Posts Tagged: grants

Renewable resources grants available for projects, interns

The UC ANR Renewable Resources Extension Act (RREA) Statewide Program is soliciting proposals for projects that will develop and/or support new or existing UC Cooperative Extension projects and/or activities that address the educational and extension needs in the management of California's valuable renewable resources on forest and rangeland. The primary purpose of this program is to promote proper management of these resources, especially on private lands, and to provide the information, education and training needed by Extension personnel, landowners, land managers and natural resource professionals. Maximum award is $15,000 per project.

RREA is also accepting proposals that will use the services and talents of student interns. Internships are open to undergraduate or graduate students from any institution of higher education in California, particularly the University of California and the California State Universities. Principal Investigators will not be granted additional RREA funds to pay for supplemental costs associated with the project. Student interns are expected to work on projects or activities that address educational and extension needs in the management of California's renewable resources. Intern proposals must demonstrate the connection to UC Cooperative Extension (county or campus office). Interns will be funded up to $6,000.

Submission deadline is July 1, 2022. For details and to apply, log into the ANR portal and visit https://ucanr.edu/urs/propstart.cfm?authorgrantnumber=280.

Four projects receive Hrdy funding

Thanks to the generosity of the Hrdy family, we are pleased to announce that four proposals have been selected for funding through The Daniel & Sarah Hrdy Fund for UC Cooperative Extension Research.

The Hrdy fund, which allows UC ANR to spend up to $100,000 per year, will provide seed funding for the following early-stage research projects:

• Effect of spring no-tillage on the dynamics of rice pests (Whitney Brim-DeForest, Luis Espino, Bruce Linquist)
• Effectiveness and efficiency of targeted livestock grazing to reduce fuel loads in California's wildland urban interface (Tracy Schohr, Dan Macon, Ricky Satomi, Roselle Busch)
• Management strategies for California's oak woodland: a meta-analysis and scaling of ecological conditions (Safeeq Khan, David Lewis, Yana Valachovic, Leslie Roche, Rebecca Ozeran, Dan Macon, Devii Rao, Mike Jones)
• Supporting sustainable meat supply chains and direct-market ranching operations (Grace Woodmansee, Morgan Doran, Vince Trotter, Patrick Huber, UC Davis project scientist with the Food Systems Lab, and Michael Dimock, director of Roots of Change)

To identify Hrdy-funded projects, proposals were submitted by individuals or teams. Proposal reviewers ranked the 19 submissions, giving priority to outstanding proposals submitted by early to mid-career level (assistant to associate level) UC ANR academics. The projects will receive three to five years of funding, with up to $25,000 per year. Funds will next be available for proposal submission in 2024.

Wendy Powers
Associate Vice President

Almond spray research funds offered by Almond Board and UC ANR

In partnership with the Almond Board of California, UC ANR requests proposals to fund research aimed at improving spray application practices in almonds. Up to $70,000 is available to fund one or more proposals.

Areas of focus considered in the request for proposals include

• Improving spray coverage and efficacy. One priority is hullsplit sprays for navel orangeworm - getting active ingredient to the opening sutures of almond fruit that is splitting. Sufficient deposition above 12 feet in the tree canopy is another priority.
• Minimizing off-target drift beyond tree canopies and the orchard perimeter.
• Developing spray drift data to refine the spray drift assumptions used in developing pesticide regulations for airblast sprayers in perennial cropping systems.

Proposals may be part of a comprehensive program that leverages funding from other sources.

To submit a proposal, please complete the application, using the provided format, and submit it though your ANR Portal no later than September 6, 2019. The application and the RFP are available for download here; and if you do not have a ucanr.edu email address for the submission site, please contact Melanie Caruso for access to the system.

Proposals will be selected for funding no later than Sept. 30, 2019. All funds must be expended by June 30, 2020. Funds will be available upon notification of a successful proposal. No extensions will be granted.

For details, see the RFP attached and at https://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/Divisionwide_Programs/2017_Funding_Opportunities_Grants/Almond_Board_California_UC_ANR_Spray_Technology_Grants/

Datasets help define stakeholder needs and significance of research, education and extension

Community-based demographic, environmental, economic, social and health data can help us better understand the 40 million people we serve. Whether you are drafting technical reports or applying for grant funding, you may find datasets useful to define stakeholder need and significance of research, education and extension impacts when communicating with potential partners, sponsors and advocates.

Rural County Representatives of California recently released Rural County Representatives of California, Economic and Demographic Profiles. These data sources provide demographic, environmental, economic, social and industry data by county.

County-level profiles can also inform decisions on how best to develop programs and initiatives that benefit farmers and ranchers, strengthen regional food systems and protect natural resources.

The following are just a few more examples of county-level profile datasets that may support your efforts as UC ANR academics and programmatic staff: 

• California Department of Education - DataQuest
  Data on school performance, test results, school staffing, graduation and dropout rates.

• California Department of Finance County Profiles
  Economic, social, and demographic data at the state and county level.

• California Department of Public Health - County Health Status Profiles
  Data for selected health indicators and California's leading causes of death.

• California Department of Public Health – Local Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Community Profiles
  County profiles designed to provide data on the health and environment (community, home and school) of California mothers, babies, children and teens.

• California Department of Public Health – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program County Profiles
  Data on CalFresh eligibility demographics, food insecurity rates, and nutrition.

• California Employment Development, Labor Market Information Demographic Profile - California and Counties
  Profile data including age, race/ethnicity, sex, household type and relationship, housing occupancy, and social and economic data, such as income, poverty and labor force.

• California Environmental Public Health Tracking
  A variety of health and environmental data.

• California Food Policy Advocates Nutrition & Food Insecurity Profile
  Data on County-level poverty rates and food insecurity.

• California Healthy Communities Data and Indicators Project
  Demographic and community health data to support planning healthy communities and evaluating the impact of plans, projects, policy, and environmental changes on community health.

• Data.gov
  Managed by U.S. General Services Administration, Technology Transformation Service, datasets provide access to agriculture, climate, consumer, ecosystem, education, energy, finance, health and local government data.

• Data USA, by Deloitte, Datawheel MIT Media Lab
  Data on economy, education, housing, health and safety, diversity for a specific city, metro area or county location.

• National Agricultural Statistics Service
  Commodity and industry data by county and region. 

• University of Washington, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation
  County-level data for life expectancy, mortality rates, obesity prevalence and recommended physical activity levels. 

Vanity Campbell
Proposal Development Coordinator
Contracts & Grants

 

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

Apply to develop online educational resources for underserved audiences

All UC ANR and UC ANR-affiliated academics and staff are invited to apply for funding to develop online resources targeting underserved audiences.

Extending UC ANR's reach and impact to significant numbers of non-English speaking audiences in California is key to achieving our vision of effecting positive change in important areas or issue(s). Reaching audiences through on-demand, online resources is one part of the strategy.

Funding is available to develop educational materials in languages other than English and make them accessible through the UC ANR website. Please consider development of a range of material forms including, but not limited to, courses, video or other media.

All products must be branded UC ANR and hosted on the UC ANR website with linkages to other sites and resources.

Proposals of up to $25,000 will be considered. Multiple awards will be made. Please note that equipment purchases may not be included in budget requests.

Proposal submission process

To begin the submission process, log into the ANR portal. Go to “open systems” on the right menu and click on the link to “Develop Online Educational Resources Targeted at Underserved Audiences.”

Proposals must be received by 5 p.m. Pacific time on Jan. 28, 2019.

Strategic Initiative Leaders and the Strategic Initiative Panels will evaluate proposals. If additional expertise is needed, ad-hoc reviewers may be solicited. The following criteria will be used to determine funding decisions.

Proposal criteria

Format. Proposals will be no more than 3 pages in length, minimum font size is 10-point and the minimum margin is 0.75 inches.

Proposals must include the following:

• Justification. What is the issue or important area addressed and who is the intended audience?

• Output. Give a brief description of the product to be developed and the method used to develop the product (e.g., will you include contracted services?). How will you ensure products are culturally relevant and applicable? Show how products will be delivered through UC ANR and how appropriate UC ANR branding will be assured?

• Expected Reach and Impact. What is the extent of the proposed reach and what behavior change(s) are expected? Which UC ANR Public Value Statements and Condition Changes will be positively impacted? How will some form of impact be assessed?

• Audience Access and Promotion. Clearly articulate the plan to promote the product so that it will be discoverable and adopted? What is the evidence that the targeted audience will access the product through the targeted medium?

• Team Capacity. Is there strong evidence that the PI and team can develop the intended product, on time and in budget? Is the appropriate expertise available within the team or as a contracted service?

• Budget. Is there clear need for the requested budget? Does a contractor (internal or external to UC ANR) provide estimates for any contracted services? Note: equipment purchases are not allowed in budget requests. You may submit your budget as a separate document if necessary.

Eligibility

All UC ANR and UC ANR-affiliated academics and staff are eligible to apply for funding.

Timeline

• Submissions due by Jan. 28, 2019, 5 p.m. Pacific time

• Successful applicants notified by Feb. 22, 2019

• Products completed and funds expended by Jan. 10, 2020

• Final reports (1 page) due by Feb. 28, 2020

Note on the funding source: The funds for this initiative come from those budgeted to further the impact of our Strategic Plan goals.

If you have questions about the application process, contact Jennifer Caron-Sale at (510) 987-0214 or Jennifer.Caron-Sale@ucop.edu.

 

 

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