Innovative Learning Solutions

Sponsor: Student Conservation Association

Deadline: 10/9/2009

Amount: $2,500

Type: Education, Environment

Description: The Student Conservation Association’s Green Your School Contest is a national competition to stimulate and/or identify conservation service projects designed by high school students that improve, restore, beautify, or conserve their high school environment.

To be eligible, projects must have been begun after August 1, 2008. Entries must be completed by a student and will be judged according to the following criteria: the project has or will improve the environmental health of the school; the project is sustainable; the project is initiated by students and engages other students, teachers, and school administrators; the submission itself is of high quality; and the project engaged the community.

There will be one Grand Prize of $5,000, and two runner-up prizes of $2,500 each. Prizes will be awarded directly to high schools and not to individuals.

Visit the SCA Web site for complete program information.

Website: Link to RFP

Sponsor: National Gardening Association

Deadline: 11/2/2009

Amount: varies

Type: Environment, Education, Social & Economic

Description: The National Gardening Association has announced that the Home Depot is returning as the Youth Garden Grants sponsor for 2010.

NGA annually awards Youth Garden Grants to schools and community organizations with child-centered garden programs across the United States. 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 three and 18 years. Previous Youth Garden Grant winners who wish to reapply may do so, but must wait one year before applying again, and must have significantly expanded their garden programs.

For the 2010 grant cycle, 100 grants are available. Five programs will each receive gift cards valued at $1,000 (a $500 gift card to the Home Depot and a $500 gift card to the Gardening with Kids catalog and educational materials from NGA). Ninety-five programs will each receive a $500 gift card to the Home Depot and educational materials from NGA.

Complete program guidelines are available at the NGA KidsGardening Web site.

Website: Link to RFP

Connect with a historical organization in your community to instill in children the importance of protecting and promoting its history. Each year, the History Channel offers an opportunity for a history organization to partner with an after-school program or youth group and propose a project.
Winning applicants are awarded up to $10,000 for their project.

The main criteria for applications are:
· Proposed projects must focus on exploring and preserving a significant aspect of community history.
· Proposed projects must raise awareness among children, youth and community members about the significance of their local heritage and the importance of preserving it.
· Proposed projects must include a tangible resource that captures students’ efforts to learn about and preserve their local history in a unique, creative way.

The deadline for applications, which must be completed online, is June 5. For rules and more information, go to www.history.com/content/saveourhistory/ and click on the “grant program” link.