Dear colleagues in service, 

The following 19 grant and award opportunities from YSA and our partners may interest you, including YSA's UnitedHealth HEROES Service-Learning Grants.     

UnitedHealth HEROES Service-Learning Grants of up to $1,000 will be available starting September 4 in all 50 states for youth-led service-learning projects which aim to combat childhood obesity through walking, running or hiking programs.   

YSA Grants & Awards - www.YSA.org/Grants

UnitedHealth HEROES Service-Learning Grants

Accepting Applications: Sept. 4 - Oct. 15

YSA and UnitedHealthcare are inviting schools and other community-based nonprofit organizations to Step into Service by applying for UnitedHealth HEROES grants.  Grants of up to $1,000 are available for youth-led service-learning projects which aim to combat childhood obesity through walking, running or hiking programs. The online application will open on September 4, 2012 and will close on October 15, 2012.  YSA will hold webinars to help applicants through the application process and answer all of their questions.  The first webinar will be September 13th at 3:00pm Eastern -  Sign up here. For more information, visit www.YSA.org/HEROES     

Gladys Marinelli Coccia Award

Deadline: September 30

YSA is accepting nominations for the Gladys Marinelli Coccia Award, recognizing two exceptional young people, ages 13 to 22, who are actively engaged in social entrepreneurship and in leading sustainable social change. Social entrepreneurs apply business practices to achieve positive social change and measure their success through their social impact. Two honorees will be selected to receive $2,000 to support their social enterprise and receive resources and technical assistance from YSA. Nominees must be between the ages 13 and 22 at the time of nomination and be located in United States. One of the two honorees will be selected from the Washington, D.C. or West Virginia region. www.YSA.org/grants/coccia-awards      

National Child Awareness Month Youth Ambassador Program

Deadline: Contact YSA

Organizations in the states listed to the right 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    

Ambassadors from 43 states have been selected, and we're still looking for Ambassadors from:  

• Alaska
• Alabama
• Connecticut
• New Hampshire
• Rhode Island
• Vermont
• Wyoming

If you know a young leader who might be interested, please contact us. 

Grants & Awards From YSA Partners

HandsOn Network MLK Day Grants

Deadline: August 22

The RFP process is open to the 250 HandsOn Network affiliates and out-of-network nonprofits. Eligible applicants should be committed to using the power of the MLK Day of Service to bring on-board new and diverse volunteers committed to year-round engagement as well as building the capacity of their local nonprofit network to engage more volunteers effectively training and placing volunteer leaders. Projects should include a special focus on activating and serving the veteran and military community as well as an intentional focus on civic dialogue preferably using HandsOn Networks's signature America's Sunday Supper program. 2 $30,000 Leadership Grants are available to engage 12,000 volunteers and 500 volunteer leaders. 4 $15,000 grants are available to engage 6,500 volunteers and 250 volunteer leaders.   http://bit.ly/PFyxev    

MTV Staying Alive Foundation Grants

Deadline: August 24

The MTV Staying Alive Foundation offers grants to young people ages 15-27 all over the world fighting HIV in their local communities. Grants of up to $12,000 are awarded to grassroots youth-led organizations for 12-month projects that educate or give out responsible and accurate information about HIV/AIDS targeted at young people in their communities, eliminate or alleviate the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS, encourage young people to take concrete action to protect themselves from HIV infection, demonstrate innovation and creativity in their activities, and reflect and honor the culture in which the project operates. In addition to the financial award, grantees receive an additional $500 to buy technical media equipment that benefits their project, a local mentor, a personal grant manager, and training and development. http://bit.ly/MBJqhU     

Cesar Chavez Foundation MLK Day Grants

Deadline: August 31

501(c) (3) non-profit organizations from Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, and Texas are eligible to apply. The RFP emphasizes education projects, with an emphasis on projects in rural areas, and extra points awarded for involving military families. Projects must involve at least 75 community volunteers in service learning projects that support educational achievement by at risk students during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend on January 19-21, 2013, and involve at least 100 community volunteers in service learning activities that support educational achievement by at risk students during the subsequent months of February through August 2013. http://bit.ly/Oti5Pe     

Cities of Service Impact Volunteering Fund

Deadline: August 31

The new Cities of Service Impact Volunteering Fund is a $2 million fund.  The first round of grants will be awarded in October 2012; a second round will be made one year later.  Grant sizes will range from $25,000 to $100,000 with larger amounts reserved for cities with multiple initiatives.  Initiatives can address any issues in the Cities of Service priority areas, which include education and youth, health, neighborhood revitalization, preparedness and safety, sustainability, and veterans.  Any mayor whose city is a member of the Cities of Service coalition is eligible to apply on behalf of the city and its partners. More information can be found at http://bit.ly/LfKjzv   

Campus Compact MLK Day Grants

Deadline: September 1

All students, faculty, and staff at institutions of higher education are eligible to apply. Applicants must co-apply with at least two community partners and partner with a minimum of seven community agencies. Preference will be given to applicants that demonstrate the capacity to collaboratively address specific community-identified needs, communities that have never hosted an MLK Day of Service, and to those that integrate MLK Day of Service projects into a Semester of Service: fall semester (beginning on 9/11 Day of Service and culminating on MLK Day of Service) or spring semester (beginning on MLK Day of Service and concluding on Global Youth Service Day). http://bit.ly/MBHQwv    

Give With Target

Deadline: September 8

Target will donate $5 million to schools as part of its "Give With Target" initiative this fall. The two-part giving campaign provides $2.5 million in grants to in-need schools, as well as up to $2.5 million in Target GiftCards to local schools through votes on Target's Facebook page. Target invites people to visit its Facebook page to vote for a school of their choice. For every 25 votes a school receives through the Give with Target Facebook application, Target will donate a $25 Target GiftCard, with a maximum donation of $10,000 per school. Voting runs from July 26 to September 8.  http://bit.ly/N44dje    

America's Great Outdoors: Connecting Youth to the Outdoors 2012 Grants

Deadline: September 19

The National Environment Education Foundation is launching the America's Great Outdoors: Connecting Youth to the Outdoors 2012 Grants. Through the grants, NEEF and its partners are catalyzing efforts to increase the number of youth who build a connection with public lands as places for recreating, learning and volunteering. Proposed projects should maximize hands-on outdoor engagement opportunities on public lands, focused on education, recreation, and environmental stewardship.  Approximately $243,000 in funding is available to support grant awards in the range of $2,500 to $20,000. http://bit.ly/Pp4rPW         

Go Orange for No Kid Hungry Essay Contest

Deadline: September 24

Go Orange for No Kid Hungry is a national effort to raise awareness about the 1 in 5 kids who face hunger every day.  Share Our Strength is asking their young supporters to get involved by asking their friends, family and classmates to rock the color orange and to help spread the word by posting photos of their group on Facebook.  In addition kids under the age of 21 are invited to participate in the Go Orange for No Kid Hungry essay contest.  Participants can win $500 just by answering one simple question: Why is ending childhood hunger in America important to you?  Prizes will be awarded to the top three essays in two age categories: under the age of 15 and ages of 15-21.   http://bit.ly/NByEc7   

Project Learning Tree Green Works! Grants

Deadline: September 30

Do you have an idea for a school/community native plant garden, a forest improvement project, a streamside restoration plan, a recycling program, or energy conservation project for your students?  Need funds to implement it?  Apply for a Project Learning Tree GreenWorks! grant! Grants are available in two award levels:  
1) the popular and traditional GreenWorks! grants up to a maximum of $1,000, and  
2) GreenWorks! grants up to $3,000 for registered PLT GreenSchools! (free online registration)
http://bit.ly/o38z7F    

Kids In Need Teacher Grants

Deadline: September 30

Kids In Need Teacher Grants provide K-12 educators with funding to provide innovative learning opportunities for their students. Teacher Grant awards range from $100 to $500 each and are used to finance creative classroom projects. Typically, 300-600 grants are awarded each year. All certified K-12 teachers in the U.S. are eligible. http://bit.ly/QgaqnA     

HOPE worldwide MLK Day Grants

Deadline: October 1

HOPE worldwide will post their grant application for 2013 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on August 27.  All projects must: focus on fire prevention education, involve at least two community partners, include reflection or other activities to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and occur in significant part on or near Jan. 21, 2013.The grant ranges will be: $5,000 (400 or more volunteers projected); $2,500 (200 to 400 volunteers projected); and $1,000 (50 to 200 volunteers projected). http://bit.ly/NfgknK     

NEA Foundation-Nickelodeon Big Help Grants

Deadline: October 15

Grants of up to $5,000 are available to educators at K-8 public schools for the development and implementation of approaches to four key concerns - environmentalism, health and wellness, students' rights to a quality education, and active community involvement. Applicants must be practicing U.S public school teachers or public school education support professionals. Grant funds may be used for resource materials, supplies, equipment, transportation, technology, or scholars-in-residence. http://bit.ly/RbPAJL   

American Honda Foundation Grants

Deadline: November 1

The American Honda Foundation is supporting broad, innovative and forward-thinking projects that meet the needs of youth, especially minority students. The Foundation is awarding grants of $20,000 to $75,000 for projects that emphasize youth education, specifically in the areas of STEM, the environment, job training, and literacy. http://bit.ly/PzrmYq  

   

Nestle Very Best in Youth Program

Deadline: November 8

Nestlé helps young people, who want to make a difference, realize their dreams by donating $1,000 in the name of each winner to the charity of his/her choice. Nestlé also awards the winner a trip for them and a parent or guardian to Los Angeles, California for the Nestlé Very Best In Youth awards ceremony. The trip includes round trip coach air travel, hotel accommodations for three nights, and spending money. Contestants must be between 14 and 18 years of age and have parental or legal guardian permission to submit the entry form. Contestants must also demonstrate good citizenship, a strong academic record, and show how they have made a special contribution to their school, church or community. http://bit.ly/MYN5ED     

Project Ignition Grants

Deadline: November 15

The National Youth Leadership Council® and State Farm® are pleased to announce the availability of $2,000 Project Ignition grants! Public high schools may apply for the grants to address teen driver safety through service-learning. Car crashes remain the number one cause of death for adolescents. Project Ignition is bringing together students, teachers and communities to create change. And they're saving lives. http://bit.ly/pKcD1c      

Foot Locker Scholar Athletes 

Deadline: December 5

The truth is that many deserving students, who have dedicated a great deal of their time to athletics, will not receive athletic scholarships to college. Foot Locker and DoSomething.org will be rewarding twenty incoming college freshmen with $20,000 in scholarship funding for college - not because they scored the most touchdowns, but because of their character and commitment to volunteerism. This is the award for flexing heart, not muscle. http://bit.ly/Qif9UD       

Additional Grant Resources

GrantStation - An online funding resource for organizations seeking grants throughout the  world. Providing access to a comprehensive online database of grantmakers, as well as  other valuable tools, GrantStation can help your organization make smarter, better-informed fundraising decisions. www.grantstation.com  

• Sign up to receive the weekly GrantStation Insider from GrantStation.com and Youth Service America with news about new funding programs, upcoming deadlines, conferences, seminars, and more.
• Sign up to receive the monthly GrantStation Insider International edition from GrantStation.com and Youth Service America with information about a variety of resources for non-governmental (NGO) and nonprofit organizations working internationally. 

GrantWatch - Lists current federal government grants, state grants, city grants, local grants, foundation grants, corporation grants, educational grants, international grants and grant resources. www.grantwatch.com  

GrantWrangler - A free grants listing service that helps teachers find classroom grants for school funding. www.grantwrangler.com  

YouthToday Grants Today - A national source for news, views and important developments in the youth  service field from a nonprofit organization.  www.youthtoday.org/grants.cfm  

National Service-Learning Clearinghouse Funding Opportunities -  Information on current funding opportunities in the service-learning and national service communities

www.servicelearning.org/funding-opportunities 

Grants Alert - A website dedicated to making life a little easier for those who devote their time to searching for education grants and identifying new funding opportunities for their organizations, schools, districts, consortia and state education agencies. www.grantsalert.com    

The Editor