Professional Development Scholarship Program

“Nonprofit Financial Stewardship: Concepts and Techniques for Strategic Management”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     OAS/DHDEC/CIR.114/2010

1) STUDY VENUE:                 The course will be delivered entirely online (Internet) through the Harvard Kennedy School Virtual Classroom.

2) CONTACT:                         Ty Henry, Program Director

3) DATES:                               September 27^th, to November 19^th, 2010

4) COURSE DURATION:       Eight (8) Weeks

5) LANGUAGE:                         English

6) MODALITY:                         Online

7) OBJECTIVES: Nonprofit Financial Stewardship is an online program designed to help managers in nonprofit organizations understand the tools, techniques, and concepts of good financial management. The program represents a unique online learning opportunity for nonprofit and non-governmental organization managers to interact with colleagues from around the world and Professors James P. Honan and Ann Thornburg of Harvard Kennedy School.

8) COURSE CONTENT:

The Nonprofit Financial Stewardship program is comprised of four topics:

· Mission, money, and impact

· Understanding financial statements

· Tools, frameworks and concepts in financial management

· Budgeting and resource allocation

Each topic is covered in a module that combines readings, online discussion, videos, and a workbook exercise – allowing participants to apply the information learned in each module directly to their organization.

9) ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

· All applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of an OAS Member country, with the exception of the United States, as OAS scholarships do NOT cover studies in the country of citizenship or personal residence of OAS scholarship recipients.

· Be nominated by the applicants’ respective Government

· Be University graduates or have an equivalent academic background in any field.

· Work experience in related fields (at least two -2-years)

· Possess basic computer and internet skills.

· Have good command of English, with documentary evidence, if not the native language.

· Submit a duly completed request before the deadline established by the National Liaison Office (ONE)[1]. The candidate is responsible for finding out the deadline set by the ONE in his/her country of residence and submitting the scholarship documents to the ONE on time.

10) SCHOLARSHIP SELECTION CRITERIA: Scholarships shall be granted based on the following criteria:

· The merits and overall credentials of the candidate, including his/her academic and professional background;

· The financial need of the candidate; and

· An extensive and equitable geographic distribution for the benefit of all member states that takes into account the greater needs of the smaller and relatively less developed economies.

11) BENEFITS: The OAS Department of Human Development, Education and Culture and the Harvard Kennedy School will cover the complete tuition fee of the selected candidate.

12) RESPONSIBILITY OF SCHOLARSHIPS RECIPIENTS:

· Access to computer equipment and the Internet with technical specifications must be met (see below)

· Computer access and communication costs (Internet access and e-mail) are the responsibility of the student.

· Have unrestricted Internet access and a computer with the minimum technical specifications as indicated in the following link[2]:  http://ksgexecprogram.harvard.edu/download/sfno.pdf

· The selected candidates must confirm their acceptance of the scholarship award to the OAS General Secretariat Office in their respective countries and through the ONE in order for the OAS to proceed with making the necessary arrangements or, if the scholarship offer is declined, to appoint another candidate.

· The selected candidates must confirm their acceptance of the scholarship by signing and returning to DHDEC their completed “form of acceptance of the scholarship award”

· After confirming acceptance of the scholarship award, recipients must then apply directly for the program by completing the application materials online at www.hks.harvard.edu/ee/nfs Applicants should indicate that they are recipients of OAS funding in response to the “Who will be the financial sponsor of your participation?” question on the application. Admission to the Nonprofit Financial Stewardship program and award of the OAS fellowship are both on a competitive basis and are independent selection processes. Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education reserves final selection rights for those individuals nominated for OAS scholarship opportunities.

· Upon selection, candidates must accept the scholarship by confirming their availability to follow the course during the period indicated and confirming their acceptance of the duly provided conditions of study.

· If the scholarship recipient declines, cancels or terminates the Scholarship after the course or program has started without providing compelling proof to the OAS/GS, he or she must reimburse the total amount of scholarship costs.

· In the event that a selected candidate accepts the scholarship and then, for compelling reason, is unable to complete the course, he or she must so inform the Department of Human Development, Education and Culture immediately so the scholarship can be offered to the next ranked candidate, if possible.

13) SUBMISSION OF SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS:

Please Note: If you were awarded an OAS Professional Development Scholarship in the past twelve (12) months or if you currently hold an OAS Scholarship for Academic Studies, you are not eligible to apply for another Professional Development Scholarship.

REQUIRED APPLICATION DOCUMENTATION:

· The OAS Official Online Application Form

· Professional Development Scholarships Forms & Documents

Applications must be forwarded to the Organization of American States through the National Liaison Office that serves as the official channel established by the Government of each country (ONE). This is a mandatory requirement.

The following is the list of National Liaison Offices (ONEs) in the OAS Member countries: http://www.educoas.org/portal/en/oasbecas/ones.aspx?culture=en&navid=282

Any questions regarding submission of applications for this course should be sent to: [email protected]

IMPORTANT NOTICE: THESE SCHOLARSHIPS ARE SUBJECT TO THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS CORRESPONDING TO THE 2010 REGULAR BUDGET

Department of Human Development, Education and Culture

LZea-Yonker/Nonprofit Financial Stewardship: Concepts and Techniques for Strategic Management/Harvard/USA/2010