The board of FRIENDS of Vatnajökull Association calls for grants applications

The board of the FRIENDS of Vatnajökull Association awards grants on an annual basis.  The board appoints a selection committee to assess applications.

Applicants will be able to submit their applications online.

The association has drawn up the following list of guidelines for applicants.        Deadline for submitting applications is 30. of September 2011.

 Guidelines for grant applicants

1. What type of activities does the organization support?

The organization supports research, promotional and educational activities aimed at allowing as many people as possible an opportunity to enjoy the nature and history of Vatnajökull National Park.

Priority is given to projects focusing on:

• Increased public awareness of the nature and history of Vatnajökull National Park

• The interaction between the different communities located inside the park

• Increased education and research in Vatnajökull National Park and neighbouring regions

• The relationship between outdoor recreation, culture and Vatnajökull National Park

• The connection that children and teenagers have with nature

• Increased international awareness of the global importance of Vatnajökull National Park and its unique nature

• The promotion of a shared appreciation of the importance of Vatnajökull National Park for the neighboring communities and Iceland as a whole

• Sustainable tourism

2. What is not supported by the organization?

The general operating expenses of institutions, organizations or businesses

• The organization does not pay expenses incurred by students for tuition fees, studying abroad or school trips

3. Who is eligible to apply for a grant?

Individuals, organizations/organizational networks and private and public institutions are eligible to apply for a grant. Applicants may reside in Iceland or abroad.

In cases where multiple parties are involved in a project for which a grant is requested, the project manager shall apply for the grant, not he individual parties involved in the project.

4. Are grants awarded for projects that are conducted on an ongoing basis?

Funding by the Friends of Vatnajökull is mainly reserved for one-time projects, i.e. projects that are not repeated on a regular basis and are not a continuation of a prior project. In the case of repeated projects, including annual events, the Grants Committee will decide whether to award funding on a case-by-case basis.

5. When and how to apply?

Applicants must fill out an electronic application form available on the organization's website. The application shall be accompanied by a detailed description of the project and an explanation of how it meets the goals set by the FRIENDS OF VATNAJÖKULL. Applicants shall furthermore submit a work plan and budget for the project as well as any required permits. Applicants may submit any documents and data they believe will increase the likelihood of their application being accepted. The Grants Committee may request further oral or written explanation of an application.

The Board of Directors of the FRIENDS OF VATNAJÖKULL will publish an advertisement calling for applications in newspapers and on the organization's website. Grants shall generally be awarded once a year. The Board of Directors of the FRIENDS OF VATNAJÖKULL may prescribe in an advertisement the type of projects that are eligible to receive funding.

The deadline for submitting applications is 29. of September 2010.

6. Is it possible to apply for a grant for the same project more than once?

Applicants may resubmit an application for a project that was previously rejected. An application for the same project may only be submitted twice. Decisions of the Board regarding awarding of grants may not be appealed and cannot be altered.

7. How are grants awarded?

Grants are paid out in two installments; the first half is paid when grants are officially awarded and the other half when the grantee delivers a final report to the organization. In the case of a large grant the organization may decide to increase the number of installments.

8. What financial conditions must applicants meet?

Additional funding

Generally the organization only supplies a portion of the funding for a given project; consequently, grants are usually limited to 50% of the total cost of the project concerned. Applicants must therefore seek alternative sources of funding or provide their own capital. The organization may assign a monetary value to an applicant's work contribution and count it as a capital contribution in so far as this does not make the completion of the project unfeasible. The project budget accompanying the application shall include an assessment of the applicant's own work contribution.

The Board and/or Managing Director of the Friends of Vatnajökull will monitor the use of grants to make sure it is consistent with the information provided in the application. Grantees must provide the Managing Director with a status update on a project if so requested and submit any requested documents to the organization free of charge.

9. What is the time frame for the completion of a project?

Projects shall be completed within twenty-four months from the time that the application is accepted. If this requirement is not met, the Board may withdraw the grant. An application for an extended deadline for project completion may be submitted to the Board. Such an application shall be in writing and reasoned.

The Board and/or Managing Director may request progress reports if deemed necessary. A grant may be withdrawn if the Board believes the project is not being conducted in accordance with the application and the submitted documents.

10. Publication

Details of applicants, awarded grants and final reports is public information. As such it may be published on the organization's website and elsewhere. The Friends logo shall be displayed on any material for which it provides funding; applicants shall credit the organization in any public discussion of a project it funds. Rules about the handling of the Friends‘logo can be viewed on the organization‘s web under „Friends of Vatnajökull logo“. A grantee who decides to accept a grant from the Friends must become a Friend of Vatnajökull.

11. Grant agreement

When a grant is awarded, a representative of the FRIENDS OF VATNAJÖKULL and the grantee shall sign an agreement that sets out the mutual obligations of the parties in accordance with the above.

12. Division of work in professional groups

Applications are assessed by experts and it is up to the applicants to select an assessment group which is most suitable for their application. There is collaboration between the assessment groups, so in the case of an applications belonging to more than one group the applications can be assessed by more than one group of experts. Applicants themselves select the expertise group which they consider the most suitable to assess the respective application.

Expertise groups: Research – Promotion – Education

Research

An expertise group with knowledge in the field of research and processing of research data evaluate projects which concern: Natural science, sociology and anthropology researches. Other types of research can fall under this category.

Promotion

An expertise group in designing promotional materials, choosing target groups and marketing, will assess applications in this category.

Education

An expertise group in educational value, design and exposition of educational material assesses applications in this category.