Thursday, August 26, 2010

Grants and Awards

The following grant and award opportunities are provided by Youth Service America for more information, visit YSA.org/grants

 

Cities of Service Youth Service Institute Grants (Deadline: September 10)
Young people are critical assets for community change and helping mayors achieve their vision of a stronger community through service. Youth Service America (YSA) invites Cities of Service to engage youth volunteers through Global Youth Service Day and/or Semester of Service. To support Cities of Service in engaging youth, YSA is offering up to 30 Cities of Service $1,000 grants to cover registration, travel, and lodging for one staff member to attend its annual Youth Service Institute on October 13-15 in Detroit. In addition to this opportunity, applications from groups affiliated with a City of Service will receive preference for YSA's other grant programs throughout the year. (YSA will distribute over $1 million in grants for Semester of Service and Global Youth Service Day 2011.) The application deadline is Friday, September 10. Learn more about Youth Service America, and access the short, 3-question online application at: www.YSA.org/institute/citiesofservice

State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grants (Deadline: October 15)
State Farm is proud to team up with Youth Service America to offer grants of up to $1,000 for youth-led service-learning initiatives is all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario, and New Brunswick. Eligible programs will engage youth in service-learning, an effective teaching and learning strategy that promotes student learning, academic achievement, workplace readiness, and healthy communities.  State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grants encourage semester-long projects (following YSA's Semester of Service framework) that launch on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service (January 17, 2011) and culminate on Global Youth Service Day (April 15-17, 2011). Eligible candidates include teachers, service-learning coordinators and students in a public school, or staff and youth in a community-based organization working with a public school. Applications must be submitted by midnight, October 15, 2010. Learn more and access the application at www.YSA.org/goodneighbor

UnitedHealth HEROES (Deadline: October 22)
UnitedHealth HEROES is a service-learning, health literacy initiative designed to encourage young people, partnering with schools and nonprofits, to create and implement local hands-on programs to fight childhood obesity. Educators, nonprofit leaders, and students are encouraged to apply for grants of up to $1,000 to engage youth in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Youth participants raise awareness around their work by culminating their service projects on Global Youth Service Day (GYSD), April 15-17, 2011, an international day of service that occurs in all 50 states and in more than 100 countries.

Applications must be submitted online before midnight October 22, 2010. Grant recipients will be notified in December and January. To obtain an application, visit www.YSA.org/HEROES.

Applicants can find additional information about the grant, service-learning, and childhood obesity at www.YSA.org/HEROES, including "First Responders: Youth Addressing Childhood Obesity Through Service-Learning," a step-by-step manual that helps youths, parents, teachers, and other volunteers deploy YSA service-learning models to fight childhood obesity in their communities.

 

Nestle Drumstick Heroes Contest (Deadline: September 15)
Nestle will highlight exceptional youth in communities across the country with the Drumstick Heroes contest.  Fifty children between the ages of 6 and 17 are eligible to win a summer celebration package, complete with enough Nestle Drumstick Sundae Cones for a party of 50 friends. To nominate an outstanding child or teen, submit the completed entry form, along with a short story (150 to 300 words) describing why the individual deserves to be honored as a Drumstick Hero. All entries must be received by September 15, 2010.  For details on this opportunity, please visit www.drumstick.com/promotions/heroes.aspx


Youth Change Maker Award (Deadline: September 17)
Operation REACH's Gulfsouth Youth Action Fund, a youth philanthropy initiative that engages youth as leaders and empowers them with the resources to make strategic investments in their peers and their communities, is seeking nominations for the 2010 Youth Change Maker Awards. These prestigious awards honor outstanding young people, ages 7 through 25, who have shown exemplary leadership in recovery, education, entrepreneurship and community service initiatives in the Gulfsouth region. Self-nominations are accepted. Finalists will be recognized and winners announced during the Youth Change Maker Awards Dinner on October 16, 2010 in New Orleans. Each Youth Change Maker Award recipient will be honored with a $500 donation to a non-profit organization or project of his or her choice. The deadline for nominations is September 17, 2010 at 5:00pm. Forms can be downloaded at www.operationreach.org.

Staples Youth Social Entrepreneurship Competition (Deadline: Ongoing Through September)
The Youth Social Entrepreneurship Competition will search until September for eight outstanding youth changemakers; leaders of social ventures aged 12 to 24 who make a difference in the world. Youths can either nominate themselves or be nominated by someone inspired by their actions. At the end of the competition, the winners or representatives from winning teams will fly to Washington, D.C. for the November 13th TEDxYSE conference -a TED style conference run by Youth Venture on social entrepreneurship. There, they'll present their stories and achievements as well as receive $500 prize money. One of the eight teams will win the Staples grand prize for $5,000. Winners will be chosen on a rolling basis through September, so don't wait. www.genv.net/staples-yse

Red Robin Foundation U-ACT Program (Deadline: October 1)
U-ACT, which stands for Unbridled Acts, or random acts of kindness, is a character-building initiative specifically for middle and junior high schools with grades 6-8, which aims to inspire and energize students about the value of being kind to others.  Throughout the school year, participating schools are asked to share Red Robin's "Unbridled" culture with their students by participating in a program that promotes kindness.  At the end of the year, schools are asked to submit a program binder outlining their efforts during the school year for a chance to earn a grant between $1,200 and $15,000.  The goal of the Red Robin Foundation U-ACT Champion Program is to help foster and create a sense of neighborliness inside and outside of the school. For program guidelines and information, please visit www.redrobin.com/rrfoundation/uactprogram.aspx.

 

KaBOOM! Play Day Grants (Deadline: Ongoing Through October)
Roll up your sleeves and play! Host a KaBOOM! Play Day, presented by Mott's, in your neighborhood and be part of a national celebration to save play in the lives of children. A Play Day is your chance to gather at your community's favorite park or playground for fun games and service projects that celebrate and improve your play space. If you include an improvement project at your Play Day you could win a $10,000 grant to further improve your play space. The KaBOOM! Play Day website helps you plan for your big day. You can watch YouTube videos with planning tips, print the set of game and activity cards, and post in the Scrapbook. Plan your Play Day to take place on any day during the week of September 18-26. Learn more at: http://kaboom.org/playday
 
 

Youth Garden Grants (Deadline: November 1)
Home Depot and the National Gardening Association (NGA) are partnering again to offer the Youth Garden Grants, given to schools and community organizations with child-centered garden programs.  Priorities will be given to programs that emphasize one or more of these elements: educational focus or curricular/program integration, nutrition or plant-to-food connections, environmental awareness/education, entrepreneurship, social aspects of gardening such as leadership development, team building, community support, or service-learning. Schools, youth groups, community centers, camps, clubs, treatment facilities, and intergenerational groups throughout the United States are eligible.  Applicants must plan to garden with at least 15 children between the ages of 3 and 18 years. Previous Youth Garden Grant winners who wish to reapply may do so, but must wait one year (e.g., if you won in 2010, you can apply again in 2012) and have significantly expanded their garden programs. This year, 100 grants are available, with five programs receiving gift cards valued at $1000 (a $500 gift card to Home Depot and a $500 gift card to the Gardening with Kids catalog, and educational materials from the National Gardening Association.  Ninety-five programs will receive a $500 gift card to Home Depot and educational materials from NGA.  For more information, please visit www.kidsgardening.org/ygg.asp.



Project Ignition Grants Now Available (Deadline: November 15)
Applications for $2,000 grants are now available online for high school students and adults interested in addressing teen driver safety through service-learning initiatives. State Farm and the National Youth Leadership Council are proud to continue their collaboration on Project Ignition in this seventh year. Students and staff from any public high school in the U.S. and in the Canadian Provinces of Alberta, Ontario and New Brunswick can apply.  Applications are due November 15, 2010, and twenty-five high schools will receive $2,000 grants in December, 2010 to support implementation of their programs between January and April, 2011.  To apply, please visit www.sfprojectignition.com



Office Depot Foundation Grants (Deadline: November 15)
The Foundation's funding focus includes: Making a Difference in Children's Lives - to support activities that serve, teach and inspire children, youth and families; Building Communities - to support civic organizations and activities that serve the needs of our community; and Disaster Relief - to support disaster relief efforts of recognized national, regional and local agencies, and to provide disaster relief to Office Depot associates who have experienced catastrophic loss. An online eligibility survey and grant application can be found on the Grant Making Guidelines page. Applications are retrieved on a monthly basis and are reviewed by a committee. Please allow at least 12 weeks after you submit your completed application before you receive a response. Grant amounts will be a minimum of $50 and a maximum of $3,000 (very limited). The majority of grants issued are in the vicinity of $1,000 and are supported by in-kind donations when inventory allows. The Office Depot Foundation will accept applications for the current funding cycle through November 15, 2010. Learn more at: www.officedepotfoundation.com/funding.asp



WaysToHelp.org Grants (Deadline: Ongoing)
WaysToHelp.org invites teens in the United States to apply for grants to fund their community service ideas across any one of 16 issue areas.  You can apply for a grant, by visiting www.waystohelp.org and for any issue area, selecting "See Ways To Help" followed by "Apply for a Grant".  Applications are short - just 5,000 words or less - and should summarize: how the project will involve others, who it will help, what effect it's expected to have, when it will start and how the funds will be used.  Grant requests are reviewed and responded to on a monthly basis. www.waystohelp.org

Join the Great Califorina ShakeOut

Consider organizing your students and school's participation in the Great California ShakeOut. This event highlights ways that school communities can prepare for earthquakes. The event represents an excellent opportunity for students to participate in service-learning by studying Califorina geology, the preparedness of their families, school and neighborhoods & then helping to organize preparedness and response capacity.

The drill (October 21, 10:21 a.m.) will reach 5 million participants, thanks in large part to schools, districts, and county offices aligning their earthquake drill schedules together. Nearly 250 districts and over 500 schools (including over 220 private schools) have registered so far, with over 3.8 million students and staff participating! This raises awareness of all Californians as the drill gets extensive local, state, and national media attention due to its size and scope.

You can find ShakeOut school resources and more information at http://shakeout.org/schools , including a letter of support from State Superintendent Jack O'Connell.

Celebrate Coastweeks - September 25 through October 17, 2010

Sponsored by the California Coastal Commission, each fall, people across the country participate in COASTWEEKS, a celebration of our coastal and water resources. In 2010 the California celebration takes place from September 25 to October 17, kicked off by the 26th Anniversary of California Coastal Cleanup Day!

 

This year the California Coastal Commission has compiled a calendar of over 270 coastal and water-related events taking place in 26 counties.  Please visit the calendar at www.coastforyou.org and find just the right activity for you, your friends, and your family to celebrate our coast and inland waterways!  For a list of events organized by county. click here.

Join the 9/11 Day of Service

The August, 2010 National Service Briefing from Youth Service America details a variety of project ideas and approaches for developing service-learning projects related to the events of September 11, 2001.
 
Download 9 lessons for 9/11:  Engaging Youth in September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance from Youth Serivce America here: http://tools.ysa.org/downloads/ysa/9for911.pdf

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Environmental Grants, Awards & Contests

Trash to Treasure Competition
(resource for PLT’s PreK-8 activities “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” “Renewable or Not,” “Make Your Own Paper,” “A Look at Aluminum,” and PLT’s Municipal Solid Waste secondary module)
PBS's Design Squad invites kids ages 5-19 to turn their trash into treasure by recycling, reusing, and re-engineering everyday materials into an out-of-the box invention.  The deadline for submission is September 5, 2010.  Three winners will be chosen to see their ideas become a reality. Visit the PBS Kids website for more details and information.

How Green is My Town?
(resource for PLT’s GreenSchools! program)
"How Green is My Town?" is a grassroots effort to empower citizens and local decision makers to address the issues of climate change, sustainability, and environmental health at the local level. The website functions as a national clearinghouse of programs, ideas, and policies for exploring solutions. Learn how you can be part of that change by reviewing a list of actions any school or town can take.

Melinda Gray Ardia Environmental Foundation Grants
Deadline: September 20, 2010
K-12 teachers are invited to apply for grants up to $1,500 to implement environmental curricula, such as PLT, that integrate hands-on ecology exercises into the classroom.  To facilitate learning and student empowerment, environmental curricula should be holistic and strive to synthesize multiple levels of learning (facts, concepts, and principles), including experiential integrated learning and problem solving.  Visit the Melinda Gray Ardia Environmental Foundation website for more information and proposal submission details.   

Earth Science Week Contests
Deadline: October 15, 2010
The American Geological Institute (AGI) is sponsoring three national contests in conjunction with Earth Science Week 2010, celebrating the theme of "Exploring Energy," October 10-16, 2010. Visit www.earthsciweek.org/contests for additional information.
Photography Contest, "We Depend on Energy" - Entrants should submit images that capture the way energy is used in their communities.
Visual Arts Contest, "Energy on Earth" - Students in grades K-5 should submit two-dimensional original pieces of art illustrating, in creative and engaging ways, where energy comes from and how it is used.
Essay Contest, "How Energy Powers the Planet" - Students in grades 6-9 should submit one-page essays focusing on how Earth system processes develop energy resources, how human use of energy affects the Earth system, and how people can be responsible stewards of Earth's energy resources.

PollinatorLIVE: GreenWorks! Grants and Ecoregional Pollinator Guides
Deadline: December 1, 2010
To support the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign, PLT is providing GreenWorks! grants of up to $500 in conjunction with PollinatorLIVE, a free distance learning adventure featuring live interactive webcasts, web seminars, and satellite field trips for classrooms about pollinators, gardening, and conservation. Students and community members can invite pollinators to their neighborhood by planting a pollinator friendly habitat in a garden, farm, school, park or just about anywhere!  Ecoregional Pollinator Guides, tailored to specific areas of the U.S., provide information about selecting native plants for pollinators.  Visit www.pollinator.org to find out in which ecoregion you reside and download your free guide, and visit www.greenworks.org to apply for a grant!

More Grants and Awards

UnitedHealth HEROES Service-Learning Grants (Deadline: October 22, 2010)

Youth Service America and UnitedHealth Group are encouraging youth to create and implement programs around childhood obesity in their local communities.
 
UnitedHealth HEROES is a service-learning, health literacy initiative designed to encourage young people, partnering with schools and nonprofits, to create and implement local hands-on programs to fight childhood obesity. Educators, nonprofit leaders, and students are encouraged to apply for grants of up to $1,000 to engage youth in all 50 states and the District of Columbia
 
Now in its third year, the UnitedHealth HEROES grants have funded 361 programs, engaged more than 20,000 youth, and contributed more than 436,000 volunteer hours. Youth participants raise awareness around their work by culminating their service projects on Global Youth Service Day (GYSD), April 15-17, 2011, an international day of service that occurs in all 50 states and in more than 100 countries.
 
Applications must be submitted online before midnight October 22, 2010. Grant recipients will be notified in December and January. To obtain an application, visit www.YSA.org/HEROES.

Applicants can find additional information about the grant, service-learning, and childhood obesity at www.YSA.org/HEROES, including "First Responders: Youth Addressing Childhood Obesity Through Service-Learning," a step-by-step manual that helps youths, parents, teachers, and other volunteers deploy YSA service-learning models to fight childhood obesity in their communities.

 

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Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy Grants (Deadline: September 10)
The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy is accepting applications for its annual national grant competition. The grantmaking program is designed to help develop or expand projects that support the development of literacy skills for adult primary care givers and their children. The organization must operate an instructional literacy program that has been in existence for at least two years and includes one or more of the following components: literacy for adults, parent education, pre-literacy or literacy instruction for children pre-K to grade three, and/or intergenerational literacy activities. www.barbarabushfoundation.com/site/c.jhLSK2PALmF/b.4344681/k.8F91/National_Grants.htm


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Flextronics Foundation Grants (Deadline: Ongoing - Quarterly)
The Flextronics Foundation provides aid to relieve human suffering caused by a natural or civil disaster or an emergency hardship, such as floods, fires, riots, storms, earthquakes or similar large-scale adversities. The Foundation also sponsors educational programs and other charitable activities where Flextronics employees volunteer their time, especially those organizations and programs that benefit students with socioeconomic issues, learning disabilities or handicaps. Applications are evaluated on a quarterly basis at the end of March, June, September, and December of each year. www.flextronics.com/about/flexfoundation

 

State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grants $1,000

State Farm and Youth Service America are asking young people to be “good neighbors” by partnering with their schools and community organizations to create and implement local programs addressing critical issues.

The State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grant funds youth-led service-learning programs, a teaching and learning strategy designed to increase academic achievement and workplace readiness by connecting service to community with school-based curricula. Students partner with other youth, their teachers, nonprofit leaders, local government, and the media, to identify and address significant issues on a local, national, and global scale.

YSA will offer 125 grants of up to $1,000 to well-planned service projects that make curricular connections and provide opportunities for youth leadership. Each granted project will culminate on Global Youth Service Day (GYSD), an international event occurring in all 50 states and in more than 100 countries, April 15-17, 2011. State Farm is the GYSD presenting sponsor for the United States.

Grant applications will be available early August 2010.  Click here for more info

Looking for State Farm Youth Advisory Board Members, ages 17-20, Due Sept 10th

State Farm Insurance Company - Youth Advisory Board Member Recruitment

http://www.statefarmyab.com/about.php

 

Applications due by September 10, 2010

Thirty students, ages 17-20, from across the United States and Canada comprise the State Farm® Youth Advisory Board. They are charged with helping State Farm design and implement a $5 million-a-year signature service-learning initiative to address issues important to State Farm and communities across the United States and Canada (see State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grant program below).

The board is made up of a diverse group of students. They were selected from more than 600 applications and were chosen based on their strengths as reflected in their application and through telephone interviews with finalists. Each member will commit about 15 hours a month to the board and participate in four face-to-face meetings during their year of service.

One board member and one associate board member will represent each of State Farm's 13 zones across the United States and Canada. The Youth Advisory Board also includes a Corporate representative and three at-large members nominated by State Farm’s national service-learning partners – Youth Service America (YSA), the National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC), and the National Service-Learning Partnership (NSLP).

Students chosen presented a clear understanding of service-learning and its value to communities. They were highly motivated, exemplary team players, school and community leaders, passionate, compassionate, innovative, committed and enthusiastic.

Members of this distinguished youth board play a critical leadership role in creating and overseeing the initiative that will address five community issues chosen by the board. The 2009-2010 State Farm Youth Advisory Board chose financial education, access to higher education/closing the achievement gap, natural and societal disaster preparedness, teen driver safety and environmental responsibility to address through a competitive grant process. The board issued their Requests for Proposals on August 1, 2009 and will announce grant winners in February, 2010.

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About Me

The CalServe Network posts news and updates of interest to the service-learning field in California. News and updates are drawn from the CalServe List Serve and the National K-12 Service-Learning List Serve and various other sources.