Addressing Social Concerns and World Conflict

2016-2017 Grant Program

Overview

The Dr. Eliyahu M Goldratt Foundation is a non-profit organization organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes to fund fellowships and grants to innovate practical applications and broaden the advancement of knowledge of the Theory of Constraints (TOC). Dr. Goldratt’s life goal was to teach the world to think and to make TOC the main way to manage organizations.

The Goal

The Foundation wants to increase the awareness of TOC potential, increase the credibility of the TOC processes and generate excitement about TOC through new, significant successes. The process of on-going improvement is best served when TOC extends its application into new domains, improves its implementation methods, simplifies its tools, widens its applicability, deepens the understanding of TOC principles and applies its tools to achieve important social goals.  

About the Goldratt Foundation Scholarship Fund

The Foundation recognizes that significant financial limitations can limit or block some innovative development of the TOC body of knowledge or delay applying TOC in social, educational, and other humanitarian areas. The Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt Foundation provides grants to accelerate projects that have demonstrated expertise, desire and opportunity to apply the Theory of Constraints. These grants are provided to encourage continual development, ease implementations and expand TOC into new areas. The grants are awarded annually in areas of high interest to the TOC community. Applications that use TOC to improve and extend other proven (non-TOC) solutions, to support social goals or to address significant development of current TOC proven solutions are encouraged. 

Eligibility

For the purposes of the 2015 - 2016 Grant program, the proposed project will need to address a clear social need in the area of looking at social causes or world conflict, taking the TOC tools and starting up or improving and expanding a program in the area or country. The goal is to help promote long term change towards a more peaceful resolution process in the new generation, addressing negative social conditions that can be improved or resolved using TOC. The project must have significant goals and application of breakthrough solutions to addressing the areas of need or conflict.
 
Any individuals or organizations in need of financial support for a project that will address a clear social need in the area of conflict resolution that can be improved or resolved using TOC are eligible for a scholarship. Applicants shall apply TOC principles and methods in their work with non-profit organizations (such as, e.g., social care, education, health), to enable better attainment of defined conflict resolution program goals in worthy humanitarian or other social programs around resolving social conflict, in a way that will be attributed to TOC.
 
Eligible applicants must have the capacity to implement the idea in the targeted area. Organizations and individuals applying for this scholarship must show a demonstrated capacity to provide training and technical assistance to complete the proposed project. The recipient of the scholarship will work in cooperation with and under the direction of
 
The Foundation Board of Directors.The Foundation is looking for projects to fund that will proactively generate a positive cycle of ongoing support for the TOC driven project so that it continues in perpetuity. Examples of ongoing support are funds that come from partnering with other TOC businesses, matching grants or allocated budgets from local and national government programs.
 
The funds provided can be used only for the sole purpose of the project approved by the Foundation and should not be used for any other activity.  

Award Period and Amount
Award Period

Although it is expected that most supported projects would be longer than a year, the scholarship is a one-year financial assistance that will be paid on a monthly basis provided required status updates are completed on a quarterly basis.

The result of the project must also be presented at the subsequent TOCICO conference. The 2015 TOCICO International Conference is in Cape Town South Africa. A complimentary conference registration will be provided by the TOCICO. Travel and living expenses are not funded for conference.

Award Amounts

The number and amount of grants is determined by The Foundation Board at its discretion. All awards are subject to the availability funds and any modifications or additional requirements that may be imposed by law. Continuation funding is not guaranteed. 
 

How To Apply

This section describes what an application should include. Applicants should anticipate that incomplete applications will negatively affect the review of the application and may result in the application not being considered for funding; and, should a decision be made to make an award, it may result in the inclusion of special conditions that preclude access to or use of award funds pending satisfaction of the conditions. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete and submitted by the deadline.
 
Applications written utilizing the TOC tools for program planning and execution are highly desirable.PLEASE SEND YOUR APPLICATION VIA EMAIL TO marcia@tocico.org.
 

Formatting and Technical Requirements

Applications must follow the requirements below. Points may be deducted for applications that do not adhere to the following requirements:
 
  • Double spaced (Project Abstract, Summary Data Sheet and charts may be single space)
  • 8½ x 11 inch or DIN A4 page size
  • One inch or 3 cm margins • Type no smaller than 11 point, Arial font
  • Page numbers
  • Project Narrative: no more than 2 pages
  • Word processing documents must be in the following formats: Microsoft Word (.doc or docx), PDF files (.pdf),   or Text Documents (.txt) 
 
Application Requirements

Applications must include the following required documents and demonstrate that the program eligibility requirements have been met. Applications that do not include the following will not be considered for funding.Applications forwarded for review will be scored on the following:
 
  1. Summary Data Sheet
  2. Project Narrative
  3. Financial ManagementApplications must address each section and include the detailed information outlined below in the specified section of their application. 
 
Applications must address each section and include the detailed information outlined below in the specified section of their application.
 
Summary Data Sheet (10 Points) The Summary Data Sheet should be one page in length and may be single or double-spaced. 
 
The Summary Data Sheet does not count toward the page limit for the Project Narrative. Please provide the following information:
 
  • Name, title, address, phone number, and e-mail address for the authorized representative.
  • Name, title, address, phone number, and e-mail address for the grant point-of-contact.
  • Project title.
  • The duration of the project
  • The award amount requested.
  • What the award amount will be used for
 
Project Narrative (80 Points Total)
The Project Narrative may not exceed 2 pages, double-spaced. The Project Narrative is comprised of the following three sections:
 
What Will Be Done (25 Points) This section must include the information below.
 
  • State the goals and objectives of the proposal.
 
  • Provide a summary of activities that will be undertaken to accomplish the project goals and objectives as outlined in the Project Scope section and provide a corresponding timeline for the completion of each activity. 

 Who Will Implement the Project (35 Points)? This section must include the information below.

 
The applicant must justify who will be involved in the project and demonstrate that they have the capacity to successfully implement the stated project activities.
 
  • Identify organizations and individuals who will implement the project and describe the role of each. Provide the percentage of time each individual will devote to the project. · Describe the capacity of the organization/s to undertake the project.
  • Describe the proposed staffing (including consultants) needed for the project.
  • List the qualifications and experience of proposed staff/consultants. (Note: Staff/consultants must have experience in TOC) Please include resumes and any certifications.

Applicants may partner with one or more organizations to ensure the appropriate expertise is available to implement the project successfully. If partnering with other organizations, applicants are required to submit letters of support from those partners. Letters should describe the partners’ role in the project, as well as their commitment to the collaboration. Applicants should only submit letters from partners who would receive funding through the award or from organizations that are essential to the implementation of the project. It is strongly recommended that the letters of support not be presented as form letters written by the applicant and simply signed by the partnering organization/s. Please note that The Foundation may request a signed Memorandum of Understanding among project partners prior to making an award if it is deemed necessary to clarify the roles and responsibilities of each partner. If applicable, the letters of support shall be submitted as attachments.   

What Are the Delivery Methods (20 Points)? This section must provide an explanation of the methods and demonstrate the cause-effect-relationships between methods and project objectives. It shall include the following:

  • Identify and describe how the proposed assistance will be delivered. Examples of delivery methods can include group training sessions, teleconference and video conference; web-casting; local, regional or national meetings; focus groups; conferences; train-the-trainer sessions.
  • Explain why these methods have been selected.
  • Explain how these methods match the needs of the target audience.

Financial Accounting Practices (10 points) Each applicant must prepare a response to the questions listed below. A yes/no answer shall be substantiated with appropriate reasoning. The Foundation will review the applicant’s responses to assist in evaluating the adequacy of the organization’s financial management system and to identify areas of need for training and technical assistance. This section of your application should be no more than one page.

  • What will the funds awarded be applied towards?
  • Will all funds awarded under this program be maintained in a manner that they will be accounted for separately and distinctly from other sources of revenue/funding?
  • Does the applicant have written accounting policies and procedures? The Foundation may request a copy for review during the application/award process or as part of the grant monitoring process.
  • Is the applicant’s financial management system able to track actual expenditures and outlays with budgeted amounts for each grant or sub grant?
  • Does the applicant have effective internal controls in place to adequately safeguard grant assets and to ensure that they are used solely for authorized purposes? Please provide a brief description.  
  • Is the individual primarily responsible for fiscal and administrative oversight of grant awards familiar with the applicable grants management rules, principles, and regulations?    

 Selection Criteria

Applications will be scored based on the degree to which the applicant responds to each section and addresses each element within the corresponding section. Furthermore, applications will be scored based upon the quality of the response and the level of detail provided. Each element must be addressed in the section in which it is requested. Points may be deducted if the applicant does not include the information in the appropriate section even if it is included elsewhere within the application. Each section will be reviewed as a separate document and will be scored as such.
 
The Foundation reserves the right to deduct points for applications that are partially out of scope, that include unallowable activities, or for applicants who are out of compliance. If an application is deemed to be substantially out of scope or proposes a substantial number of activities that are unallowable, it will not be considered for funding. 
 
Considerations will include:
  • The work is with a non-profit organization aiming to achieve social goals in the area of social need or conflict resolution in a conflict zone.
  • It is a real project already approved – grants must be used for an actual implementation not for knowledge development or an attempt to get agreement by organizations to implement.
  • TOC is used as a main tool to achieve project objectives.
  • TOC is acknowledged as such a main contributor by the organization (especially by its leadership).
  • Tangible results that are already validated through controlled experiments / proof-of-concept pilot studies.

Review Process
The Foundation will subject all applications to a review process that is fair and based on the criteria outlined in this solicitation. The Foundation may utilize internal review, external review, or a combination of both. 

Reporting Requirements
All foundation grantees are required to submit regular progress reports, at least on a quarterly basis. A failure to provide regular progress updates as prescribed in the grant allocation contract results in the scholarship being terminated and may also result in the obligation to reimburse any mounts that were already paid out to the grantee.

Deadline
At this time applications are taken on an open Submission basis. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application submission within 30 days.

Contact Information
For assistance with the requirements of this solicitation, contact Marcia Hutchinson, at (720) 878-5464 or marcia@tocico.org.