Virtual Event Grants

Grant Overview

We aim to improve access to open data science practices and tools and support communities in open data science to grow sustainably and inclusively. We will support these communities with grants for virtual events focused on improving or connecting research-driven data science tools, practices, and the communities themselves. Proposals must demonstrate the educational and scientific purposes of the event (or series of events) and specifically how it advances Code for Science & Society’s goal to create inclusive knowledge-sharing spaces and support the development of diverse leaders. We aim to invest in both emerging or established events that demonstrate a commitment to making science inclusive and accessible. International applicants are welcome as are proposals for events held in non-English languages! Applicants are encouraged to make use of resources that provide information on and support for best practices in conference planning and to review frequently asked questions about the application process. You can see our current funded events here.

Organizational Overview

Code for Science & Society (CS&S) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides fiscal sponsorship and management support to research-driven open data science projects. Part of the organization’s mission is to maximize the impact of inclusive, sustainable knowledge sharing communities and support the development of diverse leaders. More information about the organization’s mission and programs can be found here.

About the Conference and Event Fund

This funding opportunity was made possible by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation through Grant GBMF8449 to Code for Science and Society (DOI https://doi.org/10.37807/GBMF8449). The program is run by CS&S’s conference fund manager, and overseen by an advisory committee. More details on the governance of the fund can be found here.

Definitions

Virtual event: a time-bounded online gathering with an outcome of advancing knowledge, skills, and/or community

Established conference/event: one that has been held regularly or repeatedly (e.g. yearly, twice a year, or every other year) in the past

Emerging event: held inconsistently in the past or will be held for the first time as a standalone meeting or the first of a planned series

Open data science: practices that promote reproducibility, transparency, and accessibility in collaboration, software/tools, resources, and infrastructure

Inclusive/accessible meetings: all participants from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and abilities are welcomed, respected, and can fully participate

Diversity: individual differences (e.g. personality, language, learning preferences, and life experiences) and group-social differences (e.g. race, ethnicity, class, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, sexual identity, country of origin, ability status, as well as cultural, political, religious, or other affiliations)

Grant Amounts

We can provide full or partial support for events. Applicants will be asked to select one of the following sponsorship tiers: $5,000, $10,000, $15,000, or $20,000 (US$). Please note that it is up to the discretion of the review committee to determine the final amount funded. If the funded event can not be held, the applicant can request to host a similar event or for a no-cost extension to host the intended event. If neither of these options are possible, then funds will need to be returned.

Budgets may include: equipment and supplies (e.g. professional audio-visual support), conference services (e.g., audio-visual, webcast, and technology necessary for recording and broadcasting), accessibility services (e.g., translators, closed-captioning, transcribing), publication costs, salaries of conference and community organizers, technical support staff, and/or administrative assistants, relative to the amount of time that would be spent on the event, fees and honoraria for consultants and/or speakers, participant support (e.g., registration waivers and microgrants for purchasing audio visual equipment, data, or childcare). Indirect costs are capped at 15% of direct costs, and the total request must be at or below 20,000 US$.

Grant Eligibility Criteria

• Events must be virtual (held on an online platform).
• Events must prioritize​ ​broadening diverse participation in research-driven open​ data science.
• Events must have a code of conduct, or concrete plans for creating one, that includes:
• Clear guidelines for reporting
• Clear language about how to file reports
• A review and appeal process
• A transparency report
• Enforcement processes, or concrete plans for creating them.
• Events must not discriminate with regard to race, sex, education, ethnicity, socio-economic status, religion, ability/disability, sexual orientation, gender self-identification, age, country of origin, first language, marital status, or citizenship.
• Applicants may reside in the United States or internationally, and must be at least 18 years of age.
• Grants will not be disbursed to individuals. Applicants need to be affiliated with an event sponsor (e.g. academic institution, non-profit, library, or fiscal sponsor) that is responsible for receiving funds and ensuring appropriate safety, insurance, indemnification, and other risk mitigation measures are in place. We strongly encourage applicants to review the application, budget, and reporting requirements with a representative from the event sponsor organization before submitting an application. If an applicant does not have an event sponsor, CS&S can work with them, if they are funded, to find a fiscal sponsor or develop an agreement to house the funds at CS&S. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions about organizational eligibility. You can read more about fiscal sponsorship here.
• Proposals require a point of contact (the applicant) who will commit to event impact, progress, and financial reporting.
• Events need to take place between July 2021 and January 2022.
• Events that seek to support political campaigns, lobbying activities, religious proselytizing, or promotion of violence or terrorism will not be funded.
• Applicants must abide by local laws.
• All aspects of the proposed event must be in keeping with CS&S’ vision, mission, and approach (i.e. inclusive and respectful programs and practices).
• Applicants are limited to one submission per RFP as the primary point of contact, but may be listed as an organizer on multiple proposals.

Review and Selection

Applications will be evaluated using a rubric by a selection committee composed of active members of the data science community:

• Stefanie Butland, rOpenSci
• Serah Rono, The Carpentries
• Dr. Malvika Sharan, Open Life Science
• Dr. Lilly Winfree, Open Knowledge Foundation
• Dr. Hao Ye, University of Florida
• Dr. Laura Ación, MetaDocencia
  

Selection committee members will be asked to recuse themselves from evaluating proposals with which they may have conflicts of interest. Proposals will be evaluated using a single-blind system in which applicants’ identities are known to reviewers, but reviewers are anonymized. Only projects that meet the aforementioned criteria will be granted full evaluation. Final recommendations for funding will be approved by the fund’s advisory committee and are subject to review by the CS&S legal team.

Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Events must align with the values of CS&S and the conference fund.
• Events must have well-defined goals related to research-driven data science tools, practices, and communities.
• Event organizers need to demonstrate a commitment to and understanding of best practices in research-driven open data science and that they have the ability and support necessary to organize and implement the proposed event.
• Events need to show potential to broaden diverse participation in research-driven open data science; note that we consider broad participation and diversity along multiple axes, including career stage, domain/field of study, sector, demographics, level of experience with research-driven open data science, and geography.
• Event organizers need to commit to making materials open access.
• Event organizers need to have a code of conduct developed or provide concrete plans for creating one.

Reporting Requirements

All grantees are required to:

• Attend scheduled check-ins with the conference fund manager;
• Provide training to support staff or volunteers in enforcement of the code of conduct and reporting requirements;
• Complete project and financial reports using provided templates;
• Survey participants about the event impact;
• Work with the conference fund manager to write a post for CS&S’s blog about the event;
• Agree to make their conference and event materials available via open access publishing (e.g. CC BY license);
• Comply with CS&S’s requirements for tracking impact;
• Acknowledge CS&S and The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation as sponsors on materials associated with the conference or event, including but not limited to website, slide deck templates, and social media. This includes a citation of our DOI (https://doi.org/10.37807/GBMF8449).

Dates and Deadlines

• Applications open January 29, 2021
• Submissions due March 29, 2021 by 11:59PM in the Pacific time zone (see here for time zone converter)
• Grant notification will be made by June 15, 2021 and funds will be disbursed once we receive all required paperwork from the event sponsor
  

Application Instructions

All applications must be submitted here by March 29 (11:59PM Pacific Time). All submissions must be in English. Please note that no responsibility is assumed by CS&S for lost, late, incomplete, invalid, illegible, incorrect, inaccurate or misdirected applications, or for any error, human, technical or otherwise, that may occur in the processing of applications.

Contact

Please contact [email protected] with questions.