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.