Arête Glacier Initiative Grant Program (United States)

At Arête Glacier Initiative, their mission is to understand and mitigate the risks of catastrophic sea-level rise caused by ice-sheet instability. They aim to reduce uncertainties in sea-level rise projections through improved physics in ice sheet models. The time evolution of subglacial friction is an important component of running ice-sheet simulations into the future. They aim to constrain the time evolution of the sliding law and improve subglacial hydrology models.

Focus Areas

• Measuring the erodibility of subglacial tills by water flow
• Quantifying the role of a weighted rigid lid on the erosion and water flow dynamics
• Determining the influence of till shearing on fluvial erosion
• Finding the influence of water input or extraction on water pressure dynamics and erosion
• Elucidating the role of dilation and compaction in controlling till water pressure

Funding Information

• Requests up to $100k total for up to 2 years are allowed.

Eligible Expenses

• Salaries: Their program allows requests for salaries only under specific conditions. Salaries are eligible for non-salaried individuals or those who must fundraise for part of their salary (e.g. university faculty requesting summer salary). Applicants must justify such requests. No salary will be provided for work that is part of a salaried position’s regular duties.
• Equipment and supplies: Requests for both lab-based and field-based equipment and supplies are permitted. Equipment costs must be well justified, with references to expected unit costs. Ensure that large equipment purchases are necessary for the project’s success.
• Fieldwork-Related Travel: Travel expenses related to fieldwork (e.g. flights, ground transport, food, accommodation) can be covered. They strongly discourage travel for conferences because the focus of the grants are to accomplish scientific and engineering goals.
• Health and Safety: Grantees may request funds for safety-related expenses, such as personal protective equipment (PPE), COVID-19 tests, or medical insurance required for fieldwork.
• Contracts and Consultants: Costs for necessary support staff or contractors (e.g. data analysis, engineering) are eligible, as long as the roles are critical to the project’s success. Faculty research and advising is described above and is not consulting.
• Community Engagement: Funding can be requested for activities that engage communities in the research process, such as outreach programs, workshops, and public presentations. Justify any engagement costs with clear plans for activities.
• Caregiving Expenses: Applicants with caregiving responsibilities may request funding for caregiving. This could cover caregiving costs at home or in the field while conducting project-related work as well as travel for caregivers. Include details about caregiving needs, hourly rates for caregivers, and the justification for on-site care (if applicable).
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Grantees may allocate part of their budget to monitoring and evaluation activities that will help track the success and impact of the project.
• Visas and Currency Conversion: Expenses related to securing visas, currency conversion fees, and hiring translators can be included in the budget. These costs must be well justified, especially for projects that involve international travel or partnerships with international collaborators.

Expected Outcomes

• Enhanced laboratory capabilities and validated experimental setups.
• Initial test experiments and analysis that can inform future proposals.
• At least one peer-reviewed publication describing methods and key findings.

Eligibility Criteria

• Age Requirement: Applicants must be at least 18 years old at the time of application.
• Institutional Affiliation: Applicants must be affiliated with a recognized institution, such as a university, research organization, or non-profit.
• Geographic Inclusivity: While there are no geographic restrictions, applicants working outside of their home country must include at least one team member from the country where the project will be conducted. This requirement ensures local knowledge and collaboration and enhances the project’s relevance and impact in the target region.
• Funding provided through this program must comply with all applicable U.S. laws and regulations, including those administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). As such:
  • Funds may not be allocated to individuals, organizations, or entities located in, organized under the laws of, or ordinarily residing in countries or regions subject to comprehensive U.S. sanctions.
  • Applicants are responsible for ensuring compliance with U.S. sanctions regulations, including screening against applicable sanctions lists and confirming that no prohibited parties or entities are involved in the project.
  • The most up-to-date information on U.S. sanctions programs can be found at OFAC’s website.

Selection Criteria

• Relevance to the Arête scientific mission and glacier bed mechanics
• The novelty of the proposed laboratory experiments and analysis
• Clear articulation of how the proposed work will push forward the understanding of subglacial hydrology.
• Evidence of the applicant’s ability to carry out the proposed research, including past achievements, relevant publications, and successful execution of similar projects

Application Requirements

• Applications will need to complete an application form, including the submission of a CV and a budget justification.
• They expect to see that the proposers have permission and access to the facilities that they will use.
• The proposers will need to articulate how long it will take to perform their work, who will perform the work, and the steps required to perform the experiments.

For more information, visit Arête Glacier Initiative.