Competition

Max Bell Foundation makes grants to support projects that are designed to inform public policy. We do so across four program areas: Education; Environment; Health & Wellness; and Civic Engagement and Democratic Institutions. Our priorities for each of these programs are described below.

Our focus is Canada. We support projects across Canada intended to inform public policy decisions made by any level of government within Canada.

We prefer projects that:

• identify, assess, and develop innovations rather than perpetuating the status quo

• do not duplicate existing work

• are driven by demonstrable public needs

• focus on practical approaches that can be implemented

• have, in the view of experts and practitioners, a significant chance of informing policy change

• promote evidence-informed decision making

Project Grants

The word “project” is sometimes used to refer loosely to any set of activities. We use the term in a more specific way. For our purposes, a project is:

• a clearly defined set of coordinated activities that are necessary to achieve a well defined, measurable purpose. Grants from Max Bell Foundation support projects that take as their purpose informing, in some way, public policy.

• temporary and term-specific (e.g., X months) – not ongoing work of an organization that has no specified end date.

• based on its own unique, clear budget and financial accounting procedures.

Projects are different from general operating support, capital purchases, and ongoing programs, none of which are eligible for support by Max Bell Foundation.

We expect that all project-related expenses, including a portion of overhead and administration, should be budgeted for in proposals we consider.

We have no set requirements for the duration or cost of a project, but a typical project supported by Max Bell Foundation ranges from 1-3 years in duration and has a budget that ranges from approximately $10,000 to $200,000. Max Bell Foundation is seldom the only financial supporter of projects we fund.

In addition to the external funding agency’s submission procedures, this opportunity must also be submitted for Departmental, HSS Faculty, and Research Initiatives and Services (RIS) institutional reviews and approvals via Memorial's Researcher Portal (RP). In order to facilitate the HSS Faculty’s administrative review, please ensure "Heather C. O'Brien (Grants Facilitator)" and “Matthew Milner (Grants Facilitator)” are added as "Team Members" on your RP file. Allow at least 10 business days for these reviews to be completed.

In accordance with University-wide approval protocols, all tabs of the RP file must be completed, the completed application must be uploaded to the “Attachments” tab, all supporting documentation including support for cash and in-kind commitments and/or letters of support must also be uploaded, and “Submit” must be pressed in order for HSS to begin its administrative review and provide approvals. HSS cannot guarantee timely completion of an administrative review for application files that are incomplete. For more detailed submission instructions and information, please consult the HSS Research Support Services website.

If you plan to apply to this competition or other research funding opportunities (as either PI or CI), e-mail an HSS Grants Facilitator, Heather C. O’Brien (HSSResearchAdmin@mun.ca or 864-8603) or Matthew Milner (HSSResearchGrants@mun.ca or 864-8050), to notify the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of your intent to apply. E-mailing the intent to apply as early as possible will help to facilitate an efficient review. A Grants Facilitator can answer any questions you may have about internal or external submission procedures and may also be able to help with proposal development.