FAQs

What are the grant award criteria?

The fundamental criteria for assessing the merits of an application is applicant response with respect to the grant-award and grant-application key considerations [available here]. Applications will be evaluated as a whole – no single criteria will be a determining factor.

How will grant applications be evaluated?

Each member of the Foundation Board will independently review and provide feedback on each application relative to the grant-application key considerations. That information will be compiled anonymously into a report and shared with the full Board for collective discussion and deliberation. Any board member with a direct interest in an application or relationship with the applicant will be recused from participating in the evaluation of that application.

How will grant awards be distributed?

Distribution of funds will be determined by a grant-award agreement between the Foundation as grantor and the applicant as grantee. Funds will not be distributed until a grantee agreement is in place. The agreement will include details of grant-award distribution, including milestones which will serve as opportunities for the grantee to request progress payments, less a 20-percent retainage pending project completion. The final grant payment including retainage will be made when the work product has been fully and finally completed consistent with the terms of the agreement.

What is expected regarding attribution to the GEAPS Foundation and the Professional Development Programs Endowment principal donors?

This will depend on the type and format of the work product and will be determined by mutual agreement by the grantee and GEAPS Foundation. Attribution is expected to be a prominent and perpetual feature of the work product and the context for which it is used.

Projects that would be considered redundant to or directly competitive with existing available resources would be considered ineligible for grant awards. How will the GEAPS Foundation determine what is redundant or directly competitive?

Generally, the determination would be a good-faith judgment by the Foundation Board. The fundamental consideration is that it would not be responsible use of Foundation funds for projects that are competitive with or redundant to essentially-similar works currently and reasonably available through any source to the industry, but specifically GEAPS members or prospective members.

How will the final work product be made accessible to GEAPS members and non-members through GEAPS?

The Foundation’s interest is in delivering benefit to GEAPS members and by extension, prospective members. Grant award criteria requires that applicants be willing to collaborate with GEAPS to make “3rd-party” work product available to GEAPS members and prospective members through GEAPS in an appropriate format. However, GEAPS is a separate entity from the GEAPS Foundation and GEAPS collaboration is at their discretion. In the event that GEAPS chooses to not participate, the Foundation will have and retain the independent right through a perpetual license agreement with the grantee to pursue alternate means to ensure the work product is available to the industry.