The Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC) offers support of up to $2,500 to help defray costs to develop and hold small meetings of AIC members. Meetings may include seminars, research, brainstorming, problem-solving or other continuing education endeavors that support professional development and the conservation profession. Meetings may be held in conjunction with the AIC Annual Meeting.
This grant is intended to support meetings of between 8-12 participants, whether face-to-face or through phone, video, or web-conferencing. The small meeting is expected to produce a result; i.e. a decision, clarification of an idea, or articulation of a problem. The result should be of benefit to the conservation profession.
The grant is intended to encourage ad-hoc, issue-driven discussions rather than to support on-going organizations. AIC committees, task forces, and specialty groups are not eligible to receive this or any other FAIC grant, but may assist with organizing the proposed meeting. AIC members should comprise the majority of the meeting participants.
Eligible expenses include meeting space or conferencing technology costs, AV support, supplies, and facilitation. Expenses for refreshments and “working meals” can be included if justified. Travel expenses, such as transportation, lodging, and meals, are not eligible for funding, except as required for a facilitator or relevant expert from outside the conservation field who would not otherwise attend the meeting.
Applications are due September 15. Applications will be reviewed by a committee and a recommendation will be made to the FAIC board for final approval. Reviewers will follow the
Reviewer Guidelines and an established evaluation rubric based on the criteria for review to evaluate all applications. Notification of awards will be six weeks after each deadline. Projects should take place six weeks to twelve months after the application deadline.
Criteria for Review
- Proposed meeting appropriate to purpose stated above
- Usefulness to the participants and the conservation profession
- Qualifications of co-applicants (two required)
- Demonstrated need for the meeting
- Quality of the proposed outline or agenda
- Demonstration of ability to reach a decision or solve a problem (a definable outcome)
- Appropriateness of proposed attendees and/or method for selecting attendees
- Letters of commitment from four or more participants
- Reasonableness and completeness of budget information
Application Process
Applications are submitted through our online application portal. When you enter the portal, you will be prompted to login to the system using a login ID and password
. If you already have an account (this should be the case if you are an AIC member or have participated in an AIC or FAIC program), use the same login information you use to access that account. If you do not have an account in the system, you can quickly set one up before you begin your application.
The online form will take you through the three sections of the application:
- Applicant information (name and contact information, resume/CV, etc.) and participants (names and contact information)
- Project information (description of the project and how it will advance the participants professionally)
- Budget information (project costs and FAIC funding request)
You can save and return to your application later to complete it. When you are satisfied with your responses, “save and finalize” to submit your application. Once the application has been submitted, you cannot return to edit the form.
APPLY
Final Report
A final report is to be submitted to the FAIC office within 60 days
after the project completion. Final reports may be published in part or full by FAIC. The final report should include:
- Final summary of the meeting including primary goal, outcomes, benefit to participants and the conservation profession, and overall evaluation of the event
- List of participants including e-mail addresses and zip codes
- Final budget