Deadline: 28-May-21
The Youth Service America is seeking applications for its Lead Agency Grants Program to support schools and nonprofits that lead partner coalitions that collaborate to engage youth volunteers.
Supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and AmeriCorps, the Lead Agency program offers youth development organizations, networks of after school programs, community-based organizations, and schools/school districts grant funding, capacity-building training, and ongoing support to effectively engage young people in meaningful service and service-learning activities.
Lead Agencies are a vital part of increasing youth participation in their communities by engaging youth as volunteers for the first time on national days of service.
The primary role of a Lead Agency is to convene a partner coalition that will collaborate to collectively activate youth – especially those in middle and high school and in under-served communities who aren’t usually asked to participate. Lead Agencies convene partner coalitions of:
- K-12 schools, colleges and universities;
- Youth development, after school, and extracurricular programs; and
- Community and faith-based organizations, government agencies, national service programs, volunteer centers, etc.
In turn, these coalitions work together to engage youth, ages 5-25, to lead service or service-learning projects through which they:
- build youth-adult partnerships that create connections with caring adults who encourage young people to use their Sparks (passions, interests, and skills) to help others,
- provide opportunities to learn and practice 21st Century Skills (Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, and Critical Thinking),
- strengthen their community by working towards achieving the Global Goals (17 UN Sustainable Development Goals), and
- LeadASAP (through Awareness, Service, Advocacy, and Philanthropy projects that follow health and safety guidelines of federal, state, and local governments).
Funding Information
- For the 2021-2022 program, YSA is offering Lead Agency Grants of up to $8,000, depending on the number of youth volunteers engaged.
- Applicants should focus on engaging middle and high-school aged youth, especially those from under-served communities.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants may work locally, regionally, statewide, or multi-state and must be based in the United States.
For more information, visit https://ysa.org/grant/leadagency/