Funding Opportunities:
Youth/Transitions

Below is a list of funding opportunities related to providing medical homes for children with special needs.

2nd Annual Creativity Awards from Lego
Deadline: May 23, 2008

LEGO Systems, Inc. invites children between the ages of 6 and 13 who consider themselves curious, imaginative, and creative to apply for the second annual LEGO Creativity Awards. Designed to encourage lifelong curiosity and creativity, the LEGO Creativity Awards are an opportunity for young people to gain recognition for the imagination that will make them the "builders of tomorrow."

Children from across the U.S. and Canada (excluding Quebec) are invited to submit essays showcasing their creativity at home, at school, and in their communities.
The essay contest is intended to encourage children to think of creativity as more than practicing art or music; it is also about taking a new approach to everyday challenges. Winners of the First Annual LEGO Creativity Awards in 2007 demonstrated creativity in action such as community engagement, product invention, movie-making, and furniture construction. Some teachers took the program into their classrooms to engage students in an exercise not only in essay writing, but also in the idea of how their individual creativity could make a difference.
The five winners will each receive $5,000 to further their creative projects.

Official rules regarding entry and prizing can be found at the LEGO Creation Nation Web site. http://www.legocreationnation.com/\

Mattel Announces Continuation of Grant Program to Benefit Children
Deadline: July 15, 2008

Mattel and the Mattel Children's Foundation have announced the continuation of the Mattel Domestic Grantmaking Program, which provides funding for organizations benefiting children in the United States.

Mattel's funding priorities include: programs that directly and effectively impact children with demonstrated needs (physical, financial, emotional, and health-related); preferences to programs with demonstrated results; and organizations that use creative and innovative methods to address a locally defined need directly impacting children. Preference will be given to organizations or programs that align with Mattel's philanthropic priorities: Learning — Increasing access to education for underserved children and, in particular, innovative strategies to promote and address literacy; Health — Supporting the health and well-being of children, with particular emphasis on promoting healthy, active lifestyles; and Girl Empowerment — Promoting self-esteem in young girls, up to age 12.

Applicants must be 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity organizations (or have a fiscal sponsor with tax-exempt status) and must directly serve children in communities within the U.S. Grants will range from $5,000 to $25,000 each for one fiscal year. Funds may be applied to programs or general operating costs.

Visit the Mattel Web site for complete program guidelines, online eligibility quiz, and grant application. http://www.mattel.com/about_us/philanthropy/ci_mcf_philanthropy_grantmaking.asp

Hilton Hotel Corporation Grants for Education, Health and Youth Programs

Deadline: Rolling

Hilton Hotels provides grants ranging from $2,000-$10,000 for education, health and youth programs. Hilton Hotels Corporation supports selected organizations with a national constituency or those that are located in communities where the company has a corporate office or a major operating presence (with primary emphasis in California and Tennessee).

Additional Information:www.hiltonworldwide.com/en/ww/company_info/philanthropy_citizenship.jhtml

Public Welfare Foundation Supporting grants for Disadvantaged Youth

The Public Welfare Foundation supports organizations that address the human needs of the disadvantaged through three essential tenets: service, empowerment and advocacy. The foundation’s primary fields of interest include improved youth access to quality education and training, adequate health services, leadership development and empowerment. The Public Welfare Foundation puts emphasis on organizations that link community and local work to other efforts to enact broader public policy change.

Administered and funded by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) brings two high school students from each state to Washington, D.C. for one week to observe the federal government in action and meet key officials. The 2005 USSYP will be held in Washington, D.C., from February 26-March 5, 2005. Students visit Capitol Hill, the White House, State Department, Supreme Court, Pentagon, and tour Washington landmarks.

The Hearst Foundation will pay all expenses for the week, including transportation, hotel, and meals.

Selection will be based solely on the outstanding ability and demonstrated qualities of leadership as elected or selected among high school student officers of the 2004-2005 school year. Any high school junior or senior student is eligible for the program provided he or she has not previously been a delegate to the program, and is currently serving in an elected or selected capacity in any one of the following student government, civic, or educational organizations: student body president, vice president, secretary, or treasurer; class president, vice president, secretary, or treasurer; student council representative; student representative elected or selected (selected by a panel, commission, or board) to district, regional, or state level civic or educational organization. Applications may be obtained through the State-level Selection Administrators (listed by state on the USSYP Web site).

Visit the USSYP Web site for complete eligibility, state deadlines, and state contact information.

William T. Grant Foundation Youth Development Research Grants

Deadline: Rolling

The William T. Grant Foundation Youth Development Research Grants will award funding ranging from $250,000 to $1.5 million for intervention research to improve youth-serving organizations. The foundation focuses on furthering the understanding of human behavior through research and improving the lives of youth ages 8 to 25. Priorities include understanding and improving social settings such as families, schools, peer groups and organizations, and how these social settings affect youth. Priorities also focus on the use and influence of scientific evidence in policy and practice.

Major grants typically are between $200,000 and $500,000 and cover two to three years of support. Projects involving secondary data analysis usually are funded at the lower end of the budget range, whereas projects involving new data collection and sample recruitment can be at the higher end of the budget range.

Additional Information: www.wtgrantfoundation.org/

Last Updated May 1, 2008