Proposal Guidance for Projects for Peace

Considerations for developing a project idea

Projects can take place anywhere in the world, including in the U.S. Creativity and an innovative approach to the issue(s) you’re addressing are encouraged. Students should think through the following considerations while developing a project.

• How do you define peace? How does your project idea work toward peace as you define it?
• How is your approach innovative? In what ways is your project different than what has been done before?
• What community does your project serve? Who will you work with in that community? How are you centering the community you’re serving in your plans?
• Will it be feasible to complete your project in one summer? What logistical obstacles will you have to overcome as you implement your project?
• Could your project be considered a research project or an internship? If so, Projects for Peace may not be the right fit.

Proposal Components

Please use the following header at the top of the first page of your proposal. For each student listed, please include home country, college/university, UWC school attended, if applicable.

Title of Project:
Country where project will take place:
Sponsoring college: Trinity College
Project leader name:
Team member names and schools:
Date range of project execution:

The proposal narrative must include sections under the following headings. Somewhere in the proposal narrative you must address how do you define peace and how your project works toward that definition. You may include this in any section, or you may choose to have it in a separate section.

1. Project summary: What issue(s) will be addressed? What approach(es) will be used? With whom will the grantee(s) work? What is the rationale for these choices?
2. Background: What preceded this proposal in terms of personal experience, forming relationships, developing knowledge, and other preparation?
3. Implementation: What plans have been made for use of funds, use of time, and contingencies?
4. Anticipated Results: What are the potential short and long-term outcomes for participants, community collaborators, and grantee(s)? How will progress be monitored? How will the project contribute to peace?

Selection Criteria

Please note that this is a competitive application process. Every year we receive more proposals than we can fund. We appreciate the time you take to prepare this proposal and will thoroughly review all submissions.

Proposals are evaluated on the extent to which they demonstrate:

• Feasibility of the project.
• An innovative approach to the issue(s).
• Appreciation for and sensitivity to the context, communities, and/or cultures where the project takes place.
• Consideration of the dilemmas, challenges, or conflicts that may underlie the targeted issues or selected approaches.
• Consideration of sustainability and/or scalability of the approach.
• Critical self-awareness by the grantee.

Requesting a letter of recommendation

• Email a faculty or staff member who knows you well. Let them know you are applying for a Project for Peace. Briefly explain your project and motivations.
• Include a link to the recommendation form (https://forms.office.com/r/RY6KiC6fRf) and ask if they would be willing to fill out a recommendation for you.
• Send them a draft proposal and/or set up a time to meet with them to discuss your project. Your recommender should have a basic familiarity with your project idea and proposal before they fill out the form.

Requesting letters of support

Students often have others supporting their project. Key partners for the project should submit brief letters of support with the application. The letters should be sent to you, the student who is applying, and submitted along with your proposal and budget. If the letter is not in English, please submit the original letter along with a translated copy.

• The letter of support should include:
  • A brief description of how the individual or organization will support the project.
  • Acknowledgement that the individual has read the proposal and agrees with the project goals and description as laid out in the proposal, OR, acknowledgement that they have discussed the project with you and agree with your goals and ideas. The latter option might make more sense for your relationship with the partner if, for example, your proposal is written in English and your project partner’s primary language is not English.
• Who should write a letter of support?
  • Team members
    • Sometimes, students apply as a team. One student must be listed as the project leader. This is the person who will send in the proposal, manage the project finances, communicate with Trinity’s Projects for Peace liaisons, and turn in the final reporting materials. All other student team members other than the project leader should submit a letter of support.
  • Non-profit or NGO partners or local leaders
    • Often, students have at least one local non-profit, NGO, or local leader who is essential to the project’s implementation. A letter of support should come from the one or two organizations or individuals who will provide the highest level of support and be your key contacts.
  • Things to remember when asking for letters:
    • You should start discussing your project with your potential team members or partners well in advance of submitting a proposal.
    • It’s best to work with people who you know well or organizations you have worked with before. Established trust is crucial.
    • Get advice and insight from your team members and partners while you develop your idea.
    • Have your collaborators review your proposal and offer feedback.
    • Discuss the application timeline with your collaborators. Let them know that the application is due in mid-January, that your project may be selected as one of your school’s two nominees in early February, and that you will know the final decision of whether the project has been selected by mid-March. If selected, the project will be implemented over the summer and wrapped up by the end of August at the latest.