The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) sponsors an essay contest for high school juniors as part of President Bush's "We the People" initiative to promote national civics and history education. Students are asked to write a 1,200-word essay on a topic that challenges them "to think about the tenets that define and unite the merican nation."

The American Institute for History Education (AIHE) can work with your school or organization to design, write, and apply for a U.S. Department of Education Teaching American History (TAH) grant program. AIHE's Liberty Fellowship Grant Programs™ have a proven track record of success.

AIHE's Liberty Fellowship Grant Programs™ are content rich and designed with the teacher and student in mind:

• Presenters included Master Teachers, Historians, History Education Specialists, and Professors from top universities
• Field trips to historical sites such as Gettysburg, Valley Forge, Philadelphia, Boston, New York City, Mount Vernon, etc.
• Web site development for your grant
• Interactive CD-ROMs loaded with lessons for classroom use
• Explore American history that goes beyond the standard text books

The Foundation is dedicated to helping build better futures for disadvantaged children. Of particular interest are projects that foster public policies, human service reforms, and community supports that more effectively meet the needs of today's at-risk children and families.

A letter of inquiry is requested. Contact, Office of the President, Annie E. Casey Foundation, 701 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21202. Phone: 410-547-6600, Fax: 410-547-6624. Email: webmail@aecf.org.

The Fund for the Advancement of Social Studies Education (FASSE) was created in 1984 by the Board of Directors of National Council for the Social Studies. The purpose of the fund is to support research and classroom application projects which improve social studies education, foster enlightened citizenship, and promote civic competence. In 1986 the Christa McAuliffe Reach for the Stars Award was established to help classroom teachers “reach for the stars” and achieve a dream that under ordinary circumstances would not be fulfilled.

Christa McAuliffe was an innovative social studies teacher who reached for the stars in an effort to make her dream of space travel a reality. She was the first classroom teacher to participate in space flight and planned to use the experience in teaching lessons from space. The purpose of this $1,500 grant is to help a social studies educator make his or her dream of innovative social studies a reality.

has announced its 2006 Learn and Serve America grant competition, which is designed to support high quality service-learning projects that engage students in community service projects linked to academic studies.

Approximately $40 million in grant funds will be available, subject to Congressional appropriation, to support service-learning projects in a variety of settings. The funds will be divided between school- and community-based higher education and tribal and U.S. Territory programs.

The funding is for the 2006-07 school year, with the possibility of an additional two years of funding.

The competition is particularly focused on ensuring that more youth in disadvantaged circumstances are able to engage in service-learning and on expanding the use of service-learning to more schools, colleges, and community organizations. Funds are available to intermediary organizations and may be used to create curriculum materials, support training and technical-assistance activities, and make subgrants to local partnerships to carry out service-learning.

The competition deadlines are: February 2, 2006 for school-based formula; March 7, 2006 for school-based competitive, community-based, and tribal and territory; and February 28, 2006 for higher education, both for individual and consortia programs.

Complete program information and application instructions are available at the learn and serve web site.

Technical assistance on applying for the funding will be available to potential grantees during three conference calls; see the web site for schedule and information on participating.

• RFP link for this grant
• Additional RFPs in Philanthropy and Voluntarism

Disney and Youth Service America want youth to get involved in community service. Grants of $500 each are available to engage young people between the ages of 5 and 14 to plan and carry out service projects for National and Global Youth Service Day 2005 that respond to community needs. Projects are encouraged and welcomed where children and youth work with adults (parents, coaches, teachers, youth leaders etc.). By working with their family, school, friends, and neighbors youth can solve community issues.

$1000 SCHOLARSHIP TO A SENIOR IN A PHILADELPHIA HIGH SCHOOL WHO WRITES THE WINNING ESSAY ON “Independent Courts Protect Our Liberties: Should Judges be Appointed or Elected?”

Choose to support either the position that judges should be elected or the position that they should be appointed, and then argue this stance in your essay. Due to the nature of this topic, individual research is encouraged, but not required.

Update: Marvin Lamar Burton of Overbrook High School, has been judged the winner of the contest and will receive the Edward F. Chacker Scholarship Award for his essay.

Future contests will be posted when information becomes available.

Sponsored by Philadelphia Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division

The USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service requests proposals for the National Research Initiative (NRI) Competitive Grants Program. The purpose of the NRI Program is to support research, extension, and education grants that address key problems of national, regional, and multi-state importance in sustaining all components of agriculture (farming, ranching, forestry including urban and agroforestry, aquaculture, rural communities, human nutrition, processing, etc.). Over 30 areas of interest identified, including but not limited to: Biobased products and bioenergy, managed ecosystems, watershed processes & water resources, rural development and air quality. Due date range 1/9/04 to 6/15/04, depending on area of interest. $120 to $150 million expected t be available.

This grant, co-sponsored by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the First Amendment Center, is a national initiative designed to transform how schools model and teach the rights and responsibilities of citizenship that frame civic life in our democracy.

For more information, or to get a copy of the vision statement and an application, visit the website or contact ASCD's Mike Wildasin (703-575-5475, mwildasi@ascd.org), or the First Amendment Center's Sam Chaltain (703-284-2808, schaltain@freedomforum.org.

Millions in grants are allocated each year: funding amounts vary by request and project scope. Donations are made for helping communities, learning for life, sustainable results, and willing hands. Ford Motor Company Fund makes awards in five categories: education, environment, public policy, health & social programs, civic affairs & community development, and arts & humanities.

The Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF) is now accepting applications for the 2004-2005 Robinson Mini-Grant Program. CRF's Robinson Mini-Grant Program honors the late Maurice R. ("Robbie") Robinson, founder of Scholastic, Inc. Each year, thanks to a generous grant from The Maurice R. Robinson Fund of New York City, CRF awards mini-grants of up to $600 for K-12 service-learning projects designed to address serious community issues.

This program, coordinated by the Iowa Peace Institute, evolved from the Grinnell Peace Essay Contest conceived by the St. Louis Society of Friends and initiated in 1984 by Grinnell College. It aims to encourage young people to think about peace and to realize that there are practical ways in which their actions can make a difference. Participants must develop activities or projects that foster peace.

The NCC is pleased to offer scholarship funding for visiting school groups.

Further information is available on the application form .

Get up to U.S. $5,000 for innovative K-12 geography education projects. See grant guidelines and apply online.

Over $200 million given each year for the past two years. Grants provide access to after-school programs that promote positive youth development for all elementary and middle-school aged children.

Application Deadlines: Applications for mini-grants are reviewed three times each year. Deadlinnes are October 15, January 15, and April 15. Applications received after a deadline will be reviewed in the subsequent grant cycle. Applicants will be notified about the status of their mini-grants within 60 days of each deadline.

Description: The Pay It Forward Foundation administers a mini-grant program for "pay it forward" activities involving youth of all ages. A Pay It Forward project is defined as one or more service activities that benefit youths' school, neighborhood, or greater community, and include learning goals for the youth participants. Applicants are encouraged to plan the project with input from the clients or organization that will benefit in order to ensure that the project is needed and timely.

Who May Apply: Teachers, principals, other school personnel, youth leaders, and student or community youth groups (with an adult sponsor) may apply. Individual youths may also apply; youths or adults may write the application. All youths under 21 are invited to participate; groups whose members are all over 18 years of age must include work with youths who are under 18 as part of their project.

Funding Amount: Mini-grants between $50 and $500 are available to school, church, and community-based groups of youths for service activities of all types.

Are you looking for funds to help get an innovative social studies education project off the ground? The Pennsylvania Council for the Social Studies Grant Program may be just what you need. PCSS provides grants of up to $1,000 to support projects that benefit and promote the teaching and learning of social studies in Pennsylvania. The number of grants awarded each year is determined by a variety of factors, including the amount of funding available, the number of proposals received, and the quality of the proposals. The PCSS Grants Committee, appointed by the President, makes funding recommendations to the PCSS Board.

Deadlines for submission of proposals are September 15 (for consideration at the fall Board meeting) and March 1 (for consideration at the spring Board meeting).

To request PCSS Grant Materials, including application form, send an email to Amy Killpatrick, Grants Committee Chair.

The Pfizer Health Literacy Initiative Grant Program is part of pharmaceutical company Pfizer's commitment to advance healthcare professionals' efforts to improve health literacy.

The grants are designed to generate knowledge, create solutions, support research, raise awareness, and attract new scholars to the service of the health literacy issue. For 2004, there are three grant categories:

Scholar Awards provide post-doctoral candidates committed to advancing health literacy and clear health communication an opportunity to study and conduct research under the guidance of a recognized expert in the field. Up to two awards of $130,000 each over two years will be made. Applicants will be considered from a variety of fields, including (but not limited to) education, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health, and social work. The applicant must be a citizen or a noncitizen national of the U.S., or have been lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence and have a permanent resident visa. (Deadline: February 6, 2004.)

Research Grants are designed to support established researchers working to advance the understanding of health literacy and clear health communication interventions and their impact of these interventions on health outcomes. Up to three grants will be awarded. Each grant is for up to $150,000 over two years. Applications are invited from healthcare professionals who are postgraduate investigators in diverse fields, such as adult education, anthropology, environmental health, ethics, health economics, health education, health law, health literacy, health policy, the management sciences, medicine, nursing, occupational health, pharmacy, public health, and social work. The applicant must be a citizen or a noncitizen national of the U.S., or have been lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent re! sidence and have a permanent resident visa. (Deadline: February 6, 2004.)

Visiting Lecturer Grants offer applicants the opportunity to have a recognized health literacy expert visit their organization and provide lectures and workshops on health literacy. Fifteen grants of up to $4,500 each will be made. Applications from organizations in diverse fields are encouraged, including adult education, consumer advocacy, health economics, health literacy, health policy, managed care, medicine, nonprofit community organizations, nursing, pharmacy, public health, social work, and voluntary health associations. (Deadline: January 30, 2004.)

Rolling applications from potential host campuses are now being accepted for Spring Enrollments.

Scholars in Service to PA is an AmeriCorps Education Award Only program. This means that participating students enroll as AmeriCorps members on a part-time basis and receive a partial Education Award at the end of their term. College students who complete 450 hours of service in 1 year earn an award of $1,250.00. The award can be used to pay for any legitimate educational expense at their current undergraduate institution or to pay for future educational expenses.

Campuses across Pennsylvania are encourged to apply to host a Scholars in Service to PA Program. Please note, with this round of applications, there is a special emphasis on post-secondary readiness and 21st Century Community Learning Centers.

This website provides links to foundations and government agencies that make grants to schools and related organizations. It also includes an array of grant writing and fund raising tips from a variety of free sources that seem quite straightforward and reasonable.

Found on the Community Resource Connection section of Pennsylvania's state website, this resource includes information about grants from organizations like D.A.R.E., Learn and Serve America, and Read to Succeed.

The goal of the program is to support programs that raise student achievement by improving teachers' knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of American history.

The program supports competitive grants to local educational agencies. The purpose of these grants is to promote the teaching of traditional American history in elementary and secondary schools as a separate academic subject. Grants are used to improve the quality of history instruction by supporting professional development for teachers of American history. In order to receive a grant, a local educational agency must agree to carry out the proposed activities in partnership with one or more of the following: institutions of higher education, nonprofit history or humanities organizations, libraries, or museums.

The Teaching Tolerance project of the Southern Poverty Law Center offers grants of up to $2,000 to K-12 classroom teachers for implementing tolerance and youth activism projects in their schools and communities. Proposals from other educators such as community organizations and churches will be considered on the basis of direct student impact. Proposal deadline: ongoing.

Offering grants to nonprofit groups working for progressive social change, including groups focusing on children, as well as schools.

For information and applications: visit the BJF link, write 30 Community Drive, South Burlington, VT 05403-6826, or call 802-846-1500.

The Holocaust Remembrance Project is a national essay contest for high school students that is designed to encourage and promote the study of the Holocaust.

Students responding to this year's writing contest should study the Holocaust and then, in an essay of no more than 1,200 words, analyze why it is vital to remember and pass to a new generation the history and lessons of the Holocaust, and suggest what they, as students, can do to combat and prevent prejudice, discrimination and violence in our world today. See contest rules for complete details and submission requirements.

"The Philadelphia Foundation is a community foundation, a pool of hundreds of charitable funds, entrusted to us for long-term philanthropic good. We invest and administer these funds prudently, and award the distributions as grants and scholarships to local nonprofit organizations, exactly as the donors intend."

This document , prepared by Laurie R. Kovens, has information on nearly forty charitable foundations and grantmaking organizations. The grant prospects are from the Foundation Center, and include guidelines and information about whether formal applications are required, and whether applications can be found online or if they are only available upon request.

The foundation awarded more than $88 million in community grants, $80 million in scholarships, and $1.7 million in environmental grants last year, plus millions more in other local initiatives.

The National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia celebrates the good works of young people each year with its Young Hero Award. The nomination form is due on May 1st each year. For more information about the National Liberty Museum, click here.

Deadline: 2006-03-01

The James Madison Fellowship Program Coordinator posted the following announcement seeking applicants for the 2006 James Madison Memorial Fellowship.

The deadline for receipt of applications for the 2006 James Madison Memorial Fellowship is March 1, 2006. The application is available on the website, www.jamesmadison.com, as is other important reference information. This generous master's degree opportunity could provide Fellows up to $24,000 per year to complete graduate studies.

The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation seeks applicants committed to a career in teaching American history, American government, or social studies at the secondary level. Visit the Foundation's website, www.jamesmadison.com, to learn more.

Deadline: 2006-01-06

The American Bar Association Judicial Division's Judges Network announces its second annual Subgrant Program. This year the focus will be on joint bench/bar projects that promote the public's understanding of the Constitutional role of Separation of Powers, especially as it applies to the judicial branch. Subgrants of up to $1,500 will be announced at the 2006 ABA Midyear Meeting in February. Projects must be completed by July 1, 2006. For further information, contact Gilda Fairley at email: fairleyg@staff.abanet.org.

Deadline: 2004-02-15

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the Champions of Caring Recognition Program. Through this program, students who are involved in sustained community service are recognized and celebrated by our organization. We would appreciate your help in recommending students who could apply to be honored as "Champions".

Please encourage high school students who have demonstrated outstanding character and participated in ongoing service projects in their community to download our application. To apply students must complete the application and write a 500 word essay reflecting on their service. They must also have two letters of recommendation about their service work. Once accepted as "Champions", students will be recognized at an award ceremony that will take place next May. At that time, the honorary chairpersons, local community leaders, friends and family, will celebrate and honor the "Champions of Caring". Last year over 800 people paid tribute to our Champions, their families and mentors in service.

Honored students will be eligible for college scholarships offered to our organization. Drexel University has once again offered us two $25,000 service learning scholarships which will be awarded in May. They are also invited to participate in the Ambassadors of Caring Program, a year-long leadership training program.

This program offers retreats and seminars to improve students' communication, leadership and social advocacy skills. They also have opportunities to spend two days in Washington D.C. to meet with politicians to discuss their vision for community improvement and to visit the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Our "Ambassadors" have served on a panel with President Bush and will have the opportunity to meet with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Jody Williams this May through our partnership with PeaceJam.

Please encourage your students/friends to apply. If you need paper applications, please call me at 610-527-1934 or email Trish at trish@championsofcaring.org.

Thank you for your support in helping us recognize and celebrate your outstanding youth leaders.

Sincerely yours,

Barbara G. Shaiman
Executive Director

Deadline: 2005-11-01

The Do Something BRICK Awards honors 6 outstanding youth leaders who develop projects to improve their community. Maximum Award: $5,000 scholarship and a $5,000 grant. Eligibility: Students age 18 and under.

Deadline: 2003-12-01

The Alston / Bannerman Fellowship Program is committed to advancing progressive social change by helping to sustain long-time activists of color. The program honors those who have devoted their lives to helping their communities organize for racial, social, economic and environmental justice. The program provides resources for organizers to take sabbaticalscfor reflection and renewal.

Each year 10 long term activists of color are awarded $15,000 each to take sabbaticals of three months or more. This is a both a reward and an opportunity for rest and reflection for dedicated people who have been busting their butts working on tough issues for years. Recipients are not required to produce anything during their sabbatical period and can use the time however they choose.

Deadline: 2003-12-08

In celebration of Youth Service Day, April 16-18, 2004, Youth Service America and State Farm Insurance Company will grant 100 Good Neighbor Service-Learning Awards of $1,000 each to support implementation of service-learning projects by youth, teachers, and school-based service-learning coordinators. Youth Service America and State Farm will also award 50 planning grants of $2,000 each to community and youth development organizations selected as lead agencies for Youth Service Day.

Projects funded by the Good Neighbor awards will provide a variety of service-learning opportunities for youth that link community service with academic study. Service learning has been shown to enhance academic performance, improve workforce readiness, and promote civic responsibility and tolerance.

Lead agencies for Youth Service Day will serve as local, regional, or statewide liaisons, using planning grant funds to promote local celebrations and projects and coordinate media outreach, participation by public officials, and volunteer recruitment.

Resources:

For further information about the above grant opportunities, visit the Youth Service America Web site.

To request a Good Neighbor Service-Learning Award application, send a written request and a self-addressed stamped envelope to

Good Neighbor Service-Learning Award
c/o Written Request
Youth Service America
1101 15th Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20005

Deadline: 2005-01-07

This program seeks nominations of community leaders across the country who are successfully tackling tough social problems. Seventeen outstanding social justice leaders and leadership teams who are not broadly known beyond their immediate community or field will receive awards of $100,000 to advance their work, plus $15,000 for learning activities that will support their efforts. The program seeks to encourage a public dialogue that recognizes a wide variety of leaders and leadership models as authentic and important to social progress. To this end, the program includes a major, multi-year research initiative and numerous forums to bring awardees together with other leaders to share experiences, address specific challenges, and explore opportunities for collaboration. "Leadership for a Changing World" is a program of the Ford Foundation, in partnership with the Washington-based Advocacy Institute and the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University. Nominations will be accepted by the Advocacy Institute through January 7, 2005. Leaders must be nominated by someone who is well acquainted with their work and can attest to their qualifications.

Deadline: 2004-02-02

As part of its We the People initiative, NEH invites proposals for challenge grants designed to help institutions and organizations secure long-term improvements in and support for humanities activities focused on exploring significant themes and events in American history. NEH is particularly interested in projects that advance knowledge of the founding principles of the United States in their full historical and institutional context. Guidelines and application forms for this new funding opportunity are posted on the World Wide Web at the website provided below.

Grants can be used to support construction and renovation, acquisition of materials and equipment, and direct expenditures through long-term depleting or bridging funds. Grants can also be used to establish endowments which generate expendable earnings for program activities. [We the People challenge grant funds, federal or nonfederal, may not be used for: direct expenditures for operations or programs; recovery of indirect costs; or support for short-term projects eligible for grants from other NEH programs.]

The federal portion of NEH We the People challenge grants can range up to $1,000,000. NEH We the People challenge grants are matching grants, and recipients must raise, from nonfederal donors, three times the amount of federal funds offered.

For additional information about this new funding opportunity, please contact:

Office of Challenge Grants
National Endowment for the Humanities
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Room 420
Washington, DC 20506
Phone:(202) 606-8309
Fax: (202) 606-8579
Email: challenge@neh.gov

Deadline: 2003-09-30

The Pennsylvania State Department of Education's Learn and Serve America: K-12 School-Based program announces a Request for Application for the 2003-2004 school year.

The purpose of this RFA is to provide Pennsylvania public school districts, charter schools, vocational-technical schools and intermediate units with an opportunity to compete for yearly grants ranging from $1,500 to $25,000 per year, depending on services provided. The grants will be made available to schools entering into partnerships with community agencies to implement a student service-learning program.

Application types being accepted:

• Start-up Grants
• Social Studies Curriculum Integration Grants
• New Student Service-Learning Center (SSLC) Grants
• Continuation Student Service-Learning Center (SSLC) Grants

All applications are due by 4:00 p.m., September 30, 2003, at the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Division of Student and Safe School Services, 5th Floor, 333 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333. Faxed and emailed applications will not be accepted.

To receive a copy of this RFA, or to ask any questions, please contact:

Faith Goldstein
Pennsylvania Service-Learning Alliance
faithg@sas.upenn.edu
215-573-2380
or
Dr. Cynthia Belliveau
Pennsylvania Service-Learning Alliance
bellivea@pobox.upenn.edu
215-573-6535

Deadline: 2005-08-05

Purpose of Program: This program supports the establishment of Presidential Academies for the Teaching of American History & Civics that offer workshops for both veteran & new teachers of American history & civics to strengthen their knowledge & preparation for teaching these subjects (Presidential Academies).

• Applications Available: June 21, 2005.
• Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: July 21, 2005
• Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 5, 2005.
• Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education (IHEs), museums, libraries, & other public & private agencies, organizations, & institutions (including for-profit organizations) or a consortium of such agencies, organizations, & institutions.

Applicants are required to submit in their applications evidence of their organization's demonstrated expertise in historical methodology or the teaching of history.

• Estimated Available Funds: $700,000.
• Estimated Range of Awards: $300,000 to $600,000 for each budget period (up to 5 budget periods). Funding for subsequent years is subject to the availability of funds & the approval of continuation awards (see 34 CFR 75.253).
• Estimated Number of Awards: 1-2.

Additional Information: Applicable regulations, priorities, & other information are available in the Federal Register notice.

Deadline: 2004-05-01

The Robert H. Michel Civic Education Grants help teachers improve the quality of civics instruction, with priority on the role of Congress in our federal government. Areas of interest include designing lesson plans, creating student activities, and applying instructional technology in the classroom. The Dirksen Congressional Center intends to award $35,000 in 2004.

Deadline: 2004-02-20

The Pennsylvania Department of Health and Pennsylvania SAFE KIDS Coalition are pleased to announce the availability of $2500 mini-grants to school/community partnerships to improve school safety and prevent youth violence. The focus of the mini-grant is to support youth violence prevention through the implementation of Be Safe and Sound.

Deadline: 2004-03-09

The Corporation for National and Community Service announced the availability of $3.2 million in funding for organizations addressing homeland security concerns by engaging students in service-learning activities in their schools and communities.

The funding is available through the Corporation's Learn and Serve America program, which provides grants to schools, colleges, and nonprofits to support programs that connect classroom learning with community service. The Homeland Security initiative aims to engage young people ages 5 - 17 in planning for and responding to health, safety, and security concerns in their schools or communities, including natural disasters, school violence, medical emergencies, or terrorist acts.

Organizations eligible to apply for funding are State Education Agencies, Indian Tribes and U.S. territories, and grantmaking entities. Those who receive an award will be expected to make subgrants to Local Education Agencies in partnership with at least one additional local public or private nonprofit organization to implement, replicate, or expand service-learning activities in their local communities. The Corporation anticipates making 6 to 10 program grants of up to $500,000 for each of two successive years contingent on satisfactory performance, fund availability, and other criteria.

Deadline: 2003-10-01

A philanthropic program of Starbucks Coffee, the Starbucks Foundation funds local programs that serve low-income, at-risk youth through its Youth Leadership Grant Program. Grants range from $5,000 to $20,000 and are given in two areas:

1. Power of Literacy — Funding for programs that stimulate personal development and a commitment to social equity, justice, and environmental awareness through writing, literacy and expression in public forums.
2. Leaders in Diversity — Funding for programs that teach the value of societal diversity and develop youth leadership skills to foster understanding between individuals, groups and communities.

The Starbucks Foundation provides funding to registered nonprofit 501 (c)(3) charities that deliver services to youth between the ages of 6 to 18 and address at least on of the foundation's You! th Leaders action areas; provide opportunities for Starbucks partners and stores to be integrated in a meaningful way; are nondiscriminatory in their policies and practices with regards to physical abilities, gender, race, age, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, and/or creed. In addition, priority will be given to organizations that reach traditionally underserved communities and communities of color; represent models in nontraditional learning environments and are directly engaged in service delivery; demonstrate program sustainability.

Deadline: 2004-02-04

The Teaching American History Grant program is a discretionary grant program funded under Title II-C, Subpart 4 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The goal of the program is to support programs that raise student achievement by improving teachers' knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of American history. Grant awards will assist local educational agencies (LEAs), in partnership with entities that have extensive content expertise, to design, implement, and demonstrate effective, research-based professional development programs.

Deadline: 2003-10-31

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, sponsored by Prudential Financial and the National Association of Secondary School Principals, recognize students in middle and high school grades who have demonstrated exemplary community service.

Any student in grades 5-12 as of 10/31 in any state, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico is eligible to apply. The student should have been engaged in volunteer activity that occurred at least in part after 9/1/02. An application must be completed and submitted to a school principal or the head of an officially designated organization by 10/31.

The top high school and middle school volunteers in each state receive silver medallions, $1,000 awards, and a trip to Washington, D.C. for a national recogn! ition event. Ten students will be named as National Honorees, winning an additional $5,000, a gold medallion, and crystal trophy, plus $25,000 worth of products will be donated to needy children in each of their communities.

Deadline: 2004-07-01

Nominations Invited for William T. Grant Scholars Program for Research in Youth Development

The William T. Grant Foundation supports original research designed to further the understanding of the factors that influence the well-being and healthy development of adolescents and young adults.

The foundation's William T. Grant Scholars Program supports, over a five-year period, promising post-doctoral researchers from diverse disciplines. Priority research areas are youth development; improving programs, policies, and institutions affecting young people; and adults' use of evidence and their views of youth. The foundation focuses on young people ages 8-25, and is particularly interested in research that is inter- disciplinary; examines young people in social, institutional, community, and cultural contexts; and addresses questions that advance both theory and practice.

Every year, four to six William T. Grant Scholars are selected, and each receives $300,000 distributed over a five-year period. Through the foundation's annual Scholars' retreat and other activities, the William T. Grant Scholars are encouraged to continue inter- and multi-disciplinary collaboration and interchange.

Investigators at all nonprofit institutions, both in the United States and abroad, are eligible. The award is designed for early career researchers. Applicants should be pre-tenure (if in a tenure track position) or in a similar early career status if in a non-tenure track position. Candidates must be nominated by a supporting institution, and should submit five-year research plans. Grants are limited to tax-exempt organizations.

Deadline: 2006-01-31

Youth for Justice will provide a grant of $200 each to the first 100 middle and high school classes to register to participate in the National Teach-In celebration of Youth Service Day and Law Day. The money may be used to buy materials to conduct their teach-in, provide law-related education resources for their class or school library, host a teach-in conference with another school, or donate to a school club or charity.

[application]

Deadline: 2006-01-13

Youth Service America (YSA) and Disney are offering Disney Minnie Grants of $500 each for youth or teachers, schools, and organizations that engage youth to implement service projects on Youth Service Day.

Deadline: 2005-12-19

Youth Venture and YSA are teaming up to award 25 grants of $1,000 each for youth who create new, sustainable, and civic-minded organizations, clubs, or businesses that are youth led.