The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada) believes that Canada's successful engagement of the countries and peoples of Asia requires us to strengthen the Asia-related knowledge, skills and experiences ("Asia competence") of young Canadians. To that end, it is accepting proposals for up to $50,000 for projects to design and implement/pilot initiatives that will broaden and deepen Canadians' awareness of the importance of Asia competence.
Proposals should be submitted on behalf of a team, rather than an individual. At least half of the project team – including at least one project leader – must be currently enrolled at a Canadian post-secondary institution. Applicants must also include one or more confirmed faculty supervisors who will oversee the project's design, implementation and final reporting.
Proposals should include the following:
1. Definition of the problem or need. (Applicants may find it useful to consult the final report of the Asia Competence Task Force (2013) at www.asiapacific.ca/research-report/canadas-asia-challenge-creating-competence-next-generation-c, and the website of the "Canada's Asia Challenge: Building Skills and Knowledge for the Next Generation" conference (2014) at www.asiapacific.ca/education-conference, or other references therein. This should not exceed 1,000 words.
2. Statement of the initiative's core objective(s).
3. Identification of one or more target audiences, and an explanation of why that particular audience was selected. (Possible audiences could include, but are not limited to, the general public; high school students, teachers and/or administrators; post-secondary students, faculty and/or administrators; private sector groups; parent groups; and other organizations and communities.)
4. List of potential project partners and collaborators and a description of what their role will be.
5. Detailed project implementation plan and timeline.
6. Detailed budget and an explanation of how the grant funds will be used to implement/pilot the project. (Budgets could also note any financial or in-kind contributions. The Foundation limits overhead/indirect costs to 15% of the total budget.)
7. CVs of all project members, including faculty supervisor(s).
8. Description of how the initiative's impact and success will be measured.
9. Designation of an institutional (university, college) administrator who will be responsible for administering the funds.
Proposals will be assessed with the following in mind:
• Does the proposal reflect a strong understanding of the need for Asia competence in Canada?
• Does it make a strong case for the project's particular objective and audience?
• Do the project team members have the appropriate background and training to successfully implement the project?
• Does the budget reflect a responsible use of project funds?
• Does the proposal address a niche or gap that is not already being filled by others?
The application deadline is Friday, February 27 at 5:00 PST.
The successful applicant will be notified in mid-March 2015. Project work can begin as soon as April 2015, and must be completed, including all final reporting requirements, by December 31, 2015.
Payments will be made in four installments: 25% upon receipt of a signed Grant Agreement between the Foundation and the Recipient; 25% each upon satisfactory progress on two points of the implementation timeline (to be determined by the Foundation); and 25% upon satisfactory completion of all the deliverables.
Short-listed applicants may be contacted by Foundation staff for follow-up questions.
Proposals and all related enquiries should be sent to Erin Williams at erin.williams@asiapacific.ca.
