FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
ECoH Regional Landscaping Reviews RFP
View the Request for Proposals here.
You can also download key slides from the Informational Webinar here.
Eligibility
Can two or three universities apply together?
Yes. We welcome collaboration though it is not a requirement. Please note the grant will be made with a single university and the other collaborating institutions will be listed as such on the grant agreement. As part of the application process, we ask that the collaborating institutions provide a letter of support specifying their contribution to the project.
My university has a non-profit foundation that supports researchers in managing funding. Would it be best for me to indicate either the university or the foundation on the Expression of Interest form?
Either the university or the foundation would be considered an eligible institution. We recommend indicating the organization that would ultimately be responsible for managing the grant, should the application be successful. Please note this competition is open to a wide range of institutions, including universities, NGOs, private companies, and think tanks.
Does TWCF have limits on the amount of funding one org can be supported by TWCF funds?
One institution can hold multiple awards with TWCF.
Does Templeton prefer that applicants themselves be academic institutions, or can applicants be organizations with partnerships with academic institutions, but not themselves be an academic institution?
This competition is open to a wide range of institutions, including universities, NGOs, private companies, think tanks and others. The Foundation welcomes collaboration among institutions.
Is there any benefit of the applicant being US based, as opposed being located in the region we are focusing on?
No.
Methods
Is this grant targeting systematic reviews/synthesis or empirical studies?
This grant is for a series of landscape reviews or scoping studies, not original empirical work. However, the work does not need to follow the strict format of a systematic review, nor is it expected that each award will be exhaustive in terms of geographic scope or interdisciplinary focus. Applicants are encouraged to define the geographic scope and interdisciplinary focus within the parameters we have outlined based on individual knowledge and expertise. Remember that our main aim is to identify researchers and institutions currently conducting work on topics related to human flourishing who could eventually lead or be part of an interdisciplinary research hub.
Do you allow for qualitative forms of measurement as part of scoping mechanisms? (i.e., description of in-depth work with communities, or something similar)
Yes.
Scope
Does the reference to the writings of Templeton suggest that there needs to be a religious/spiritual dimension to the proposal?
The Foundation’s approach to human flourishing seeks to blend science and spirituality in order to better understand the uniquely human capacities that enable us to flourish as individuals and communities. The study of such cognitive, affective, social and spiritual capacities necessitates an interdisciplinary lens that includes disciplines such as philosophy, theology or related fields. To learn more about the Foundation’s multidimensional approach to flourishing please visit:
https://www.templetonworldcharity.org/what-is-human-flourishing
Can the context of “flourishing” be highly specific, such as “human flourishing in primary health care settings” or like “Human flourishing factors in a health-creating society”?
At this stage, we do not want to limit the landscape reviews to the study of a single topic or sector within flourishing. The reviews should focus on identifying researchers from different disciplinary backgrounds who are doing work on topics related to flourishing.
A lot of the call seems to focus on particular fields like anthropology/psychology etc - I'm a conservation biologist, and would argue that biodiversity/nature experiences are critical to human flourishing. Do you think those ideas have traction here?
There are many fields of disciplines of relevance to the study of human flourishing. We have listed exemplary ones in the call for proposals, but this is not an exhaustive list. However, please keep in mind that we expect each proposal to cover multiple disciplines.
Regarding the potential regions highlighted, do you prefer that candidates submit proposals for more than one region, or would you consider / prefer proposals focusing solely on one region?
We do not require applicants to cover multiple regions. However, we appreciate that some candidates might have networks that cover multiple regions (e.g. Latin America and the Caribbean) and may wish to submit proposals that cover a wider geographic range.
Can we focus on specific mechanisms of “human flourishing” — such as education?
The aim of this request for proposals is to support a series of scoping or landscaping reviews that will help us to identify researchers and institutions working on topics related to human flourishing, not to fund original research in a specific sector or topic area. Concerning the topic of education, the Exploring Our Common Humanity in Diverse Contexts priority falls within the Discovery area of our funding strategy. Research funded under this priority area should focus on fundamental questions about what it means to be human and how humans flourish, rather than on the development of tools, programs, or other applied outputs which seek to promote flourishing. For more information on our strategic areas visit: https://www.templetonworldcharity.org/our-strategy.
Can you give specific fields of study?
Please see the request for proposals document or web page for examples.
I understand that this call is to map the field in one of the defined regions (Latin America, for example), not to propose an original or creative perspective on human flourishing. Is this the case?
Correct. The aim of this request for proposals is to support a series of scoping or landscaping reviews that will help us to identify researchers and institutions working on topics related to human flourishing. It is not to fund original research in a specific sector or topic area.
Are you interested in mapping academic researchers, or do you also want to map NGOs, agencies, business, religious organizations, semi-governmental organizations? For instance, businesses might actually be energetically engaged in such efforts - should we map them as well?
As a starting point, we seek to increase our knowledge about the academic research landscape in the regions of interest. However, we are also interested in the larger ecosystem these researchers and institutions exist within and would welcome information about diverse actors.
Is Templeton’s interest in seeing applicants ‘hone in’ on the areas of human flourishing that the applicant knows to be relevant to their region, and then explore and landscape that issue from an array of disciplinary perspectives? Or is the aim for applicants to explore as many issues as possible relevant to their region regarding human flourishing, and then broadly landscape these issues? Or something else?
Our long-term aim is to establish interdisciplinary research centers on human flourishing. To do this, we first want to identify where there is really promising research already happening that we can help accelerate by injecting funding and bringing together multiple disciplinary perspectives.
You said that you're interested in funding regional research hubs. Are you anticipating that those hubs will develop out of the landscaping teams?
Not necessarily, but we are open to this possibility.
The “collaborative research hubs” phrasing sounds large scale in vision. Might you be able to define the “scale” that TWCF considers a hub?
Yes, the vision for the hubs is large scale. We seek to attract other partners to support these hubs, and this is why one of the outputs includes an assessment of potential sources of funding for research in the region.
Is it possible to apply with a proposal focused on measuring the effects of a program implemented in different countries? (i.e., Identify the effects of a program after N years on the participants and countries.)
No. The aim of this request for proposals is to support a series of scoping or landscaping reviews that will help us to identify researchers and institutions working on topics related to human flourishing. It is not to fund the evaluation of a specific program.
Budget
Does the TWCF budget limit of 10% on travel and lodging apply to core team members as well?
This limit applies to anyone who is not directly employed by the grantee legal institution, regardless of their role on the project. The 10% budget limit on travel for individuals who are not employed by the legal organization applies to every activity covered by the grant (such as convenings).
For Universities, we will very likely not be able to specify the exact / actual person for some of the positions; for instance we will typically request a postdoc - research fellow position, but the person will be hired after and if the grant is approved). Is this ok?
It is not necessary for all members of the project team to be specified at the time of application. However, please bear in mind the grant’s duration and consider whether there is sufficient time for recruitment and hiring of new staff.
Is there a space at the budget or elsewhere where we can list our contribution-in-kind (space, time, etc.) or even contribution in-cash. As a note, contrary to US universities, it is quite uncommon for faculty to be paid by grants - on the contrary our time is considered as contribution-in-kind.
Yes, there is a column in the excel budget template where you can list additional funding (in kind or in cash). Full instructions are provided in the Excel template itself.
What are the reporting timelines?
The Foundation requires the submission of financial and narrative reports (including copies of deliverables) each 12 months and at the end of the project. In addition, there will be quarterly calls with TWCF staff/advisors.
For additional information please contact: andrica@templetonworldcharity.org and cc ellen@advisors.world