Professional Section Grant Program

• Change the public perception of mining.
• Enhance SME member engagement.
• Provide professional development opportunities for Section members.

Guidelines

• Grants will support projects developed and executed by SME Sections.
• Grants will not be awarded for donations to third parties, including student chapters and other groups within SME.
• Section grants are intended to fund specific, one-time projects; they are not to be used to fund general or on-going section expenses such as speaker fees, meeting fees, student attendance, scholarships, travel, annual events, etc.
• The requested grant amount may not be more than 80% of the funding needed for a proposed project; the section must fund a minimum 20% of their project.
• Applications are reviewed and approved at the discretion of the Grant Selection Committee, based on the quality of the project and the completeness of the application.
• Consideration for funding will be based on the scope and the impact of the project.
• Not all grant applications will be approved/funded.
• Only one grant application will be accepted per Section per year.

Requirements

• Applications must be received by the advertised due date (around July 1; exact date released annually).
• All Sections who wish to be considered must be in good standing with SME Headquarters.
  • Have submitted their financial statement by the November deadline, annually.
  • Section leadership updates reported to SME, annually; all Section leadership (including officers, Board Members, Executive Committee members, etc.) must be members of SME.
• Project timeframes may not exceed 24 months.
• Applications over $500 must be accompanied by a detailed project plan.
• Sections may be asked to provide two status reports, one at mid-project and a final report upon completion.

Grant Proposal Ideas/Examples:

• Creating educational outreach material, such as rock kits or mining-themed coloring books for distribution at local schools.
• A partnership between a Section and student chapter to work together to develop and execute an educational community program.
• Seed money for development of local professional development conferences.
• Conducting science, engineering or mining programs at local K-12 schools.
• Collaborative projects with local organizations, such as Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts, focusing on science or mining education.
• Providing career-focused field trips for local students.