Disney's Friends for Change Grants  and STEMester of Service (Deadlines: July 15 and August 20)
Youth Service America is providing funding for youth-led service and service-learning initiatives. Funding for Disney's Friends for Change program supports global service projects in the fall of 2010. Funding for STEMester of Service supports service-learning initiatives in 12 states. To learn more, continue reading.

 
 
 
 
Friends for Change
Disney, together with Youth Service America (YSA), is gearing up for this year’s second round of applications for the Disney Friends for Change Grants. Friends for Change funds youth-led service projects, occurring between September and November, that focus on making environmentally friendly changes and engaging youth, ages 5-18, as leaders in their community.
On behalf of Friends for Change, YSA will award 75 $500 grants to youth-led service initiatives around the world that demonstrate youth leadership and the commitment to making a positive impact on the environment. Eligible applicants will be asked to implement their projects between September and November and to connect their projects to International Coastal Cleanup Day, National Public Lands Day (both September 25), or other environmentally-focused days of service.
Disney Friends for Change Grants are open to schools, organizations, and individuals planning service projects. Applications submitted by younger children aged 5-14 are especially welcome. The goal of the grant is to inspire children to join their friends and families, schools, and communities to address critical environmental needs as “friends for change” at the local, national, and/or global levels.
Disney’s Friends for Change grants encourage kids everywhere to take steps together with their friends to help the planet. The first round of grants, awarded during the spring of 2010, attracted approximately 8,000 children and youth around the world who volunteered their time and efforts to support a wide variety of environmental issues.
Grant applications are due Thursday, July 15, 2010.
To apply, please take the Disney Friends for Change grant eligibility quiz athttp://www.cybergrants.com/pls/cybergrants/quiz.display_question?x_gm_id....
Already took the quiz? Complete your application at: www.cybergrants.com/ysa/friendsforchange/projectgreen.
YSA will host two application training webinars, June 29 at 3:00 pm EST and July 6, 12:00 pm EST, for youth mentors to learn more about developing a successful service project. To register, please email sguy@ysa.org.
STEMester of Service
 
 
 

YSA is seeking middle schools with large populations of disadvantaged youth; STEM schools must be located in one of the 19 states with highest dropout rates (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wyoming).
The $5,000 grant (that includes travel and training at YSA’s Youth Service Institute in Detroit in October) supports teachers as they engage local partners and guide students in addressing local needs through planning and implementing sustainable service projects that launch on Martin Luther King, Jr Day of Service (January 17, 2011) and culminate on Global Youth Service Day (April 15-17, 2011).
NEW ELIGIBLE STATES: The STEMester of Service grant program targets states with the highest dropout rates. Based on the most recent dropout rate data released last week, YSA has added 7 states to the list of eligible states, including: the District of Columbia, California, Hawaii, Michigan, Montana, Rhode Island, and Wyoming. Middle schools in these states, in addition to those in the original 12 states, are eligible.
Applications are due August 20, 2010. Grants will be announced in late August.

 
To apply, please take the eligibility quiz available at the following site: www.cybergrants.com/ysa/stem/quiz.
If you have questions about this program, please e-mail STEMester@ysa.org
Grant Requirements
Successful STEMester of Service applicants will be required to:

• http://ysa.org/sites/all/themes/ysatheme/images/green-bullet.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: none; background-position: 0% 0.5em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">Participate in a training at YSA’s Youth Service Institute, October 13-15, 2010 in Detroit, MI. (A small percentage of the grant covers travel and lodging at YSI);
• http://ysa.org/sites/all/themes/ysatheme/images/green-bullet.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: none; background-position: 0% 0.5em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">Join conference calls and webinars designed to advance the quality of STEMester of Service project planning and academic connections;
• http://ysa.org/sites/all/themes/ysatheme/images/green-bullet.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: none; background-position: 0% 0.5em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">Commit to a minimum of 20 students engaged in continuous planning and implementation of STEMester of Service initiatives;
• http://ysa.org/sites/all/themes/ysatheme/images/green-bullet.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: none; background-position: 0% 0.5em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">Complete an internal and external evaluation designed to assess the efficacy and success of the program;
• http://ysa.org/sites/all/themes/ysatheme/images/green-bullet.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: none; background-position: 0% 0.5em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">Host a site visit from Youth Service America staff that includes additional on-site training as well as meeting with community partners, school administration, and students;
• http://ysa.org/sites/all/themes/ysatheme/images/green-bullet.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: none; background-position: 0% 0.5em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">Share STEMester of Service experiences with YSA, grantees, and the community through student blogs and photos.

 

STEMester of Service projects focus on a variety of issues that include, but are not limited to, environmental issues such as climate change, green space availability; and waste; student and community health; and natural and manmade disaster preparedness and support. Special consideration will be given to projects based in Alaska, Delaware, and New Mexico.