Calling all educators and ham clubs!
Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) is pleased to announce two requests for proposals (RFPs), designed to support amateur radio clubs as well as teachers who are interested in educating the next generation about amateur radio and digital communication science.
The RFP for Amateur Radio Clubs seeks to support projects happening at amateur radio clubs. For this year, such grants are restricted to clubs inside of the United States. Grants in this category will be reviewed in two grant windows – the first one is short (starts now and ends on May 1, 2021), and the second one will run throughout the summer:
| Summer | Fall | |
| Submissions due: | May 1, 2021 | August 1, 2021 |
| Distribution target: | July 1, 2021 | October 1, 2021 |
More information, including a Q+A about eligibility and requirements, can be found in the RFP for Supporting Amateur Radio Clubs.
The RFP for Education Projects is open to educational organizations both in the US and internationally. This granting window has one cycle, with distributions targeted for August 1, 2021 – ideally before the 2021-2022 school year starts.
Submissions due: June 1, 2021
Distribution target: August 1, 2021
As with the RFP for Amateur Radio Clubs, more information can be found in the Education Project RFP.
Please note that the timeframes listed above apply primarily to organizations that are 501(c)(3)s or part of a school or government entity based in the US. Grants to other kinds of organizations may require additional administration and thus may take a longer to process.
Some Q&A about these RFPs
Thinking back on some questions that have come up at our community discussions, there are some high-level questions I imagine some folks will have. Here are answers to some of those.
Why is the Education Projects RFP open to international applicants, while the RFP for Supporting Amateur Radio Clubs is only open to applicants in the US?
In order to most effectively get funds to amateur radio clubs internationally, we are looking to partner with organizations who can help to distribute such grants to clubs in their local area. We also have an exciting announcement about this brewing…so stay tuned! In the meantime, please direct any questions to [email protected].
How much do you plan to give to each one of these categories?
ARDC is purposefully not setting a floor or limit on the number of grants that we will give in either category, or on the amounts given for each grant. The quality and quantity of applications that we get will determine the answers. With this in mind – we challenge you to tell as many people you know to help us get the word out!
If you have more questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out:
We look very forward to seeing your proposals!
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