Resources

Funding Opportunities

The After-School Corporation

The After-School Corporation has done all the heavy lifting to help after-school programs find potential funding sources at the federal, state and city levels.

TASC's Fiscal Map for Expanded Learning Time highlights program names, the administering agency and how funding is distributed.

For example, Art Works is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts. It offers competitive grants to nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status.

Those interested in applying for a grant would then go to NEA's Art Works grant site and determine if such a grant would be applicable to their program.

TASC's Fiscal Map, available to download at www.tascorp.org/content/document/detail/3563/, features nearly 40 such funding avenues

Angela Award Presented by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
Deadline: November 30

If you have a fifth- through eighth-grade girl in your program who has an involvement in science, consider nominating her for the Angela Award.

Presented by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the award recognizes one female student in the United States, U.S. territories or Canada who is involved in or has a strong connection to science.

The winner receives a $1,000 savings bond and is honored at the NSTA's National Conference awards banquet.

For complete rules and to download an application, go to www.nsta.org/pdfs/awards/Angela.pdf.

Entries are due by Nov. 30.

Produce for Kids
Deadline: October 30

Produce for Kids is sponsoring the Playing With Your Produce Classroom Challenge, which is open to after-school programs.

To enter, after-school program professionals must track children's healthy eating for a week and incorporate fruits and vegetables into a lesson plan.

For sample lesson plans, go to www.produceforkids.org/pdf/PWYPCC_Lesson_Ideas.pdf.

For an entry form, go to www.produceforkids.org/pdf/TeacherEntryForm2011.pdf.

Entries are due by Oct. 30.

Three cash prizes will be awarded: $1,000; $750; and $500.

For more information, go to www.produceforkids.org/teachers.

The American Honda Foundation
Deadline: November 1

The American Honda Foundation was created in 1984 to say thanks to the American people for their support of Honda in its first 25 years in the United States. The foundation provides grants ranging from $20,000 to $60,000 in the fields of youth and science education.

The foundation seeks to reward programs that reflect Honda philosophies, which it describes as imaginative, creative, youthful, forward thinking, scientific, humanistic and innovative.

For more information, go to http://corporate.honda.com/america/philanthropy.aspx?id=ahf. Click on the link at the bottom under "To apply online." Interested parties must take a short quiz to determine eligibility.

Deadlines to apply are quarterly; the next deadline is Nov. 1.

Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
Deadline: November 1

If you've made a difference through volunteering over the past year, you could win $1,000 and a fabulous trip to Washington, D.C. next May by applying for a Prudential Spirit of Community Award! Even more importantly, you could win recognition that might inspire other young people to follow your example. These prestigious awards, sponsored by Prudential Financial and NASSP, have honored nearly 100,000 middle and high school students at the local, state, and national level over the past 16 years solely for their volunteer work. http://bit.ly/pb4Fbb

J-Serve 2012 Grants
Deadline: November 3

Grants are available for J-Serve 2012 - April 22, 2012. J-Serve is a day of service for Jewish teens framed in a Jewish context and part of YSA's Global Youth Service Day. Connecting our community-wide effort to Global Youth Service Day links a Jewish communal activity to an established and highly respected national civic effort and links our Jewish teens to their international peers as together on that day millions of young people around the world engage in service to their communities. http://bit.ly/pLDzxE

Points of Light MLK Day Grants
Deadline: November 7

Two $30,000 Leadership Grants and four $15,000 Signature Grants are available. $30,000 Leadership Grants require engagement of 10,000 volunteers and 500 volunteer leaders during January 2012 and a large scale signature event that honors the life and legacy of Dr. King (minimum 500 people), preferably including America's Sunday Supper. The event must occur on MLK weekend with a preference for Monday, January 16th. $15,000 Signature Grants require 5,000 volunteers and 250 volunteer leaders as well as a large scale signature event that honors the life and legacy of Dr. King (minimum 250 people), preferably including America's Sunday Supper. http://bit.ly/nDpnd0

State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grants
Deadline: November 9

State Farm™ is proud to team up with YSA to offer grants of up to $1,000 for service-learning projects in K-12 public schools in all fifty US states and the District of Columbia, and in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario and New Brunswick. The State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grants encourage semester-long projects (a Semester of Service) that launch on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service (January 16, 2012) and culminate on Global Youth Service Day (April 20-22, 2012). Up to 125 grants will be awarded; at least 10-15 grants will support projects addressing teen driver safety issues. Learn more at www.YSA.org/goodneighbor

Home Depot Celebration of Service "Serving Those Who Served" Grants
Deadline: November 11

Grants, up to $5,000, are available to registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, public schools or tax-exempt public service agencies in the U.S. that are using the power of volunteers to improve the physical health of their community. Grants are given in the form of The Home Depot gift cards for the purchase of tools, materials, or services. Beginning August 15, 2011 through Veterans Day (November 11), Home Depot will only accept grant proposals that specifically identify service projects that benefit veterans. Learn more at: http://bit.ly/eIis5T

KaBOOM! Let's Play Spruce Grants
Deadlines: August 15, September 15, October 15, November 15

With support from Dr Pepper Snapple Group, KaBOOM! will be awarding grants of $750 each to communities this year who wish to make their playgrounds cleaner, safer and more inviting. Communities must demonstrate that they have maintained their playspace and they have led an improvement project in the last 60 days. Communities that demonstrate this will receive a $750 gift card to further enhance or improve their playspace.http://bit.ly/qNmqCs

Project Ignition Grants
Deadline: November 15

The National Youth Leadership Council® and State Farm® are pleased to announce the availability of $2,000 Project Ignition grants for public high schools to support their students in addressing teen driver safety through service-learning. Public high schools in the United States and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario and New Brunswick are invited to apply for the 2011-2012 grants. 25 schools will be chosen to receive $2,000 grants to implement their campaigns from January to April of this school year. Ten of these schools will be selected to receive additional support. http://bit.ly/pKcD1c

MLK Day Lead Organizer Grants
Deadline: November 18

YSA and CNCS are proud to support up to 16 MLK Day Lead Organizers with $4,000 planning grants to coordinate Martin Luther King Day of Service (January 16, 2012) activities. This grant program is open to nonprofit organizations, K-12 schools, and colleges & universities in all 50 states and DC. Grantees will be required to engage at least 3,000 volunteers in community service or service-learning projects on MLK Day, build or strengthen partnerships with at least 5 partner organizations, and address one or more strategic issue areas. Learn more: www.YSA.org/grants/MLKDay

Grant from Annie's Homegrown
Deadline: November 30

After-school programs that are planning a gardening activity may want to consider applying for a grant from Annie's Homegrown.

The company offers a limited number of small grants to educational programs that connect children with gardening. The grant money can be used to buy gardening tools, seeds or other needed supplies.

To apply, go to www.annies.com/grants_for_gardens. The deadline to apply is Nov. 30.

SAMSUNG K-12 SUPERHERO COMPETITION
Deadline: November 30

If your after-school program is affiliated with a school, encourage the children to enter the Samsung K-12 Superhero Competition.

The contest is open to any student in kindergarten through 12th grade attending a school in the United States or federal territory.

Entrants must be videotaped portraying a historical figure (no cartoon or movie characters) and telling the story of that person. The video should be between 1 and 3 minutes.

Videos will be judged on performance, character and content accuracy, and content quality.

Videos must be uploaded by Nov. 30.

For more information and to submit a video, go to http://samsungk-12.com/.

Katie's Krops Grant
Deadline: December 5

Katie's Krops is excited to announce a new grant opportunity for kids ages 9 to 16 to start a vegetable garden to feed people in need in their communities. The winner will be awarded a gift card to a garden center in their area (up to $400), support from Katie's Krops, and a digital camera to document the garden and the harvest. Applications for all types of vegetable gardens, such as a container garden if you live in a city or a vegetable garden located in your neighborhood or at your school, will be considered. Applicants must be between the ages of 9 and 16 as of October 1, 2011. http://bit.ly/mUscKv

Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarships
Deadline: December 5

The Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarships recognize and reward students who have made a significant impact in the fight against hunger. The scholarship recipients each receive $5,000 for their education as well as a $5,000 matching grant in their name for the hunger-related charity of their choice. Sholarships are open to students (Kindergarten through graduate school) enrolled in an accredited educational institution in the United States. Applicants must have demonstrated on-going commitment to their community by performing unpaid volunteer services impacting hunger in the United States at least within the last 12 months. http://bit.ly/qImcz3

YouTube Contest: Spacelab
Deadline: December 5

YouTube has a far-out contest for students ages 14 to 18 in which they are to design an experiment that can be conducted in space.

Entrants must submit an idea for a science experiment that can be conducted in a microgravity environment on the International Space Station.

Experiments can be submitted by a single person or as a group of two or three people. Up to three original entries can be submitted. Entrants will be assigned an age category, 14-16 or 17-18.

All entries must include:

Entries are due by Dec. 7. To register and submit entries, go to www.youtube.com/spacelab.

2012 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll
Deadline: December 9

The 2012 Honor Roll will accept applications in two categories for service performed during the 2010-2011 academic year: (1) General Community Service recognizes the quality of, quantity of, and commitment to community service initiatives at a college or university. (2) Special Focus Area recognizes exemplary initiatives aligned with the President's education and innovation priorities. CNCS will select six institutions - three from each category - as Presidential Award winners. All higher education institutions are welcome to apply. The winners will be announced on March 12, 2012 at the American Council on Education (ACE) Conference in Los Angeles. http://bit.ly/pjrNoL

Whole Kids Foundation & FoodCorps School Garden Grants
Deadline: December 31

The Whole Kids Foundation and partner FoodCorps offer $2,000 grants, along with curriculum, resources and mentorship, to 1,000 schools. FoodCorps' expertise in gardening, and its ongoing support will help schools build and sustain their gardens to ensure long-term success. All schools and garden-related nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for grants to support the launch or expansion of school gardens that will help children engage with fresh fruits and vegetables. Garden projects may be at any stage of development; planning, construction or operation. http://bit.ly/rrUU7K

2012 AmeriCorps Grants
Deadline: January 18

AmeriCorps awards grants to organizations to implement programs that utilize AmeriCorps members to engage in evidence-based interventions to strengthen communities. In the 2012 competition CNCS expects to invest a significant amount of available funding to programs working in the six Focus Areas of Disaster Services, Economic Opportunity, Education, Environmental Stewardship, Healthy Futures, and Veterans and Military Families. In particular, CNCS seeks to target its AmeriCorps grantmaking in the Education, Disaster Services and Veterans and Military Families Focus Areas. http://bit.ly/pBIpCw

Let's Move Salad Bar to Schools:

Any K-12 school district participating in the National School Lunch Program is eligible to apply. Districts applying for more than one salad bar will fill out one application stating how many bars they need. Single-school districts or other independent schools will fill out a school application for a single salad bar. Schools currently awarded with Bronze status or above in the Healthier US School Challenge (HUSSC) automatically qualify for a salad bar donation, with the stipulation that the school or district desires and can support a salad bar every day in school lunch. Each school may apply for $15,000 for a salad bar. Get your schools applying now. ASAP

http://saladbars2schools.org/guidelines.

The Mind Trust Is Now Accepting Applications For Education Entrepreneur Fellowship

Do you have a transformational idea that will dramatically improve public education? Do you possess the entrepreneurial skill-set necessary to turn this idea into a reality? The Mind Trust, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit supporting education innovation and reform, wants you to join our growing ranks of talented entrepreneurs who are launching the next generation of break-the-mold education reform ventures.

The Mind Trust is currently accepting applications for its Education Entrepreneur Fellowship, a nationally unique incubator for transformative education ventures that attracts top entrepreneurial talent to Indianapolis to confront public education's most vexing problems. During the two-year Fellowship, Fellows receive a full-time salary ($90,000/year), full benefits, a $20,000 start-up stipend and the professional support necessary to turn a promising idea into a successful education venture with large-scale, transformational benefits for underserved children.

Since launching the Education Entrepreneur Fellowship in 2007, The Mind Trust has captured the attention of talented innovators from around the world. To date, over 1,000 applicants from 48 states and 28 countries have applied for the Fellowship. From this pool of applicants, six talented Fellows have been selected. In 2011, The Mind Trust expects to award up to two Fellowships through its rolling application process.

What impact have The Mind Trust's Fellows made? Read the Boston Globe's report of how Teach Plus, the initiative founded by The Mind Trust Fellow Celine Coggins, is training urban teachers to be leaders in reform and helping them develop and implement bold changes in teacher policy. Read TIME Magazine's cover story about how Summer Advantage USA, the initiative launched by Fellow Earl Martin Phalen, is helping tackle summer learning loss for disadvantaged students. Read about Fellow Abby Falik's initiative, Global Citizen Year, highlighted by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof in his call for more young Americans to "Teach for the World."

Each of our Fellows is making a positive impact, but unmet needs for underserved students remain. How else can public education be improved? How will your initiative differentiate itself, and how will it build upon the successes of existing education initiatives in Indianapolis? Share your idea with us - apply for The Mind Trust's Education Entrepreneur Fellowship today!

About The Mind Trust
The Mind Trust is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to dramatically improve public education for underserved children by empowering education entrepreneurs to develop or expand transformative education initiatives. We find the most promising and successful education reform initiatives in America, and support their launch or replication in Indianapolis. For more information about The Mind Trust, please visit www.themindtrust.org.

AFTER SCHOOL ADVANTAGE PROGRAM

Deadline: Ongoing

The GTECH Corporation is awarding afterschool computer labs to inner-city youth, ages 5-15, located in certain states, including Arizona. They will award 100 Computer Labs at $15,000 each to programs serving minority and at-risk children and youth.

Click here for more information.

Presidential Active Lifestyle Award Challenge

Children and adults can take part in the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award challenge, designed to encourage people of all ages to increase their physical activity.

Goals are broken down into two age groups: for those between 6 and 17 and for those 18 and older.

Children, youth and teens must be active for 60 minutes a day, at least five days a week, for six out of eight weeks. As an alternative, daily activity steps can be counted using a pedometer (11,000 steps for girls; 13,000 steps for boys).

Adults must be active for 30 minutes a day, at least five days a week, for six out of eight weeks. As an alternative, daily activity steps can be counted using a pedometer (8,500 steps).

Consider signing your program up to tackle the challenge as a group. Progress can be tracked online after registering at www.presidentschallenge.org/account/index.shtml or on paper by downloading this PDF at www.presidentschallenge.org/tools-resources/docs/PALA_log.pdf.

For more on taking the challenge, go to www.presidentschallenge.org/challenge/active/getting-started.shtml.

Annie's Homegrown

Deadline: On-going
After-school programs that are planning a gardening activity may want to consider applying for a grant from Annie's Homegrown.

The company offers a limited number of small grants to educational programs that connect children with gardening. The grant money can be used to buy gardening tools, seeds or other needed supplies.

To apply, go to www.annies.com/grants_for_gardens. Because the grants are provided on an ongoing basis, there is no deadline to apply.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Program

Visit www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/care/Regs-Policy/Snacks/Afterschool_Snacks_Suppers.htm and at www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/care/Regs-Policy/Snacks/Snacks_QAs.htm.

After-school programs that meet criteria that allow them to qualify as "at risk" can be reimbursed for serving healthful snacks to children and youth up to age 18.

After-school centers characterized as at risk (located in the attendance area of a school where at least half of the children receive free or reduced-price meals) can offer snacks that meet meal-pattern guidelines and then apply for reimbursement from the state agency that administers the U.S. Department of Agriculture food program.

The Captain Planet Foundation

Get the children in your program engaged in the environment with a hands-on project they create and implement. The Captain Planet Foundation makes available grants, ranging from $250 to $2,500, for such projects.

Guidelines to be considered for a grant are that proposals must promote the understanding of environmental issues; focus on hands-on involvement; involve children ages 6 to 18; promote interaction and cooperation within the group; help children and youth develop planning and problem-solving skills; and include adult supervision. If awarded a grant, a commitment to follow-up communication with the Captain Planet Foundation also is required.

For more information on the foundation, go to http://captainplanetfoundation.org. For information on the grants, including deadlines and a link to apply, go to http://captainplanetfoundation.org/default.aspx?pid=3&tab=apply.

BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOP BEAR HUGS FOUNDATION- CHILDREN’S HEALTH & WELNESS GRANTS

Deadline: Rolling
The Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation provides support for programs in the areas of child health and wellness, including childhood disease research foundations, child safety organizations, and organizations that serve children with special needs. Award amounts range from $1,000 to $10,000. Nonprofit organizations (either 501(c)(3) organizations or registered Canadian charities) are eligible to apply. Please contact the Build-a-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation for more information or to apply for this funding.