Projects for Peace

Fall 2020 Semester: Contact organizations, learn, conceptualize your project. Work on a proposal. In person advising available.

January 15, 2021: Proposals due! Check on BCLS website for final submission instructions in November

January 22, 2021: Finalists are notified

January 29, 2021: Finalists presentation and Q+A with judges (20 minute appointment between 9am-12pm)

Late May 2021: Funding dispersed

Summer 2021: Project implementation

Late August 2021: Final report due to BCLS

• Title page: Include title/subtitle of proposal, country where project will take place, an image that relates to the proposal, and all names of UF students on the project.
• Proposal narrative: What? Where? Why? Provide the overall purpose of your proposal. Discuss topics such as describing the issue, why there is a need for a call to action, how you and your team plan to collaborate with partners and communities to enact this positive change and other topics that will help distinguish your proposal.
• Budget narrative: Identify expected budget costs and additional funding. Support your budget by providing contextual information that justifies utilizing your funds for expenses (travel, accommodation, project supplies, equipment, food, visas, transportation, etc.).
• Letters of support: Short letters of support from community organizations, UF faculty, or student groups that have collaborated with you on this project. The letters should outline what their input has been and how they plan to be involved in the project going forward. There is no set amount of letters, but between 1-3 is preferable to submit and upload as a PDF.

Judging will take place in two phases.

Phase 1: Proposal Submission: All proposals will be judged on the following:

• Clear and thought out proposal: Does the student show clear objectives, activities, and articulate a problem in the local Gainesville community? Have they anticipated project challenges?
• Feasibility of the project/meets a need: Will the project contribute to meaningful change on their topic? Will the project be able to be carried out in the allotted amount of time and do they have plans for sustainability?
• Wise use of funds Will the $10,000 be spent on materials that can support project activities and benefit the community directly? Some funds can be spent on travel and accommodation, but it should not be the bulk of the budget. Students are encouraged to include a budget justification narrative to explain costs.
• Community Involvement: Is there an effort to involve the local community in project planning and implementation? How do students engage with other stakeholders to create an inclusive project?

Phase 2: Presentation
The finalists will deliver a short presentation of their project for the judges (2/3 slides) and answer questions about their application. This is a time for applicants to show their knowledge of the project/issue and demonstrate that they have thought of possible challenges. The judges will make their final decision after presentation day.

For each funded project, the responsible student(s) must prepare and submit a final report to the Brown Center for Leadership & Service once the project has been executed. The final report is to be limited to two pages of narrative with an accounting of the funds expended and one page of digital photographs of the project.

Final narratives should include:

• a brief restatement of the project’s purpose/plans
• actual work completed, outcomes/achievements/ failures
• long-term prospects of the initiative

Final reports may be posted on the program’s website. A complete set of reports will be compiled for the Davis Foundation and the Davis family as a way of thanking Mrs. Davis for her faith and investment in young and motivated peacemakers.

• Students may have a member of the Brown Center for Leadership & Service staff provide feedback on preliminary draft during the period.
• Students are also encouraged to seek feedback about their proposal from experienced professionals
• Any alternates selected will be finally agreed to in late March.
• Funding will be dispersed in May.
• Projects are to be completed during the summer session following reciept of the grant.
• Final reports are due to the Brown Center for Leadership & Service by late August.
  

Undergraduate students who plan to enroll in courses in fall of the summer after the project will be completed are eligible. Groups of students from the same campus, as well as individual students, may submit proposals.Project for Peace recipients will receive $10,000. However, projects in need of or with larger budgets as well as those that currently being co-funded from other sources (such as other philanthropists, a college or university, foundation, NGO/PVO or students’ own funding) are welcome to submit proposals.Funding Disbursement Policy
If selected as the Projects for Peace winner, the disbursement of the grant will be done through vendor disbursement. This means that either one member of the project team or the project team’s organization will need to become a vendor of the University of Florida. If selected, the BCLS staff will provide guidance on this process. At this time, this is the only option for fund disbursement.**It is important to note: becoming a vendor of the university means that you will be taking on the grant as additional income. It is your team’s responsibility to identify what financial implications this has for you specifically. Please be sure to research any and all outcomes of becoming a vendor and receiving a $10,000 grant.