Young Innovator for Social Justice Prize

Grinnell College has announced a call for nominations for the 2012 Grinnell College Young Innovator for Social Justice Prize. The prize program, now in its second year, honors individuals under age the age of 40 from anywhere in the world who have demonstrated leadership in their fields and who show creativity, commitment, and extraordinary accomplishment in effecting positive social change. Up to three awards of $100,000 will be presented, with half the prize money going to the individual(s) and half to the organization(s) committed to each winner's area of social justice.

Glee Student Video Contest

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and the National Association for Music Education support at-risk arts programs in public schools across the U.S. School principals and/or administrators of public schools that offer a music education program for some or all of its students, and whose students attend a physical campus are eligible to apply for funding. Grants will range from $10,000 to $50,000.

Arts & Performing Arts Grants

The Max & Victoria Dreyfus Foundation provides grants to arts and cultural organizations, performing arts programs, music programs, and museums. To apply, please send a proposal (3 page maximum) that includes a 200 word summary, a copy of the project budget, and your IRS exempt status determination letter. Most grants have been between $2,500 and $10,000. For more information, please visit any branch of the Pima County Public Library and search the grants databases using the foundation's name or use the free Foundation Finder to review past 990 filings from your office.

Arizona Humanities Council Project Grants

Deadline: November 10, 2011 (Letter of intent)

Project Grants are competitive awards for innovative, community-based projects and partnerships that connect Arizonans to humanities scholarship through public programming. Current encouraged themes include: Arizona Centennial 2012; projects that share Arizona's diverse regional cooking and eating traditions and explore how the food we eat connects us to our communities, heritage, and national culture; and proposals that unite a humanities perspective with civil discourse techniques for public discussion of contemporary issues. Applicants may request up to $5,000, which must be matched by in-kind contributions. 

USArtists International

Deadline: December 9, 2011

USArtists International, administered by the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, is committed to ensuring that the impressive range of the performing arts in the United States is represented abroad, and that American artists can enhance their creative and professional development through the exchange of ideas and practices with their colleagues in other countries and through exposure to new audiences. Support is available to American dance, music, and theater ensembles and solo artists that have been invited to perform at international festivals and engagements that represent extraordinary career opportunities anywhere in the world outside of the United States. Grants, which generally range from $1,000 to $10,000, will seldom cover the applicant's total expenses. 

Deadlines: October 14th & November 28th

The MacArthur Foundation, the Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory and Mozilla invite submissions for the Digital Media and Learning Competition for Digital Achievement Badges in two awards categories. A Badges for Lifelong Learning Design Competition focuses on building digital badges for lifelong learning. Multiple awards of up to $200,000 are anticipated. Eligibility is unrestricted. Submissions are due October 14.  A Badges, Trophies and Achievements Research Competition supports empirical and theoretical research on online networks, digital resources and gaming environments that provide rich opportunities for demand-driven, learner-centered learning. Multiple awards of up to $80,000 are anticipated. Eligibility is restricted to individuals at institutions of higher education. Submissions are due November 28.

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Tucson Education & Literacy Grants

Deadline: November 1, 2011

The The Eugene C. & Wiletta F. Denton Family Foundation provides grants to Tucson-area organizations involved in education and literacy instruction, as well as to human service organizations. Past grants ranged from $1,000 to $25,000. Please contact the foundation for specific application requirements at (520) 297-5887 or by mail at

7667 East Lee Street, Tucson, AZ 85715. For more information,

please visit any branch of the Pima County Public Library and search the grants databases using the foundation's name or use the free Foundation Finder to review past 990 filings from your office.

Jostens Community Grants for Education

Deadline: November 28, 2011

Jostens provides support to organizations that help young people acquire the skills they need to succeed in school and in life. Programs with a focus on early intervention, improving literacy or high school graduation rates, or preparing students for post-secondary study are examples of activities that advance the Foundation's mission. The Foundation meets quarterly to review all Community Grant requests.

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Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge for K-12 Students

Deadline: March 15, 2012

The Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge invites students in the U.S. to team up with classmates under teacher/mentors to solve environmental problems in their school (grades K-5), community (grades 6-8), and world (grades 9-12). Student and teacher/mentor prizes, which vary according to grade level and value more than $250,000 total, include scholarships, savings bonds, school grants, adventure trips, and a chance to present their idea at the United Nations.

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New Initiative to Support College Debate Programs

Deadline: Rolling

As part of an ongoing effort to engage young people in policy issues critical to their future, the Open Society Foundations has launched Global Debates, a $20 million funding initiative to strengthen debate programs at colleges and universities around the world. OSF will provide up to three years of funding to colleges, universities, and other educational institutions to integrate debate across disciplines. Grants will be available for institutions that have either very small debate programs or none at all. Grants also will be made to institutions seeking to promote public debates within the broader communities that they serve and to increase the capacity of young people from marginalized communities to engage in debates concerning controversial issues affecting their lives. Concept papers/full proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis until funding has been exhausted. Proposals for debate events should be submitted at least two months before the event.