Fellows' Projects — The Roothbert Fund

Fellows’ Project Grants

BACKGROUND

The Roothbert Fund received its Certificate of Incorporation in 1958 as a not-for-profit corporation of the State of New York. Its main purpose was to award Scholarship Grants. In 1972, however, to honor the memory and life work of the founders, the idea took shape of creating a special program named "STAR" (Seeds of Toni and Albert Roothbert). The Fund Board decided that in addition to its Scholarships Program, it would introduce a modest Fellows' Projects Program. Roothbert Fellows no longer on grant would be eligible to apply to the Fund for seed money in the form of small grants for individual or group projects taking place within the United States that are consonant with the aims of the founders.

More than 60 Fellows Grants Projects have received funding from the Roothbert Fund since the program's inception— scroll to the bottom of the page to view some examples.

PURPOSE OF THE GRANT

Roothbert Fellows no longer on grant may submit proposals that fit within the guidelines of the Fellows' Projects Program, as described below: Fundamentally, the Fellows' Projects Program aims to pay for full or partial costs of:

Educational or service projects conducted by Fellows for the benefit of others in ways that either extend or fulfill the vocational commitments developed while these Fellows were on stipend, or otherwise embody a continuing expression of Fellows' commitment to the purposes of the Fund, or
Activities intended to increase Fellows' spiritual awareness or commitment, or to increase their knowledge, skill and other capabilities in ways that fulfill the Fund's purposes.

It should be noted that the Committee on Fellows' Projects may adopt more restrictive policies regarding the criteria for making grants. For example, attendance at a conference by itself is unlikely to receive a positive reception. Funds are never granted for Fellows' "stipends" or cost-of-living expenses, and rarely for travel.

Fellows are encouraged to contact the Committee on Fellows' Projects regarding their project before submitting a formal proposal or application in order to clarify any aspects that may warrant discussion.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Send a completed copy of the Project Grant Application Form to The Roothbert Fund, Inc., 475 Riverside Drive, Room 252, New York, NY 10115, or email to office@roothbertfund.org.

Project Grant Application Form

There are two annual deadlines for applications: March 1 and September 1.

Completed applications will be considered by the Committee on Fellows' Projects, which will be in touch with the applicant if it is felt that a personal or phone interview would be helpful.

Notification of awards takes place in mid-April and mid-October.

SELECTION PROCESS

The Fund will be particularly supportive of projects that may be characterized as "seed money" and exhibit creativity and originality. In addition, favorable consideration will depend in part on the degree to which the proposals exemplify the following desired qualities:

Clarity of objective
Emphasis on education
Emphasis on service to others
Awareness of the religious or spiritual importance of the project
Involvement of Roothbert Fellows working together
Frugality, simplicity and efficiency in the use of resources
Feasibility of project
Potential for wider or long-range impact

ACCOUNTABILITY

The Committee on Fellows' Projects evaluates and monitors the progress of grantees. Within six months of receipt of Fellows' Project funds, the Committee will expect to receive a report indicating how the funds were spent and how the goals of the project were achieved. Should the project extend beyond a six-month period, the committee will expect to receive an interim progress report at the end of the first six months. A final report will be submitted at the completion of the project.

Grantees may be invited to share their results at an annual Pendle Hill gathering.

EXAMPLES OF FELLOWS' PROJECT GRANTS

Some past projects:

Training for a group of Roothbert Fellows involved in family counseling at Project Basement, Upper Manhattan
Funding a van servicing street people in the name of the Highbridge Community Life Center, South Bronx
Program for prisoners in areas of mental health, poetry, leadership at Graterford Correction Center, Pennsylvania
Establishment of an interfaith institute for clergywomen in rural Massachusetts
Seminar for 30 inner-city youths on "Youth Leadership in a Multicultural World," in New York
Project on peace-making in Jerusalem
A one-day activity-based mathematics workshop for parents and their children, in Maryland
Establishment of a library for the College-Bound program at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in New York

View more examples by clicking the links below.

STAR I - The Seeds of Toni and Albert Roothbert

STAR II - Youth Involvement Project

STAR III - Seeds of Toni and Albert Roothbert

Club ALMA - for Disabled Mexican Americans

STAR - IV - Summer program for urban girls

Bilingual children’s magazine - This and That

Promoting Community Leadership

Special Education Colloquium at Beijing Teachers’ College

Translation of Old Slavonic church texts to Russian

International Teen Conference in Arkansas

Allocating Scarce Lifesaving Medical Resources