Proposal Guidelines

Proposal Requirements 

We want a concise overview of your idea. Proposals may not exceed two (2) pages and must include the following information:  

1. Proposal title, proposal collaborator(s), key personnel, and partners

Proposals must be led and submitted by a Georgetown University faculty or by a team of Georgetown University faculty and/or staff members. The proposal should identify other key personnel and partners if applicable. External partners can be identified as collaborators. Brief letters of support from each collaborator must be included.

2. Description of the pilot project or activity (limit to 500 words)

The proposal should clearly outline in non-technical terms the objectives of the proposed project or activity, as well as provide specific metrics of its success. The proposal should also clearly articulate how the proposed project or activity aligns with the Earth Commons’ mission and contribute to its impact. Examples of projects and activities we seek to support include preliminary research that represents a new avenue of inquiry for the investigators, as well as other kinds of interdisciplinary projects (exhibition, workshop, conference) that have the potential to compete successfully for outside funding. We also seek to support the building of collaborations to launch joint research or training programs with significant potential to attract external support. 

If your effort will engage students, the proposal should be specific as to their involvement. For instance, you may request support for a talented undergraduate or graduate student to work with you on a project consistent with the goals of the ECo Impact Program. If your effort will benefit from bringing to campus an academic or practitioner from another institution for an extended stay (weeks or months) as a Fellow, the proposal should be specific as to how the visit would enable the pursuit of the proposed collaborative research or educational program.  

3. Description of the broader impact or public significance of the project

Applications must include a statement (250 word max) focused on how the proposed project will provide significant public benefits or develop a new or novel inquiry or collaboration. This should include how the proposal will strengthen or encourage the formation of new knowledge and/or multidisciplinary research networks, at Georgetown and beyond.

4. Prior ECo support

If an applicant has previously received Earth Commons support, please provide the year, title, summary of the results, and a brief description of the long-term impact of the project previously funded by the Earth Commons.

 5. Budget and timeline 

Awards will be available in amounts of up to $20,000 each. Proposals should include an itemized description of the estimated costs of the project or activity. In the event of collaborative projects, be sure to clearly specify the portion of funding that is being specifically requested from the Earth Commons. Include the anticipated start and end dates. The maximum project period for these awards is limited to one year from notice of award. Extensions will not be permitted. 

6. Allowable Expenses

Allowable items include travel, materials and supplies, research assistants, data and data collection, etc. Funding cannot be used to pay faculty salaries or other direct compensation, and current Georgetown faculty, postdoc, and staff salaries will not be supported as part of this program. Requests for undergraduate students and other student trainee/RA project support are welcome

Reporting Requirements

A report (250 words) describing project progress will be due to the Earth Commons within 30 days of the project end date. If possible, any available pictures of project activities should accompany the report with permission to share these to our public audience. The Earth Commons will use these reports to promote projects through our communication channels (social media, magazine, newsletter etc). 

Acknowledgement of ECo Support

We encourage broad promotion of your project activities as we endeavor to reach a wide audience for your work. If awarded, please acknowledge the financial support of the Earth Commons for the project in all public outlets (publications, events, presentations, etc., and social media at @theearthcommons). 

Submission and Review Process 

The 2024 proposal deadline is 11:59 pm on Monday October 14th

Please submit your proposals via email to ecoawards@georgetown.edu. Each proposal should be submitted as a single PDF file containing the proposal, letters of support if applicable, and CVs. Lead PI’s should provide a current CV outlining their scholarly productivity, current research support, and/or other work relevant to the proposal. If you are seeking support for other collaborators, please include all relevant CV’s.

A review committee will determine the final awards. We may request additional information during the review process. The deadline for submission is October 14th 2024.

Proposal checklist

• Project narrative (max two pages) should include the following:
  • Proposal title, proposal collaborator(s), key personnel, and partners
  • Description of the pilot project or activity
  • Description of how the pilot seeds the bigger endeavor
  • Description of student involvement (if applicable)
  • Benefit to project of Fellow involvement (if applicable) 
  • All key personnel and partners, including the full contact information for each collaborator
• Budget and Timeline
• CV for each lead PI, collaborator
• Letters of support from collaborators (if applicable)
• Submitted in single PDF format with proposal and CVs