[Air-L] SSRC Collaborative Grants in Media and Communications -- Letters of Inquiry due Feb 8

[mediahub]

(Apologies for cross-posting)


The Social Science Research Council alerts you to the second round of
the SRC 'Large' Collaborative Grants in Media and Communications. Large
Grants provide up to $30,000 in support for academic-advocacy research
collaborations designed to change media and telecommunications
infrastructure, practices, or policies in support of a richer and more
democratic public sphere.

The Deadline for an initial 'letter of inquiry' (<1000 words) is
February 8 (12PM EST), submitted via email to mediahub at ssrc.org with
subject line: "Collaborative Grant Letter of Inquiry"

Large grants are awarded once a year through a competitive application
process, with recipients selected by an independent committee of
researchers and advocates. In 2007, grants of $30,000 were awarded to
six projects.  A similar number will be awarded in this round.

If you choose to apply, please give special attention to the project and
applicant criteria here:
http://mediaresearchhub.ssrc.org/grants/large-grants.

To note the most important, projects need to:
* 	Be strategically useful in their proposed advocacy and/or
organizing     	context
* 	Produce scholarship that meets academic standards 

Applicant partnerships need to include:
* 	A researcher based at a university, college, or other
academically-	oriented research institution. Advanced graduate
students are eligible
* 	A US-based non-profit advocacy, organizing or community group
working 	on media and/or telecommunications issues.
(International proposals 	will be solicited via SSRC partner
organizations)

The program encourages a wide range of project types and goals,
supporting projects that:
*  	Address issues of disparate impact on communities on the basis
of 	race, class, gender, ethnicity, age or other identity/status
category
* 	Build capacity-skills, tools, experience, access to data
sets-within 	the "user" organization and/or community 
*   	Have a clear plan for the dissemination of the research to
target 	audiences 
*   	Have uses outside the immediate intended context 
*   	Use methods or models of research that have proved effective in
similar contexts 
*  	Reflect diversity in the staff or group involved with the
project 
*    	Involve collaboration between two or more advocacy/community
groups in 	the project design and the plan of use for the research 
*   	Use participatory methods to engage community and/or advocacy
group 	members in framing the questions, data collection, and/or
analysis

Overall, the program has rewarded projects on a wide range of topics,
from digital inclusion, to the future of community media, to analysis of
media industry structure and barriers to entry.  Descriptions of all the
successful applications are available at
http://mediaresearchhub.ssrc.org/news/ssrc-announces-grants-totaling-180
-000-for-six-media-and-communications-projects/.

SSRC program staff will be happy to answer questions about your proposed
project or the program criteria.  Please write us at mediahub at ssrc.org.