Funding Opportunities
Description and Links to assorted grant opportunities for LEF educators.
Please check back frequently for new additions and, as always, LEF staff is eager to help teachers and students develop any grant or competitive award application!
Global
mtvU Grants for Youth
This funding opportunity provides up to $1,000 to support or start a community service action project. All proposals must be submitted by youth and projects should be youth-directed.
http://www.mtvu.com/contests/mtvu_grants/
National
Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation Award
Grants ranging from $4,000 - $10,000 that is to be divided between participant teams of up to 5 students, teacher sponsoring and support organizations / schools. The goal is to develop a technical report, business plan and a graphical representation of an innovative idea to create a clean, carbon-free method of using renewable energy to change everyday life. Other categories for consideration are an innovative product for personal space flight or an entrepreneurial enterprise for lunar exploration. Initial submissions due by January 9, 2009 but teams must be registered via the website before that date.
http://www.conradawards.org/index.php
State Farm Youth Advisory Board Grants
Grants ranging from $25,000 - $100,000 targeting youth-developed & youth-driven projects that focus on service learning in the following areas: Driver Safety, Environmental Responsibility, Financial Literacy, Access to Higher Education and/or Disaster Preparedness.
http://www.statefarmyab.com/Youthboard%20Application.doc
DonorsChoose Project Support
Highly effective online tool that provides individual donor support for projects/field trips/classroom supplies submitted by teachers.
http://www.donorschoose.org/homepage/main.html
DoSomething.org Plum Grants for Youth
Rolling grant funding opportunity for youth to get up to $500 in support for sustainable, community-based projects. Preference is given to youth-lead projects that provide a measurable impact while celebrating creativity and diversity.
http://www.dosomething.org/page/grant-eligibility-guidelines
State
S.C. DHEC Chmpions of the Environment
Winners receive $500 and a 30-second television commercial about their project. Environmental projects can address pollution reduction or prevention, restoration or preservation of natural areas and/or water/energy efficiency.
http://www.scdhec.net/environment/water/chgrant.htm
Local
2008 GREENS Fund
A competitive grant between $7,000- $10,000 awarded to a local Charleston high school for a winning project proposal incorporating sustainability, community, and innovation.
www.sustainabilityinstitutesc.org/gci/greens_fund.shtml
Donna Bates Award
Award directed toward improving coastal science and coastal environmental education for K-12 students within the 8 coastal counties of S.C. Awards of up to $2,000 are granted to teachers and multiple awards may be granted annually.
http://www.scdhec.gov/environment/ocrm/outreach/bates.htm