Founded in 1950 by aviation leader James S. McDonnell, the James S. McDonnell Foundation works to advance quality of life in the United States through support for scientific and educational research with the potential to impact generations to come.

To that end, the foundation has issued an RFP for pre-proposals for its Teachers as Leaners (TAL) Program, which is aimed at understanding critical factors in the way teachers process and evaluate information, as well as those that drive changes in teacher attitudes, skills, and behaviors. Through the program, grants of up to $2.5 million will be awarded to research projects focused on teacher perception toward, as well as facilitation of, communication within the classroom. Examples include teachers’ use of classroom questions, capacity to guide collaborative discussions, and ability to elicit student explanations. Digital, verbal, written, and gestural modes of communication will be considered.

Awards can be applied to faculty salaries, postdoctoral or teacher support, research staff, travel expenses, the purchase of equipment, and publication fees.

Although projects may involve interdisciplinary teams, they must be led by a qualified tax-exempt organization with 501(c)(3) status (or foreign equivalent), or a domestic entity that operates as an instrument of the government.

Pre-proposals must be received no later than May 8, 2019. Upon review, selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal by August 14, 2019.

See the James S. McDonnell Foundation website for complete program guidelines, application instructions, and a list of projects funded through the program in 2018.

Deadline: May 8, 2019 (Pre-proposal)

https://www.jsmf.org/apply/teachers-as-learners/

The James S. McDonnell Foundation is accepting applications for its 2016 Complex Systems Scholar Award.

The JSMF Scholar Awards program supports high-quality research and scholarship leading to the generation of new knowledge and its responsible application, with an emphasis on furthering the science of complex systems through the continued development of the theory and tools used in the study of complex research questions (as opposed to particular fields of research per se). Priority will be given to projects that attempt to apply complex systems approaches to coherently articulated questions.

Largely unrestricted grants of up to $450,000 over four to six years will be awarded to allow investigators from anywhere in the world to pursue and develop new directions to their research programs.

To be eligible, principal investigators must have completed all doctoral, postdoctoral, or fellowship training and hold an independent research position. James S. McDonnell Scholar Awards are not intended to serve as a career development award; rather, the intent is to allow creative researchers to pursue important research.

It is anticipated that successful Scholar-Award applications will have principal investigators who are between five and fifteen years post Ph.D. In addition, applicants must be sponsored by a qualifying institution as defined by Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Tax Code. Institutions outside the United States should read carefully the additional information on tax requirements.

See the JSMF website for complete program guidelines and application instructions.

DEADLINE: MARCH 18, 2016

https://www.jsmf.org/apply/scholar-cs/