Peer Reviewing
Definition: Peer reviewing is a process by which the federal government encourages individuals to volunteer in helping different government agencies decide which grants get funded and which ones don’t.
How it Works: A small group of individuals is selected from a larger group to read grant proposals, and then score these proposals based on a set of assurances/criteria that must be included in every grant proposal. The grant proposals with the highest scores go on to be recommended for funding. The 121 Program Grants (grants that fund the Tribal VR Programs) are put through this process as the grant applications are submitted to the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) for funding or refunding.
Why Peer Reviewing is Important: The existence of almost all Tribal VR Programs depends upon grant awards given to individual programs by RSA. A grant cycle typically lasts for five years. After that time, a program must submit a new grant proposal in order to apply for more money to keep the program going. Peer reviewers are essential in this process because they recommend the programs that should be funded after reviewing many different grant proposals for that particular year.
How to Become a Peer Reviewer: Send a current résumé and letter of interest to Tom Finch with a copy to August Martin or Alfreda Reeves via email as an attachment.
Email for Tom Finch: Finch, Tom Tom.Finch@ed.gov
Email for August Martin: Martin, August August.Martin@ed.gov
Email for Alfreda Reeves: Reeves, Alfreda Alfreda.Reeves@ed.gov