Innovative Learning Solutions

American Architectural Foundation Invites Nominations for Richard Riley Award – Schools as Centers of Community: A National Search for Excellence

Sponsor: Richard Riley Award

Deadline:7/1/2009

Amount: $5,000

Type: Education, Social & Economic

Description: The American Architectural Foundation, in partnership with KnowledgeWorks Foundation, invites nominations for the Richard Riley Award – Schools as Centers of Community: A National Search for Excellence.

The award is named in honor of former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley, one of the first champions of schools as centers of community. The prize is awarded to a school that best demonstrates school design that supports the community.

The award program is open to all existing elementary and secondary public schools in the United States that serve as centers of community, demonstrate innovative design ideas, and help promote student achievement. The school can be recently constructed, opened, or renovated, and does not have to be new.

Nominations can be submitted by teachers, superintendents, students, principals, school business officials, board members, architects, or anyone who cares about a school in their local community. Schools can nominate themselves.

A $5,000 prize will be awarded to the winning school.

For nominating instructions, a sample nomination, and information about past winners, visit the awards program Web site.

Website: Link to RFP

Read Full Post »

Sponsor: Youth Service America

Deadline: 6/30/2009

Amount: varies

Type: Education, Science & Technology

Description: Contingent on federal funding, Youth Service America plans to implement a service-learning program in twenty-five middle schools in ten states to strengthen students’ science, technology, and math skills.

The program will focus on creating a framework for primarily disadvantaged students to work in a semester-of-service model, where each month is devoted to a different aspect of planning and executing a service project in their community in connection to academic standards. The projects will begin on Martin Luther King Day of Service (January 18, 2010) and conclude on Global Youth Service Day (April 23-25, 2010).

Teachers, administrators, and service-learning coordinators in middle schools as well as staff and service-learning coordinators in afterschool programs in the states of Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, and Washington are eligible to apply.

The program components include an annual $5,000 grant for teachers or service- learning coordinators and an additional $500 grant for an “ally” located in each school who will support the grantee and help to establish a more sustainable program at their school, as well as training and technical assistance, specialized resources, social networking to facilitate an online professional learning community, and communications training.

Visit the YSA Web site for complete program information.

Website: Link to RFP

Read Full Post »

Sponsor: Youth Service America

Deadline: 7/17/2009

Amount: $2,000

Type: Social & Economic

Description: Youth Service America invites organizations engaging youth in community service in one or more of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario, or New Brunswick to apply to serve as lead agencies for Global Youth Service Day (April 23-25, 2010).

Lead agencies increase the scope, visibility, and sustainability of Global Youth Service Day by leading city, regional, or statewide service projects. In previous years, lead agencies have been successful in garnering national media attention, developing new partnerships, and engaging elected and public officials in their service and service-learning projects.

Lead agencies will receive a $2,000 planning grant sponsored by State Farm Companies Foundation, travel support to attend the Youth Service Institute in Washington, D.C., and direct assistance from Youth Service America to ensure a successful Global Youth Service Day.

Complete program information and application are available at the GYSD Web site.

Website: Link to RFP

Read Full Post »

Sponsor: National Endowment for the Humanities

Deadline: 10/7/2009

Amount: varies

Type: Arts & Culture, Education, Social & Economic

Description: Building on the national distribution of its Picturing America program, the National Endowment for the Humanities invites proposals for local and regional projects that foster collaboration between K-12 educators and humanities scholars for the purposes of encouraging “engagement with the rich resources of American art to tell America’s story.”

The Picturing America School Collaboration Projects grant opportunity is designed to help teachers and librarians form connections between the Picturing America images and coursework in the school’s core curriculum. Picturing America is part of the endowment’s We the People program.

Funded projects should support one or more conferences of one or two days each, accommodate at least twenty-four participants at each conference, and provide opportunities for participants to engage with scholars, museum and library professionals, and other experts. Conference attendees may include public school teachers, teachers at charter schools, members of home school consortia, and faculty from independent and religious schools.

Grants of up to $75,000 will be awarded for projects involving one or more conferences. The grant period will be twelve months.

Any U.S. nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status is eligible to apply for a grant, as are state and local governmental agencies and tribal governments. Grants will not be awarded to individuals.

Visit the NEH Web site for complete program information.

Website: Link to RFP

Read Full Post »

American Express welcomes the nonprofit community to submit letters of interest for their next funding cycle. The mission of their philanthropic giving program is to bring to life the American Express value of good corporate citizenship by supporting diverse communities in which we live and work. They do this by supporting visionary not-for-profit organizations that are:

• Preserving and enriching diversity and cultural heritage
• Developing new leaders for tomorrow
• Encouraging community service where their local employees and customers live and work

For more information on their giving program, and how to apply, please visit http://home3.americanexpress.com/corp/gb/submit.asp. The letter of interest submission deadline is Wednesday, July 1.

Read Full Post »