IRIS Alumni Global Grant Program
2015 IRIS Alumni Global Grant Program
IRIS is pleased to announce the 2015 IRIS Alumni Global Grant Program. The
grants are available to past participants of any IRIS program to enable them to
contribute to the social, economic, and civic development of their countries. The
2015 IRIS Alumni Global Grant Program is intended to give alumni the opportunity
to initiate projects of their own design in their home countries, including:
• Community service projects;
• Projects to promote civic participation;
• Professional development activities for community residents;
• Projects to support and promote the skills gained through the IRIS
program in which the alumni participated; and
• Any other projects judged to be in the spirit of the program by the
selection committee.
Please note that these grants are not intended to fund purchases of computer
equipment, alumni salaries, and political activities working for or against a
specific candidate or party.
Grant Application
IRIS alumni may apply for this grant as an individual or a group, however projects
as a group with other IRIS alumni is strongly encouraged. Grant requests can
range from $200 - $2,000.
Deadline
The deadline for the Grant Application submission is Friday, 15 May 2015, 17:00
U.S. Central/Iowa Time. Grant applicants will be notified in June 2015 if they will
be selected to further develop their projects towards approval.
All grant activities must be completed and funds expended by July 31, 2016.
Grant funds will be made available in two installments (80% upon award;
remaining 20% upon completion) unless the applicant can show convincingly
why all the funds should be provided immediately. The remainder of the funds
will be paid upon receipt of the final report on the grant activities.
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IRIS Alumni Global Grant Program
Eligibility
In order to participate in this program, alumni must:
1. Be successful participants of an IRIS program;
2. Conduct their project and currently reside in one of the countries with which
IRIS has had a previous program.
Recipient Responsibilities
Grant recipients must submit interim and final reports consisting of a financial
report, activity description, and pictures by email AND receipts for expenses to
IRIS. As due dates for submission of interim and final reports will be dependent on
the date of project completion, grant winners will be notified individually of
reporting schedules. All final reports must be submitted no later than one month
after the project is completed.
Financial Terms of the Grants
Grant funds will be transferred to the grantee's personal U.S. dollar bank account.
If the grantee does not have a U.S. dollar bank account, it is possible for other
arrangements to be made to receive grant funding. Grant recipients must provide
a budget and budget narrative as part of the application, which accurately reflects
the proposed costs of the project. Requests for changes and additions to the
budget after proposal submission must be submitted in writing to IRIS for
approval
Selection Process
Competition for the program is merit-based and objective. Selection will be based
upon the following criteria:
1. Objectives
a. How does the project contribute to the social, economic, and/or civic
development of the applicant’s home country? -ORb. How does the project contribute to the professional or personal
development of the alumnus/a?
2. Feasibility
a. Is the proposal financially well thought-out?
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IRIS Alumni Global Grant Program
b. Does the proposal include cost sharing? Are partner organizations
involved in the project?
c. Are potential problems addressed? (e.g. fluctuating costs of travel)
d. Can the project be accomplished within the time frame?
e. If the project involves activities that extend beyond the grant period, or
the organization of a permanent structure, what are the plans for
sustaining future activities?
f. Are there letters of support from participating organizations?
3. Results
a. How realistic are the proposal’s expectations?
b. What criteria will be used to evaluate the project? How will both
qualitative and quantitative assessments be gathered?
c. How will results be shared with others?
Questions?
If you have questions, please contact us at:
IRIS Alumni Global Grant Program
IRIS Inc.
600 Fifth Street, Suite 301
Ames, IA 50010
USA
Phone: (+1) 515.292.7103
Email: info @iris-center.org
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IRIS Alumni Global Grant Program
2015 IRIS Alumni Global Grant Program Application
Application Instructions
Applicants should read all information carefully before filling out this application
form. IRIS will answer questions regarding projects and proposals upon request.
All information must be completed in English. All sections of the application must
be filled in; incomplete applications will not be accepted. Applicants must submit
a grant application using this online form.
Grant Project Leader
1) Enter your full legal name as written in Latin letters on your passport.
__________________
First name
_______________________
Middle name
____________________
Last (Family) name
2) What year did you complete the IRIS program? IMPORTANT! You must be an
alumnus/a of an IRIS program to be eligible for this grant funding.
_____________
3) Current Residence Location
___________________________________________________________________
4) Best telephone number to reach you. Include Country and City Codes.
___________________________________________________________________
5) Best email address to reach you
___________________________________________________________________
6) Title of project
___________________________________________________________________
7) Where will your project take place?
Project City ________________________________________________________
Project State/Province/Region _________________________________________
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IRIS Alumni Global Grant Program
8) Project Leader
Please provide the contact information for the Project Leader, even if it is the
same as the applicant.
Address
________________________________________________________
City
________________________________________________________
Country
________________________________________________________
Telephone number (Include Country Code) ______________________________
Email address ______________________________________________________
Other Team Members Involved with Your Grant Project
9) IRIS Alumni: Will any other IRIS alumni be involved in the organization of the
grant project? If yes, please provide the information requested below for each
IRIS alumnus/a.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Non-IRIS Alumni: Please provide names of any team members that are not IRIS
alumni.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
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IRIS Alumni Global Grant Program
Project Proposal
10) Describe the project:
a. What you plan to do?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
b. How you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
c. When and where will your activity take place?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
11) Project Need: Why are you interested in undertaking this project? What
encouraged your interest in this project? Is there a need for this project in your
community? Support your opinion with evidence (statistics, publications, surveys,
etc.)
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
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IRIS Alumni Global Grant Program
12) Provide a brief description of the organization initiating the project (if
applicable). Please also indicate if other organizations or people will collaborate
or participate in the activity. Please also attach letters of support from any
participating organizations as well as resumes or CVs of key project participants to
this application. NOTE: Attach any documents at the end of this application.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
13) How does this project specifically benefit your community and/or country?
What are the anticipated immediate and long-term results of the project? How
will you measure the project’s impact?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
14) How do you envision your project developing after the grant period? If you do
envision the project continuing after the grant period, how will activities be
funded?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
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IRIS Alumni Global Grant Program
Resumes and Letters of Support
15) Resumes/CVs: List the names of each team member whose resume/CV is
attached
16) Letters of support: List each letter of support that is attached
17) Supplemental items: Enter a brief description of each supplemental item that
is attached
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IRIS Alumni Global Grant Program
Project Timeline
Please specify what you plan to do and by which dates. Include the responsible
project team members along with their tasks.
Project Period
19) Start date. Must be between July 1, 2015 and July 31, 2016: _______________
20) End date. Must be between July 1, 2015 and July 31, 2016: ________________
Detailed Project Timeline
21) Provide the information requested below for each of the planned activities in
your project timeline.
Name and description of
project activity
Responsible persons
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Deadline to
complete
IRIS Alumni Global Grant Program
Project Budget
Please include a project budget, separating any administrative costs (such as
salary, room rental, equipment rental, communications charges, etc.) from direct
program costs. Applicants may add categories and expense items as necessary.
The IRIS Alumni Global Grant Program will not cover alumni salaries. Alumni are
expected to volunteer their time as cost sharing. The IRIS Alumni Global Grant
Program does not pay for purchase of durable goods used for the project such as
computer equipment, cameras, etc. (unless the project's goal is to donate those
goods to the beneficiaries)
In-kind contributions and project support as cost sharing:
In-kind contributions and cost sharing is strongly encouraged. Types of in-kind
support that can be written in the budget as cost sharing:
• GOODS: equipment and furniture; space, including maintenance and utilities;
refreshments that people bring to your regular meetings
• PEOPLE: staffing; professionals who volunteer to participate in your group
• SERVICES: construction and renovation; printing facilities; public relations and
promotional activities
Total Expenditures
22) Total grant funding requested (USD) $ ______________________________
23) Total cost share contribution (USD) $ _______________________________
24) Total project cost (USD) $ ________________________________________
25) Please explain your budget in a narrative, including sources of supporting
funds, in-kind contributions and cost sharing.
27) Provide the information requested below for each of the planned
expenditures in your project budget. All amounts in U.S. Dollars
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IRIS Alumni Global Grant Program
Project Budget
Budget
category
Budget Item
Description
Grant
Cost
funding sharing
$
$
TOTAL
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Total cost Item narrative
$
IRIS Alumni Global Grant Program
Certification by Project Leader
I understand that I must contact IRIS immediately if there are amendments to this
information subsequent to submission. I understand that IRIS must approve all
changes to this application once it has been submitted. If selected, I will comply
with the program rules and reporting procedures contained in this application. I
understand that failure to do so may disqualify me from participating in IRISsponsored grant and scholarship programs in the future.
My signature indicates that all of the information contained in my application is
honestly presented and that I agree with the above statements.
Certified by Project Leader (sign here)
Print your name here
Date signed
Review and Submit Grant Application
Final Review of Application
Before you submit your application, please be sure to review all sections. Make
sure you have answered all the questions, attached all the required documents,
and that you are satisfied with your responses.
Once you submit your application, you will no longer be able to make changes.
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