March Social Economy News

Greetings! A lot is happening in the social economy this month. There are scholarship opportunities, a call for papers from ARNOVA, a social economy hub telelearning event and an international conference that I know you will want to hear about, so please read on!

1) The first exciting scholarship-related news is that pending the official announcement by ANSER, there are new research awards available. The Institute for Nonprofit Studies will be awarding grants to graduate students for the 2009-2010 academic year.

Here are the details:

Individual research awards will be made up to a maximum of $2,500. A total maximum of $7,500 will be available for applied research pertaining to the Institute's three research priorities - governance, sustainability, and policy. Interested graduate students who will be conducting research during the 2009-2010 academic year are invited to send a one-page letter of intent to Peter Elson at the Institute for Nonprofit Studies.

The one page letter of intent must be received before April 17, 2009. Further details concerning the letter of intent and the overall funding priorities for the 2009-2010 Research Program for 2009 - 2010 are available on the Institute web site (see link below). A full application will be due by May 15th. Application details will be sent to those students who submit a letter of intent.

http://www.mtroyal.ca/ProgramsCourses/FacultiesSchoolsCentres/InstituteforNonprofitStudies/AppliedResearch/index.htm

Peter R. Elson, PhD, Senior Research Associate
Institute for Nonprofit Studies
Mount Royal College
4825 Mount Royal Gate SW
Calgary, AB
T3E 6K6
(403) 440-8722
pelson@mtroyal.ca
www.mtroyal.ca/nonprofitinstitute

2) CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
CANADIAN ASSOCIATION FOR STUDIES IN CO-OPERATION (CASC) SCHOLARSHIPS

The Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) is calling for applications for the three CASC scholarships administered by CCA:
· Alexander Fraser Laidlaw Fellowship (graduate students only)
· Amy and Tim Dauphinee Scholarship (graduate students only)
· Lemaire Co-operative Studies Award (undergraduate or graduate students)

In addition to the monetary awards, winners of all three scholarships will be awarded a free one-year membership in the Canadian Association for Studies in Co-operation (CASC) as well as free registration at the 2010 CASC conference.

The deadline for applications is April 15, 2009.

Alexander Fraser Laidlaw Fellowship
The Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada established the Laidlaw Fellowship to honour Dr. Alexander Fraser Laidlaw, the father of the non-profit co-operative housing movement in Canada. An outstanding Canadian adult educator and co-op leader, Dr. Laidlaw served the cause of the co-operative movement for over 40 years . Author of Cooperatives in the Year 2000, Laidlaw fostered the social purpose of the co-op movement while always advocating sound business methods for co-operative organizations.

The Laidlaw Award, valued at $1,000, is available to graduate students only. The award is based on the applicant’s academic record, as well as on the importance of the proposed research activities to the development of the co-op movement in Canada or abroad. Applicants must either undertake studies at Canadian universities or university-equivalent colleges (regardless of citizenship) or be Canadian citizens or landed immigrants studying at such institutions outside Canada. To be eligible to receive the award, recipients must undertake their proposed study within one calendar year of the fellowship being awarded.

Amy and Tim Dauphinee Scholarship
The Ontario Credit Union Charitable Foundation established the Amy and Tim Dauphinee Fellowship in recognition of the outstanding contribution these two leaders made to the development of the credit union movement and the Ontario Credit Union Charitable Foundation.
Tim, a retired scientist from the National Research Council, and Amy, a retired school principal, have a strong commitment to co-operatives, education and research. Both have served as local directors on a number of organizations. Amy was the first woman elected to the board of directors of Credit Union Central of Ontario and served for 22 years.

The award, currently valued at $3,000, is available to graduate students only. The award will be based on the applicants’ academic records and on the importance of the proposed research activities to the development of the co-op movement in Canada or abroad. Applicants must either undertake studies at Canadian universities or university-equivalent colleges (regardless of citizenship) or be Canadian citizens or landed immigrants studying at such institutions outside Canada. To be eligible to receive the award, recipients must undertake their proposed study within one calendar year of the fellowship being awarded.

Lemaire Co-operative Studies Award
Louis Lemaire, a co-operative pioneer, dedicated much of his life to organizing co-operatives in Saskatchewan and willed part of his estate to the Co-operative College of Canada (now the Canadian Co-operative Association) to support co-operative studies.

Available to both undergraduate and graduate students, the Lemaire awards are intended to encourage students to undertake studies which will help them contribute to the development of co-operative in Canada or elsewhere. These awards are also intended to support students who have been involved in co-operatives, preferably in leadership positions as volunteers or employees.

Eligible candidates will have been involved with co-operatives, must demonstrate reasonable knowledge and understanding of co-op principles and their application, and be able to indicate how the proposed studies will contribute to the co-op movement.

Full-time or part-time students, taking full- or partial-credit courses at any university or university-equivalent college are eligible to apply. Eligible candidates must take a minimum of one course about co-operatives. The bursaries will be awarded in multiples of $1,000 to a maximum of $3,000. The amount of the awards will be proportional to the significance and contribution of the studies to the advancement of co-operatives. Applicants must either undertake studies at Canadian universities or university-equivalent colleges (regardless of citizenship) or be Canadian citizens or landed immigrants studying at such institutions outside Canada. To be eligible to receive the award, recipients must undertake their proposed study within one calendar year of the fellowship being awarded.

Please note that the awards and scholarships listed above are intended to support studies about co-operative businesses and organizations – they are not intended to support co-op work/study programs in other fields of study.

PLEASE SUBMIT SUBMIT THE ATTACHED APPLICATION FORM, TOGETHER WITH SUPPORTING MATERIAL, TO:
Donna Balkan
Canadian Co-operative Association
400-275 Bank St.
Ottawa, ON K1P 2L6
E-mail: donna.balkan@coopscanada.coop
Or download the application form from the CCA web site at:
www.coopscanada.coop/cooplinks/education/awards

3) Call for Participation - The 38th Annual ARNOVA Conference
Philanthropy in Communities: Finding Opportunity in Crisis
Cleveland, Ohio
November 19-22, 2009

As always, ARNOVA’s annual research conference will be a key opportunity to discuss the latest research on nonprofit organizations and philanthropy in all its diversity.

Proposal Submission Tracks for the 38th Annual ARNOVA Conference:
(these suggestions are not exclusionary of other topics)

Accountability, effectiveness, and evaluation
Boards, governance and leadership
Community and grassroots organizations
Fundraising and giving
International perspectives and issues
Philanthropy and foundations
Public policy
Strategy, programs, and innovation
Theory and methods
Voluntarism and volunteering
Teaching and Education
Philanthropy in Communities: Finding Opportunity in Crisis

Types of Presentations & Submissions:
Proposals for papers, Panels (pre-arranged) of 3-4 papers, and Colloquies of at least 3 presenters are solicited. Submissions by practitioners and doctoral students engaged in research are also welcome. The Conference Planning Committee seeks volunteers to chair or serve as discussants for paper sessions. We particularly welcome younger scholars and members of under-represented groups to make their interests known to the conference organizers so we can include you in our community.

The on-line proposal submission system will open February 18, 2009, and close at midnight, March 23, 2009.

To submit a proposal, go to http://www.arnova.org/ and – under the Tab for “Conference” – click “Submit a Proposal.” More information about submitting proposals is posted under “Guidelines and Instructions for Proposals". Questions can then be directed to the ARNOVA office at (317) 684-2120, or to conference@arnova.org .

4) The Social Economy Hub has announced the following event:

Telelearning Session 13: Microfinance in a Canadian Context http://www.socialeconomyhub.ca/hub/?p=1091

The provision of financial services to low-income clients is an under-examined facet of the economic system. Proponents of microfinance believe that meeting the financial needs of such community members can be a sustainable answer to solving the problems associated with poverty in our society. Join us as we explore some of the issues surrounding microfinance in Canada, including:

• What is the significance of microfinance programs in the Canadian context?
• What is the need for microfinance programs?
• Under what conditions do microfinance programs thrive in Canada?
• What are the challenges faced by Canadian microfinance programs?

Sign up today to participate in this engaging telelearning session, featuring Susan Henry (Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility at Alterna Savings) and Anahi Rivadeneira (Microfinance Program Officer at Vancity http://www.vancity.com/ ), with facilitation by Seth Asimakos of the Saint John Community Loan Fund http://www.loanfund.ca/ .

Spaces are free, but limited - Register today!

Call Logistics:
• Session Date: Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
• Call begins at 9:00 am PST, 10:00 am MST, 11:00 am CST, 12:00 pm EST, 1:00 pm AST, and 1:30 pm NST
• Call in information will be given upon registration
• Register before March 8th to obtain dial-in information and background papers
• This session is in English Session

Format: 1 Hour
Welcome: 5 minutes
Presentation: 10 minutes from each speaker
Discussion: 35 minutes

Registration: By Email or by PhoneRegister by e-mailing telelearning@socialeconomyhub.ca with your name, location, and work or volunteer position. We will provide instructions on how to access the telelearning forum. Unfortunately, the session is only open to those residing in Canada.

To register by phone call 1-250-472-4976. Check out the CSEHub Telelearning page for more information and to listen to the podcasts after these events! http://www.socialeconomyhub.ca/hub/index.php?page_id=129

5) EMES EUROPEAN RESEARCH NETWORK
International European Conference on the Social Economy and Social Enterprise in Prague (Czech Republic)
An International European Conference on the Social Economy and Social Enterprise will take place in Prague from 16 to 18 April 2009.

More details available from: www.emes.net/index.php?id=57

Good luck with your applications!

Suzanne Cook, Doctoral candidate and SESN rep for the Southern Ontario Social Economy Network
http://sec.oise.utoronto.ca/