CIC Chemical Education Fund (CEF)

What is the CEF?
How is the Funding Carried Out?
Examples of Funding
How to Apply
E. Gordon Young Lectureship
Board of Directors  
Bylaws
Financial Statement

 What is the CEF? top

The CIC Chemical Education Fund is a registered charity set up to promote education in the fields of chemical sciences, chemical engineering and chemical technology and related disciplines.

The objectives of the CIC Chemical Education Fund (CEF) are:

• To advance education in chemical sciences, chemical engineering, chemical technology and related disciplines, by carrying out or encouraging chemical outreach activities, seminars and conferences and by developing educational materials for the benefit of students of chemistry, chemical engineering or chemical technology and members of the general public;
• To encourage excellence in the fields of chemical sciences, chemical engineering and chemical technology and related disciplines by means of awarding scholarships, bursaries, prizes and other honours and to provide funding to academic institutions or the award of scholarships, grants and other honours;
• To carry out or promote research in the fields of chemical sciences, chemical engineering, chemical technology and related disciplines and to disseminate the results of such research to the general public.

 How is the Funding Carried Out? top

The CIC Chemical Education Fund (CEF) Board of Directors meets annually to review grant applications to fund chemical outreach activities, the purpose of which is to educate the Canadian public, and in particular, Canadian youth about the importance and role of chemistry in everyday life. The Board strives to approve as many grants as possible within the limitations of income and consistency with the purpose of the CEF. Income for the funds comes from charitable donations made by corporations and individuals, and from interest earned on investments. In recent years, $30,000-$35,000 has been available annually.

The Fund is to be used to support projects primarily of a regional or national level. New, imaginative proposals requiring seed money to get started are particularly encouraged.

 Examples of Funding top

• Prizes for student presenters at regional student chemistry conferences.
• Student competitions such as the Robert G. Auld Oral Paper Competition, essay contests and the Virtual Science Fair.
• Awards such as the CIC Award for Chemical Education for academic excellence and achievement by high school teachers, undergraduates and graduate students.
• Publications or outreach courses with educational content or which help to improve public awareness of chemistry. The Process Safety Management Division’s Summer Institute handbook is an example.
• The E. Gordon Young Lectureship
• Bringing chemistry to remote northern communities through the “Chemistry is Everywhere” tour.

 How to Apply top

To apply for funding from the CEF, fill out the Application Form and submit it along with any background material to:

Awards Manager
Chemical Institute of Canada
130 Slater Street, Suite 550
Ottawa, ON, K1P 6E2
or by e-mail to gthirlwall@cheminst.ca

The deadline is December 15 of the year previous to that in which support is being requested.

For an application to be considered and have a chance to be successful, here are a few tips:

• Include a detailed budget with the outline for the proposed project, showing where the CEF money will be used.
• If repeat funding is being requested, include a report on what has been achieved with earlier funds, together with the budget for the next year.
• The directors are willing to consider supporting awards and prizes at student conferences, under the following circumstances: the conference should involve more than one school, a registration fee should be charged, and an estimate of the attendance and the number of papers to be presented should be provided.
• The CEF will not support travel expenses related to a project.
• The CEF generally does not support salaries.

• Except in unusual circumstances, the directors prefer not to support a project for more than a few years. The Trustees prefer to support successful projects only until other means of support can be found. This helps to ensure that funds are available to launch new projects.

Grant recipients are asked to complete a Grant Report Form by the December 15 deadline the following year to summarize the success of their initiative or to provide updates on an ongoing project.
Grant Report Form

 E. Gordon Young Lectureship top

The annual E. Gordon Young Lectureship is made possible to recognize an outstanding scientist or engineer, and to enhance the public perception of the chemical profession and its contributions to modern society.

The Lecturer will present at least one public lecture and two scientific or technical lectures in different locations. The lecture series will be hosted by one of the Local Sections represented by the Institute. The host region will vary from year to year in order to include, as far as possible, all regions across Canada.

See the complete Terms of Reference and list of past hosting cities for more details.

Find out more about the CIC outreach programs
Find out what is available to students from the CIC