Our Programs › DHF Seeds › FAQ
1. What is the purpose of DHF Seeds?
The purpose of DHF Seeds is to nurture forward-thinking ideas that empower, connect, and inform people touched by diabetes. The program supports creative ideas from members of the diabetes community focused on making a better life with diabetes possible. For the first round of funding in 2012, nine grants of US$2,000 will be awarded to help take these creative ideas to the “next level.”
DHF Seeds is a program of the Diabetes Hands Foundation made possible, in part, through funding provided by Sanofi US Diabetes.
2. Who is eligible to apply for a DHF Seeds micro-grant?
Organizations that are designated as 501(c)(3) and/or members of the Diabetes Advocates program run by Diabetes Hand Foundation are eligible to submit a proposal for consideration.
Eligible applicants can submit more than one proposal, provided that each proposal is unique and they do not overlap.
3. What are the categories of projects that will be considered?
Proposals must address one of the following needs in the diabetes community:
* Empowering people living with diabetes. Example ideas: A crowd-sourced comic book about a teenager living with type 1 diabetes; an exercise DVD for people with type 2 diabetes that includes instruction on how to monitor blood sugar levels and spot warning signs while exercising.
* Connecting people touched by diabetes. Example ideas: A regularly scheduled online chat for people with diabetes that encourages conversation among its participants; hosting an educational booth at a community event which puts people in touch with available diabetes resources.
* Educating and informing people about diabetes. Example ideas: A video about Latinos living with diabetes to inform the greater Hispanic community; a campaign to place posters in pediatrician offices to educate parents about the signs and symptoms of diabetes.
While the projects that receive funding do not need to be conducted in English, proposals need to be submitted in English.
4. What are the spending guidelines?
The DHF Seeds micro-grant CANNOT be used for the following:
* Political lobbying efforts
* To proselytize on behalf of any religious faith, doctrine or belief
* Stipends or salaries beyond the time spent executing the funded proposal
* Day-to-day operational overhead (e.g., rent, insurance)
* Durable assets (e.g., furniture, laptop projectors)
* Computers/laptops/iPads/eBook readers, etc.
* Day-to-day operational software (e.g., MS Office)
* Subscriptions to non-professional publications
* Conference registrations
* Travel to conferences
* Other expenses that Diabetes Hands Foundation staff considers to be not aligned with the purpose of the DHF Seeds program
Spending DHF Seeds grant money is restricted in the following ways:
* No more than 5% of the grant can be spent on food or refreshment.
* Salaries must be reasonable, in line with current/prevailing market rates for comparable services, and limited to the amount that reflects the actual time spent executing the funded project.
5. What should applicants consider in terms of copyright and intellectual property?
DHF Seeds gives preference to proposals that have strong plans for sharing/disseminating the materials produced and/or the results of the funded project. We ask applicants to consider making any materials produced as part of a funded project available under a Creative Commons license, or comparable “open” license. Additional weight/consideration will be given to proposals that include a strong commitment and plan for sharing/disseminating the materials produced, via such “open” licensing models.
All information shared with DHF Seeds will be treated as non-confidential. DO NOT include any information in a proposal that is deemed proprietary or otherwise confidential.
Everyone who receives funding must certify that they own or have licensed all necessary rights to any intellectual property (IP) associated with their proposal, and that their proposal does not infringe on any existing IP rights of any third party.
6. What’s the application/proposal process?
The application/proposal process for DHF Seeds has two phases.
In phase one, eligible applicants submit their written proposal online to be considered under one of the three categories listed in question #3. Up to 20 proposals will be considered under each category.
Applicants can download a copy of the application as a Word file or PDF and use this to draft their proposal, then submit your application online between March 19th and April 2nd, 2012. Please note that the online application must be completed in a single sitting.
An international panel of diabetes advocates will then rate the proposals based on a set of criteria, some of which are mentioned in this FAQ. The five highest-rated proposals in each category will then continue on to phase two.
In phase two, each remaining applicants will produce a 3-minute video explaining his or her proposal. These videos will be available for viewing on the Diabetes Hands Foundation channel on Vimeo and the public will be allowed to register their support for their favorites. Three proposals under each category will be selected to receive a US$2,000 grant. The list of grant recipients will be announced to the public on August 1, 2012.
7. What’s the review process and evaluation criteria?
In phase one submissions will be reviewed and scored by an international panel of diabetes advocates in terms of expected outcomes/results; planned partnerships; plans for sharing/dissemination; overall budget; and willingness to allow open distribution of materials, among other criteria.
Additional weight/consideration will be given to proposals (i) that closely align with the purposes of DHF Seeds, (ii) that include a strong commitment and plan for sharing/disseminating any materials produced, via a Creative Commons license or comparable “open” licensing model, and/or (iii) that include a strong commitment and plan for partnering with other individuals and/or organizations sharing similar goals.
The panel of judges will be split into three groups: one for each category of proposals. Reviewers are not eligible to submit a proposal under any category that they are evaluating.
The following individuals will serve as our panel of judges:
* Hope Warshaw, MMSc, RD, CDE, and author
* Bennet Dunlap, blogger and diabetes parent
* David Edelman, president and co-founder of Diabetes Daily
* Barb Wagstaff, blogger and diabetes parent
* Lorraine Sisto, blogger and diabetes parent
* Gina Capone, founder The Diabetes Resource
* Michael Hoskins, T1 blogger
* Cara Richardson, T1 blogger
* Jessica Collins, T1 blogger
* Luis Luque, eHealth researcher
* Manny Hernandez, president and co-founder of Diabetes Hands Foundation
Final funding decisions are made at the end of phase two, and will be based in substantial part on the number of votes each proposal receives and the judges’ scoring, but the Diabetes Hands Foundation remains the ultimate arbiter, in keeping with its responsibilities as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and reserves the right to ensure that all grantee proposals are aligned with the best interests, overall purpose and goals of the Diabetes Hands Foundation in general, and of the DHF Seeds grant program in particular, will result in a cost-effective expenditure of our limited funds (in light of the perceived public benefit), and do not run afoul of any legal requirements by which Diabetes Hands Foundation is bound.
8. What is the schedule for the 2012 DHF Seeds funding round?
Here are the key dates for 2012:
* 19 March through 2 April at 5:00 pm PDT – Submissions of written proposals accepted online
* 2 April through 20 April – Phase one judging completed
* 23 April – Finalists (top five scoring proposals in each category) notified
* 1 May – Announce finalists to the public
* 1 May through 16 May at 5:00 pm PDT – Video submissions by finalists accepted
* 21 May through 14 June at 5:00 pm PDT – Public views and registers its support for finalist proposals at https://vimeo.com/diabeteshf/channels/moderated/sort:datesubscribe
* 22 June – Grant recipients notified
* 20 July at 5:00 pm PDT – DEADLINE for grant recipients to submit their signed grant agreement to Diabetes Hand Foundation
* 1 August – Announce grant recipients to the public
9. How can I find out more?
For more information about DHF Seeds, contact: seeds@diabeteshf.org
