Activity and Youth Education Grants
The OSA provides grant funding for OSA Student Chapters and Local Sections in two categories: 1) Professional Development & Special Events and 2) Youth Education. The table below describes the grant categories and funding amounts; all Chapters and Sections are encouraged to apply annually. Activity Grants support professional development efforts that help students build technical skills and their network of colleagues around the world. Youth Education Grants fund programs that enable Chapters and Sections to promote science learning by working directly with grade school students. To view examples of programs that have received funding, see past issues of the Focal Point newsletter.
Please note: Chapters and Sections may receive a maximum of $1,500 in funding per year for Professional Development and Activity Grants and a maximum of $1,000 in funding per year in Youth Education Grants.
NEW in April 2012:
OSA is thrilled to introduce a new grant submission system, which allows Student Chapters and Local Sections to save your applications, check your application status and submit activity reports, all in one place! Please contact chaptersandsections@osa.org if your Chapter/Section has not received a login.
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Grant Categories
The following describes the grant categories along with examples of the programs they support. Maximum funding amounts are noted.
Categories
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Descriptions and/or Examples of Activities...
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Funding Levels
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Professional Development and Activity Grants
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Chapter/Section Promotion or Recruitment Event
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Events held to promote your chapter/section and recruit new members
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Up to $300
Eligibility: one per year per chapter/section
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Joint Activity
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Events held in cooperation with other chapters, sections, societies, etc.
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$250
Eligibility: one per year per chapter/section
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Professional Development
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Technical sessions, lectures, networking and other events to further your careers and/or scientific knowledge
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Up to $750
Eligibility: two per year per chapter/section
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Competition/
Award
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Technical paper or poster contests, award submissions, etc.
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$500
Eligibility: one per year per chapter/section
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Social Function
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Networking receptions, pizza parties, happy hours
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$100 for chapters/sections with <15 members
$200 for chapters/sections with 15+ members
Eligibility: one per year per chapter/section
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Youth Education Grants
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Optics Suitcase
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Receive the Optics Suitcase for demonstrations at local schools.
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$400
Eligibility: one per year per chapter/section
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Youth Education
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Youth education events including classroom demonstrations, science fairs, etc.
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$500
Eligibility: two per year per chapter/section
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Eligibility
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Chapter/Sections must be in good standing, with an Annual Report completed by the most recent May 31 deadline.
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All previous program reports must be filed for all completed Activity and/or Youth Education grants funded.
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Application Deadlines
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Deadline
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Program Terms
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Notification
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Fall Review
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30 October
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January – June of the following year
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November/December
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Spring Review |
30 April |
July – December of the current year |
May/June |
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Reporting Requirements
A program report is due 30 days after the funded activity/program takes place. Reports for completed programs must be submitted to be eligible for future funding. Please note all of the reports must be completed by logging into the OSA Grants Database. Please contact chaptersandsections@osa.org if your Chapter/Section has not received a login. To submit reports for grants received prior to April 15, 2012 please use the following link: http://www.osa.org/Forms/LocalSectionGrantProgress.aspx
Note: Social Function Grants do not require program reports.
Please note - Grants are in high demand and not all requests can be accepted. To increase your chances of acceptance, it is important to provide a clear and detailed application that emphasizes the goals and objectives of your program and distinguishes it from other applications. Applications are scored on several factors, including:
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Does the application effectively describe the project goals?
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Do the goals meet the project's objectives?
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Are the goals achievable based on project budget, resources and timing?
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Is the budget realistic?
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Is the scope of the program realistic?
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Does the application effectively describe measureable outcomes?
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New Application Process
We are thrilled to introduce our new grant submission system, which will allow you to save your applications, check your application status, and submit activity reports, all in one place! To begin the Core Grant Application Process, please click here: OSA Grants Database.
Your login credentials were emailed to you. If you have not received log-in information please contact us at chaptersandsections@osa.org. PLEASE do not create a new organizational profile.
Registration Page:
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Enter your USER ID, as indicated in this email, in the login field
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Enter your PASSWORD, as indicated in this email, in the password field
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Press the “Log On” button to enter the Grant Management Database.
To check the status of your applications:
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Click on the "Status" button on the left
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Select the application you wish to view the status for
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Fill out any necessary follow up forms as needed
To apply for additional grants during this Grant cycle:
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Click on the "Apply" button on the left
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Select the grant you would like to apply for
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Click on the Grant Title
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Fill out all of the questions
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Click Submit
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You may submit as many applications as you like.
The Application Status Page allows you to view or print submitted applications only. If you saved the form, then you can EDIT the saved form from the Application Status Page.
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