Sustainable Vision grants
education+innovation+social impact
Next Deadline: October 15, 2010
- Award amounts: $10,000 to $50,000
- Grant period: one to three years
- Who may apply: Faculty from NCIIA member institutions
- Program guidelines and frequently asked questions
- Previously funded grants
NCIIA funds transformational education programs where breakthrough technologies are created and commercialized for the benefit of people living in poverty in the US and abroad.
Sustainable Vision has both a domestic and global outlook. To date, 24 US universities have received funding through the program to develop, commercialize, and disseminate technologies in 23 countries throughout Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Read recent Sustainable Vision success stories and view videos.
Click on the video (right) to see 2008 grantee Khanjan Mehta describe how a Sustainable Vision grant helped advance his Mashavu project.
Keys to Successful Proposals
- Have an idea but not sure it's a fit with the Sustainable Vision grants program? Send a 1-2 paragraph summary to info@nciia.org and we'd be happy to review it and provide you with feedback. Please note that due to high volume, we are unable to guarantee replies to last-minute inquiries made less than two weeks prior to the proposal deadline.
- Successful Sustainable Vision grant proposals apply breakthrough technologies to address basic human needs such as health, food security, clean water, and affordable energy.
- To receive a grant, inventions and technologies must be commercially viable with an economically sustainable business model that can be replicated. The program may begin by addressing needs at the household or village level, but should have the potential for regional, national, or even global impact.
- Programs should further inform and expand curricula and in-the-field opportunities offered to students.
- Projects must be sustainable beyond the length of the grant and should provide a structure for ongoing collaboration and education.
Grantees, such as University of Colorado-Boulder's Sustainable Technology Entrepreneurship in Afghanistan team (see video), collaborate with non-profit, for-profit, educational or government partners to bring socially beneficial products to the poor via an economically sustainable business model (as opposed to traditional philanthropy).
Learn More
Read the Sustainable Vision program guidelines, frequently asked questions, and profiles of funded Sustainable Vision programs.
Preview the online proposal (coming soon!) and reporting
To apply for a grant, your institution must be a member of the NCIIA. Check whether your college or university is a member or renew your membership.
All proposals must be completed online. To start a proposal, create an account or login here (please read the program guidelines before starting a proposal).
Contact Us
Questions? Contact us: info@nciia.org or call 413-587-2172
