[A2k] Grants for Collaborative Research in Media & Communications available: Letters of Inquiry due April 22

Thu Mar 22 13:00:02 2007

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Collaborative Grants in Media and Communications

2007-2008 Large Grants Competition

Letters of Inquiry Due April 22, 2007

The SSRC is pleased to offer two types of 'Collaborative Grants' in 2007 fo=
r academic-advocacy partnerships in media and communications.

Small Grants provide up to $7500 for short-term academic research in suppor=
t of advocacy and activism in media and communications. The next applicatio=
n deadline is April 4, 2007 with subsequent competitions held at roughly 4-=
month intervals.  For application procedures, criteria, past recipients, an=
d other details, see http://www.ssrc.org/programs/media/ .

Large Grants provide up to $30,000 in support for academic-advocacy researc=
h collaborations designed to change media / telecommunications infrastructu=
re, practices, or policies.  General areas of interest for the program incl=
ude:

*=09Measuring the success or failure of mainstream media in advancing diffe=
rent public interest goals or values.
*=09Measuring the impact of existing alternative or community media systems=
 on communities, public discourse, or democratic processes.
*=09Developing better, actionable accounts of the role of 'new media' in pe=
ople's lives.
*=09Analyzing policymaking and/or regulatory systems.
*=09Analyzing emerging systems, frameworks, or models of media and communic=
ations that transcend the current regulatory framework.
*=09Analyzing economic models, industry structure, markets, or audiences fo=
r different kinds of media
*=09Creating analytical tools or research resources for use by advocates, c=
ommunities, or the public.
*=09Documenting or evaluating advocacy or organizing strategies around comm=
unications and media issues.

Both large and small grants are awarded through competitive application pro=
cesses, with recipients selected by an independent committee of researchers=
 and advocates.

Grants are expected to fund up to 1 year of work.

Grant recipients will be part of a cohort that meets and communicates over =
the course of the program.

The Large Grants Competition: Process

Application for the Large Grants Competition consists of two stages:

*=09A 'Letter of Inquiry' of less than 1,000 words outlining the proposed p=
roject, partners, and goals.  Entries will be vetted by program staff in or=
der to help applicants navigate the challenges of building effective collab=
orations in this area.  More substantial proposals will then be requested f=
rom those LOIs that meet the program criteria.  The LOI must be submitted b=
y April 22, 2007.

*=09A more detailed proposal describing the research, the partners, budget,=
 timeline, and proposed outcomes.

The LOI must be submitted via email to mediahub@ssrc.org with subject line =
"Collaborative Grant Letter of Inquiry."

Applicant Criteria

Projects must involve substantive collaboration between:

*   A researcher based at a university, college, or other academically-orie=
nted research institution.  Advanced graduate students are eligible.

*   A US-based non-profit advocacy, organizing or community group working o=
n media and/or telecommunications issues.

Letters of interest and proposals must be submitted by the person primarily=
 responsible for conducting the proposed research.

Other Conditions:

*=09Public-interest groups with unusual financial status (e.g., non-profit =
fiscal sponsorship or non-commercial for-profit status) should contact SSRC=
 program staff.
*=09The academic research partner cannot be a paid staff member of the part=
nering nonprofit organization.
*=09International proposals will be solicited from SSRC partner organizatio=
ns.
*=09There are no citizenship requirements for participation in the program.
*=09Applicants may apply for both small grants and large grants.  Applicant=
s with current SSRC collaborative grant funding should explain how the new =
proposal builds on completed work from that grant.

Project Criteria

All projects must:

*   Be strategically useful in their proposed advocacy and/or organizing co=
ntext.

*   Produce scholarship that meets academic standards.

*   Have a realistic workflow, budget, and timeframe.

Collaborations will be evaluated in part on whether they meet some or all o=
f the following criteria:

*=09Have a clear plan for the application of research findings in policy-ma=
king processes or advocacy campaigns.  Research that facilitates field-buil=
ding (i.e. curriculum development, tool-building, analysis of best practice=
) is also eligible.
*=09Are useful for organizations, communities, and advocacy efforts beyond =
the partner organization.
*=09Build new capacity-skills, tools, experience, access to data sets-withi=
n the "user" organization and/or community.

*         Involve collaboration between two or more advocacy/community grou=
ps in the project design and the plan of use for the research.

*         Use participatory methods to engage community and/or advocacy gro=
up members in framing the questions, data collection, and/or analysis.

*=09Use methods or models of research that have proved effective in analogo=
us contexts.
*=09Address issues of disparate impact on communities on the basis of race,=
 class, gender, ethnicity, age or other identity/status category.
*=09Reflect diversity in the staff or group involved with the project.

Letters of inquiry not exceeding 1,000 words should include the following:

*=09Name or topic of the proposed research project;
*=09A brief statement (two or three sentences) of the purpose and nature of=
 the proposed study;
*=09The significance of the issue addressed by the project;
*=09How the research will address the issue;
*=09How the issue relates to the applying organization, and why the organiz=
ation is qualified to undertake the project;
*=09Novelty and utility of the project vis =E0 vis existing research;
*=09Geographic area or country where the work will take place;
*=09Time period for which funding is requested;
*=09Information about those who will be helped by and interested in the wor=
k and how you will communicate with them;
*=09Amount and breakdown of the funding requested (estimates are acceptable=
).

SSRC staff will respond to letters of inquiry within three weeks.

Contact Information

In order to expedite a letter of inquiry, the applicant must provide the fo=
llowing contact information in a separate memorandum:

*=09Name, address (and postal address if different), phone number, and fax =
number of principal researcher;
*=09Name of the partnering organization;
*=09Organization's address (and postal address if different), phone number,=
 fax number, e-mail address and web address, if any;
*=09Name of the partnering organization's chief executive officer or equiva=
lent;
*=09Name and title of the main project contact person at the organization, =
if different from the above;
*=09Address (and postal address if different), phone number, fax number and=
 e-mail address of main contact.

Program Background

The Collaborative Grants project is part of the Necessary Knowledge for a D=
emocratic Public Sphere (NKDPS) Program of the Social Science Research Coun=
cil, working in partnership with the Center for International Media Action =
and the McGannon Center for Communications Research at Fordham University. =
The program is funded by the Knowledge, Creativity, and Freedom program of =
the Ford Foundation.

For more information on the program, see http://www.ssrc.org/programs/media=
 <http://www.ssrc.org/programs/media> .  For all program-related inquiries,=
 please write to mediahub@ssrc.org <mailto:mediahub@ssrc.org>  . Subscribe =
to MediaResearchHub-News for program updates, research funding opportunitie=
s, and conference information at http://listserve.ssrc.org/mailman/listinfo=
/mediaresearchhub-news <http://listserve.ssrc.org/mailman/listinfo/mediares=
earchhub-news>  .

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