Raymond Einhorn Research Award
on Accountability, Financial Management or Auditing in
Government
Background Information
The Academy for Government
Accountability (AFGA) is a global research and advisory
organization committed to advancing thought leadership in
government accountability, particularly with respect to
financial management of federal, state and local
governments. The AFGA recognizes the importance of high quality
research in advancing such thought leadership. Therefore, the
AFGA has established the Raymond Einhorn Research Award to
provide up to $25,000 in each of two annual awards to
individuals or teams of researchers to support research that
will advance knowledge, concepts, and tools of government
financial management or accountability, governmental accounting,
or auditing.
The Raymond Einhorn Research Award
is named for a former Association of Government Accountants
president and an early leader in government financial
management. During his more than 30 years as a federal
accountant, Mr. Einhorn was a pioneer in governmental auditing
and fiscal responsibility. He set up the first internal auditing
functions at three federal agencies, and wrote the GAO’s first
guide to internal auditing of federal agencies. He also taught
accounting at American University’s Kogod School of Business,
and founded the university’s Institute for Applied Public
Financial Management.
The AFGA has also established the
Mortimer A. Dittenhofer Dissertation Award to provide up to
$12,500 to support the research of one or two selected doctoral
candidates whose dissertation is in the field of government
financial management or accountability, governmental accounting,
or auditing.
See
http://www.agacgfm.org/academy/index.aspx for details.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Deadline for Proposal
Proposals are accepted year-round.
When a completed proposal is received, the Advisory Council
begins a review process that may last up to 6 weeks. Applicants
may be contacted during that period, if there are questions
about the proposed project. Following completion of the review
process, the Advisory Council will contact the applicants to
report on the status of the proposal.
Proposals received by January 16,
2009 and will be eligible for the award by February 27, 2009.
Topics of Interest
The AFGA Advisory Council
periodically surveys interested stakeholders—academics,
practitioners, appointed and elected officials, and
standard-setting bodies—to identify topics of interest. The most
current list of topics is currently being revised but any topic
related to government financial management (audited financial
statements, internal controls, program and performance
management, cost management, budgeting, financial systems, risk
assessment, etc.) may also be submitted for consideration.
Application Contents
All Applicants must submit a
proposal that includes all of the following:
Cover
Letter
A cover letter should accompany the
proposal and should contain
-
Names and contact information
for of all researchers
-
Name and contact information
for lead researcher
-
A half-page abstract of the
project
-
Description of final research
output(s) (e.g., journal article submission, presentation,
book, workbooks)
Proposal
-
Research project title
-
Objective of research: Purpose
and plan for proposed research report.
-
Need for and benefits of
research, including stakeholder group(s) expected to be
interested in the results
-
Summary of previous research
that has been conducted on this topic, if any, and how
proposed research adds to the topic.
-
Research Plan (including a
description of proposed research methodology and data
collection) and proposed schedule for completion. Identify
significant project milestones.
-
Total research budget,
including actual and proposed other funding sources as well
as non-monetary resources to be provided or sought.
-
Other financial obligations
(such as royalties or speaking fees expected, sought, or
contracted for with other funding sources).
-
Appendices:
-
Summary of relevant
professional and educational backgrounds of all
researcher(s (1 page each)
-
Proposed data collection
instruments (surveys, interview questions, content
analysis coding schema, etc.) and administration
methods, if applicable.
Note: Proposals should not exceed 5
pages, exclusive of exhibits, appendices and attachments.
Selection Process
The AFGA Advisory Council, which
includes academicians and others actively involved or interested
in government financial management, is responsible for screening
and ranking the proposals. Once this task is complete, the
proposal(s) recommended for funding is forwarded to the
Academy’s Board of Trustees who will have the responsibility to
select the award recipient(s).
Amount of Awards
Individual awards vary from $5,000
to $25,000. The size of the award varies based on the following
criteria:
-
Amount requested
-
Demonstrated need for or
interest in intended research outcome
-
Cost and soundness of proposed
methodology
-
Reasonableness of schedule
Timing of Payments
The total award is paid in stages
corresponding to major deliverable milestones described in the
Research Plan. The final payment will be approved after the
Advisory Council accepts the research report.
Ownership of Outputs
The intent of the Einhorn Research
Award program is to provide the widest possible dissemination of
new research and ideas on government financial management and
accountability. Accordingly, AFGA encourages publication of
research results in academic journals, with acknowledgement of
AFGA’s support for the research. Ownership and royalty rights in
other outputs (books, CDs, or other products) will be negotiated
during the contracting process.
Submit applications via email
to:
Eveanna Barry
Academy for Government
Accountability
ebarry@agacgfm.org