Community Building Grants
Click here to read about Spring 2017 Community Building grants!
At a time when our country feels tense and divided, CLiF has designed a grant opportunity to help build bridges and strengthen relationships between different groups within communities. CLiF has selected two programs that succeeded in achieving this goal last year and a new opportunity.
CLiF accepts applications for new sites wanting to start:
- Reading Buddies for Seniors
- 1000 Books Before Kindergarten
What Grant Partners Will Receive
- A small on-site library (valued at $500) that you will select from FirstBook
- A training session (worth $500) with CLiF-trained professional that gives tips for sharing books
- A book giveaway where all program participants select two new books to keep
New opportunity for 2017-2018:
- My Community Storyprogram offered by the Young Writers Project
What Grant Partners Will Receive
- $250 for the Young Writers Program services:
An easy-to-use digital classroom website of where teacher/group leader and students can privately share work created in regular free-writes, in response to community story challenges or as part of your own curriculum
Content: challenges (exercises) and resources designed to progressively get students to go deeper with storytelling, research, digital media and editing
Support — both technical and content-oriented — from experts with Young Writers Project
- A training session (worth $500) with CLiF-trained professional that gives tips for sharing and writing personal stories
- Additional funding (up to $150) to fund a community gathering where participants can share work with their families and community members
Goals of the Community Building Grants
- Build empathy for others by connecting with new groups
- Create excitement around sharing books and writing
- Inspire students and adults to read and write for pleasure
- Encourage an appreciation for similarities and differences
- Support all kinds of young readers and writers
- Ensure all children have high-quality books of their own at home
- Engage parents and encourage reading and writing at home
Who Is Eligible to Apply?
- Community organizations, such as classrooms, afterschool programs, and library-based programs, located in New Hampshire or Vermont.
- Your project must serve a community with at least 30% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch. Your application must show how you will partner with CLiF’s target audience of low-income, at-risk, and rural children.
- At least 30 kids must participate in the program.
- Organizations with an enthusiastic and organized coordinator willing to collaborate with CLiF on planning, organizing, and communicating about your project.
- Partners who can complete the grant and send final feedback by June 15, 2018.
- Applications will be accepted until September 30, 2017. Decisions will be made by October 15, 2017.
How CLiF Will Select Grant Recipients
Criteria include:
- Demonstrated need and excitement
- Enthusiasm, creativity, and collaboration exhibited by the partners
- Clear demonstration of how this grant will benefit students and their communities
Questions should be sent to Meredith Scott, Program Director, gro.e1506313676nilno1506313676filc@1506313676htide1506313676rem1506313676.