Director's Fund

The Directors Fund is a multi-purpose fund that supports all priority areas (Research, Higher Education, Pre-college Education or Public Service).  The Fund responds to unanticipated events that meet all of the following criteria:

1. Staff Initiated

• Costs $500 or less;
• Requires immediate attention;
• Timing prevents consideration by the Consortium through annual budgeting process; and
• A real opportunity to enhance the Consortium's mission.

2. Outside Requests

• Cost is $500 or less;
• Requires immediate attention;
• A critical opportunity that woould be lost if not funded;
• Non-consortium funding is not available or is available but not sufficient;
• Timing prevents consideration by the Consortium through normal granting procedure; and
• A real opportunity to enhance the Consortium's mission.

Guidelines under this program are as follows:

• Each disbursement shall not exceed $500;
• The Director shall not support more than one request from the same individual or organization in the same year; and
• Any unexpended amounts at the end of the budget year shall be carried forward into the general budget of the new budget year.

Examples of supported activities include:

• Faculty attending conferences (Research Infrastructure)
• Space Camp scholarships for students attending Space Camp (pre-college education)
• Travel expenses for a class trip to NASA's traveling exhibit, “Vision for Space Exploration Experience”  (pre-college)
• Classroom mission at the Challenger Learning Center of Maine, funds were used to help offset travel expenses (pre-college)

• Travel expenses for Maine’s only EarthKAM coordinator to attend the National Educators conference in Houston TX (pre-college education)

• High School HOBO Sensor project (pre-college)

Individuals interested in the Director's Fund should submit a letter outlining the purpose of the activity, how the request meets the Fund's criteria for support, and a brief budget. Letters should be e-mailed to Jana Hall.