A drug-free community coalition supporting positive youth development in Franklin County.

Grant Opportunities

Target Offers K-12 Field Trip Grants
The program will award five thousand grants of $700 each to schools across the United States for the upcoming school year. Teachers can use a grant to fund a school field trip that connects their curriculum to out-of-school experiences. Education professionals who are at least 18 years old and are employed by an accredited K-12 public, private, or charter school in the United States that maintains 501(c)(3) or 509(a)(1) tax-exempt status are eligible to apply. Educators, teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, and classified staff at these institutions must be willing to plan and execute a field trip that will provide a demonstrable learning experience for students. Grant funds are best used for visits to art, science, and cultural museums; community service or civic projects; career enrichment opportunities; and other events or activities away from the school facility. Funds may be used to cover field trip-related costs such as transportation, ticket fees, food, resource materials, and supplies. The Target Field Trip Grants program is managed and administered entirely by Scholarship America. Visit the Target Web site for information: http://sites.target.com/site/en/company/page.jsp?contentId=WCMP04-031880

Tony Hawk Foundation Offers Grants for Skatepark Construction
The Tony Hawk Foundation makes grants to encourage and facilitate the design, development, construction, and operation of high-quality public skateparks in low-income areas across the United States. The foundation will consider funding for skatepark projects that are designed and built by qualified and experienced skatepark contractors, include local skaters in the design process, are in low-income areas and/or areas with a high population of "at-risk" youth, can demonstrate a strong grassroots commitment to the project, have a creative mix of street obstacles and transition/vert terrain, do not require skaters or their parents to sign waivers, encourage skaters to look after their own safety and the safety of others, are open during daylight hours 365 days a year, do not charge an entrance fee, and are in areas that currently have no skateboarding facilities. The applicant must be a 501(c)(3) public charity or a state or local agency, including public school systems or public projects. Grants range from $1,000 to $25,000 each. The foundation may offer technical assistance related to design and construction, promotional materials, training materials, and safety information, and it may also facilitate support from vendors, suppliers, and community leaders. Visit the foundation website for complete program information or to complete the RFP. Deadline: October 1, 2010

Grants Address Childhood Obesity Youth Service America: UnitedHealth HEROES
The UnitedHealth HEROES program, a service-learning initiative developed by UnitedHealth Group and Youth Service America, will award grants of up to $1,000 to help young people create and implement local, hands-on programs to fight childhood obesity. Grants will be provided to schools and youth-focused, community-based organizations throughout the United States. Priority will be given to semester-long projects that launch on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service in January and culminate on Global Youth Service Day in April, 2011. Schools, service-learning coordinators, nonprofit organizations, and students located in all 50 states and the District of Columbia are eligible to apply. The application deadline is October 22, 2010. Visit the Youth Service America website to review the program guidelines and take the online eligibility quiz. Deadline: October 22, 2010.

Funds for K-12 Educators: Kids In Need Foundation
The Kids In Need Foundation helps to engage students in the learning process by supporting K-12 teachers throughout the United States. Kids In Need Teacher Grants, sponsored by retailers and education credit unions, help K-12 educators develop innovative learning opportunities for their students. The purpose of the grants is to provide support for classroom teachers who have inspired ideas but lack the budget to bring them to life. Projects qualify for funding if they make creative use of common teaching aids, approach the curriculum from an imaginative angle, or tie nontraditional concepts together for the purpose of illustrating commonalities. Approximately 200 to 300 grants from $100 to $500 are awarded each year. Every teacher who applies will receive a gift of poster and bulletin board art materials from ArtSkills valued at $25. The application deadline is September 30, 2010. Visit the Foundation's website to submit the appropriate online application for your geographic region.

Applications Available for State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grants
State Farm is teaming up with Youth Service America to offer grants of up to $1,000 to youth-led service-learning initiatives in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario, and New Brunswick. Eligible programs will engage youth in service-learning, an effective teaching and learning strategy that promotes student learning, academic achievement, workplace readiness, and healthy communities. State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grants encourage semester-long projects (following YSA's Semester of Service framework) that launch on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, January 17, 2011, and culminate on Global Youth Service Day, April 15-17, 2011. Eligible candidates include teachers, service-learning coordinators, and students in a public school, or staff and youth in a community-based organization working with a public school. YSA will host two application webinars, September 7 and October 7, for applicants to learn more about developing a successful project. Webinar registration information and application materials are available at the YSA Web site. Deadline: October 15, 2010.