MLK Day of Service
2013 Grant Opportunities

Are you planning a project or would you like to create a service project for the 2013 MLK Day of Service? Will your service project need funding?

2013 MLK Day grant opportunities are available from the following organizations: 

• Campus Compact
• Cesar Chavez Foundation
• HOPE worldwide
• Points of Light
• Service for Peace
• Youth Service America 

Join us next Thursday, July 12 at 3:00pm Eastern for a webinar to review all available grant opportunities and learn how your organization can apply. Register now: http://bit.ly/Nb9Itk  

Connect with YSA

YSA Funding Partners

News From the Field

The World Needs More Community Action Heroes!

We've joined generationOn and Hasbro to challenge you to be a hero in your community. Pick a cause, choose a project (or create your own) and report on it for a chance to be selected for a $500 mini-grant. Don't let the summer pass you by. Be a hero: http://bit.ly/MCDrNB
 

CNCS Launches Third Year of United We Serve: Let's Read. Let's Move.

CNCS kicked off the third year of United We Serve: Let's Read. Let's Move., a summer service initiative designed to combat summer learning loss and childhood obesity through volunteer service. Let's Read. Let's Move. will encourage kids to read five books over the summer, a number that's been shown to minimize learning loss. The initiative will also encourage participation in the President's Active Lifestyle Award (PALA). By promoting the location of summer food feeding sites, Let's Read. Let's Move. hopes to increase access to nutritious summer meals for the nineteen million children receiving free or reduced-price school meals during the school year.  Learn how you can get involved: http://1.usa.gov/M7Tz4M      

Mandela Day - July 18

Mandela Day is a global call to action that celebrates the idea that each individual has the power to transform the world, and the ability to make an impact. The Mandela Day campaign message is simple: Mr Mandela gave 67 years of his life fighting for the rights of humanity. Everyone can give 67 minutes of their time. Mandela Day is a call to action for individuals - for people everywhere - to take responsibility for changing the world into a better place, one small step at a time, just as Mr Mandela did.   http://bit.ly/LAF9ej  

DoSomething.org Summer Campaigns

The Hunt: 11 Days of Doing - July 10 to July 20 - Create a team of friends to take action for 11 days and win stuff! http://bit.ly/Nqj1Uh  

Staples for Students - July 1 to September 15 - Donate school supplies at your local Staples store to support kids in need. http://bit.ly/N25wex   

Thumb Wars - June 19 to August 2 - Use the power of your thumbs to stop texting and driving. http://bit.ly/LRUUQs  

Grants & Awards 

Global Youth Service Day Lead Agency Grants

Deadline: July 15

YSA and State Farm are proud to support up to 100 Global Youth Service Day Lead Agencies for GYSD 2013 (April 26-28, 2013). GYSD Lead Agencies are local, regional, or statewide organizations across the United States, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario, or New Brunswick that lead GYSD in their city, region, or state. Lead Agencies convene a coalition of at least 10 partner organizations that collectively engage at least 600 youth volunteers in service on GYSD, engage local media and elected officials, and plan a high profile signature project or celebration of service. GYSD Lead Agencies will receive a $2,000 grant provided by State Farm, a travel stipend to attend the Youth Service Institute, and ongoing training and technical assistance from YSA.  www.YSA.org/grants/leadagency   

Sodexo Foundation Lead Organizer Grants

Deadline: July 15

Sodexo Foundation Lead Organizers will work with 10 or more partner organizations to engage at least 600 youth volunteers in learning about and addressing the issue of childhood hunger in their communities, beginning during National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, November 10-17, 2012, and continuing through Global Youth Service Day, April 26-28, 2013. Sodexo Foundation Lead Organizers will also build new partnerships in their community and increase public awareness about the issue of childhood hunger and young people's role in solving the problem. Up to 12 organizations will receive $2,000 grants as well as travel and lodging expenses for the Youth Service Institute provided by the Sodexo Foundation. www.YSA.org/grants/SodexoLeadOrganizer   

MLK Day Lead Organizer Grants

Deadline: July 15

YSA and CNCS  are proud to support up to 16 MLK Day Lead Organizers to coordinate Martin Luther King Day of Service (January 21, 2013) activities. The goal of the MLK Day Lead Organizers program is to engage youth and adult volunteers on Martin Luther King Day of Service by encouraging families to serve together. MLK Day Lead Organizers will convene a coalition of at least 10 partner organizations that collectively engage at least 3,000 youth and adult volunteers in service on MLK Day, including projects that both engage and serve veterans and military families. MLK Day Lead Organizers will receive a $4,000 grant as well as ongoing training and technical assistance from YSA. www.YSA.org/grants/MLKDay                 

Sodexo Foundation School Engagement Grants

Deadline: July 15

Sodexo Foundation School Engagement grantees will engage teachers and students, grades K-12, in learning about and addressing childhood hunger in their community through a service-learning Semester of Service. The Semester of Service™ framework is designed to engage students in a minimum of 70 hours of service and learning over a period of at least 10 - 14 weeks. This program focuses on the subject areas of civics, social studies and language arts, but may also incorporate other academic areas. The $5,000 grant can be used to support professional development in service-learning (including required training at YSA's Youth Service Institute), project planning and implementation, and demonstration/sharing of outcomes. www.YSA.org/grants/sodexoschool    

Harris Wofford Award - Youth

Deadline: July 22

The Harris Wofford Youth Award will be given to a young person (ages 5 -25) who is a legal resident of the U.S. who demonstrates exemplary commitment and action to involve his or her peers in service, youth voice, service-learning or civic engagement activities. The recipient will receive a $500 award for him/herself and $500 to give to a nonprofit of his or her choice to support program activities as well as travel to the Youth Service Institute. www.YSA.org/grants/harris-wofford-award-youth 

Harris Wofford Award - Educator

Deadline: July 22

The Harris Wofford Young Educator Award recognizes an extraordinary young teacher and his/her achievements and contributions towards enhancing the practice of high-quality service-learning. The recipient will receive a $500 award for him/herself and $500 for his/her service-learning program as well as travel to the Youth Service Institute. . www.YSA.org/grants/harris-wofford-award-educator     

National Child Awareness Month Youth Ambassador Program

Deadline: July 22

Organizations are invited to nominate young people, ages 16 to 22, for the National Child Awareness Month Youth Ambassador program. The program challenges youth to create large-scale service projects, and includes training in Washington, D.C.; a $1,000 grant; and ongoing project support. For more information or to nominate a young person, visit www.YSA.org/grants/NCAM 

  

State Farm Good Neighbor Student Achievement Grants

Deadline: July 31

YSA and State Farm™ are proud to offer grants of up to $1,500 for programs enhancing student achievement through service-learning in K-12 public schools in all fifty US states, the District of Columbia, and in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario and New Brunswick. The State Farm Good Neighbor Student Achievement Grant requires a 12-to-14 week Semester of Service™ starting on MLK Day of Service (January 21, 2013) and ending on Global Youth Service Day, (April 26-28, 2013). The grant also includes participation in a regional training to introduce grantees to the elements and expectations of the program as well as the suite of tools, resources, and support that YSA will provide. www.YSA.org/goodneighbor     

Resources & Trainings

Third Grade Reads Blueprint

Cities of Service, Target and ServiceNation present the Third Grade Reads Blueprint, a high-impact service strategy that demonstrates how volunteers serving as reading coaches can drive educational outcomes for high-need students.  Through a partnership involving the mayor's office, a local non-profit organization, and the school district, volunteers tutor the highest need K-3 students in reading in schools or after school programs.  http://bit.ly/NqcKYJ    

National Voter Registration Day: How to Get Involved Webinar

Thursday, July 12th at 2:00pm Eastern

On September 25th, 2012 thousands of nonprofits, businesses, and volunteers across the country will band together for National Voter Registration Day, an effort to encourage and assist all Americans to register to vote ahead of the November 6th presidential election. Join us to learn how your nonprofit can participate in this nationwide effort and utilize the opportunity to help register your clients, constituents, and community members. http://bit.ly/N1YhDE   

Nonprofits & Data: Worth 1,000 Words - Visualizing Your Data

Infographics and other types of data visualizations are being used in exciting ways by nonprofits, so how do you go from a spreadsheet full of numbers to visuals that show that data? By visualizing data nonprofits are driving donations, increasing engagement with their issues and creating better-informed communities. This three-part series will walk you through understanding the strategy about what data to visualize, how to visualize it, and then putting those visualizations to good use internally and externally. http://bit.ly/MY1THU   

SixDegrees.org

You've probably heard of the Six Degrees concept. Any one person (including Kevin Bacon) is connected to any other person through six or fewer relationships, because it's a small world. SixDegrees.org is about using this idea to accomplish something good. It's social networking with a social conscience. Through this web site, you can support your favorite charities by donating or creating a social fundraiser - as well as check out the favorite causes of other people, including celebrities.  You can also pay it forward with Good Cards® - gift cards for charity that can be redeemed as a donation to more than 1 million charities. http://bit.ly/Nbazdb  

Service Calendars

Conferences & Events

International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement Conference 

September 23-25, 2012 - Baltimore, MD

YSA's Youth Service Institute 

October 17-19, 2012 - Houston, TX  

Summer Changes Everything National Conference 

October 22-24, 2012 - Pittsburgh, PA

People to People International Global Youth Forum
November 7-11, 2012 - Chicago, IL 

Seasons of Service

July 2012
Park and Recreation Month - July
World Population Day - July 11

August 2012
National Kids Day - August 5
National Night Out - August 7
International Day of Worlds' Indigenous Peoples - August 9
International Youth Day - August 12 

Song of the Week

Peter, Paul & Mary - "If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)"

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The Editor