Start International Inc

“In June 2016, the Board amended START's bylaws to increase the maximum number of Directors from 9 to 15.”

“The governing body reviews the Form 990 electronically prior to filing with the IRS.”

“If an employee has any indication that he or she has a direct or indirect conflict of interest, or if an employee receives information regarding a potential conflict of interest for another, the Director of Human Resources must be notified immediately of the potential concern. Members of the Board of Directors are required to sign a statement affirming their adherence to START's policies each year at our annual in-person Board meeting.”

“The Executive Director's compensation is annually reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors. The most recent compensation review occurred in July of 2016.”

“START's governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements are available to the public upon request.”

“To develop regional networks of collaborating scientists and institutions that assess the causes and impacts of global environmental change and provide relevant information to policymakers and governments to assist in formulating adaptation strategies; To enhance scientific capacity in developing countries by strengthening and connecting existing institutions, training global change scientists, and providing them with better access to data, research, and communication technology skills; and To mobilize resources that will augment existing capabilities and actions on global environmental change in developing countries. START's goals are to: - Increase the number of scientists in developing countries working on global environmental change issues; - Enhance communication at the interface of science, policy and practice; - Encourage research that contributes to understanding global environmental change inthe context of regional and national development priorities; and - Strengthen scientific networks by fostering collaborative relationships across disciplines, institutions and countries.”

“In 2016, a few program services included: START, in collaboration with Asia-based partners, implemented the second round of the Pan-Asia Risk Reduction (PARR) Fellowship program for 9 early-career researchers, policy-makers and practitioners in Asia. The integrative fellowship program involved training and network building activities, project follow-on grants, and expert-led subject matter courses. START is partnered with the University of Cape Town, Stockholm Environment Institute, the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Center and others to advance understanding of the water-energy-climate nexus in six Southern African cities. This effort, under the Future Resilience for African CiTies And Lands (FRACTAL) project, features city 'learning labs and embedding of researchers in city government institutions, which are aimed at promoting exploration of the urban decision space and better understanding of how climate information can contribute to urban planning at decadal time scales. START's role in this project is to support opportunities for cross-city learning between city-based research groups and urban planners. The African Climate Change Fellowship Program (ACCFP) program promotes innovative adaptation research in Africa. ACCFP offers experiential learning, education, and research and training opportunities to African professionals, researchers and graduate students to build their capabilities for advancing and applying knowledge for climate change adaptation in Africa. Ten fellows attended a 2016 Advanced Institute training in Tanzania on climate change adaptation in four key areas: 1) climate change and gender; 2) climate change and water; 3) climate change and green growth; and 4) the economics of climate adaptation. ACCFP continues to be a sought-after fellowship program with a reputation for tremendous learning and career growth. Several ACCFP alumni from past years have returned as experts in their fields to train these new ACCFP fellows. START is a partner in the Adaptation at Scale in Semi-Arid Regions (ASSAR) project under the IDRC-funded CARIAA initiative. START promotes capacity development in this 5-year project that will include gender training, as well as training workshops to develop innovative communications for sharing findings from research in Africa and Asia. START is partnering with the University of Ghana and ICRISAT Mali to advance understanding of barriers to and enablers of climate change adaptation in northern Ghana and southern Mali, through the lenses of governance, social differentiated vulnerabilities and ecosystem services. The research focuses on agricultural intensification processes that can create a more enabling environment for better adapting to climate change through the factors that drive intensification, such as access to credit, services, inputs, markets, equipment, infrastructure, and enabling policies. START coordinates capacity building efforts within Global Observation of Forest Cover and Land Dynamics (GOFC-GOLD), by organizing or supporting training and learning events, including Data Initiative workshops providing early-career scientists with knowledge and resources for accessing and using earth observation data. START also promotes the participation of scientists from the GOFC-GOLD networks in international events, an opportunity to learn, connect and exchange knowledge and information with a larger community of scientists.”

“The organization's Audit Committee is responsible for oversight of the audit, including selection of the independent accountant. The process has not changed from previous years.”