Funding Opportunities

Tips for starting or expanding an OST program in your community (September 2018)
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Follow the Money:  A Tool for Mapping Funds for Out-of-School Time Initiatives (November 2009)
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Cooperative Extension Service: 4-H Youth Development Program
The 4-H Youth Development Program began over 100 years ago. The program grew from one primarily concerned with improving agriculture production and food preservation to one dedicated to the development of young people. 4-H programs and clubs are found in rural and urban areas, and are designed to incorporate life skills development into an expanding number of delivery modes. Programs are organized through local Cooperative Extension Services (CES) affiliated with land-grant universities. Projects require collaboration across disciplines, program areas, and geographic lines, as well as an holistic approach.

Funds are used to support programs and activities for preschoolers through late teens in both rural and urban settings. Some clubs can be dedicated to special interest areas like technology or leadership while others can be more broadly focused on youth development. Through these programs, youth have an opportunity to contribute to energy conservation and environmental issues, community service, and food production. They learn about science and technology, and they become involved in programs that help them with employment and career decisions, health, nutrition, food safety, and family relationships. Youth programs can partner with their local CES 4-H programs to support activities that promote positive youth development. More Details

Costco Wholesale
Specifically focused on programs supporting children, education and health and human services. The United Way, Children's Hospital and the Red Cross are a major focus in our charitable giving. Costco Wholesale is committed to supporting charitable and community activities in the markets where we do business. Grant Application

Arts in Education
These grants develop school-community partnership programs that improve the educational performance of at-risk children and youth by providing comprehensive, coordinated arts education services and programs, especially programs incorporating arts education standards. Read More

Arizona Center for Afterschool Excellence
The Arizona Center for Afterschool Excellence maintains a listing of potential funding streams. Read More

Target Education Grants
Target funds in-school arts programs that enhance students' classroom curricula by bringing the arts and cultural experiences to schools, such as in-school performances, artist-in-residency programs and workshops in schools. More information

Dollar General Literacy Foundation
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is accepting grant requests through their Youth Literacy Grants program to provide funding for schools, public libraries, and nonprofit organizations to help students who are below grade level or are experiencing difficulty reading. More information

Educational Games for Youth Grants
The Entertainment Software Association Foundation is dedicated to supporting positive programs and opportunities that make a difference in the lives' of America's youth. the Foundatin seeks to harness the collective power of interactive entertainment by funding programs that utilize technology or computer and video games to educate America's youth. More information

Open Meadows Foundation
Projects that are led by and benefit women and girls, particularly those from vulnerable communities, in the U.S. and worldwide, are funded by this foundation. More information

Shell Grants
Shell supports K-12 programs that boost math and science skills, as well as university programs that aid engineering and geoscience students and departments. More information

Wish You Well Foundation
The Wish You Well Foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations that promote family literacy in the United States. The focus of the foundation's grantmaking is on the development and expansion of new and and existing literacy and educational programs. More information

Dorothea Haus Ross Foundation
DHRS supports a wide range of programs that serve vulnerable children including children who are ill, orphaned, disabled, injured, abused, or malnourished as well as children with limited or no access to education. More information

Albertson's Foundation Grants
The Albertson's Foundation supports nonprofit organizations whose mission is aligned with the company's four priority areas: hunger relief, education, health and human services, and/or assisting people with disabilities. Education grants are awarded in support of youth development organizations as well as a broad range of afterschool and physical education programs. More information

American Honda Foundation
Funding for youth education, specifically in the areas of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, the environment, job training and literacy. Read More

CVS Health Community Grants
The CVS Health Community Grants program awards funds to nonprofit organizations for programs targeting children with disabilities; programs focusing on health and rehabilitation services; and public schools promoting a greater level of inclusion in student activities and extracurricular programs, and initiatives that give greater access to physical movement and play. Read More

Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation
The Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation awards grants of up to $25,000 to organizations nationally that support public education, community improvement projects, and home safety initiatives. More Information

MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Awards!
We've extended the deadline for nominations for the MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Awards! You now have until Oct. 21 at 11:59 p.m. EDT to nominate an afterschool program (staff can also nominate their own program) serving middle schoolers for a chance to win $10,000 and be featured in our series of issue briefs and in our Afterschool in Action compendium!

The four categories this year are:

• Students with Disabilities and Othr Special Needs and Afterschool
• Why Data Matters: How Afterschool Programs Use Data to Improve Programming
• The Role of Afterschool and the Common Core State Standards
• Keeping Kids Safe and Supported in the Hours After School

For more detailed instructions on nominating an afterschool program, visit our MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Awards page.

Verizon Literacy Grants
One of the goals of the Verizon Foundation is to improve literacy and strengthen educational achievement for children and adults by preparing them for success in the 21st Century. The Verizon Foundation has a long history of supporting quality educational resources and literacy programs with a focus on preparing children to be successful; enabling teachers, parents and caregivers to help children learn; and educating adults so they are prepared to achieve their goals and contribute to their communities. More Information

YSA Grant Programs
Youth Service America supports and motivates youth, educators, and service-learning coordinators by distributing over 400 micro grants each year for service and service-learning initiatives. While most of the grants support projects that culminate on Global Youth Service Day in April, funding is also available for projects in the fall. Sign up to receive grant and awards announcements. More Information

Home Depot Community Impact Grants Program 
The Home Depot Community Impact Grants Program provides support to nonprofit organizations, public schools, and public service agencies in the U.S. that are using the power of volunteers to improve the physical health of their communities. Proposals for the following community improvement activities will be considered: repairs, refurbishments, and modifications to low-income and/or transitional housing or community facilities (schools, community centers, senior centers, etc.); weatherizing or increasing energy efficiency of low-income and/or transitional housing or community facilities; planting trees or community gardens and/or landscaping community facilities; and development of community parks or green spaces. Grants of up to $5,000 are made in the form of The Home Depot gift cards for the purchase of tools, materials, or services. More Information

NEA Foundation Learning & Leadership Grant 
Funds educator participation in high-quality professional development experiences or college study. More Information

NEA Foundation Student Achievement Grants
For projects that engage students in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen their knowledge of standards-based subject matter and improve habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection. More Information

ChangeMakers
If you are a changemaker with STEM expertise and the desire to realize bold, imaginative ideas for educating young people in the United States—especially in our highest-need schools—we want to hear from you! We are seeking creative approaches to solving the country’s STEM challenge by bringing the passion and real-life skills of STEM experts to advance STEM learning in public schools. The competition is open to innovations in the United States. More than $120,000 in cash and in-kind prizes from Ashoka’s Changemakers, Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Opportunity Equation, and our prize sponsors. More Information

Nutrition/Hunger/Wellness/Gardens

No Hungry Kid: Share Our Strengths Grants
Share Our Strength offers grants to non-profit organizations, schools, and other eligible organizations involved in the following activities: More information

• Increasing access to after-school snack and meal programs or childcare programs supported through CACFP
• Increasing access to summer meals programs supported through the Summer Food Service Program or the National School Lunch "Seamless Summer" Program
• Educating and enrolling more eligible families in SNAP/WIC
• Increasing the availability of Universal School Breakfast through alternative models such as in-classroom breakfast and grab-n-go
• Advocacy around any of the above anti-hunger issues 

Walmart
In 2012, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation gave more than $1 billion in cash and in-kind contributions around the world. This includes $1 billion in cash and in-kind gifts in the United States and $82.2 million in cash and in-kind gifts in international markets. Their areas of focus: Hunger Relief & Healthy Eating, Sustainability, Women's Economic Empowerment and Career Opportunity. Apply for a grant for a school garden, healthy afterschool meals, or breakfast in the classroom. Read More

Fuel Up to Play 60 
Funding is available to K-12 schools enrolled in Fuel Up to Play 60. The competitive, nationwide funding program can help your school jumpstart and sustain healthy nutrition and physical activity improvements. More Information

Green Thumb Challenge
Green Education Foundation and Gardener’s Supply Company are calling on schools and youth groups to submit chronicles of their garden projects in a race to win a $5,000 prize. The award is designed to support the continued sustainability of an exceptional youth garden program that has demonstrated success, and has impacted the lives of kids and their community. More Information

Annie's Grants for Gardens
We believe that showing future generations how sustainable food is grown changes their lives. When you eat Annie’s, you support food education and make healthy gardens accessible to hundreds of students across the country. Connecting kids to gardens helps them to start thinking more holistically about their food, their communities, and the planet. We’ve seen firsthand how that exciting and inspiring that is for them. Read More

Katie's Krops Vegetable Garden Grant  
Grant to start vegetable gardens to feed people in need. Grantees will be awarded materials necessary to create a garden (up to $400), support from Katie’s Krops, and a digital camera to document the garden and the harvest. Applications for all types of vegetable gardens will be considered such as a container garden for city residents or a school, church or neighborhood garden. Applicants must be between the ages of 9 and 16 (as of February 11, 2011). More Information

Wild Ones Seeds for Education Grant Program 
The Wild Ones Seeds for Education Grant Program gives small monetary grants to schools, nature centers, and other non-profit and not-for-profit places of learning in the United States, including houses of worship, with a site available for a stewardship project. More Information

Kids Gardening: Helping Young Minds Grow
We know finding the financial resources to plant and maintain a youth garden is one of the biggest obstacles educators and volunteers face, so in addition to providing our own grant programs, here is a list of some additional grant opportunities that support youth garden programs.  Kids Gardening Grant Information

Fruit Tree 101 Grants
The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation and Stretch Island Fruit Co is sponsoring this effort which brings fruit tree orchards to schools in order to improve the environment while creating a source of tasty snacks. Typical donations involve about 20-25 trees minimum to public schools plus materials, orchard installation design work, and onsite environmental curriculum. Read more

USDA Farm to School Grants  
The purpose of the USDA Farm to School Grant Program is to assist eligible entities in implementing farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools. On an annual basis, USDA awards up to $5 million in competitive grants for training, supporting operations, planning, purchasing equipment, developing school gardens, developing partnerships, and implementing farm to school programs. More Information  

Environment

Captain Planet Foundation
The Captain Planet Foundation (CPF) annually funds projects involving children and young adults. Recipients of these awards are often schools and/or non-profits that propose projects promoting the understanding of environmental issues. Read More

EPA Environmental Education Grants  
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is accepting grant applications for $1.9 million in funding for environmental education projects and programs that promote environmental stewardship and help develop knowledgeable and responsible students, teachers and citizens.  More Information

The National Environmental Education Foundation
The National Environmental Education Foundation, with major support from the NEA Foundation and in partnership with EarthEcho International, will award $10,000 to a K-12 public school that has most successfully implemented an innovative, sustainable and replicable school-wide greening effort that has involved and benefitted its students. Two merit awards of $5,000 each will also be given to schools that demonstrate this kind of success. More Information

Melinda Gray Ardia Environmental Foundation
Helping facilitate the development and implementation of holistic environmental curricula that incorporate basic ecological principles and field environmental activities within a primary or secondary school setting. More Information

Project Learning Tree GreenWorks Grant 
Have an idea for an environmental service-learning project for your students? Need funds to implement it? PLT GreenWorks! grants of up to $3,000 are available. More Information

Sports/Athletics

Finish Line Youth Foundation
Grants support organizations that provide opportunities for participation in youth athletic programs addressing active lifestyle and team building skills, especially programs serving disadvantaged and special needs children. Grants average $1,000-$5,000. Deadline: Rolling.  More Information

Safe Places to Play Grants
The U.S. Soccer Foundation invites letters of interest for Safe Places to Play Grants. Grants will be awarded to the parties interested in building or enhancing a field space for children in underserved communities. More information