USAID and U.S. Minority Serving Institutions Water Sector Conference Participation Support Scholarship

UNC Water and Health Conference, 2022.
Photo credit: Joelle Peikes, EnCompass LLC.

USAID has a long history of working with U.S. Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in critical U.S. foreign and humanitarian assistance areas. The USAID MSI Water Sector Conference Participation Support Scholarship is designed to lower barriers to entry for attendance and networking at key water sector convenings for graduate or senior-level undergraduate students, and/or junior professors/lecturers or academic advisors from the MSIs with programs that focus on water security, sanitation, and hygiene.

Award

Chosen scholars will receive funding for the full cost of attendance for one of the sector conferences listed below. Cost of attendance includes conference registration, air and ground transportation, as well as per diem to cover meals and incidentals. Recipients may be asked to participate in a recipient networking event, interviews, have photos taken, or contribute written inputs (such as a blog post) that may be shared through several media channels during and after the conference.

2023 UNC Water and Health Conference (October 23-27, 2023) – Chapel Hill, NC
International Water Association (IWA) Water and Development Congress & Exhibition (December 10-14, 2023) – Kigali, Rwanda*

*Applicants selecting the conference in Rwanda must have the ability to obtain a visa independently.

Basic Eligibility

Applicants must:

Be graduate or advanced undergraduate students, and/or junior professors (assistant or associate level), or lecturers/staff from a U.S. Minority Serving Institution. See https://www.msidata.org/ for list of institutions.
Have interest or experience in research or implementation (as a professional, volunteer or student) related to water security, sanitation, and hygiene.
Be in good academic standing (for student applicants).

Selection Criteria

Applicants will be selected based on their:

Demonstrated experience in research or implementation in the water security sanitation, and hygiene sector, with a preference for experience working on these issues in USAID’s High Priority Countries under the Global Water Strategy (USAID Priority Countries | Globalwaters.org)
Limited opportunities for previous attendance at sector conferences
Strong writing and communication skills

How to apply

Students: Complete the application form: https://bit.ly/MSI_conference_studentscholarship.

Once the application form has been submitted, please send the following additional items by email to URBANWASH.Applications@tetratech.com by the deadline, September 1, 2023. The email package must include:

A short 500-word statement of interest explaining:
- Your interest and/or experience in the water security, sanitation, and hygiene sector
- Your interest in the specific conference selected and how it furthers your academic and/or career goals
A CV including details about your current academic experience, and any previous volunteer work or activities demonstrating sector interest (max. 2 pages)
A copy of an unofficial transcript

Note: Please be advised that only short-listed candidates will be contacted to arrange for an interview.

Faculty and Advisors: Complete the application form: https://bit.ly/MSI__Conference_facultyandadvisorscholarship.

A short 500-word statement of interest explaining:
- Your interest and/or experience in the water security, sanitation, and hygiene sector
- Your interest in the specific conference selected and how it furthers your career goals
A CV including details about your current experience, and any previous activities demonstrating sector interest (max. 2 pages)