The R3 Projects Committee’s purpose is to “provide guidance and support, including funding opportunities, to organizational units for projects that promote engagement and collaboration and that foster IEEE’s goal of ‘Advancing Technology for Humanity.’”

Projects that solve real-world problems that our communities face help create engagement among our members. They foster strong bonds among members and between IEEE and our local communities. Projects also often encourage members to get more involved with IEEE, increasing member and volunteer engagement.

Projects funded through the Region 3 Projects Committee are meant to involve engagement and collaboration between IEEE members to address real-world problems. They are also meant to demonstrate IEEE’s commitment to “Advancing Technology for Humanity.” The Region 3 Projects Committee periodically announces a themed challenge and encourages IEEE Organizational Units within Region 3 to apply for funds for projects which fit this theme.

We are always looking for new new project themes. Perhaps your idea could be the next one that the Region 3 Projects Committee adopts. It could also be possible that your idea could be combined with other ideas that the committee is considering. Please contact Allen Jones, the Region 3 Projects Coordinator, at [email protected] and explain your idea.

The duration of the projects funded by the Region 3 Projects Committee is generally on the order of weeks to months.

• A one-day event would not normally be approved for funding since a single day is not normally enough time for people to really engage with each other.
• An ongoing program would not normally be funded through this committee since this source is not meant to provide funds for activities that should have their own line item in an annual budget. It is certainly possible, however, that a project initially funded through this committee could have enough success that it could then seek ongoing funding through other IEEE and external sources.

When a new round of project funding is announced, the details of how to apply for funding will be included.

The maximum funding that is offered to a group by Region 3 varies with the round of project funding, but it is normally on the order of one to two thousand dollars.

Yes, we encourage multiple IEEE groups to join together to collaborate on projects. We also encourage IEEE groups to partner with other organizations in their community to work on projects. The Region 3 Projects Committee, however, can only transfer funds to an IEEE Organizational Unit that is a part of Region 3. The IEEE Organizational Unit receiving the funding would then be responsible for coordinating project spending with any external groups.

If we get funding from the Projects Committee to work on a project, can we also get funding from other groups within IEEE?

Once the Region 3 Projects Committee approves a project for funding, Region 3 transfers the approved funds to the bank account of the IEEE Organizational Unit that is sponsoring the project. Requests for reimbursement need to be submitted to that Organizational Unit.

Although it may be acceptable to use funds to pay someone for services that are ancillary to your project (e.g. hosting a website associated with your project), the Region 3 Projects Committee would not approve a funding request where paying someone else to do a project was the primary use of the funds. Funds provided through this committee are meant to foster engagement and collaboration among IEEE members and their community. Paying someone else to do the project would not generally accomplish this goal.

If the previous year’s project also fits this year’s theme, then it would be possible to receive funding. If it does not fit with this year’s theme, then you may be able to use your previous year’s success as justification to request ongoing funding from other sources.

If you have questions, please contact the Region 3 Projects Coordinator, Allen Jones, at [email protected]