Funding Opportunity for Community Schools  

Boeing Corporation is accepting Letters of Inquiry from nonprofit organizations working in the areas of education, environment, health and human services, arts and culture, and civic engagement to benefit the people of Chicago.

Education grants will be awarded for projects that promote improvements in the care and education of children from birth to age five. In addition, the company supports projects to improve students' lifelong learning, with an emphasis on common core and STEM. Environment grants will be awarded for efforts to educate and engage communities on the importance of reducing their impact on the environment and climate change.

Letters of inquiry (LOI) for education and environment grants are due March 18, 2013, with final proposals due April 30.  LOIs for health and human services, arts and culture, and civic engagement, are accepted in subsequent months.   

For more information on their grant guidelines and about submitting an LOI, click here.   

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is spreading the word about free, nutritious meals and snacks available to children this summer at more than 1,600 summer food service program sites across the state.  

School districts, local governments and non-profits can all sponsor summer food sites, which may include schools, parks, recreation centers, and others. Schools may also help sponsors get the word out to students and the community about available programs. Most summer food program sites are open to all children in the community; however, some sites just serve meals to those children enrolled in a specific program.  Sponsors may submit their online applications to ISBE from March 4 - June 15.

Summer food programs work by providing free meals and snacks to low-income children through age 18 when school is not in session. Individuals age 18 through 21 who are enrolled in school programs for persons with disabilities and have an IEP on file may also participate. Sites must be located in areas where at least 50 percent of the children are eligible for free and reduced meals or the family's income is 185 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.

You can also find information about summer meals sites close to you by contacting the Illinois Hunger Coalition's Hunger Hotline at 1-800-359-2163.  The hotline is available in both English and Spanish, M-F, from 9-5p. Summer meal sites can also be found here.