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The Arc of
Washington Trust Fund
GRANTS FOR RESEARCHERS
Trust
Fund Application Guidelines
The Arc of Washington
Trust Fund was established in 1950 to
provide funds for research into mental
retardation and closely related conditions,
such as autism. Over the lifetime of the
Trust, grants of more than $900,000 have
been made. The purpose of the Arc Trust is
to promote research on the causes,
prevention, and treatment of mental
retardation and its personal, social, and
legal consequences.
Applicants are encouraged
to review National Goals & Research for
People with Intellectual and Developmental
Disabilities, edited by K Charlie Lakin and
Ann Turnbull, and published jointly by The
Arc of the United States and the American
Association on Mental Retardation in 2005.
The cost of the underlying conference was
partially underwritten by The Arc of
Washington Research Trust Fund. The book
describes many of the lines of research that
national leaders in the field have suggested
should have high priority.
Because the Arc Trust is
small compared to public funding sources,
grants normally serve as seed money for
other research. Most successful applicants
have been affiliated with research
universities and have addressed educational,
medical, or psychological issues, but the
Arc welcomes innovative proposals from any
applicant on any topic related to its
purposes. Grantees must live or work in
Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska or British
Columbia.
The Application Process
The application process is
in two stages: a letter of intent and a
grant proposal.
1. Letter of inquiry.
Letters of intent may be submitted at any
time. Letters should be submitted to:
The Arc
of Washington Trust Fund
c/o Larry A. Jones, President
2118 8th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121
Please also email a
copy of the letter of inquiry to
lawjones@oz.net.
Applicants are invited to
send a brief letter to the Trust explaining
the nature of the planned proposal and how
it relates to the Trust's purposes with an
estimate of the amount of support required.
If the research meets the Trust's purposes,
the Trust Board may request a formal grant
proposal.
II. Grant proposal. If a
researcher is invited to submit a full
proposal, ten copies of that proposal must
be received before the board meeting at
which it will be considered. There are
different procedures, depending upon the
requested amount. Applications seeking
amounts over $25,000 are only reviewed on
the second Tuesdays of April and October and
must be received six weeks in advance.
Applications for smaller amount are
considered on the second Tuesdays of
January, April, July, and October and must
be received three weeks in advance.
The ten
copies of the proposals should be submitted
to:
The Arc
of Washington Trust Fund
c/o Larry A. Jones, President
2118 8th Avenue
Seattle WA 98121
The grant proposal should
include the following:
1. Applicant information:
name, profession, degree, title, and
institutional affiliation of applicant or of
persons responsible for the grant if it is
funded.
2. An abstract (500 words
maximum) of the proposal written in
non-technical language.
3. The proposal, including
these sections:
a. Introduction: a statement of the need for
the research.
b. Purpose: a statement of the planned
research, including hypotheses to be tested,
if any, and how the results will contribute
to the welfare of individuals with mental
retardation or related conditions.
c. Research design: the details of goals and
objectives, methods, materials, population,
number of subjects, and procedures for
evaluating the findings. Subsequent research
options and opportunities for continued
funding should be set forth.
d. Available resources and facilities:
identification of major items of equipment,
collaborating personnel, study population,
and other pertinent resources.
e. Capabilities: description of the
applicant's ability to undertake the
project.
4. Curriculum vitae and
bibliographies of all professional persons
involved in the project.
5. Budget, listing
proposed expenditures for personnel,
equipment, supplies, and other specified
costs, and a detailed budget justification.
Contract services, fringe benefits, and
overhead should be identified separately.
Other funding sources that support the
research should be noted. Indirect costs of
institutional overhead should be calculated
at no more than 10% of salaries. The budget
period must be specified. The Arc will
expect cost-sharing with institutions
charging overhead or indirect costs against
grants. Indirect costs are limited to 10% of
personnel costs (salary plus fringe
benefits). The Arc grants are for a single
year. The usual maximum grant to novice
investigators is $10,000, while experienced
researchers may submit grant applications up
to $50,000.
6. Timeline for
significant phases of the project.
7. Required written
assurances:
a. agreement that any written publication of
the results will credit the Arc for its
financial support and that copies of all
such publications will be submitted to the
Arc;
b. indicating institutional commitment to
the proposal, where relevant, including
agreement with the budget and allowable
overhead; and
c. ensuring compliance with the laws
relating to the protection of human subjects
(for proposals involving the study of
humans) and stating how this proposal was
reviewed in terms of protecting human
subjects and how informed consent will be
obtained from research subjects or their
guardians;
Review and Grant
Procedures
Applicants will be asked
to appear at a meeting of the Trust to make
a presentation and discuss their proposal.
Applicants will be quickly advised of the
Trust's decision.
The Trust ordinarily pays
half of the total grant halfway through the
grant period and the remainder at the end of
the project. The principal investigator and
the award recipient are personally
responsible for any expenditure above the
approved budget. Any unexpended or
unencumbered funds at the end of the grant
period must be returned to the Trust.
Acceptance of the grant constitutes
agreement with these terms, for which the
individual or institution will be held
responsible.
Reporting Requirements
In addition to supplying a
copy of any resulting publication, grantees
must submit a final report within 90 days of
the end of project. Publications and the
final report should be mailed to:
The Arc
of Washington Trust Fund
c/o Larry A. Jones, President
2118 8th Avenue
Seattle WA 98121
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