (e.g. 10 – 20 maximum). Details of these publications can be given in a later section.
What are the General Aims and the More Specific Objectives of the Project? (200 words)
State clearly the broad aim(s) or general purpose of the project and list in more detail the specific objectives of the work which you intend to undertake. If the planned work will be part of a larger project, please describe all the relevant aims and objectives, highlighting (e.g. with an asterisk) those objectives which it is hoped to achieve with funding from SOSF. Consequential conservation benefits may be referred to here, but are more conveniently listed in the next but one section “What are the Particular Conservation Objectives?”
How will Each Aim and Objective be Achieved? (500 words)
Describe the methods which you intend to use, or the precise activities which will be involved, in achieving the above objectives.
Explain how the Project will Benefit the Conservation of the Species or Habitat Concerned (500 words)
SaveOurSeas Foundation funded projects are expected to include or be directed at action that will clearly help, directly or indirectly, to secure the protection of threatened marine species or resources or environments. Explain in more detail how the activities you plan will result in the achievement of clear conservation objectives, or assist with securing conservation benefits, such as enhancing the protection of a marine species, habitat, or resource.
List the Planned Activities and Timings (500 words)
Give a reasonably detailed timetable for the activities required for the work, showing how the project will be phased. Demonstrate how sufficient time will be allocated for each element of the work, including both initial planning and preparation, and final reporting or product production.
List any Foreseeable Administrative, Logistical or Technical Problems, and Explain how these will be Addressed? (300 words)
Many of the projects funded by SOSF involve work (e.g. underwater or in remote areas) that sounds difficult to organise or accomplish. The grant-awarding panel is naturally concerned to assess whether the major or obvious difficulties have been considered. In this section list what you expect to be, or what other might imagine to be, the most significant problems involved in undertaking the work of the project? Describe how these problems have or will be avoided or overcome.
How will the Project and the Save Our Seas Foundation Sponsorship be Publicised? (300 words)
SOSF regards promotion of public awareness concerning marine environmental activities and issues as critically important if progress is to be made in the task of protecting the marine environment and species. Applicants are asked to incorporate a public awareness element into their projects; they are also requested to publicise the support from and work of SOSF, which will help strengthen SOSF’s conservation role. This may involve regular news releases to the media, the distribution of publicity material or holding community meetings. In addition SOSF grant holders are encouraged to contribute blogs to the SaveOurSeas web site. Projects that are principally public awareness or environmental education projects (for example the making of a film) need not repeat the information already given, but consideration should be given as to how the product(s) of the project will be distributed or made available to the public.
What will be the Educational and Public Awareness Component of the Project? (300 words)
The founder of the SaveOurSeas Foundation regards education of young people regarding the importance of and threats to the marine environment as especially important. Thus all applicants are encouraged to incorporate some more formal environmental education elements into their project, though care should be taken that this does not jeopardise other project aims. Such elements might include talks to schools, a display in a local museum, or the erection of one or more interpretive information boards. In addition successful applicants are expected within reason to publicise their project and the conservation problems that it seeks to tackle. This might involve such activities as distributing informational leaflets or posters, issuing of press releases, or writing of one or more popular articles.
Give Details of any Proposed Collaborators, Advisors or Employees
This is where you may give details of other collaborators or members of the team, and of any external experts or specialists from whom you have sought advice.
Give the Names and Contact Details of up to 3 Key Supporters of the Project
Here you may list knowledgeable or influential individuals who are prepared to indicate their support for the project. These might include such people as senior researchers willing to act as scientific referees, government staff able to indicate the acceptability to the local authorities of proposed activities, or experienced producers or educationalists willing to back proposals for a book or film. SOSF may approach one or more of these individuals to invite their views on the proposal.
List any Key Reports, Scientific Papers, Publications or Productions (300 words)
List here details of: 1) Any reports or publications or other outputs (including e.g. films or educational presentations) which you or your team have generated in the recent past and which are relevant to the project, and 2) The other key publications or sources to which you have referred in previous sections of the application. It is suggested that a list of no more than 10-2o items should normally be sufficient.
Budget Details
Please give a reasonable breakdown of the budget for the project. This should be organised under such standard headings as: staff costs, travel, field costs, capital equipment (items costing more than $500) listing the items concerned, consumables, administrative costs (insurance, phones, permits etc.), and specialist services (e.g. film editing, laboratory testing, library facilities). If you intend that the project is jointly funded, please indicate how much is requested from SOSF, and if funds from SOSF are to be used for specific budget lines or parts of the project, please indicate which these are.
Amounts Requested from Save Our Seas with Payment Schedule
Funds are normally paid in two instalments, in advance, with payment of the second instalment being dependent on reasonable progress during the first part of the project. Usually these instalments would be paid 6 months apart in April and October of the year following the application (and if necessary again in the following April), but modifications to this arrangement can usually be accommodated. Please state how much funding would be required at each of the above dates.
Scan of Signed & Dated Covering Letter
Please upload (or if submitting by e-mail append) a scan of a short (few lines) covering letter which should be signed by the applicant or project leader or, where this is preferred, by the authorising officer the organisation by which the applicant is employed. The letter should also include the date, and where appropriate be printed on the headed notepaper of the organisation concerned. If submitting by post, a top copy of the covering letter may be included.
Curriculum Vitae / Resume of Project Leader & other Key Staff
Please upload (or if submitting by e-mail append) a medium length c.v. of the project leader or principal investigator, and if so desired of other principal collaborators. Normally a c.v. of up to 3 – 5 pages should be sufficient.
Recent Passport-Type Photograph of Project Leader
Please upload a recent passport style or head and shoulders photograph of the project leader. Please insure that the size and resolution of the image is reduced to ensure that the file is not too large.
We will endeavour to acknowledge all applications within 10 days of their receipt by Save Our Seas.
In the event that SOSF believes that further explanation or information is required, the applicant may be contacted by SOSF staff, who may also be approached for general advice in respect of a proposed application. SOSF may also approach applicants in order to suggest or recommend amendments to the project proposal, which might make it more acceptable or effective.
Each application will be reviewed by at least two referees before being considered by the Foundation’s advisory committee. Those that fail to make a particular grade will be rejected at that stage, and the applicants informed during December or January. A final decision on the grants to be awarded is normally made by the Foundation’s Board by the end of February, and subsequently remaining applicants will be informed whether or not their applications have been successful.
Download a PDF version of these instructions here.
Download a PDF version of the guidelines for applicants here.
Save Our Seas Foundation
September 2009