AnnouncEments

Funding Opportunities

Raise your Voice Presidential Civic Engagement Fund

Rhode Island and Massachusetts Campus Compacts have announced the availability of fifteen (15) $500 mini grants to Presidents’ Offices to encourage leadership and collaboration within campus communities while focusing on the role of college students in implementing change on campus and in the community.

The Raise Your Voice campaign has been a catalyst for collaboration among campus communities to focus on empowering student leaders to raise awareness and create social change.  Raise Your Voice has provided opportunities to listen to student voice and support student civic engagement that addresses public issues crucial to our democracy.

 Successful projects should bring the college president/chancellor, administration, faculty and college students together to focus on the role of college students in creating lasting social change. Projects should clearly identify an issue or community need and the ways college students propose to take action.   Projects/events must occur during February 15, 2009 – April 15, 2009.

Deadline:

§ Raise Your Voice applications are due January 15, 2009.  

§ Campuses will receive notification by January 30, 2009.

For more information and to download a copy of the NOFA, visit www.compact.org/ricompact

Spenser Foundation Research Grants

http://www.spencer.org/content.cfm/civic-learning-and-civic-action-more-info

The Spencer Foundation announces a grants program to support research about how and why individuals and groups become committed to civic action. The Initiative on Civic Learning and Civic Action highlights the Foundation’s interest in learning and action and in the relationships between them.

The Foundation is prepared to invest in research and other activities in this initiative for a significant period of time. Grants will range from less than $40,000 to $500,000, extending over periods of one to four years or more. They are looking for the collaboration of researchers from many disciplines and a range of methods and techniques from historical and case studies, to quasi-experimental designs, experiments, secondary analyses of existing datasets, and the like. Complementary activities, including conferences, grantee meetings, working groups, and other methods to learn from one another are also encouraged.

For a complete description of the grant initiative and all of the details please visit,  http://www.spencer.org/content.cfm/civic-learning-and-civic-action-more-info

If you are interested in pursuing this opportunity you are encouraged to contact:

Emily Ustach

Program Coordinator

Rhode Island Campus Compact

ph. 401-427-4841

fax. 401-427-6958

www.compact.org/ricompact

Support for Music Education Programs

Muzak Heart & Soul Foundation: Music Matters Grant Program

The Muzak Heart & Soul Foundation's mission is to redefine and support music education. Through the Foundation's Music Matters Grant Program, grants are provided to K-12 public schools and music programs throughout the United States. The focus of the grant program is on educational reform in school music programs and independent music programs. Public school programs (qualifying for Title I federal funding and serving a minimum of 70% low-income students) as well as nonprofit organizations with music education programs that serve students regardless of their ability to pay are eligible to apply. The application deadline is February 4, 2009. Program details and application guidelines are available on the Foundations website.

Grants Address Tolerance Education

Southern Poverty Law Center: Teaching Tolerance Grants

The Teaching Tolerance Grants Program, administered by the Southern Poverty Law Center, offers grants to pre-K-12 educators throughout the U.S. for rigorous innovative projects designed to reduce prejudice among youth, improve intergroup relations and equitable school experiences, and/or support educator professional development in these areas. Proposals from community organizations and houses of worship will be considered on the basis of direct student impact. Projects funded by Teaching Tolerance tend to be focused on character/moral education, conflict resolution, multiculturalism, community service, and other aspects of tolerance education. Requests may be submitted throughout the year. Visit the Southern Poverty Law Center website to download the application form.

Support for Fitness Programs for Youth

General Mills Champions for Healthy Kids

The General Mills Champions for Healthy Kids initiative is a partnership of the General Mills Foundation, the American Dietetic Association Foundation, and the President's Council on Physical Fitness. The goal of the initiative is to encourage U.S. communities to improve the eating and physical activity patterns of young people, ages 2-18. In 2009, the initiative will award 50 grants of $10,000 each to nonprofit organizations, schools, and government agencies throughout the country that offer innovative programs to help youth develop both good nutrition and fitness habits. Local organizations that work with children, including park districts, health departments, government agencies, Native American tribes, municipal organizations, schools, YMCAs, Boys & Girls clubs, etc., are encouraged to apply. Online applications must be submitted by January 15, 2009. Visit the website listed above for program details and application information.

Funds for Company Communities in the U.S. and Canada

State Farm Companies Grants Program

The State Farm Companies Grants Program is committed to meeting the needs of company communities in the U.S. and Canada. Grants are provided in the following three distinct priority areas. The Safe Neighbors category focuses on driving safety, home protection, disaster preparedness, and personal financial security. The emphasis of the Strong Neighborhoods category is on affordable housing, homeownership issues, and sustainable communities. The K-12 Public Schools category targets teacher quality, service-learning programs, and educational reform. Requests may be submitted throughout the year. Application guidelines and local contact information are available on the State Farm website listed above.

Conferences

Call for Proposals

New England Campus Compact Spring 2009 Regional Conference: Reexamining the Engaged Campus: Community, Reciprocity and Social Justice

Consider attending and or presenting at Campus Compact’s Spring 2009 conference!  This is an excellent opportunity for Rhode Island College faculty and/or staff to share their service learning efforts with colleagues and professionals from across New England and to showcase the service learning experiences that exist on campus.  Likewise, the conference is a superb venue for networking, obtaining information regarding the many dimensions to service learning, and exploring new ways to incorporate service into campus life.

March 30, 2009 - Conference
March 31, 2009 - Post-Conference Institutes

Location: Murry D. Lincloln Campus Center, University of Massachusetts Amherst

This Conference is designed for beginning through advanced practitioners, including community service and community service learning staff, faculty members, campus administrators and other stakeholders. Come connect with colleagues and leaders in civic engagement from across the region in discussions, presentations, workshops and intensive institutes. For more information and to download the Call for Proposals visit http://www.compact.org/ricompact/news_events.php

2009 Rhode Island Student Service Summit (RISSS)

The Rhode Island Student Service Summit (RISSS) is a statewide conference for college students. RISSS is sponsored by the Rhode Island Campus Compact with support from its member campuses and funding from Serve Rhode Island and the Corporation for National and Community Service.   RISSS recognizes the variety of means and ways college students interact with and serve in the communities and neighborhoods of Rhode Island.  RISSS aims to highlight and empower student projects and service that impacts student learning and is engaging communities.

It is the goal of the 2009 RISSS that students will inspire and learn from each other about various projects and lessons learned from their service and community engagement.  RISSS is calling for proposals from college students about a project in which they are currently active or a project they would like to undertake, where students engage with a community issue, organization or project that has produced transformative learning experiences for the college student(s) participating.  Students whose proposals are chosen will be asked to give a brief presentation on their project during a scheduled segment of the conference. 

For more information and to download a copy of the Call for Proposals go to the Compact’s website at www.compact.org/compact

Additional Announcements

Rhode Island Campus Compacts' (RICC) Request for Faculty Consultations

Two years ago, RICC and Massachusetts Campus Compacts were awarded highly competitive Learn and Serve America funding.  During the past two years they have worked closely with a cohort of faculty in the area of course construction and campus organizing for underserved youth populations.  From this cohort they have developed a Faculty Fellowship Consulting Corps.  During their third and final year of funding they are offering low priced consultations in the area of curriculum design and revision, partnership development, and campus organizing for underserved youth.

See the attached information and request form for more information and for short bios on each of the Faculty Fellows participating in this program.  Information can also be found on the RI Campus Compact website at www.compact.org/ricompact .

Special Projects and Community Service Going Paperless

In an effort to save on costs related to paper and printing as well to help the environment, hardcopies of the Community Service Handbook and reporting forms will not be available after the current supply runs out.  Students and faculty can access the Handbook and forms by Selecting Requirement for Teacher Candidates on this web page.