Innovative Learning Solutions

 2009 Youth Today Compiled by Erika Fitzpatrick >>

 Featured Grant *Grant: Early childhood reading – For programs, such as weekend book clubs and after-school reading, that foster a love of reading and encourage children from birth through age 9 to read with their families. Funder: Target. Eligibility: Schools, libraries and nonprofits. Deadline: May 31. Amount: $1,000 and $3,000 each. Contact: http://sites.target.com/site/en/company/page.jsp?contentId=WCMP04-031821. >>

Arts Grant: Youth arts and learning – For participatory learning and student engagement with artists, teachers and excellent art in these categories: Access to Artistic Excellence, Challenge America: Reaching Every Community Fast-Track Review Grants and Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth. Funder: National Endowment for the Arts. Eligibility: Nonprofits, units of state or local government or federally recognized tribal communities or tribes. Deadline: June 11. Amount: A total of 600 grants ranging from $5,000 to $150,000. Contact: http://www.arts.gov/grants/apply/GAP10/LITA.html. >>

Child Welfare Grant: Child welfare – Projects that contribute to the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual welfare of children and youth. Funder: American Legion Child Welfare Foundation Eligibility: Nonprofits. Deadline: July 15. Amount: Last year the foundation awarded $639,875 to 18 nonprofits. Contact: www.legion.org/cwf/?section=grantseekers.

Grant: Child abuse training for judicial and court personnel – To provide judicial, legal and social service professionals with the training and technical assistance needed to meet the challenges facing juvenile and family courts. Funder: U.S. Department of Justice. Eligibility: Public agencies. Deadline: May 19. Amount: $2.5 million for one or more awards. Contact: http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/grants/solicitations/FY2009/CATJCP.pdf. >>

Civic Engagement *Grant: One-time exchange grants – Under a congressionally mandated “one-time” program, support for international exchanges that increase mutual understanding and build relationships, through individuals and organizations, between the people of the United States and counterparts in other countries. Proposals must respond to one specific theme under the program, including one targeting high school-aged emerging youth leaders. Funder: U.S. Department of State. Eligibility: Public or private nonprofits. Deadline: May 14. Amount: $3.9 million for 12 to 15 awards. Contact: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-8650.htm.

*Grant: Youth Ambassadors (South America and Mexico) – To recruit and select youth and adult participants to participate in three-week exchanges focused on civic education, community service and leadership, with follow-on projects in their home communities. Funder: U.S. Department of State. Eligibility: Public and private nonprofits. Deadline: May 28. Amount: Three awards of up to $3 million each. Contact: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-8745.htm.

Grant: Youth Leadership (Central America) – To recruit and select youth and adult participants in the seven countries of Central America and to provide the participants with three-week, U.S.-based exchanges focused on entrepreneurship and business skills, community engagement and leadership. Funder: U.S. Department of State. Eligibility: Public and private nonprofits. Deadline: May 28. Amount: $994,000 (one award). Contact: http://exchanges.state.gov/grants/open2.html.

Grant: Youth Leadership Program – To bring teenagers ages 15 to 17 and educators from selected countries to the United States for three-week exchanges focused on developing leadership skills and civic responsibility. Funder: U.S Department of State. Eligibility: Public and private nonprofits. Deadline: May 21. Amount: $210,000 for two grants supporting five projects. Contact: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-7851.htm.

Grant: Project Ignition – For service-learning projects promoting teen driver safety. Funder: State Farm and the National Youth Leadership Council. Eligibility: Teams of students submit proposals. Deadline: June 30. Amount: 25 grants of $2,000 each; the best project earns $10,000 for the winning team. Contact: www.nylc.org/pages-programs-initiatives-Project_Ignition?oid=4968.

Grant: South Asia and Southeast Asia Youth Leadership – For conducting a 25-day U.S.-based exchange program for high school students and teachers from one of these regions. Activities will focus on civic education, leadership, diversity and community activism. Funder: U.S. Department of State. Eligibility: Public and private nonprofits. Deadline: May 14. Amount: $95,000 (one grant). Contact: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-6788.htm.

Grant: 2009-2010 Youth United urban grants – To help urban affiliates of Habitat increase capacity by engaging local youth. Funder: Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) and State Farm. Eligibility: Urban HFHI affiliates in good standing. Deadline: May 15. Amount: Five grants of $10,000 each. Youth United urban groups who received a grant in 2008-2009 are also invited to apply for one of three $4,000 follow-up grants. Contact: www.habitat.org/youthprograms/suppdocs/yu_matchinggrants.pdf.

Grant: Brower Youth Awards – To honor and support six young leaders in environmental and social justice advocacy. Funder: Earth Island Institute. Eligibility: North American young people ranging in age from 13 to 22. Deadline: May 15. Amount: $3,000 per award. Contact: http://www.broweryouthawards.org/article.php?list=type &type=12

 Education Grant: Educational partnerships – For innovative and promising ideas for teaching math and/or science skills, especially projects that deal with environmental education and energy. Funder: Dominion Foundation. Eligibility: Public and private elementary and secondary schools and public school divisions that are registered with the National Center for Educational Statistics, institutions of higher education, and nonprofits. Application is limited to select communities in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and West Virginia. Deadline: May 1. Amount: A total of $300,000 is available. Contact: www.dom.com/about/education/grants/grants.jsp.

*Grant: State personnel development in education – To assist state educational agencies (SEAs) in reforming and improving their systems for personnel preparation and professional development in early intervention, educational and transition services for children with disabilities. Funder: U.S. Department of Education. Eligibility: SEAs. Deadline: May 29. Amount: Five grants ranging from $500,000 to $4 million. Contact: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-8522.htm.

*Grant: Education (territories and freely associated states) – To raise student achievement through direct educational services. Funder: U.S. Department of Education. Eligibility: Local education agencies in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Republic of Palau. Deadline: June 10. Amount: Four to six awards ranging from $800,000 to $1 million. Contact: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-7218.pdf.

Grant: Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) – To respond to growing demands in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Funder: National Science Foundation (NSF). Eligibility: All eligibility categories are spelled out in the NSF grant proposal. Deadline: Aug. 25. Amount: $35 million for 40 grants ranging from $300,000 to $5 million. Contact: http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do? &mode=VIEW&flag2006=false&oppId=45733.

Grant: Wal-Mart state giving program – For projects in education, health and wellness, job training and the environment. Funder: Wal-Mart. Eligibility: Nonprofits. Deadline: Sept. 18. Amount: Minimum grants are $25,000. Contact: http://walmartstores.com/CommunityGiving/8168.aspx?p=8979.

Health *Grant: CVS/Caremark – For programs that include helping children with disabilities by encouraging public school to promote inclusion in student activities and for extracurricular programs and initiatives that give students greater access to physical movement and play. Funder: CVS/Caremark. Eligibility: Nonprofits. Deadline: Oct. 31. Amount: Up to $5,000. Contact: www.cvscaremark.com/community/our-impact/community-grants.

Grant: Quaker Go – Community projects to fight hunger. Funder: Quaker Oats. Eligibility: Residents of the 50 states and the District of Columbia who are 18 years of age and older as of March 9. Deadline: Monthly until July 31. Amount: 20 winners will be selected each month from April through August 2009 and will receive $500 (100 total winners will be selected). Contact: www.quakeroats.com/gohumansgo.

Grant: Local Funding Partnerships 2009-2010 – For projects designed to improve the health of vulnerable people in communities. Funder: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Eligibility: Independent and private foundations, family and community foundations, and corporate and other philanthropies. Deadline: Stage 1 brief proposals, July 7; stage 2 full proposals, Nov. 10. Amount: Up to 14 matching grants of $200,000 to $500,000 each. Contact: www.rwjf.org/applications/solicited/cfp.jsp?ID=20605.

Juvenile Justice *Grant: Field-initiated demonstrations in juvenile justice – To foster innovations and advancements in juvenile justice-related practice at the local, state and tribal government levels. Funder: U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention. Eligibility: Public agencies and private organizations. Deadline: May 26. Amount: Individual grants total up to $300,000 but the total number of awards planned is not listed. Contact: http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/grants/solicitations/FY2009/FIDO.pdf.

Grant: Tribal youth program – For tribal efforts to prevent and control delinquency and improve the juvenile justice system for American Indian and Alaska native youth. Funder: U.S. Department of Justice. Eligibility: Federally recognized Indian tribes. Deadline: May 28. Amount: Up to $450,000. Contact: http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/grants/solicitations/FY2009/TYP.pdf.

Life Skills Grant: Community economic development – For job creation and business development in low-income communities that are part of a broader strategy to arrest tendencies toward financial dependency, chronic unemployment and community deterioration in urban and rural areas. Education and training for at-risk youth is allowed. Funder: U.S. Administration for Children and Families. Eligibility: Community development corporations. Deadline: May 28. Amount: $29.1 million for 47 grants averaging $800,000 each. Contact: www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/open/HHS-2009-ACF-OCS-EE-0034.html.

Grant: Youth literacy – To implement or expand literacy programs for students who are below grade level in reading or are experiencing difficulty reading. Funder: Dollar General. Eligibility: Schools, colleges, public libraries and nonprofits in the company’s 35-state market. Deadline: May 22. Amount: Up to $3,000 each. Contact: www.dollargeneral.com/servingothers/Pages/youthliteracygrants.aspx.

 Mental Health Grant: Statewide family networks – To enhance state capacity and infrastructure to serve children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances and their families. Funder: U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Eligibility: Public and private nonprofits. Deadline: May 14. Amount: $420,000 for six grants of $60,000 each. Contact: http://samhsa.gov/grants/2009/sm_09_016.aspx.

Race/Ethnicity Grant: Preferred Communities – To support the resettlement of newly arrived refugees and to address the needs of special populations. Funder: U.S. Administration for Children and Families. Eligibility: Nonprofits, including faith-based and community organizations. Deadline: Feb. 24, 2010. Amount: 12 awards of $100,000 to $300,000. Contact: http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do? &mode=VIEW&flag2006=false&oppId=41208.

Recreation Grant: GoGirlGo! – Recognizing high school teams that show community leadership by inspiring girls to get involved in sports and physical activities. Funder: Women’s Sports Foundation administers the program, which is sponsored by The Gatorade Company. Eligibility: School-, amateur-, community- and/or nonprofit-affiliated teams whose members are female, enrolled in 9th- to 12th-grade and residents of the United States, its territories or protectorates. Deadline: July 17. Amount: 20 grants of $2,500 each. Contact: http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/Content/Grants-And-Scholarships/Grants/GoGirl Go-Ambassador-Team-Awards.aspx.

Safety Grant: Recovery Act (stimulus): Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Local Formula Awards – For programs to prevent and control crime among adults and youths. Funder: U.S. Department of Justice. Eligibility: Units of local government. Deadline: May 18. Amount: Local allocations are online, http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/recoveryJAG/recoveryallocations.html. Contact: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/recoveryJAG/JAGrecoveryLocal.pdf.

Substance Abuse Grant: Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act (STOP Act) – To prevent and reduce alcohol use among youth. Funder: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Eligibility: Public and private nonprofit grantees under the Drug-Free Communities program. Deadline: May 26. Amount: $1 million for about 20 awards of $50,000 each. Contact: http://www.samhsa.gov/Grants/2009/sp_09_007.aspx. ************************************************************************* The Promising Practices in Afterschool (PPAS) Listserv brings together the worlds of youth development, school-age care, and education. On the PPAS website, http://www.afterschool.org, you can search for promising practices and share your own good work with others to help build the field of afterschool.