Grant makers tend to be cautious about funding advocacy, and for good reason
— yet advocacy can play a crucial role in advancing a foundation’s mission.
In this guide, contributors explain that advocacy includes a lot of opportunities
to improve public policy through work that is well within the limits of the law.
Whether your purpose is to advance an idea, argue a position, or enrich the
policy debate, the guide offers resources and strategies for planning your
work, reaching your audience, assessing impact, and more. This guide highlights: what’s permissible for foundations, working with grantees who lobby, building a case, cultivating a constituency, and preparing for opposition.

The Finance Project recommends a variety of overlapping strategies, including stressing direct benefits resulting from a partnership with business, showing positive results from your youth program and acknowledging partners through public forums to gain in-kind and cash support from local businesses and foundations.

The American Dream Scholarship Program for African American students has $500 - $5000 scholarships for full-time college students in financial need. Deadline: Apr 15

The newly named and restructured White House Office for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships will be a resource for organizations, both secular and faith-based, to address the challenges of poverty, serve women and children, prevent teen pregnancy and improve the odds for young fathers. The Office will help "local groups learn their obligations under the law, cut through red tape, and make the most of what the federal government has to offer."

There is a big side effect in Congress' decision to strip all earmarks from the economic recovery bill. It means that Congress has less say about which organizations and agencies benefit; this shifts power to state and local agencies who will be in charge of the spending details.

On February 6, 2009, experts will present the latest research on financial aid practices that support student enrollment and persistence, as well as recommendations for reforming federal student aid.

Where are the grants going? Check your state and check by category with this interactive Foundation Center site that tracks grants, loans and other help to local charities during the economic downturn.

ExploraVision competition gives students in grades K– 12 the chance to create their own visions of the future. Student teams select and research a current technology and then explore what it could be like 20 years from now. Members of the four first-place teams will each receive a $10,000 US Savings Bond and an expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC to be recognized for their achievements.