This grant to the Science Festival Foundation will provide support for the planning, development, and production of the fourth World Science Festival , a five-day series of speakers, panels, exhibits and events hosted throughout New York City which aims to contribute to a shift in the public perception of science, making manifest how science is as indispensible to a rich life as other cultural mainstays like music, theatre, art, dance and literature. Grant funds will also support the Science Festival Foundation's implementation of the first phase of its three-year Strategic Plan and Business Development initiative, which aims to develop a revenue model to ensure the Festival's long-term sustainability and to expand the Festival's impact through various channels: including the use of live, digital, and broadcast platforms; national and international partnerships, and educational outreach.

Funds from this grant support a pilot project by Michael Schwarz of Kikim Media to produce and distribute six short web videos to accompany new scientific papers that appear in the Public Library of Science. The proposed videos-each five to seven minutes long-aim to translate the latest scientific findings into a broadly accessible language that can reach a wider audience than those who currently read academic science journals.

The first two World Science Festivals (WSF), in which Sloan played the initiatory role and then was one of two key early funders, have been major successes. The 2009 WSF sold out virtually every event and achieved massive media penetration. The WSF embodies the Sloan program in public understanding of science and technology and employs many similar modalities. All the institutions of higher learning in New York, along with the major art museums, science halls, cultural centers and performance spaces, play host to this city-wide science festival and bring their traditional audiences into the tent. Co-founders Alan Alda and Brian Greene appeared as hosts and eloquent spokespeople for the value and impact of science in our culture. This new request, at the same level as the first two years, includes $100,000 to support two new Sloan events for 2010 plus $100,000 earmarked for the development of a three to five year Strategic Plan and Business Development Initiative that will focus on the long?term growth, expansion and stability of the World Science Festival. The Foundation has supported the Science Festival Foundation since 2006 with total grants of $1,345,000.