Resource Guide: Grant Opportunities
2020 has been tough on all of us and for those in the K through 12 arena, “tough” is an understatement. Schools across the world have been faced with incredible challenges when it comes to continuing to educate students, provide nutritious meals and maintain a sense of revenue. The financial burden is so extensive that it can at times hinder the ability to help the students in need. Fortunately, there are organizations out there that have banned together to help support schools and school districts financially to help navigate through these rough waters.
Gen YouthAction for Healthy Kids: GENYOUth is providing grants of up to $3,000 per school to aid in meal distribution and delivery efforts to students during the pandemic. Because schools have been working tirelessly to find creative ways to provide meals to their students, the GENYOUth organization has established the COVID-19 Emergency School Meal Delivery Fund, to help support those schools.
Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund: The Cleveland Foundation has created a COVID-19 emergency fund to support non profit organizations dealing with the ongoing effects of the pandemic in the Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties. Although this grant isn’t specifically created for schools, they are very much welcome to apply. This past June, the East Cleveland City School District and the Cleveland Metropolitan Districts were awarded grants to help navigate through the pandemic.
Better Together Fund: The North Texas Community Foundation has come together to provide grants to non-profit organizations needing emergency assistance and financial support due in part to the COVID-19 outbreak. This COVID-19 response fund will serve the 11 county region served by the North Texas Community Foundation: Bosque, Denton, Hill, Hood, Jack, Johnson, Parker, Somervell, Tarrant, Wise and Young.
Hamilton County Crisis Response Fund: The Hamilton County Community Foundation has established a flexible crisis response fund to help nonprofit organizations attain the necessary help and resources. These grants will provide support to those experiencing financial challenges within the county of Hamilton in the state of Indiana.
MicroGrant Program for Educators & Teachers: This grant is an ongoing grant that is awarded on a quarterly basis to help educators attain the correct technological resources to help create endless opportunities. Our new normal has made it difficult for in person learning to be a feasible option and virtual learning has increasingly taken over the way students learn. This grant can help schools obtain the tools necessary to make remote learning a breeze.
Aside from the specific grants mentioned above, there are sites explicitly designed for this kind of research. Grantwatch.com and Grantstation.com are great pages that can help you sort through their huge database and uncover the grants that apply to your needs. Additionally, the Action for Healthy Kids organization is a great resource for schools at it has provided $8.7 million in grants since 2009. While they aren’t taking applications for the 2020-2021 school year, you can sign up to stay up do date on any upcoming grants in the future.
Communities across the nation have come together to help support our students and our schools. We know that at times it might seem like there is no escape from the financial burden the pandemic has caused, luckily there are resources available to lend a helping hand. Do some digging and research within your local area. You’ll be surprised at the opportunities that are out there for the taking, people are out there and ready to help.
