Service Initiative Grant

The National Society of Collegiate Scholars proudly presents a new award as part of our continuous commitment to community service. The Service Initiative Award will present 3 NSCS members with a $10,000 grant for any service initiative in their community, which exhibits the following criteria below. This should be a service initiative you believe is lacking in your community and funding of this project will have a remarkable impact in your community.

Eligibility
*Must be an active NSCS member
*Must be enrolled in an undergraduate program in an accredited institution

Key Dates
Application Opens: January 1, 2009

Please note this is not a scholarship. Grants are for a specific purpose and applicants must demonstrate a need, identify what is to be accomplished, and be able to show measurable results at the end of the project. Examples include grants for painting forest fire lookouts, funding clean up of mountain trails, and the purchase of computer hardware and software for education purposes for qualifying organizations.

OUR CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION
Given our priorities, we believe projects of the greatest potential should fulfill the following criteria:

*Originality: the project demonstrates an innovative, challenging idea; critical, independent thinking; a new or experimental approach
*Potential for impact: the project makes a meaningful contribution to the field; expands knowledge; is a catalyst for future inquiry; raises awareness of an understudied issue; promotes diversity in subject matter, participants, and audience
*Feasibility: the project has clear and realistic goals, timeframe, work plan, and budget
*Capacity: applicant possesses strong knowledge of project and ability to carry out the project successfully.