Lois Lenski Covey Foundation for books

The Lois Lenski Covey Foundation, Inc. annually awards grants for purchasing books published for young people preschool through grade 8.

Public libraries, school libraries, and non-traditional libraries operated by 501(c)(3) agencies are eligible.

The Foundation provides grants to libraries or organizations that serve economically or socially at-risk children, have limited book budgets, and demonstrate real need. 

Grants for 2012 will range from $500 to $3000 and are specifically for book purchases, and cannot be used for administrative or operational uses. The site has a FAQ, more information, and the online application.

Deadline: 6/15/2012.

Roadmaps to Health Prize to Honor Communities

Sponsored by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the Roadmaps to HealthPrize seeks to recognize and honor the efforts and accomplishments of communities working at the forefront of population health improvement. The prize is rooted in the idea that every community is on a unique journey toward better health and that communities' stories of success are as diverse as their populations. Judges will assess each community individually, looking for tangible signs of improvement relative to current health status and available resources.

Up to six awards of $25,000 will be granted to selected communities. Local entities such as businesses, coalitions, government agencies, hospitals or healthcare organizations, local foundations, public health departments, schools, or social service agencies are eligible to submit an application on behalf of applicant communities.

Deadline: May 31, 2012 (Intent to Apply)  

Youth Empowerment Program

Sponsored by the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Public Health and Science, the purpose of the Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) is to address unhealthy behaviors in minority at-risk youth and provide them opportunities to learn skills and gain experiences that contribute to more positive lifestyles and enhance their capacity to make healthier life choices. The YEP is intended to test the effectiveness of innovative approaches to promoting healthy behaviors among minority youth at-risk for poor health/life outcomes.

Six awards ranging from $250,000-300,000 will be granted to select applicants; institutions of higher education are eligible to apply. Grant site.


Deadline: June 8, 2012

Get Ur Good On Grants: $500

Miley Cyrus and her friends at YSA want to help make a positive impact in local communities with $500 Get Ur  Good OnGrants.

Kids and young adults ages 5-25 worldwide are eligible to apply for a $500 Get Ur Good On Grant to support youth-led projects. Projects must address a demonstrated community need or issue, and must take place during June, July and/or August 2012.

Applicants must have a Project Mentor to help throughout the project and applicants under 18 must have their parent/guardian's permission.

Apply here, applications are due by midnight EST May 27th, 2012.

Good Neighbor Student Achievement Grants

Sponsored by Youth Service America and State Farm, this funding supports programs that enhance student achievement through service-learning in K-12 public schools. Each grant program must address a substantive issue in the local community, promote student achievement, engage students traditionally not asked to serve, including youth from diverse backgrounds, youth with disabilities, youth in the juvenile justice system, youth in foster care, and youth who are refugees or recent immigrants, and provide service to the community.

Multiple grants of up to $1,000 are available to select applicants. K-12 public schools within the U.S.eligible.

Deadline: May 31, 2012 http://www.ysa.org/goodneighbor/

Ford Foundation

The Ford Foundation supports an enormous range of educational initiatives across the United States (and worldwide), especially as related to "advancement of human knowledge" in about a dozen areas (e.g., Capacity building and technical assistance, Communications and public education, Evaluation and assessment, etc). 

Get more details at  or search their database of projects.

Some of the areas and initiatives include: Democratic and Accountable Government (e.g., Increasing Civic and Political Participation), Economic Fairness (e.g., Ensuring Good Jobs and Access to Services), Metropolitan Opportunity (e.g.,Expanding Access to Quality Housing, Connecting People to Opportunity etc.), and Educational Opportunity and Scholarships (e.g., Transforming Secondary Education), and Freedom of Expression (e.g., Supporting Diverse Arts Spaces etc). But that's just a small part of the picture; in 2011, the Ford Foundation distributed $422 million in grants (!) worldwide.