The Initiative Fund is established by the ASABE Board of Trustees (BOT) to support the creation of new activities, projects, products, services and programs. It provides seed money for new activities and pilot projects. It is supported through ASABE's Restricted Reserve.

 

Each fiscal year the Finance Committee recommends, for ASABE Board of Trustees' approval, the amount to be placed in the Initiative Fund for use during the next fiscal year. At its Fall 2011 meeting, the BOT approved Initiative Funds of up to $100,000 for 2012. Groups within the Society are now invited to prepare proposals for putting these funds to most effective use.

Projects may be proposed by any group within the Society but must align with the Society's objectives, set forth in the Society' Bylaws, Article B2, Par. 1, and with the priorities identified annually by the Board of Trustees.

Projects may be proposed for single or multiple years. For multi-year proposals, the budget should clearly indicate funding by year. All funds must be used within two years of the approval of a single year project; or three years for a multi-year project. Any funds not used within this time frame will revert back to the Restricted Reserve. All funds must be used for the purpose for which they were approved.

Timeline
February 15 - proposals due to headquarters
April 1 - Initiative Fund Committee makes recommendations on proposal funding to BOT
April/May - final approval by BOT at their spring meeting
April/May - proposal contacts notified, regardless of outcome
May - funds available for approved proposals

Guidelines for Submitting Proposals

Projects Supported by Past Initiative Funds