Grant Focus 2012 Design: Speculate: Postulate: Question: Research: Theorize: Explore

In their submissions, members of the profession are encouraged to push beyond the boundaries of everyday practice.  The Grants Committee jury is open to submissions exploring new design theories, speculations about new landscape interventions, questioning the current norms of practice, and arguing for new areas of research and professional development, as well as submissions seeking to expand the traditional areas of landscape research.

Proposed research may be in the form of designs, articles, papers, and essays.  In all instances the successful proponents are encouraged to promote the wide dissemination of their design-research results in the larger public realm as well as within the profession.

The jury recognizes that the sums awarded by the Foundation are, at best, “seed monies” to instigate further design-research investigation.  Preference will be given to those submissions that look beyond the immediate requirements and results of this award. Members of the profession are encouraged to take this opportunity to push the boundaries of inquiry, take some risks, and to enjoy the beginnings of a longer- term journey!

2012  Funding

For 2012, grants up to $10,000 are available to AAPC/CSLA professionals, educators or others seeking to explore or question an issue or particular interest they believe to be crucial to the profession or to the landscape.

In addition, two grants of $2,000 each are offered to graduate students pursuing their thesis or final project for work whose study focus is in keeping with the mandate of the Foundation.

Applicants may apply for additional funding in subsequent years.

Timeline

Fall 2011 Announcement of 2012 Grants Program.

November 18, 2011 Grant applications due

January  2012 Announce recipients and release of 50% of funds.

Winter/Spring 2012 Announcement of award winners in CSLA Bulletin.

December 18, 2012 Finished product submitted, final funds released.

Eligibility

LACF grant applications will be accepted from landscape architects, students, educators and others.  Members of the LACF Board of Directors, the LACF Grants Committee, its jury and their relatives are not eligible for grants. 

Promotion and Communication of Projects

As a condition of award, all recipients are strongly encouraged to publish, present or appropriately communicate the results of their work to CSLA members, the public or other audiences.  It is understood that grant recipients must allow LACF to use the end-product for purposes of promotion and visibility of LACF and to distribute results of funded projects upon requests from others. As well, successful applicants must agree to suitably acknowledge LACF as project sponsors. 

Submission  Guidelines  for  2012

Applicants are required to provide the following information in their submissions. Applications submitted without satisfying all these requirements will not be considered.

1.    Concise statement of the proposed project, not to exceed 250 words.

1. A description of the project, not to exceed 5 pages, to include statements of:  intent or purpose, methodology, significance of the project, potential usefulness or application of the results, means by which results will be communicated to others, qualifications of proponents to undertake the work and indications of support for the project from communities, users or clients. Include sufficient information to clearly demonstrate how the proposed project meets the evaluation criteria stated below. 
2. A timetable for undertaking and completing the project.
3. A detailed budget indicating how requested funds will be spent.
4. Information on other sources of funding already supporting the project or sources from which additional funding will be sought. Particular attention will be given to this point.
5. A clear statement of the end-product to be produced and how or where publication, presentation or communication of results will be achieved. 
6. A resume of the prime applicant (no more than 5 pages) and project associates and a profile of the team organization, if relevant. 
7. At least one letter of support for the proposed project, preferably from a community group, client or user.
8. Submissions must be sent in one pdf file and receipt confirmed by the Chair of the Grants programme.

10.  Submissions must be received no later than Friday, November 18, 2011.

Send submissions to: fayepaul@mnsi.net

Evaluation by the Grants Jury

The Board of Directors of LACF has established the following evaluation criteria.  Members of the LACF Grants Jury will evaluate the submissions based on these criteria.  The decisions of the jury are final.  The Jury reserves the right not to make any awards. 

1. Projects shall fit within the established philosophical framework, objectives and activities of LACF.
2. Projects shall be capable of being delivered in a form usable by LACF for promotion, visibility and fund-raising purposes. 
3. Projects shall be achievable within the timeline established by the LACF Board.
4. Proponents' qualifications shall indicate capability to undertake the project.
5. Letter(s) from communities, clients, users or other relevant parties shall indicate support for the project.
6. The overall quality of the proposal shall merit funding support.

Property Rights 

All documents submitted are the property of the LACF and will not be returned. The LACF assumes no responsibility towards participants for the loss, disappearance or destruction of documents in their application(s), nor for documents submitted late. 

Design: Speculate: Postulate: Question: Research: Theorize: Explore

“Everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones.“

  Herbert Simon, 1969 in “The Science of Design: Creating the Artificial”

“Professionalism depends on a body of knowledge about what ought to be. This is not just to do with the market; this is not knowledge in the academic sense.  This is about the application of moral obligation in the context of action. Future-seeking knowledge is what the professional bodies of medicine, law and architecture (landscape architecture) are really all about.”

Francis Duffey, 1996 in Mitchell, “New Thinking in Design”