Frequently Asked Questions
-
When are completed nomination and application forms due?
-
Does the due date mean that nomination and application packages
must be received at headquarters on the due date or postmarked
on the due date?
-
How do I obtain guidelines and nomination and application forms?
-
AAFCS seems to offer many fellowships and grants, but some are not
offered every year. Why is this?
-
Some guidelines mention additional points for nominees who
hold AAFCS credentials. What are the credentials from AAFCS?
-
I cannot find a particular award, grant, fellowship, or scholarship on your website
but I know that I have seen it offered before. Is it offered this year?
-
What is an award?
-
What is a grant?
-
What is a fellowship?
-
What is a scholarship?
-
What font should I use in my nomination or application form?
-
Is there a single list of every award, grant, fellowship,
and scholarship that will be offered in 2008?
-
Why can't the new guidelines and forms be posted immediately
after the due date for the previous year?
-
I have guidelines and a form that I used a couple of years ago. I can
e-mail those to someone else to use this year, right?
Answers
Q. When are completed nomination and application forms due?
A. Most completed nomination and application packages must
be postmarked by January 7, 2008, or earlier
and sent to AAFCS headquarters (please refer to guidelines
for specific instructions when they are posted). The only
exceptions are 21st
Century Community Champion Award, Friend
of the Family Award, and Chalkley-Fenn
Public Policy Visiting Scholar Award, which were
due on December 1, 2007.
Top of
Page
Q. Does the due date mean that nomination and application
packages must be received at headquarters on the due date
or postmarked on the due date?
A. Most nomination and application packages must be postmarked
on or before January 7, 2008 (please refer
to guidelines for specific instructions when they are posted).
Three exceptions are 21st
Century Community Champion Award, Friend
of the Family Award, and Chalkley-Fenn
Public Policy Visiting Scholar Award, which were
due December 1, 2007, and were to be e-mailed
by the due date (please refer to guidelines for specific instructions).
Top of
Page
Q. How do I obtain guidelines and nomination and application
forms?
A. In the fall of each year, award guidelines and forms can
be found in the awards
section of the web; fellowship guidelines and forms
can be found in the fellowships
section of the web; grant guidelines and forms can
be found in the grants
section of the web; and scholarship guidelines and
forms can be found in the scholarships
section of the web. Click
here for a full list of every award, grant, fellowship,
and scholarship that will be offered in 2008.
Top of
Page
Q. AAFCS seems to offer many fellowships and grants, but some are not
offered every year. Why is this?
A. Some are offered every other year for two reasons:
1. To even out administrative support time needed to manage this program.
2. To allow time for available funds to earn interest.
While most fellowships, grants, and awards begin with a simple
application process, others require follow up over several
years. Because the criteria for each fellowship, grant, or
award are different, the amount of administrative support
differs as well. Offering each award every year was increasing
the administrative cost of operating this program.
Monetary awards are given from the accumulated interest on the funds. The principal
of the fund is left intact. In a given year, numerous grants or fellowships are
available. The Development Committee reviews the interest earned in the fund to
determine how many awards may be offered in a given year.
By using the rotation cycle, less is spent on administration and the principal
amounts of the funds can grow.
Top of Page
Q. Some guidelines mention additional points for nominees
who hold AAFCS credentials. What are the credentials from
AAFCS?
A. AAFCS offers one broad field credential and two concentration credentials
in family and consumer sciences:
- CFCS
- Certified in Family and Consumer Sciences
-
CFCS-HDFS
- Certified in Human Development and Family Studies
- CFCS-HNFS
- Certified in Hospitality, Nutrition, and Food Science
Those who would
like to obtain one of these credentials should sign up to take a competency
exam, pass the exam, and pay a fee.
CFCS,
Retired
Effective September 1, 2005, there is a new credential category
called CFCS, Retired, available to those who are already certified.
Individuals who meet the AAFCS eligibility requirements to
be classified as “retired” may opt for the “retired”
category of CFCS professionals. To be eligible, a retiree
must be 60 or more years of age, have met retirement guidelines
at their place of employment, and must no longer be gainfully
employed; it is the responsibility of the CFCS professional
to request retired status for their CFCS credential. The “CFCS,
Retired” certification category allows maintenance of
the professional credential with no further requirement for
reporting ongoing professional development. Retirees who will
continue to both complete and report professional development
units would continue their active “CFCS” status.
For more information on obtaining and maintaining AAFCS credentials,
contact the Office of Certification at 703-706-4600, 800-424-8080,
or certification@aafcs.org.
Top of Page
Q. I cannot find a particular award, grant, fellowship, or
scholarship on your website, but I know that I have seen it
offered before. Is it offered this year?
A. No, if it is not listed on the website, it is not offered this year. Keep in mind that:
- If
a particular award, grant, fellowship, or scholarship is
not listed in the 2008 programs section of the website as
being offered in 2008, it is not offered in 2008 (even if
it was offered in the past!).
- And,
an award, grant, fellowship, or scholarship that is not
offered in 2008 may be offered again in the future.
Top of Page
Q. What is an award?
A. An award is defined as a merit honor based on performance and on contributions
to the field of family and consumer sciences.
Top of Page
Q. What is a grant?
A. A grant is defined as financial support given for research studies in
family and consumer sciences.
Top of Page
Q. What is a fellowship?
A. A fellowship is financial support from an endowment given to a
student for graduate study in family and consumer sciences.
Top of Page
Q. What is a scholarship?
A. A scholarship is financial support from an endowment given to a student for
undergraduate study in family and consumer sciences.
Top of Page
Q. What font should I use in my nomination or application form?
A. Use 10 to 12-point Times New Roman or Arial fonts.
Top of Page
Q. Is there a single list of every award, grant, fellowship,
and scholarship that will be offered in 2008?
A. Yes, there is a list
of awards, grants, fellowships, and scholarships
offered in 2008.
Top of Page
Q. Why can't the new guidelines and forms be posted immediately
after
the due date for the previous year?
A. The award, grant, fellowship, and scholarship process requires
a full year of preparation. Immediately after completed nomination
and application packages are received at headquarters, the
names of the nominees and applicants have to be recorded,
and the packages have to be sorted and forwarded to jurors.
The jurors need time to review the packages and rate them
on score sheets, which are returned to headquarters. After
the scores and comments are recorded and reviewed, the winners
are chosen after the results are discussed.
Once the fiscal year has ended, the amount of money in each award,
grant, fellowship, and scholarship fund can be calculated. At this point,
it is possible to determine which awards, grants, fellowships, and scholarships
will be offered, and the work of updating the guidelines and forms can begin.
Top of
Page
Q. I have guidelines and a form that I used a couple of years
ago. I can
e-mail those to someone else to use this year, right?
A. Old guidelines and forms should not be used
because deadlines and requirements may have changed. Current
guidelines and forms can be downloaded from the programs
section of the website.
Top of
Page
|
