At the Baton Rouge Convention, the Executive Council again renewed the AATF Small Grants program for 2008 to support local projects by Chapter members who need an extra infusion of cash in order to get their project off the ground or to bring their project to completion. The total amount of funds available is $7500, with the maximum award being $500. Matching funds from the chapter to which the applicant belongs or from another source must be committed. In this way, it is hoped that the applicant can attract sufficient overall funding.

Application procedures and requirements remain the same as in previous years. A letter specifying the following should be sent to the Executive Director, Mailcode 4510, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901 postmarked by March 1, 2008: (1) name of applicant and Chapter to which he/she belongs; (2) a brief summary of the project, including purpose, individuals involved, inclusive dates; (3) total anticipated budget; (4) funds requested; (5) other sources of funds being sought, INCLUDING AMOUNT TO BE MATCHED FROM CHAPTER TREASURY, if applicable (This must be attested to by the Chapter Secretary-Treasurer). PLEASE NOTE: Every year some interesting requests remain unfunded because of lack of financial support at the Chapter level; it is important to begin the application process AS SOON AS YOU READ THIS by alerting your Chapter officers to your upcoming request.

Applicants should remember that the basic purpose of this modest program is to aid those members who need supplementary funds to carry out a worthy project that would otherwise be unfunded or underfunded. Projects must bear a relationship to the purposes of the Association, namely furthering the study of French in the U.S., and be of potential benefit to other AATF members or to his/her students. Under no circumstances will awards be made to carry out strictly personal research or to travel abroad for the sake of general enlightenment. Members at all levels of instruction may apply.

A committee will evaluate the applications and determine the recipients. Preference will be given to new projects having a wide impact. Projects for National French Week 2008 are encouraged.