Deadline: 18 May 2016 The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking applications from qualified U.S. and Non-U.S. organizations to provide funding in support of Family Planning/Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (FP/RMNCAH) Service Delivery … [Read more…] about USAID/Kenya: Supporting Family Planning/Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health

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Deadline: 30 June 2016 Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund is currently accepting applications for funding of small, targeted grants to local and grassroots projects based on individual Species Conservation initiatives, recognize leaders in the field and elevate the importance of species in … [Read more…] about Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund Grants: Supporting Conservation of Threatened Species

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Deadline: 17 June 2016 The European Union (EU) is currently accepting proposals from eligible organizations for “respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms in Trinidad and Tobago” in order to promote human rights and democratic reform. The objective of this Call for Proposals is to … [Read more…] about European Union: Respect for Fundamental Human Rights & Freedoms in Trinidad and Tobago

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Deadline: 23 May 2016 Arts@CERN is seeking applications for its COLLIDE International Award with an aim to encourage curiosity, offering experimental and open-minded artists an extraordinary framework to inspire creativity both within the sciences and the humanities. COLLIDE International … [Read more…] about COLLIDE International Award: Opportunity for Artists Worldwide!

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Deadline: 6 May 2016 The Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS) is accepting applications from all regions of Africa for its 2016 Annual Youth Dialogue on Elections and Governance to be held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on the 3rd and 4th of August 2016. The MINDS Youth Dialogue is an … [Read more…] about MINDS Call for Applications: 2016 Annual Youth Dialogue on Elections and Governance

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Deadline: 14 May 2016 Are you ready to implement a plan to save the lives of children under age five? If yes, then apply for the Children’s Prize 2016. The Children’s Prize Foundation is currently accepting applications from individuals, teams and organizations from around the globe to submit … [Read more…] about Apply for Children’s Prize 2016: A Chance to Win $250,000 USD!

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Deadline: 30 April 2016 The Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) is seeking applications for its 8th Call for Proposals to support of commodity development activities in eligible countries. The CFC seeks to support business activities in the field of commodity development, including agriculture, … [Read more…] about Common Fund for Commodities: 8th Call for Proposals to support Business Activities

Deadline: 09-Jan-2025

The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) announces a Request for Proposals from interested organizations for programs that support Internet Freedom.

Goals

• Anticipate and prevent digital repression online.
• Lessen the impact of digital repression online when it occurs.
• Provide support and remedy for those who suffer from digital repression online.
• Ensure accountability for those who enact and enable digital repression online

Themes

• Funding Theme 1: Directly Circumvent or Defeat Internet Censorship (Technology)
  • Goal(s): Develop, improve, and implement technologies to support uncensored and secure access to the global Internet.
  • Current Area(s) of Interest include, but are not limited to:
    • Technologies that counter advanced surveillance, censorship, filtering, or blocking of websites or online services.
    • Technologies that counter internet shutdowns and/or degradation of access.
    • Anti-censorship technologies that use machine learning to automatically bypass new blocking methods.
• Funding Theme 2: Prevent and Remedy Online Attacks (Digital Security)
  • Goal(s): Conduct programs that enable at-risk, vulnerable, and marginalized populations, or those who protect them, to prepare for, prevent, identify, investigate, and/or obtain remedy for repressive digital attacks; or other types of repression (including online surveillance and censorship) designed to prevent these populations from exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms online.
  • Current Area(s) of Interest include, but are not limited to:
    • Projects that address the repressive use of spyware, especially when used against civil society, human rights defenders, or independent media.
    • Protecting human rights defenders, independent media and civil society from Denial of service (DoS) attacks, impacting their fundamental freedoms including freedom of expression.
    • Promoting accountability and remedy available for victims of digital repression.
    • Combating Transnational Repression (TNR) conducted by digital means (such as by the tactics).
    • Developing effective methods for mitigating the impacts of artificial intelligence-enabled human rights abuses, including online abuse and harassment (without curtailing freedom of expression)
• Funding Theme 3: Advocate Against Repressive Internet Laws, Policies, and Regulations (Advocacy)
  • Goal(s): Conducting or enabling policy advocacy to counter laws, judicial actions, regulations, standards, company policies, and protocols that restrict human rights and fundamental freedoms online; enabling the goals of the Digital Safety or Technology funding themes; and/or otherwise promote and expand Internet freedom.
  • Current Area(s) of Interest include, but are not limited to:
    • Combatting Internet shutdowns, including degradation of access.
    • Countering attempts to splinter the Internet.
    • Ensuring technology governance or regulation policies or legal measures do not restrict human rights and fundamental freedoms online.
    • Increasing the accountability and remedy available for victims of digital repression, including Transnational Repression (TNR).
    • Advocating in multilateral and international standard-setting bodies for Internet governance policy protective of human rights online and/or against policy promoting or enabling violations of those rights.
    • Preventing and ensuring accountability for perpetrators of digital repression and rights abusing online data-collection practices, especially those that leverage artificial intelligence or machine-learning technology.
    • Combatting and preventing threats of online repression enabled by artificial intelligence, such as the deployment of network censorship and surveillance systems that leverage artificial intelligence or machine-learning technology.
    • Advocating against the integration of rights-abusing applications of machine learning or artificial intelligence in internet technical standards.
• Funding Theme 4: Research and Document Key Threats to Internet Freedom (Research) 
  • Goal(s): Research efforts to inform and benefit Internet freedom globally as outlined in the Goal(s) of the above Funding Themes, or to otherwise better understand and counter threats to Internet freedom.
  • Current Area(s) of Interest include, but are not limited to:
    • The repressive misuse of spyware, especially for surveillance, censorship, or repression of civil society, human rights defenders, or independent media.
    • Internet shutdowns, degradation of access, and splintering of the Internet.
    • Laws, regulations, policies, practices, and protocols that restrict Internet freedom, including those related to artificial intelligence.
    • Methods for mitigating the impacts of online abuse and harassment without curtailing freedom of expression.
    • Denial of service (DoS) attacks targeting human rights defenders, independent media and civil society, impacting freedom of expression.
    • Accountability and remedy for victims of digital repression, including Transnational Repression (TNR).

Funding Information

• Award Ceiling: $3,000,000
• Award Floor:   $500,000

Eligibility Criteria

• Organizations submitting SOIs must meet the following criteria:
  • Be a U.S.- or foreign-based non-profit/non-governmental organization (NGO), or a public international organization; or
  • Be a private, public, or state institution of higher education; or
  • Have existing, or the capacity to develop, active partnerships with thematic or in country partners, entities, and relevant stakeholders including private sector partner and NGOs.
• To be eligible, Technology programs must:
  • Be based on existing and proven open-source technologies, which have matured to the point where they can be responsibly used in relevant repressive, fragile, or conflict affected environments and with identified at-risk, marginalized, or vulnerable populations.
  • Serve a clear human rights use case in their application.
  • Demonstrate a clear understanding of adversarial efforts that may impact the use of a proposed technology, and provide a strategy for addressing them.
• To be eligible, Digital Security programs must:
  • Have a clear focus on protecting human rights online.
  • Demonstrate a clear understanding of adversarial efforts and a strategy for addressing them.
  • Address acute repressive threats faced by the populations served.
  • Exhibit a clear understanding of the operational risks of operating in local contexts.
  • Clearly demonstrate strong internal capacity and deep expertise in risk management and operational security, with a history of successful implementation of similar programs in high-risk environments.
• To be eligible, advocacy programs must:
  • Clearly identify and articulate a specific Internet freedom policy focus area for advocacy.
  • Demonstrate a clear advocacy strategy, clearly enumerating activities, and setting concrete goals and measurable outcomes for policy change, to the greatest extent possible.
  • Articulate a clear understanding of the local policy advocacy context.
  • Exhibit a clear understanding of the operational risks for operating in local contexts.
• To be eligible, Research programs must:
  • Exhibit a clear understanding of the operational risks for operating in local contexts.
  • Show that they are complementary to, and not duplicative of, existing research.
  • Be transparent in their research methodologies to allow verification, peer review, and further research by others.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.

Deadline: 8-Nov-24

Are you a scientist at an academic institution focused on addressing the critical climate challenge of methane? EQT Foundation is seeking research projects with innovative solutions aimed at reducing global methane emissions.

They are currently seeking research proposals that can deliver impactful solutions to reduce methane emissions in areas like agriculture, industrial manufacturing, waste management, and others. Whether your project involves developing better agricultural practices, improving methane capture technologies, or reducing emissions from fossil fuel systems, they want to support your work.

Funding Information

• Grant range: €25,000 to €100,000

Eligibility Criteria

• The Breakthrough Science program welcomes applications from researchers at all levels, from PhD students to professors, affiliated with academic or non-profit research institutions.
• Geographic Region: Worldwide.

For more information, visit EQT Foundation.

Deadline: 21-Nov-24

The Water Research Foundation is now accepting applications for its Regeneration or Disposal of PFAS-Laden Drinking Water Residuals, Media, and Waste Project.

Objectives

• This project will inform utility decisions when selecting PFAS waste handling options by exploring the benefits and limitations of the following:
  • Availability and efficacy of media reactivation regeneration methods
  • Options for depleted media disposal
  • Reduction of solid and liquid waste volume and potential for further pre-disposal treatment
  • Leaching and fate of PFAS-laden wastes in municipal waste sites

Research Approach

• This RFP is intentionally flexible in the research approach to encourage creativity and originality from proposers. Proposers should describe how they will conduct the research to meet the above objectives. The following key aspects are included as a starting point.
  • Survey
    • Utility survey of current or planned regeneration and disposal practices for granular activated carbon (GAC), single-use and regenerable ion exchange (IX) resins, membrane reject, and solids containing powder activated carbon (PAC). This survey may identify the primary technologies for the investigation and discussion of regeneration and disposal options.
  • Regeneration
    • Validation of effectiveness of various regeneration/reactivation methods in removing organo-fluorine species (PFOA/PFOS and beyond)
    • Availability of regional or state facilities and benefits of offsite vs. onsite vs. in-situ
    • Potential for regeneration of ion exchange resins, and brine or regenerant solution management, disposal, and fate of separated PFAS
    • Fate of PFAS during onsite regeneration of MIEX-like technologies
    • Impacts of waste characteristics (volume, concentration, PFAS type) on regeneration
    • Conditions likely to impact the cost of regeneration/reactivation
    • Technical and economic feasibility for emerging methods for in-situ reactivation of GAC or regeneration of IX media
  • Disposal
    • Summary of available disposal options and their costs
    • Laboratory investigation to determine extent of leaching and behavior/fate of sedimentation or other water treatment plant sludges and spent media in landfills through bench-scale TCLP, WET, and other appropriate testing from various working sites under prescribed test conditions
    • Potential utility liability and impacts of disposal in municipal and hazardous waste landfills

Funding Information

• The maximum funding available from WRF for this project is $300,000. The applicant must contribute additional resources equivalent to at least 33% of the project award. For example, if an applicant requests $100,000 from WRF, an additional $33,000 or more must be contributed by the applicant. Acceptable forms of applicant contribution include cost share, applicant inkind, or third-party in-kind that comply with 2 CFR Part 200.306 cost sharing or matching. The applicant may elect to contribute more than 33% to the project, but the maximum WRF funding available remains fixed at $300,000.
• The anticipated period of performance for this project is 24 months from the contract start date.

Expected Deliverables

• Guidance on selecting regeneration methods and waste handling options, including discussion of available regeneration options, their cost, effectiveness, and availability, and a utility survey of current and planned regeneration and disposal practices.

Eligibility Criteria

• Proposals will be accepted from both U.S.-based and non-U.S.-based entities, including educational institutions, research organizations, governmental agencies, and consultants or other for-profit entities.
• WRF’s Board of Directors has established a Timeliness Policy that addresses researcher adherence to the project schedule. Researchers who are late on any ongoing WRF-sponsored studies without approved no-cost extensions are not eligible to be named participants in any proposals.

Evaluation Criteria

• The following criteria will be used to evaluate proposals:
  • Understanding the Problem and Responsiveness to RFP (maximum 20 points)
  • Technical and Scientific Merit (maximum 30 points)
  • Qualifications, Capabilities, and Management (maximum 15 points)
  • Communication Plan, Deliverables, and Applicability (maximum 20 points)
  • Budget and Schedule (maximum 15 points)

For more information, visit WRF.

Deadline: 21-Nov-24

The Water Research Foundation is seeking applications for its project called Identification and Valuation of Innovative Wastewater Residual Products Beyond Conventional Biosolids.

Objectives

• Identify various end products that can be generated from residuals or biosolids, focusing on emerging and non-conventional products—beyond cake and dried material that stem from technologies or processes that have been demonstrated at full-scale in trial or recent permanent installations.
• Create tools for utilities to assess the costs and benefits and business case considerations of end products that help inform decision-making, including (1) quantification of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from various uses of these products, (2) identification of potential markets for end products, (3) identification of obstacles for product entry into specific potential markets, and (4) prospective valuation of end products.

Research Approach

• This RFP is intentionally flexible in the research approach and choice of analytical methods to account for the fact that many of these emerging technologies are not thoroughly documented in published literature. Researchers may use a wide variety of research techniques including literature review, site visits and interviews at existing demonstration sites or installations, discussions with regulators and impartial industry experts, etc. Researchers should propose methods for analyzing the costs and benefits that they believe will best serve the WRF community within the constraints of the budget.
• A successful proposal will examine innovative biosolids management technologies with a focus on the value of the end products in comparison to their costs, and evaluate mechanisms by which new and emerging end products could be utilized by utilities. At minimum, technologies and products should be demonstrated at the full-scale level (permanent or trial), but this can include installations outside the U.S. or applied to other wastes sludges. The proposal should clearly define additional criteria which will be used for selection of eligible end products included in the analysis (for example, a minimum technology readiness level, number of years in operation, etc.).
  • Technologies and end products assessed could include:
    • Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) and associated oils for energy production
    • Hydrothermal carbonization and associated hydrochar production
    • Gasification (including hydrothermal gasification) and associated syngas, ash, and biochar products
    • Pyrolysis and associated oil, syngas and biochar products
    • Supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) and associated heat and phosphorus products End products from technologies not mentioned above may also be considered at the discretion of the research proposal team.
• The end product evaluation should result in a detailed characterization of the respective products or by-products, including but not limited to solids, liquids, or gaseous products (e.g. syngas, biochar, py-liquid, biofuel, minerals, etc.)
• The project should also develop one or more tools to help utilities fully understand the costs and benefits associated with the end products, which will assist in selection of the most suitable technology for their needs. The design of these tools is also flexible. The key requirements are:
  • Usability by utilities across the WRF subscriber base, which encompass a broad range of:
    • Sizes, from very small (50,000 gallons per day) to very large (500 million gallons per day) installations
    • Existing solids processing and handling equipment (e.g., digestion, dewatering, storage, loadout)
    • Geography and climate (taking into account variables such as energy costs, proximity from potential product end-users, local costs and availability of traditional biosolids management techniques, and local state regulations such as prohibitions on land application or prohibitions on PFAS)
  • Helping utilities holistically assess and compare the identified end products based on at least the following criteria:
    • Quantification of GHG emissions from various uses of the end products
    • Identification of potential markets for end products or steps toward developing such markets
    • Identification of obstacles for product entry into specific potential markets
    • Development of a value proposition for the end products

Funding Information

• The maximum funding available from WRF for this project is $180,000. The applicant must contribute additional resources equivalent to at least 33% of the project award. For example, if an applicant requests $100,000 from WRF, an additional $33,000 or more must be contributed by the applicant. Acceptable forms of applicant contribution include cost share, applicant inkind, or third-party in-kind that comply with 2 CFR Part 200.306 cost sharing or matching. The applicant may elect to contribute more than 33% to the project, but the maximum WRF funding available remains fixed at $180,000.
• The anticipated period of performance for this project is 18 months from the contract start date.

Expected Deliverables

• Research report
• One or more tools guides for utility users
• One or more conference presentations
• One or more webcasts

Eligibility Criteria

• Proposals will be accepted from both U.S.-based and non-U.S.-based entities, including educational institutions, research organizations, governmental agencies, and consultants or other for-profit entities.
• WRF’s Board of Directors has established a Timeliness Policy that addresses researcher adherence to the project schedule. Researchers who are late on any ongoing WRF-sponsored studies without approved no-cost extensions are not eligible to be named participants in any proposals.

Evaluation Criteria

• The following criteria will be used to evaluate proposals:
  • Understanding the Problem and Responsiveness to RFP (maximum 20 points)
  • Technical and Scientific Merit (maximum 30 points)
  • Qualifications, Capabilities, and Management (maximum 15 points)
  • Communication Plan, Deliverables, and Applicability (maximum 20 points)
  • Budget and Schedule (maximum 15 points)

For more information, visit WRF.

Deadline: 21-Nov-24

The Water Research Foundation is seeking applications for its new project called Next-Generation Analytical Methods for Understanding Biological Nutrient Removal Processes.

Objectives

• Using a combination of literature review, utility surveys case studies, and lab study, investigate how wastewater monitoring using next-generation analytical methods (i.e., amplicon sequencing, genomics, transcriptomic, proteomics, and metabolomics) can be applied for understanding, optimization, troubleshooting, and control of biological nutrient removal (BNR) processes.
• Identify case studies of successful application of microbial population monitoring for wastewater treatment processes using next-generation methods, with remediation strategies and lessons learned.
• Develop an up-to-date guidance document for use by treatment plant process control and operations staff to implement next-generation analytical methods.
• Identify high-priority research gaps that impede robust and consistent application of next generation analytical methods for understanding and monitoring BNR processes.

Research Approach

• The following approach is intended as a suggested starting point:
  • Conduct a literature review (building on findings from WRF 4961, 4878, and 4827a [Garner et al. 2023, Park and Chandran 2018, Hoar et al. 2019]) that synthesizes currently available methods and findings relevant to BNR processes at wastewater treatment facilities, including their technology readiness level.
  • Conduct an industry/treatment plant survey. The information collected from the survey should be useful for identifying challenges related to BNR process control and meeting nutrient discharge limits that could be addressed with next-generation tools, and for understanding the degree of readiness/willingness of utilities to adopt next-generation tools. The survey should include both facilities that have attempted to utilize next generation methodologies to inform process operation or troubleshooting and those that have not. The survey should focus on treatment plants with BNR processes and should include plants with a variety of operating conditions such as:
    • Size: from small (< 1 MGD) to large (> 10 MGD) plants
    • Operating temperature: cold (40 – 60o F) to hot weather (80 – 100o F)
    • Various types of BNR processes and configurations (e.g., activated sludge, membrane bioreactor, granular activated sludge, etc.)
  • Develop criteria to evaluate currently available tools. Identify tools with high potential for of full-scale application and widespread adoption.
  • Based on findings from the above project components, design and perform experiments (bench scale and/or in-situ) to evaluate the selected tools using wastewater samples from treatment plants with various operating conditions. The experimental timeline would ideally extend over 1+ years and over multiple treatment plants and results should inform the research questions listed below.
  • Perform data analysis and integration. This effort would include the potential to integrate data with process modifications/control and/or with mathematical process modeling.
  • Provide a cost matrix for adoption of a routine monitoring program that uses NeXT generation tools (both for building and operating an in-house lab or consistent use of third parties), including comparisons to alternative (conventional) methods. This will help utilities with their business case approval to establish regular monitoring with next-generation technologies.
  • Develop a guidance document and identify key remaining research gaps/needs. This document should help utilities assess whether these tools would be helpful for their needs, understand the limitations of the tools, determine what should be considered when setting up a sampling and analytical plan, and understand how to interpret the data. This document should provide recommendations for:
    • Simple process control parameters like sludge volume index (SVI), dissolved oxygen (DO), solids retention time (SRT), mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS), oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), oxygen uptake rate (OUR), and influent food to microorganism ratio (F/M)
    • Optimal sampling locations, sample frequency and sample storage requirements
    • Data analysis
    • Control charting
    • Monitoring microbial community changes and succession during seeding/inoculation, routine operation, and as an early warning system for process inhibition or foaming and bulking

Funding Information

• The maximum funding available from WRF for this project is $250,000. The applicant must contribute additional resources equivalent to at least 33% of the project award. For example, if an applicant requests $100,000 from WRF, an additional $33,000 or more must be contributed by the applicant. Acceptable forms of applicant contribution include cost share, applicant in-kind, or third-party in-kind that comply with 2 CFR Part 200.306 cost sharing or matching. The applicant may elect to contribute more than 33% to the project, but the maximum WRF funding available remains fixed at $250,000.
• The anticipated period of performance for this project is 24-30 months from the contract start date.

Expected Deliverables

• Final Research Report and presentation
• Guidance document for utilities seeking to adopt next-generation methods for monitoring BNR processes, including a cost matrix
• A fact sheet for utilities considering the use of next-generation methods outlining options and associated resource needs in terms of sampling type and frequency, equipment, staffing, software, communication to operations, and limitations.
• Case studies of successful applications of microbial population monitoring or other innovative, emerging analytical methods for BNR process understanding, design, modeling, monitoring, control, or optimization/troubleshooting

Eligibility Criteria

• Proposals will be accepted from both U.S.-based and non-U.S.-based entities, including educational institutions, research organizations, governmental agencies, and consultants or other for-profit entities.
• WRF’s Board of Directors has established a Timeliness Policy that addresses researcher adherence to the project schedule. Researchers who are late on any ongoing WRF-sponsored studies without approved no-cost extensions are not eligible to be named participants in any proposals.

For more information, visit WRF.

Deadline: 21-Nov-24

The Water Research Foundation is requesting proposals for its Smart and Connected Energy Management Program.

Objectives

• Develop a comprehensive understanding of the current state of smart and connected energy management in water and wastewater utilities.
• Recommend tools and guidance for implementing smart water networks to reduce waste and improve overall energy efficiency.

Research Approach

• The proposed research approach would involve the following:
  • Conduct a detailed literature review to identify best practices and gaps in this subject
  • Survey utilities of different sizes and water wastewater treatment types to collect information, best practices, and challenges related to implementing smart energy programs
  • Identify process and component energy wastes or excesses within water and wastewater operations and distributions that would be informed by smart water networks by in-depth case studies, network analysis, or other approaches
  • Develop a guidance manual of best practices for implementing smart water utility network technology and analysis approaches. Guidance manual should include:
    • Recommendations on what components should or should not be included based on size and or frequency of use
    • How to establish a baseline for quantifying the effectiveness of smart and connected energy management initiatives.

Funding Information

• The maximum funding available from WRF for this project is $150,000. The applicant must contribute additional resources equivalent to at least 33% of the project award. For example, if an applicant requests $100,000 from WRF, an additional $33,000 or more must be contributed by the applicant. Acceptable forms of applicant contribution include cost share, applicant in-kind, or third-party in-kind that comply with 2 CFR Part 200.306 cost sharing or matching. The applicant may elect to contribute more than 33% to the project, but the maximum WRF funding available remains fixed at $150,000.
• The anticipated period of performance for this project is 18 months from the contract start date.

Expected Deliverables

• Possible deliverables could include:
  • Literature review synthesis document
  • Summary of survey results
  • Final research report
  • Utility-facing guidance document, including recommendations on equipment inclusion and guidance for establishing baseline energy usage
  • Webcasts and conference presentations
  • Open access journal article

Eligibility Criteria

• Proposals will be accepted from both U.S.-based and non-U.S.-based entities, including educational institutions, research organizations, governmental agencies, and consultants or other for-profit entities.
• WRF’s Board of Directors has established a Timeliness Policy that addresses researcher adherence to the project schedule. Researchers who are late on any ongoing WRF-sponsored studies without approved no-cost extensions are not eligible to be named participants in any proposals

Evaluation Criteria

• The following criteria will be used to evaluate proposals:
  • Understanding the Problem and Responsiveness to RFP (maximum 20 points)
  • Technical and Scientific Merit (maximum 30 points)
  • Qualifications, Capabilities, and Management (maximum 15 points)
  • Communication Plan, Deliverables, and Applicability (maximum 20 points)
  • Budget and Schedule (maximum 15 points)

For more information, visit WRF.