1999-2000 Annual Report - Dr. Stirling McDowell Foundation for ...

aries of McDowell Foundation research reflects a growing awareness of the Foundation’s work both nationally
and internationally. The Foundation has been approached this year by a variety of individuals and
agencies interested in its mandate, its structure, and the research it has produced. One tangible sign of this
growing interest is the fact that the Foundation’s website received 12,109 hits last year.
The efforts made by the Foundation to encourage teachers in towns, villages, rural areas, and the north to
apply for research grants from the McDowell Foundation began to show some results in 1999-2000.
Twelve grant applications were received from rural and northern educators, which resulted in the allocation
of four project awards and one development grant for research (see Table 2). This success rate of 42%
was below that of city applicants, who received grants in 9 out of 17 applications for a success rate of 53%.
The Project Review Committee has noted that one of the significant needs of many potential teacherresearchers,
perhaps particularly those who teach in rural areas, may be of assistance in acquiring an
understanding of research, and particularly the kind of research that fits the McDowell Foundation’s mandate.
New ways of ensuring that rural applicants submit successful applications are continually being
explored. For example, a luncheon presentation was made at this year’s Rural Education Congress to draw
attention to the McDowell Foundation and the need to support rural teachers interested in conducted
research.
Table 2: Distribution of McDowell Foundation Projects by Geographic Area, 1994-2000*
2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1994-2000
# (%) # (%) # (%) # (%) # (%) # (%) # (%) # (%)
Saskatoon/Regina 6 (50) 7 (64) 2 (29) 3 (43) 8 (73) 4 (57) 9 (69) 39 (57)
Small City 2 (17) 1 (9) 3 (43) 1 (14) 1 (9) 2 (29) 2 (15) 12 (18)
Northern Areas** 0 (0) 2 (18) 1 (14) 1 (14) 0 (0) 0 (0) 2 (15) 6 (9)
Rural Areas 4 (33) 1 (9) 1 (14) 2 (29) 2 (18) 1 (14) 0 (0) 11 (16)
TOTAL 12 11 7 7 11 7 13 68
* Does not include project development activities.
** Does not include Prince Albert, which is included in Small Cities.
Since the McDowell Foundation began to provide funding for research in 1994, the Project Review
Committee has awarded 76 grants for the implementation and development of research projects. Thirtyseven
projects have now been completed in all aspects, allowing an analysis of their duration and cost as
shown in Table 3. This year a number of projects were completed that were a year or more overdue for a
variety of reasons, leading to a sharp increase in average project duration. The average cost per project was
up slightly, but the percentage of McDowell Foundation grants actually being spent on projects remained
relatively steady at 88%. Unspent money from research grants is returned to the Foundation for use in
future research allocations.
1999-2000 Annnual Report 7