The American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) Ruth O’Brien Project Grant was established in 1972 through a bequest from Ruth O’Brien, who served as assistant chief of the Bureau of Human Nutrition and Home Economics in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Ruth O’Brien Grant supports research and development in family and consumer sciences (FCS). The grant’s objectives are to:
- assist members of the FCS profession to develop and use their full potential to serve society;
- provide support for education, study, and scientific research in fields relating to FCS;
- develop leaders within the field of FCS; or
- improve the usefulness and effectiveness of FCS in all its aspects.
Funding is available for projects that help fulfill these objectives and are in accordance with the goals of the Association and the FCS profession. Proposals for the Ruth O’Brien Project Grant must be innovative in nature. Proposals may be submitted for applied/action/basic research, community service, student programs, educational material development, leadership conferences, educational seminars, program model development, or other projects that contribute to the knowledge base of developments in FCS.