51²è¹Ýapp

Background

Davis Projects for Peace is an invitation to undergraduates at the American colleges and universities in the Davis United World College Scholars Program to design grassroots projects for building peace that they will implement during a single summer. The projects judged to be the most promising and feasible will be funded at $10,000 each.

Davis Projects for Peace was created in 2007 through the generosity of Kathryn W. Davis, a lifelong internationalist and philanthropist who died in 2013 at 106 years of age. She is the mother of Shelby M.C. Davis who funds the Davis United World College Scholars Program currently involving over 90 American colleges and universities. Mrs. Davis’ legacy lives on through the continuation of Projects for Peace, sparking initiatives for building prospects for peace around the world. The Davis family and friends believe, like Mrs. Davis did, that today’s youth — tomorrow’s leaders — ought to be challenged to formulate and test their own ideas.

Purpose of Davis Projects for Peace

Davis hopes to encourage student initiative, innovation, and entrepreneurship focusing on conflict prevention, resolution, or reconciliation.

Some of the most compelling projects to date have reflected one or more of the following characteristics:

• contributing to conflict prevention;
• ameliorating conditions leading to violence/conflict;
• looking for and building on shared attributes among differing peoples, races, ethnicities, tribes, clans, etc.;
• fostering diplomacy or otherwise contributing to advancing peace processes underway;
• promoting economic opportunity and entrepreneurship among those in post-conflict areas;
• finding creative ways to bring people on opposite sides of issues together, such as through art, sports, music, or other techniques to promote a common humanity;
• developing leadership and mediation skills training for those in conflict or post-conflict societies;
• starting or leveraging initiatives, organizations (e.g. education, health), or infrastructure projects to build/rebuild community.

The program is worldwide in scope and impact, and specific projects may be undertaken anywhere, including in the U.S.A.

To Apply

All enrolled students in good standing, including graduating seniors, are eligible to submit a proposal. Proposals are due on Friday,, Dec. 6, 2024.

Application materials should include the following documents and adhere to the detailed formatting and content guidelines which follow below:

1. one Scholarship Nomination Permission Form and Waiver (PDF) for each student applicant
2. a completed  from a faculty member who has read and discussed your project proposal with you. Please identify and give your proposed professor a heads-up as early as possible in the semester.
3. grade transcripts
4. written preapproval (via email or official letterhead) of any partner organizations, groups, or external individuals referenced in the project proposal, such as NGOs or nonprofits
5. a written proposal that includes a narrative section and a budget, as detailed below

Part A. Proposal Narrative

The ideal length is two pages. It must not exceed three pages. The document may be submitted as a MS Word or PDF document.

Keep in mind that successful proposals (and final reports) may be made publicly available on the Projects for Peace website. Therefore, submitted proposals should not include content that could be perceived as sensitive or private.

Projects for Peace reviewers take note of the following when reviewing proposals:

• Project summary:
  • What issue(s) will be addressed?
  • What approach(es) will be used?
  • With whom will the grantee(s) work?
  • What is the rationale for these choices?
• Background:
  • What preceded this proposal in terms of personal experience, forming relationships, developing knowledge, and other preparation?
• Implementation:
  • What plans have been made for use of funds, use of time, and contingencies?
• Anticipated Results:
  • What are the potential short and long-term outcomes for participants, community collaborators, and grantee(s)?
  • How will progress be monitored?

Projects for Peace reviewers particularly welcome proposals that include any, or all, of the following:

• a definition of peace, and an articulation of how the project may contribute to peace
• an innovative approach to the issue(s)
• appreciation for and sensitivity to the context, communities, and/or cultures where the project takes place
• consideration of the dilemmas, challenges, or conflicts that may underlie the targeted issues or selected approaches
• consideration of sustainability and/or scalability of the approach
• critical self-awareness by the grantee

Part B. Proposal Budget

A proposed budget must accompany the proposal narrative as a separate document. It may be submitted as an MS Excel or Google Sheets document.

The Budget/Expense Form Template and instructions are available on the . All budgeted items are to be reported in U.S. dollars and should be grouped in the categories provided.

The submitted budget is an estimate of anticipated costs and it should demonstrate an anticipated full expenditure of grant funds.

File Naming Conventions

Kindly name the materials according to the following conventions, abbreviating where it is helpful.

• Proposal Narrative: ProjectYear_51²è¹ÝappCollege_projectitle_proposal
• Proposal Budget: ProjectYear_51²è¹ÝappCollege_projectitle_budget

Please ensure that all application documents comply with these submission guidelines:

• 10-point font, Ariel
• Minimum of 1-inch margins on all sides
• Single spaced
• All project proposals require a header on each page that includes:
  • Title of Project
  • Country/ies and/or tribal or ethnic lands where project will take place
  • 51²è¹Ýapp College
  • Designated project leader name and, if applicable, all student team member names (including their home country and college/university)

Note: No personal contact information (email addresses, phone numbers) should appear on the proposal.

Quality of Written Document

Additional consideration will be given to the quality of the written document:

• Does the proposal explain clearly what is to be done and why it is important?
• Is the application complete and free of typos or other errors that would indicate hastiness in its preparation or a lack of careful thought?
• Were the instructions followed in terms of formatting and length?

51²è¹Ýapp College Travel Warning Policy

Please note that 51²è¹Ýapp College policy does not permit us to consider projects that involve travel to countries with a Level 4 Travel Advisory , except under special circumstances. Contact Ashley Laux with questions.

Davis Projects for Peace does not accept questions from students, please direct questions to the campus liaison for Projects for Peace Ashley Laux, associate director, Faculty-led Learning Across the Globe, Institute for Global Engagement.

Students should also visit  for important information and to see past winning projects.

Recipients of Davis Projects for Peace Grants, Nominated by 51²è¹Ýapp College

Summer 2024

Ekta Shaikh ’24, Transcend: a Comprehensive Intervention Plan, Pakistan

Summer 2021

Xonzy Gaddis ’23, Olimpiadas Interinstitucionales: Connecting Latin American Youth through Sport and Career Communities,
Colombia and Venezuela

Divyansh Singh ’23, Changing Lives of Tibetan Refugee Kids through Digital Literacy, India

Summer 2020

Davis suspended due to Covid-19

Summer 2019

Gracee Wallach ’20 & Mia Nuemann (School of the Art Institute of Chicago); The Talk: Sex Miseducation as an American Crisis, United States

Summer 2018

Vivienne Kerley ’19; Arte Resiliente Despues de Huracán Maria en Santurce, Puerto Rico

Annette Mokua ’18; Wanawake kwa Wanawake: Socio-Economic Empowerment of Women, South Western Kenya

Summer 2017

Angela Adom Frimpong ’20; The Aspiring for More project: Inspiring the youth of Jamestown to create and achieve life goals, Ghana

Summer 2016

Michaela Gelnarová ’18 and Matthew McCarthy ’17; Beat the Ignorance: Learning about Immigration, Czech Republic

Summer 2015

Anesu Gamanya ’17 and Paula-Kay Cousins ’17; From the Bottom Up: Strengthening Jamaica’s Early-childhood Institutions, Jamaica

Summer 2014

Anam Aslam ’14 and Matthew Miller (Messiah College); Los Niños Son el Futuro: Empowering Women to Bring Peace through Children’s Health, Ecuador

Leah Lucas ’14 and Emily Nucaro ’14; Weaving Peace and Stringing Hope, Guatemala

Summer 2013

Inara Sunan Tareque ’16 and Thomas Yim ’15 (Brown University); Stars for Knowledge, Knowledge for Change, Bangladesh

Summer 2012

Tinggong Zhan ’14 and Xiaorong Yin ’14; 50 Yuan That Can Change Lives, China

Summer 2011

Ashraya Dixit ’14; Straws of Steel: Piloting Straw Bale Construction, Nepal

Summer 2010

Ami Shrestha ’13; Peace in the Mountains, Nepal

Summer 2009

Liting Cong ’11; "Yi Fa Wei Quan,' Legal Aid for Migrant Workers, Shanghai, China

Joe Hiller ’12 and Chandara Veung ’12; Equal Access to Education: A Road to Peace and Development, Cambodia

Summer 2008

Meredith Groves ’08, Victoria Mercer ’10, Eric Nost ’09, and Alex Reich ’11; Local Foods for Local People, 51²è¹Ýapp, IA

Summer 2007

Jamie Zwiebel ’08; Women in Solidarity for Development, San Ramon, Nicaragua

For Further Information

Students who have questions about the Davis Projects for Peace or 51²è¹Ýapp's nominating process should contact Ashley Laux, 51²è¹Ýapp’s designated official contact person to the Davis Projects For Peace. Communication between students writing proposals and the Davis UWC Scholars office is prohibited.