Types of Proposals

The following are intended to be guidelines for requests for IAS support. IAS funding decisions are guided ultimately by our charter to promote scientific education and basic research as well as some restrictions on how funds can be spent. If you have ideas that fall outside these guidelines, feel free to discuss them with us.

Proposal Development and Matching Funds. The IAS places a high priority on activities that have a program development component. IAS will pay for travel and fees related to workshops and colloborative activities that support proposal writing. IAS will provide in-kind administrative support for large (10M+) proposals. In addition, the IAS provides matching funds contingent upon the award of a grant to a partner institution. These matching awards typically fall into the categories outlined below - student programs, workshops, and travel for collaboration. The IAS does not typically support staff time for proposal writing.

Educational Activities. The IAS supports a wide variety of educational activities. These include internships, summer schools, distance learning and teaching sabbaticals. For internships and summer programs, we will typically pay student stipends. For summer programs, we may also provide in-kind support for the venue and administration. We may also support staff time for mentors and visiting faculty; however, IAS support for a summer programs is typically ~$50K and never more than $100K.

IAS provides infrastructure for distance learning through our partner institutions. We support faculty and staff time for teaching a class; however, we never support more than 10% of a staff member's time (on an annual basis) per course. We also provide in-kind support for administration, coordination with institutions, and academic arrangements through our partner institutions.

Workshops, Conferences and Speakers. The IAS funds workshops, conferences and speakers that promote collaboration and program development in our thrust areas. Funding for these activities is typically for travel, administration and the cost of the venue. The IAS may also provide in-kind administrative support. We generally don't cover staff time, however, we will consider paying speaker fees in unusual cases.