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Published on Connect for Kids / Child Advocacy 360 / Youth Policy Action Center (http://www.connectforkids.org)

A Toolkit for Funding

Updated February 2010

The library at your daughter's elementary school has about as many reading materials as a doctor's office waiting room. Can you arrange for more books?

Your neighbors work until 6:30 but school lets out at 3:00, leaving the kids with nowhere to go, can you help an effective local after-school program expand to reach more kids?

You're active in a statewide organization that needs more money to do the job right or tackle a new problem, where can you turn for help?

Whether you're an individual with an idea to help your community, or already at work on behalf of kids and families, you can make a difference—and you'll probably need funding to do so. Connect for kids has compiled some resources to help you.

If you have other resources or experiences to share, let us know. Send an e-mail to weekly@connectforkids.org [1].

In This Toolkit:
1.
For Funders: Supporting Advocacy Work (and Other Tools) [2]
2.
Getting Funded: Advice from the Field [3]
3.
Apply Now - Grants with Upcoming Deadlines [4]
4.
Grants by Topic [5]

 

FOR FUNDERS: SUPPORTING ADVOCACY WORK

Grantmakers tend to be cautious about funding advocacy, yet advocacy can play a crucial role in advancing a foundation’s mission and most nonprofits can do more advoacy than they realize. Here are two guides that are useful for foundations and those applying for grants:

Other Tools for Grantmakers

GETTING FUNDED: ADVICE FROM THE FIELD

APPLY NOW - Grants with Upcoming Deadlines
Listed in order of deadline.

School Counseling [35]
The U.S. Department of Education has funding for 44 grants to support local educational agencies to establish or expand elementary and secondary school counseling programs. Deadline: February 26.

Second Chance Act [36]
The U.S. Department of Justice has grants for state and local governments for a comprehensive response to the increasing number of people who are released from prison, jail and juvenile residential facilities. Deadline: March 4.

America's Greenest School Contest
[37]
A grant of approximately $20,000 plus a hybrid school bus and green audit by a LEED-accredited professional will be given to a K-12 school nominated by its students for efforts to make it a greener place. Deadline: March 8, 2010.

Student Essay Contest on Health Care
[38]
The topic for this year's KaiserEDU.org's Student Essay Contest for undergraduate and graduates students is on identifying the major health policy challenges still facing the U.S. in 2015. Deadline: March 8, 2010.

Home Depot Foundation’s Awards of Excellence for Sustainable Community Development [39]
Projects that qualify for the Awards of Excellence in Sustainable Community Development program exhibit thoughtful construction of a neighborhood which includes green affordable housing and tree plantings and have gone beyond to address overarching community issues.

Kohl's Kids Who Care Scholarship Program Invites Nominations of Young Volunteers [40]
Scholarships of up to $9,000 toward a postsecondary education will be awarded to youth between the ages of 6 and 18 whose dedication to service has made a positive impact on others and their communities. Deadline: March 15, 2010.

Arts in Education Models [41]
These Department of Education grants support innovative, cohesive research-based arts education models. Deadline: March 16.

Nominations Invited for 2010 Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education [42]
A $25,000 award will be given to individuals working in education at the elementary, secondary, and postsecondary levels who have developed programs that exhibit strong school-business partnerships, family engagement, use of cutting-edge technology, and new data practices. Deadline: March 19, 2010.

Drug-Free Communities Support Program [43]
SAMHSA has grants to support the efforts of community coalitions to prevent and reduce substance use among youth. Deadline: March 19, 2010

Drug-Free Communities Support Program [44]
SAMHSA has grants to support community coalitions working to prevent and reduce substance use among youth. Deadline: March 19.

Recovery Act Conservation Projects [45]
Youth or conservation corps groups can apply for U.S. Interior Department grants to preserve and create jobs through conservation projects that enhance students' classroom learning by providing them with opportunities to gain experience, learn about public lands, understand and appreciate natural and cultural resources, and stimulate their interest in natural resource careers. Deadline: March 31.

Jumpstart Invites Research Proposals to Measure Organization's Impact in Early Education [46]
Three grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded to programs that pair college students and volunteers with preschool children in low-income communities with the goal of curbing the early literacy crisis and develop the skills children need. Deadline: April 2, 2010.

William T. Grant Foundation Offers Grants for Investigator Initiated Research on Youth Settings [47]
Grants will be awarded for programs that work to improve the settings of youth between the ages of 8 and 25, especially those that focus on afterschool programs. Deadline: April 6, 2010.

2010 Colin Higgins Youth Courage Awards
[48]
These awards honor LGBTQ youth activists who have transformed their experiences with discrimination into opportunities to inspire others by taking action, rallying support, and working to transform the systems and institutions that impact their lives.

[49] GRANTS BY TOPIC

If you work on a certain issue or area, you can target the donors who focus on that field. Here's a list of resources to get you started. We're updating this regularly, so please bookmark it and check back soon. Got a resource to share? Send it to info@connectforkids.org [50].

Stimulus and Recovery Funds

 

General Funding Opportunities


Child Care and Out-of-School Time Programs

 

Children's Health and Social Services

 

Education

 

Financial Aid for College

Science, Mathematics and Technology

Strengthening Communities

 

Juvenile Justice and Youth in Transition

 

Job Training for Youth

  • Check back soon!

E-Newsletters with Grant Information



Source URL:
http://www.connectforkids.org/fundingkit10