Request for Letters of Intent/Proposals

Academics without Borders USA (www.awbusa.org) is seeking Letters of Intent/Proposals
Submit Letter of Intent to Executive Director, director@awbusa.org
Letters of Intent are accepted at any time, reviewed on a rolling basis, and funded based on approval of full proposal and availability of funds (see sections “Letter of Intent Overview” and “Required Elements” below for full details).
                                                                                                                                                      
Background Information:
What we do: Academics Without Borders USA (AWB USA) is non-profit organization that supports initiatives focused on increasing capacity in institutions of higher education in developing countries. AWB USA partners with host institutions to support their locally-identified priority by providing on-site and/or remote expertise from our corps of highly qualified volunteers. By augmenting the host institution’s own resources, specific, defined, long-lasting outcomes are possible. The goal is to increase the institution’s capacity to produce more engineers, medical professionals, teachers and other professionals key to addressing societal challenges of the 21st century.  
 
How we assist: We bring together volunteer domestic academic talent with professors, deans, and other administrators at the host institution to address a need identified by the host institution. It is not necessary that an institution have the volunteer professional identified at the time of application; nor is there an  advantage in our proposal review process if the volunteer is already identified."   AWB USA will help identify and/or solicit the academic professionals who best match specific project needs. AWB USA academic volunteers represent a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. Current or retired faculty, post-doctorates, advanced graduate students, high-level academic administrators and non-academic professionals may be considered as an AWB USA ​volunteer. (Note: AWB USA will consider sponsorship of a volunteer identified by the applicant institution provided the volunteer meets our participation criteria.)

Funding: AWB USA partners with the host institution to support a site visit.  AWB USA’s financial support goes directly toward the travel costs of volunteers journeying to the host institution (i.e., transportation, medical insurance, visas and other related expenses). In turn, the host institution commits to providing in-kind support, which could include accommodations, in-country travel and logistics, and technical and administrative support for the AWB USA volunteers.  A typical AWB USA project grant totals $5,000 or less.
 
How Projects Are Conceived: Projects are first proposed by the requesting institution and then developed and refined collaboratively with AWB USA and its sponsored volunteer. The final project plan is agreed to by all parties involved so that they are manageable, sustainable and consistent with the basic needs of the host institution. 

Projects we support: Projects range from expansion or enhancement of existing programs to helping set-up new academic initiatives. Projects can also be targeted at providing guidance and support in student services, administrative functions, and other support services such as computing/information systems, library management, financial management.  Past and current projects have included: On-site, one-on-one consultation; “train the trainer” approach; creation of new initiatives – most recently in medical, agriculture, horticulture, community development and faculty/curriculum development foci. Visit our website http://awbusa.org/projects.html to see examples of past projects.

Eligibility: AWB USA requires projects to be proposed and submitted by institutions of higher education in developing countries. To determine whether countries and proposals are eligible for funding, AWB USA is informed by a country’s international human development index of “low” or “medium” as posted by the United Nations at http://hdr.undp.org/en/composite/HDI. Please note that AWB USA is not able to support projects in regions that are under a travel alert or warning issued by the U.S. Department of State (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html).

Letter of Intent/Proposal Overview:
The AWB USA organization has a two-stage application process:
  1.  First, a brief preliminary Letter of Intent, in response to the “Required Elements” addressed below, is submitted to the AWB USA organization.  Letters of Intent are accepted at anytime and reviewed on a rolling basis. Applicants will be notified whether their Letter of Intent is selected to advance to the second stage by not later than 30 days of receipt of Letter of Intent.  Please note, an invitation to advance in the process does not guarantee project funding. 
  2. Second, if invited to advance to the second stage, the applicant will be assigned an AWB USA Project Liaison to assist with the preparation and submission of a full proposal for final approval by AWB USA.  (Proposal instructions will be included with the AWB USA notification letter).  NOTE: Only applicants for whom Letters of Intent are selected may advance to the full proposal.
  3. Funding for projects is subject to availability of funds.
 
Letter of Intent Required Elements:
A complete response to each item listed below comprises the Letter of Intent and should be submitted as a word document to Executive Director, director@awbusa.org.

  1. Applicant Organization (Name of the developing country’s College/University and Department/unit):
  2. Project Location (Country/City):
  3. Title of Project (Concisely define the project in 15 words or less):
  4. Project Description (250 words – Summarize the existing issue or need the project will address; describe specific project goals and anticipated outcomes; include evidence that demonstrates the project is a campus priority):
  5. Institution’s Proposed Project Personnel (who will be directly involved in the project):
    1. Name/Title/Email of individual who will serve as the lead for the project and primary contact for AWB USA:
    2. Estimated number of faculty and/or other professional personnel directly involved in the project:
  6. Project Budget:
    1. Specific types of support (e.g., room, board, technological support) that will be provided to AWB USA volunteers during the project.
    2. Approximate amount of local Institutional or other outside funding available for this project (source, amount and purpose).
    3. Note: funds from AWB USA will be determined upon approval of full proposal (not to exceed $5000) and will be utilized toward meeting direct travel costs of the AWB USA volunteer professional/s.
  7. Project Duration (total number of weeks; estimated start and end date for the project):
  8. Name, Title, Institutional Affiliation and Email of the requested visiting professional (if known):
    1. Have you already communicated with this professional? 
                 Note: It is not necessary that an institution have the volunteer professional identified at
                  the time of application. AWB USA will help identify and/or solicit the academic
                  professionals who best match project needs.
 
Review Criteria:  Review will be based on the following primary factors.
  1. Is the proposed project a priority for the Institution?
  2. What is the concept proposal’s likelihood for success?
    1. Will the project build capacity at the Institution?
    2. Will the project have a longer-term horizon beyond the initial funding?
Questions?  Contact Executive Director, at director@awbusa.org.
Visit our website (www.awbusa.org) to learn more about our organization and see examples of past projects.