National Robotics Initiative

Description

The goal of the National Robotics Initiative is to accelerate the development and use of robots in the United States that work beside, or cooperatively with, people. Innovative robotics research and applications emphasizing the realization of such co-robots acting in direct support of and in a symbiotic relationship with human partners is supported by multiple agencies of the federal government including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The purpose of this program is the development of this next generation of robotics, to advance the capability and usability of such systems and artifacts, and to encourage existing and new communities to focus on innovative application areas. It will address the entire life cycle from fundamental research and development to industry manufacturing and deployment. Methods for the establishment and infusion of robotics in educational curricula and research to gain a better understanding of the long term social, behavioral and economic implications of co-robots across all areas of human activity are important parts of this initiative. Collaboration between academic, industry, non-profit and other organizations is strongly encouraged to establish better linkages between fundamental science and technology development, deployment and use.Two classes of proposals will be considered in response to this solicitation:Small projects: One or more investigators spanning 1 to 5 years. Large projects: Multi-disciplinary teams spanning 1 to 5 years. As detailed in the solicitation, appropriate scientific areas of investigations may be related to any of the participating funding organizations. Questions concerning a particular project's focus, direction and relevance to a participating funding organization should be addressed to the appropriate person in the list of agency contacts found in section VIII of the solicitation.

Link to Full Announcement

NSF Publication 11-553

Expected Number of Awards:	75
Estimated Total Program Funding:	$50,000,000

Summer Jobless Youth Grants

[from Philanthropy News Digest] In response to this summer's high teen unemployment rate, Do Something, a national nonprofit organization that helps young people create and participate in community service projects, is offering a grant program to help young people get involved in or create their own local projects to provide youth with volunteer opportunities in place of jobs.

Summer Jobless Grants can be used to help cover the costs of implementing a youth volunteer project, including food, materials and supplies, event space, and transportation, and include more teens in community action projects. All applicant programs must engage at least twenty-five teens in volunteerism.

The program will provide eight grants of $2,000 and eighteen grants of $500.

Applicants must be 25 years of age or younger and must be a U.S. or Canadian citizen.

Applications are due by July 10, 2011; applicants will be notified whether or not they have won by July 15, 2011.

Visit the Do Something Web site for complete program guidelines and application procedures.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP

Grants for Learning Labs in Libraries and Museums

Additional Information on Eligibility:

Libraries that fulfill the general criteria for libraries may apply. See program guidelines for special conditions of eligibility for this program. Museums that fulfill the general criteria for museums may apply. Public or private nonprofit agencies, organizations, or associations that engage in activities designed to advance museums and the museum profession may also apply. In addition, institutions of higher education, including public and non�profit universities, are eligible.

Agency Name

Institute of Museum and Library Services

Description

These grants will support the planning and designing of up to 30 Learning Labs in libraries and museums throughout the country. The Labs are intended to engage middle- and high-school youth in mentor-led, interest-based, youth-centered, collaborative learning using digital and traditional media. Grantees will be required to participate, in-person and online, in a community of practice that will provide technical assistance, networking, and cross-project learning. Projects are expected to provide prototypes for the field and be based on current research about digital media and youth learning. There will be two project deadlines for this grant program, with the second deadline planned for spring 2012.

Link to Full Announcement

http://www.imls.gov/about/macarthur.shtm

High School Clinical Research workforce

[from Philanthropy News Digest]

In an effort to help address the need for more diversity in the clinical research workforce, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has announced a new program that will establish clinical research experiences for minority high school students at universities, medical schools, and research institutes across the United States.

The foundation has committed a total of $1.56 million to the new program, the Doris Duke Clinical Research Experiences for High School Students. Up to eight grants of $194,400 over three years ($60,000 per year in direct costs, $4,800 in indirect costs) will be made to universities, medical schools, or research institutes with an existing high school research program. Grant funds must be used to add a clinically relevant, mentored research component as well as enrichment activities. In addition, DDCF funds will support mentor honoraria, personnel, recruitment, and outreach costs, plus stipends for up to ten students per year, per institution.

For the purposes of the program, DDCF considers minorities as individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, including Native Americans and Alaska Natives, African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders; individuals with disabilities; and individuals from socially, culturally, economically, or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds that may have inhibited their ability to pursue a career in health-related research.

Applicant institutions must have an existing program that provides research experiences for high school students. Institutions accepting and administering any DDCF award must be tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and must not be a private foundation or a Type III supporting organization as defined in Section 509(a) of the code.

Complete program information and Request for Letters of Intent instructions are available at the DDCF Web site.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP

Motorola Empowerment grants

[from Philanthropy News Digest] The Motorola Mobility Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Motorola Mobility, Inc., has announced the launch of the Empowerment Grants program, an opportunity for U.S.-based nonprofit organizations to apply for funding to empower their communities through technology. Grants will be provided for programs in the foundation's three areas of focus — education, health and wellness, and community.

The program is designed to support and celebrate everyday, real-life efforts to leverage technology to build stronger communities. Successful programs may include providing technology, and tutoring in the skills needed to use it, for teachers, mentors, and community leaders.

The program is seeking applications from dynamic community organizations that are making a significant contribution to the social fabric of their communities.

Applicants must be a registered or incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or a NCES school or school district; have an operating budget under $5 million; and be a U.S.-based online program, a U.S. national program, or be based in the U.S. and serve communities in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, or Pennsylvania.

Successful applications will demonstrate the ways that digital technology could be used to further an organization's mission. Examples include: Education — building the classroom of the 21st century through incorporating technology; Health and Wellness — driving solutions around the issues of healthy behavior through the use of technology; and Community — fostering innovation and creative solutions for community-based issues, including environmental issues, with technology tools.

Organizations must submit applications online. In addition, applicants are required to submit a three- to five-minute video describing the program for which grant funds are requested and the ways in which digital technology could be used to further enhance that program. All videos must be uploaded to the Motorola Foundation YouTube site prior to submitting the written application.

Visit the Motorola Web site for complete program guidelines and application instructions.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP

US Department of Labor’s OSHA seeks applications for $4.7 million in Susan Harwood safety and health training grants

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration is soliciting applications under the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program, through which a total of $4.7 million is available to nonprofit, community and faith-based organizations, employer associations and labor unions. The grants will fund training for workers and employers to recognize workplace hazards and appropriate control measures, and to understand their rights and responsibilities under OSHA's regulations and standards.

"The Department of Labor is committed to ensuring that businesses and workers are fully aware of health and safety rules," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "The programs funded by these grants will supply small businesses, hard-to-reach workers and those in high-hazard industries with the knowledge and tools they need to support safe and healthful workplaces."

There are four types of safety and health training grants available: capacity building pilot; capacity building developmental; targeted topic training; and training and educational materials development.

Capacity building pilot grants are intended to assist organizations in assessing their needs and formulating a capacity building plan before moving forward with a full-scale safety and health education program. Capacity building developmental grants are for organizations that already provide occupational safety and health training, education and related assistance to their constituents, and are seeking to expand their capacity.

Targeted topic grants and training and educational material development grants support the development of quality training materials and programs for workers and employers addressing workplace hazards and prevention strategies. Topics, which are designated by OSHA, include safe bin entry in grain handling operations, crane safety, fall protection, hazardous communication for chemical exposure and shipyard safety hazards.

Agencies of state and local governments are not eligible to apply for these grants. However, state and local government-supported institutions of higher education may apply in accordance with 29 Code of Federal Regulations Part 95.

The solicitation for grant applications is available at http://www.grants.gov. Applicants must register prior to completing the application. They are encouraged to begin the process as soon as possible, as it takes multiple days to complete. Applications must be submitted and received electronically no later than 4:30 p.m. EDT on July 20. No extensions of the deadline will be granted.

More information on the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program is available on OSHA's website at http://www.osha.gov/dte/sharwood/index.html. Questions from the public should be directed to Kimberly Mason at mason.kimberly@dol.gov or Jim Barnes at barnes.jim@dol.gov and telephone 847-759-7700.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

Partnerships in employment systems change

The Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announces the availability of 2.2 million of Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 funds for projects developed by consortia that demonstrate a collaborative approach to creating employment systems change at the state level on behalf of youth and young adults with developmental disabilities (DD) including youth and young adults with intellectual disabilities (ID). As defined by the American Association of Intellectual and Developmental disabilities, the term intellectual disability is characterized by significant limitations in intellectual functioning (reasoning, learning, problem solving) and in adaptive behavior, which covers a range of everyday social and practical skills and originates before the age of 18. Funding through this announcement will be used to design and implement statewide model demonstration projects through Partnerships in Employment Systems Change grants that stimulate and advance systems change in order to expand competitive employment in integrated settings for youth and young adults with DD including ID.

Link to Full Announcement

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/open/foa/view/HHS-2011-ACF-ADD-DN-0156

Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced this week that $3.6 million in Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants will be awarded in fiscal year 2011 to assist in the transformation, rehabilitation and preservation of public housing and privately owned HUD-assisted housing.

As part of HUD's overall plan to revitalize areas of concentrated poverty, the Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants are intended to help transform distressed public and assisted housing into sustainable, mixed-income housing that connects to key services, such as education and transportation, and supports positive outcomes for the neighborhood's families. Eligible applicants are public housing authorities, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit developers that apply jointly with a public entity. Applicants must demonstrate their plan to revitalize the neighborhood through public-private partnerships that seek to develop high-quality public schools and early learning programs, public transportation, and improved access to jobs and well-functioning services.

These grants will enable communities to create a comprehensive "transformation plan," or road map, to transform public and/or assisted housing within a distressed community to create a choice neighborhood. This Federal support provides a significant incentive and catalyst for the local community to take critical steps toward neighborhood transformation.

Applicants have until August 8, 2011 to apply for the Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants. HUD anticipates awarding approximately 12 grants with a maximum award of $300,000 each.

Choice Neighborhoods is focused on directing resources to address three core goals - housing, people and neighborhoods. It is a centerpiece of the White House Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative (NRI). HUD partners with the Departments of Treasury, Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services on the NRI, an interagency effort to align federal housing, education, justice, and health programs to transform distressed, high-poverty neighborhoods into neighborhoods of opportunity. Access to application

HUD awards grants for connections to employment

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded more than $31 million in grants to public housing authorities, resident associations and non-profit organizations across the U.S. to help public housing residents connect to services available in the community to find employment to increase their economic independence. The funding will also link the elderly and people with disabilities with supportive services that allow them to maintain independent living and age-in-place.

News Release / State Totals / Listing of Grantees by State

White House Rural Council

WASHINGTON — The White House has announced the establishment of the first White House Rural Council. While rural communities face challenges, they also present economic potential. To address these challenges, build on the administration's rural economic strategy and improve the implementation of that strategy, the president signed an executive order establishing the White House Rural Council.

The White House Rural Council will coordinate programs across government to encourage public-private partnerships to promote further economic prosperity and quality of life in rural communities nationwide. Chaired by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, the council will be responsible for providing recommendations for investment in rural areas and will coordinate federal engagement with a variety of rural stakeholders, including agricultural organizations, small businesses, and state, local and tribal governments.

In the coming months, the White House Rural Council will focus on job creation and economic development by increasing the flow of capital to rural areas, promoting innovation, expanding digital and physical networks, and celebrating opportunity through America's natural resources. The council will begin discussing key factors for growth, including:

• Jobs: improve job training and workforce development in rural America.
• Agriculture: expand markets for agriculture, including regional food systems and exports.
• Access to credit: increase opportunity by expanding access to capital in rural communities and fostering local investment.
• Innovation: promote the expansion of biofuels production capacity and community-based renewable energy projects.
• Networks: develop high-growth regional economies by capitalizing on inherent regional strengths.
• Health care: improve access to quality health care through expansion of health technology systems.
• Education: increase postsecondary enrollment rates and completion for rural students.
• Broadband: support the president's plan to increase broadband opportunities in rural America.
• Infrastructure: coordinate investment in critical infrastructure.
• Ecosystem markets: expanding opportunities for conservation, outdoor opportunities and economic growth on working lands and public lands.

View the Executive Order (PDF)

Child Welfare -- Education System Collaborations to Increase Educational Stability

Description

The purpose of thisFOA is to build collaborations between child welfare systems and Education systems to increase the educational stability of children in or at risk of entering the child welfare system. Child welfare systems may identify the neighborhoods or school districts that serve the highest number of children involved in the child welfare system, and develop collaborative policies, procedures, and programs that will increase the educational stability and school success for those children, particularly those aged 10-17 years.

Link to Full Announcement

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/open/foa/view/HHS-2011-ACF-ACYF-CO-0183

Expected Number of Awards:	8
Estimated Total Program Funding:	$2,000,000
Award Ceiling:	$250,000

Capacity Building for Sustainable Communities

CFDA Number(s): 14.705 -- Capacity Building for Sustainable Communities

This NOFA is part of a cross-agency collaboration between HUD, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), known as the Partnership for Sustainable Communities. HUD confers regularly with these partners. The Capacity Building for Sustainable Communities Program (Program), through this NOFA, will identify intermediary organizations that can provide capacity building support for communities engaged in planning efforts that support community involvement and integrate housing, land use, land cleanup and preparation for reuse, economic and workforce development, transportation, and infrastructure investments. Each grantee will be expected to deliver capacity building support to communities across the United States. The first purpose of the Program is to assemble a collection of capacity building service providers to work directly with the FY2010 and FY 2011 HUD Sustainable Communities Regional Planning and Community Challenge grant recipients, HUD Preferred Sustainability Status Communities, and EPA Sustainable Community Technical Assistance recipients and Brownfield Area Wide Planning grant recipients (collectively Sustainable Communities Grantees), and enable them to fulfill their anticipated outcomes. HUD and other Partnership agencies will work regularly with all selected intermediary service providers to maintain a coordinated and leveraged delivery approach that ensures the maximum benefit to local governments, regions, and planning entities and partners engaged in the prescribed activities.

The second purpose of the Program is to build a national coalition and leadership network of the Sustainable Communities Grantees. The purpose of the network is to facilitate the exchange of successful strategies, lessons learned, emerging tools and public engagement strategies, and approaches for avoiding or minimizing pitfalls. HUD will work with the selected intermediaries to develop a robust evaluation component for the network.

Penn State Behrend Career & Internship Fair

Wednesday, October 5, 2011 - Register on line

12 p.m. - 4 p.m., Junker Center

• More than 600 candidates expected from Behrend and other area colleges and universities; recruit for full-time, internship, co-op, part-time/summer positions, and/or provide career and organization information
• Held in the Junker Center, a spacious athletic complex with ample room to discuss job, internship, and career information with candidates. Tours of the Research and Economic Development Center and the campus will also be available (upon advanced request).
• Meet with faculty, tour the campus, labs and facilities
• Evening and day after fair interviewing space available at no extra charge!
• Over 4,000 students in 35 bachelors, 6 associate degree programs, and an accredited Masters of Business Administration!

Employer Registration Information:

• Space is limited, so registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Priority registration deadline is August 15th, to provide your company the greatest opportunity for exposure on our website and promotional materials prior to the fair. We will try to accommodate all interested organizations. View companies registered for the fair here.
• There is a $125 non-refundable fee per company for the Fair. Registration includes one 6-foot table, signage, and lunch for three recruiters attending the fair. Confirmation, fair agenda details, map and parking permit will be sent after registration is processed. Electric and internet access is available on a first-request basis. You must request internet access in advance of the fair.
• Registration fee is optional for non-profit and government organizations. Please call 814-898-6164 for details. Non-profit and/or local government organizations are encouraged to share tables with other related non-profit or government organizations.
• Sponsorship opportunities are available for program ad space, giveaways, student lounge, etc. Simply sign up on the registration form, or please contact us if you have other ideas for fair sponsorship.
• Your registration will not be considered complete until payment is received by the ACPC.
• If you need more information on our academic majors, directions to campus, maps, or information about on-campus recruiting, check out our Employer Services page. The fair will be an excellent opportunity to look for part-time or summer help, as well as student interns.