# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Dear Readers,

Welcome to "Braided Pathways: Funding Secondary Literacy." This book takes a unique, story-driven approach to illustrate how funds can be leveraged to build impactful literacy programs. We begin by presenting a scenario that includes a district MICIP team, providing context on how collaboration works between funding sources. Then, we jump into specific stories featuring Ellen and James, two passionate educators dedicated to building strong literacy communities in secondary schools. As we move through their experiences, you'll see how braiding funding sources can bring about powerful changes. We conclude with a list of strategies and resources inspired by their stories, offering practical tools you can apply to your own work.

We hope you find this book both informative and inspiring as you explore the possibilities of braiding funds to support literacy initiatives.

Happy reading!

Where do I start?

Continuous Improvement Plan

As a literacy advocate, it's crucial to review your school district's continuous improvement plan before implementing new initiatives. This plan outlines the district's goals, strategies, and activities based on an extensive needs assessment, ensuring your efforts align with district priorities. It informs decision-making by providing insights into the district's needs and focus areas, aiding in appropriate funding allocation. Aligning with the plan maximizes the impact of your literacy programs by creating a cohesive strategy that leverages existing resources and initiatives. This alignment also helps build support among stakeholders and ensures the sustainability and scalability of your literacy efforts, increasing the likelihood of ongoing support and funding.

Click HERE to learn more about MICIP

Braiding funding is a strategy that allows you to use different sources of money together to support the same project or goal. Each source of funds is still tracked and reported separately, and you don't need special permission to combine them. For example, a school might use federal funds to purchase a core reading program and Title I or 31a funds to purchase supplemental books for small group Tier 2 instruction. These funds work together to provide a comprehensive and viable literacy program but are managed separately. For more in-depth information, we encourage you to explore the webinars available on the MDE website.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Braided Pathways: Funding Secondary Literacy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Braided Pathways | Find thousands of free educational ebooks for classroom use at read.bookcreator.com

# data[].attributes.body
Videogames and Esports Foundation

2024 © Videogames and Esports Foundation (VEF)

13505 S Mur-Len STE 105 #155
Olathe, KS 66062

Policies | Terms of Service | Official W-9

IRS 990 Filings 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022

Email us: contact@vef.gg

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Funding — Videogames and Esports Foundation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Grants and Scholarships for gaming and esports.

# data[].attributes.body
MACUL Grants

https://macul.org/grants/

Up to $4500 for your classroom. $500 goes towards registration to the MACUL 2026 conference. The Grant window for 2026-27 will open on March 20.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
True Inspiration Awards ® grants range from $30,000 to $350,000, with a collective $5 million awarded annually to organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Applications for the 2024 True Inspiration Awards will be accepted March 1-June 1, 2023.
Apply for a grant
Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for a True Inspiration Awards grant, an organization should:

Be either (i) a 501(c)(3) based in the U.S. or (ii) a Canadian charitable organization that can provide an opinion of counsel that confirms it is the equivalent of a U.S. 501(c)(3) public charity in its home jurisdiction.

Through our True Inspiration Awards grant program, Chick-fil-A helps empower local nonprofits that are leading positive change and creating tangible impact throughout the communities they serve. It is our pleasure to support the growth and legacy of these incredible organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada. Brent Fielder, Senior Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Chick-fil-A, Inc.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
True Inspiration Awards ® grants range from $30,000 to $350,000, with a collective $5 million awarded annually to organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada. Applications for the 2024 True Inspiration Awards will be accepted March 1-June 1, 2023.

# data[].attributes.headline
NP: Coact Individual Giving Worksheet & Sample

# data[].attributes.subject
NP: Coact Individual Giving Worksheet & Sample

# data[].attributes.headline
NP: Dovetail convening to support fund development

# data[].attributes.subject
NP: Dovetail convening to support fund development

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Together,

we create change.

Through peer-to-peer and cross sector convenings, Dovetail brings together nonprofits, funders, consultants, and social change allies for connection, conversations, and collaborative action around the most pressing issues impacting the nonprofit ecosystem.

Detroit Capacity Building Forum:

How We Invest

In May 2022, we convened 250+ stakeholders for "How We Invest"- and convened nonprofits, funders, consultants, and other change allies to connect around the systemic issues that we in the nonprofit ecosystem face as we work to drive deep, transformative impact in the communities we serve.

The Detroit Nonprofit Leadership

Census Convenings

In November 2021, Michigan Community Resources and Co.act Detroit convened two focus groups to respond to the findings from the landmark Detroit Nonprofit Leadership Survey. We also hosted a Call to Action Launch Event in January 2022. These events engaged 17 survey respondents and 24 respondents.

Detroit Capacity Building Forum:

How We Collaborate

In February 2021, we convened 70+ stakeholders for "How We Collaborate" - a forum about creating space for inspiration and action. We started from the assumption that as nonprofits, consultants, funders, and more, we share a common north star: advancing racial and social equity in the communities we serve.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Together, we create change. Through peer-to-peer and cross sector convenings, Dovetail brings together nonprofits, funders, consultants, and social change allies for connection, conversations, and collaborative action around the most pressing issues impacting the nonprofit ecosystem.

# data[].attributes.headline
NP: Critical Elements in Any Nonprofit Grant Proposal

# data[].attributes.subject
NP: Critical Elements in Any Nonprofit Grant Proposal

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Nonprofit organizations often rely on grants to fund their mission and programs. However, writing a successful grant proposal can be a challenge. To increase the chances of receiving funding, nonprofit organizations need to focus on the critical elements that are most likely to make their proposal stand out.

We should clarify first that we are not a grant fundraising firm, as we know they are not the fastest or cheapest way to raise money, but if you ARE going to write grants, there are 3 essential elements that determine your outcome. Based on the success/failure data from our clients, here are the three critical elements that nonprofit organizations should focus on when writing grants.

1. A Clear and Compelling Narrative - Ever heard " facts tell, stories sell"? The first critical element of any successful grant proposal is a clear and compelling narrative that conveys the nonprofit's mission and goals. A strong narrative should be engaging, well-written, and above all: easy to understand. It should also be personalized to the specific grant program and convey how the nonprofit's work aligns with the funder's priorities. A compelling narrative can grab the attention of grant reviewers and make them invested in the nonprofit's work, increasing the chances of receiving funding. Focus on your mission, their mission, and how you see them overlap!

2. Measurable Outcomes and Impact - The second critical element of any successful grant proposal is measurable outcomes and the actual quantifiable change that will occur as a result of the funding. Grant reviewers want to see how the nonprofit's work will make a tangible difference in the lives of the people it serves. Nonprofits should be clear about the outcomes they expect to achieve and how they will measure their success. They should also highlight their past successes and the impact they have made in the community. This data can demonstrate that the nonprofit has a track record of success and is capable of achieving its goals. Convey: "currently we do X, but with this funding, we can do Y."

3. Strong Financials - The third critical element of any successful grant proposal is strong financials. Our tendency is to say "oh we are in trouble and need help" and that is a terrible mistake to include in the proposal. Grant reviewers want to see that the nonprofit is financially stable and has a plan for using the grant funds effectively. Nonprofits should provide a detailed budget that outlines how the funds will be used, including salaries, program costs, and administrative expenses. They should also provide financial statements that demonstrate the nonprofit's financial health and sustainability. The grant reviewers want to know you'll still be strong in 10 years, making you worth investing in.

If you do all 3 perfectly, can you still lose the grant? Of course. This isn't a magic formula, just a checklist to always have in your mind when writing. By emphasizing these elements and providing data that demonstrates the nonprofit's past successes and future potential, nonprofits can increase their chances of receiving funding and continuing to make a positive impact on their community.
Want more free fundraising content right to your inbox every week? Sign up for our mailing list and stay up to date on trends, news, and free fundraising content!

Jake is a full-time philanthropy professional, educator, and speaker. Jake manages fundraising campaigns, fund development assessments, audits, and feasibility studies. He also creates all subject matter and curriculum for the CFRE accredited conference series, the PRIDE Development Institute.

Nonprofit organizations often rely on grants to fund their mission and programs. However, writing a successful grant proposal can be a challenge. To increase the chances of receiving funding, nonprofit organizations need to focus on the critical elements that are most likely to make their proposal stand out.

We should clarify first that we are not a grant fundraising firm, as we know they are not the fastest or cheapest way to raise money, but if you ARE going to write grants, there are 3 essential elements that determine your outcome. Based on the success/failure data from our clients, here are the three critical elements that nonprofit organizations should focus on when writing grants.

1. A Clear and Compelling Narrative - Ever heard " facts tell, stories sell"? The first critical element of any successful grant proposal is a clear and compelling narrative that conveys the nonprofit's mission and goals. A strong narrative should be engaging, well-written, and above all: easy to understand. It should also be personalized to the specific grant program and convey how the nonprofit's work aligns with the funder's priorities. A compelling narrative can grab the attention of grant reviewers and make them invested in the nonprofit's work, increasing the chances of receiving funding. Focus on your mission, their mission, and how you see them overlap!

2. Measurable Outcomes and Impact - The second critical element of any successful grant proposal is measurable outcomes and the actual quantifiable change that will occur as a result of the funding. Grant reviewers want to see how the nonprofit's work will make a tangible difference in the lives of the people it serves. Nonprofits should be clear about the outcomes they expect to achieve and how they will measure their success. They should also highlight their past successes and the impact they have made in the community. This data can demonstrate that the nonprofit has a track record of success and is capable of achieving its goals. Convey: "currently we do X, but with this funding, we can do Y."

3. Strong Financials - The third critical element of any successful grant proposal is strong financials. Our tendency is to say "oh we are in trouble and need help" and that is a terrible mistake to include in the proposal. Grant reviewers want to see that the nonprofit is financially stable and has a plan for using the grant funds effectively. Nonprofits should provide a detailed budget that outlines how the funds will be used, including salaries, program costs, and administrative expenses. They should also provide financial statements that demonstrate the nonprofit's financial health and sustainability. The grant reviewers want to know you'll still be strong in 10 years, making you worth investing in.

If you do all 3 perfectly, can you still lose the grant? Of course. This isn't a magic formula, just a checklist to always have in your mind when writing. By emphasizing these elements and providing data that demonstrates the nonprofit's past successes and future potential, nonprofits can increase their chances of receiving funding and continuing to make a positive impact on their community.
Want more free fundraising content right to your inbox every week? Sign up for our mailing list and stay up to date on trends, news, and free fundraising content!

Jake is a full-time philanthropy professional, educator, and speaker. Jake manages fundraising campaigns, fund development assessments, audits, and feasibility studies. He also creates all subject matter and curriculum for the CFRE accredited conference series, the PRIDE Development Institute.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The 3 CRITICAL Elements in Any Nonprofit Grant Proposal - PRIDE Philanthropy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Nonprofit organizations often rely on grants to fund their mission and programs. However, writing a successful grant proposal can be a challenge. To increase the chances of receiving funding, nonprofit organizations need to focus on the critical elements that are most likely to make their proposal s

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How Fundraisers Are Generating PERFECT Appeals Using AI Tool, ChatGPT — PRIDE Philanthropy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ever wish you could write a fundraising appeal or case for support instantly without paying any money or doing any work whatsoever?? Well, you now literally can. And with this brand new technology, nonprofits across the country are doing just that every day!

# data[].attributes.headline
NP: Most Persuasive Words in Philanthropy

# data[].attributes.subject
NP: Most Persuasive Words in Philanthropy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Most Persuasive Words in Philanthropy (Backed by Science) — PRIDE Philanthropy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As a nonprofit fundraiser or philanthropist, the power of persuasive language cannot be underestimated. But what words are the most persuasive when it comes to motivating people to give to charity? Through a bit of digging through the research, we have identified some of the most persuasive words th

# data[].attributes.headline
NP: How to Tell Your Nonprofits Story Effectively to Raise Funds

# data[].attributes.subject
NP: How to Tell Your Nonprofits Story Effectively to Raise Funds

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
1. Identify: Start by identifying what your key message is and what you're looking to convey to your constituents about the impact your organization has on it's community. Think of it this way, why are you unique? Why are you the best at what you do? Why is your team the best? Once you've identified your "why", you can start developing your story.

2. Personalize: Make it personal. We know that any good story connects because of the people or main characters within it. Share stories about individuals who have been directly impacted by your mission. This can include beneficiaries (those who actually receive the care or services), a volunteer (someone who believes enough to donate their time), or a donor (someone who donates their financial resources). This humanizes your work and gives you the ability to connect directly with potential donors.

3. Highlight: Make sure you're highlighting the specific area you're looking to support with philanthropic support. Are you raising money to feed more animals? Tell a story about donations making that happen. Are you looking to open a breast clinic to help survivors? Share a story of a survivor that would receive care in the space. Be specific to the area you've identified and personalized.

4. Establish Trust: show vulnerability and don't be afraid of emotion and authenticity powering through your story. Powerful storytellers are those who can connect through their honesty.

5. Mix it up: use visuals, don't just have one person speaking the entire time. Show renderings, have music involved, creating some infographics. Make sure you're able to connect with the audience on multiple different levels as we all learn and connect differently.

6. Perhaps most importantly, do not let the moment of storytelling pass without a clear call to action: You've captured their attention, they're in the feels, what are your desired outcomes in this moment? To JOIN YOU. You want to make a direct appeal for them to join your donors, to take action by giving financially to sustain or grow your mission.

So many times an organization crafts a beautiful mission with a compelling individual who does a phenomenal job of drawing the viewer in and getting them interested, and then, they don't make an ask. The ask can be subtle, the ask can be bold, but the ask must be included. If the goal is to raise money by telling our story, you need to ask for money!
Have more questions on how to incorporate storytelling? Reach out to us! Facts tell and stories sell, and we would be happy to talk about how to better incorporate stories to drive revenue for your mission.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to Tell Your NonProfit's Story Effectively to Raise Funds - PRIDE Philanthropy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Telling your story in a compelling and powerful way is key when non-profits are looking to connect with potential donors to raise funds. By sharing stories that illustrate the impact of their work, nonprofits inspire others to get involved and support their mission financially.

# data[].attributes.headline
NP: Free workshop intro proposal writing

# data[].attributes.subject
NP: Free workshop intro proposal writing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Fundraising Unpacked: Intro to Corporate Giving - Co.act Detroit

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
09/10/24 @ 11:00 am - 12:30 pm - Join us for a virtual training that will cover how corporate grantmakers are different from traditional foundations. This class provides a basic overview of: The different types of corporate giving What motivates corporations to give? How to find potential corporate partners Upon completion of this training, you will be able to: Define different types of [...]

# data[].attributes.headline
Grants from Michigan foundations and corporations

# data[].attributes.subject
Grants from Michigan foundations and corporations

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Impact100 Oakland County
Impact100 Oakland County, a women's grant-making organization, has funds to award three $102,000 grants in 2019 to local nonprofits. Nonprofits are encouraged to submit applications for new programs, replication of successful programs, or expansion of existing programs that will make a demonstrable impact on the lives of people living in Oakland County, Michigan. For detail about grant eligibility requirements, deadlines and additional information, visit https://www.impact100oaklandcounty.org/grants/.

Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation: Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarships
The Stephen J. Brady Stop Hunger Scholarships is a program of the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation that recognizes students who are driving awareness and mobilizing youth to be catalysts for innovative models that provide solutions to eliminate hunger in America. To be eligible, students must be enrolled in an accredited education institution (kindergarten through graduate school) in the United States and be able to demonstrate an enduring commitment to hunger-relief activities in their community.

The Milbank Foundation
The primary mission of the Milbank Foundation is to integrate people with disabilities into all aspects of American life. Nonprofit organizations may submit letters of inquiry throughout the year.

Whole Kids Foundation: School Garden grant program
The Whole Kids Foundation is dedicated to supporting schools and inspiring families to improve children's nutrition and wellness. The Foundation's School Garden Grant Program provides support for edible gardens at K-12 schools in the U.S.

Masonry's B.E.S.T community grant program
The Masonry's B.E.S.T community grant program is most interested in projects that focus on the need of youth. Grant amount minimum will be $5,000 with the maximum grant amount $50,000.

Walmart Foundation Community Grants
The Walmart Foundation has identified four core areas of giving: Hunger Relief & Healthy Eating, Sustainability, Women's Economic Empowerment and Opportunity. Community Grants range from a minimum of $250 to the maximum grant of $2,500.

Walgreens Charitable Donations program
The Walgreens Charitable Donations Program supports nonprofit organizations, providing grants that focus on access, outreach, and education geared towards health in their communities; mentoring initiatives; civic and community outreach; and emergency and disaster relief.

Cisco Global Impact Cash grants
Cisco Global Impact Cash Grants support nonprofit organizations that provide assistance to underserved populations and leverage Internet and network solutions to improve the reach, efficiency and impact of services

Roots & Shoots Community Campaign
Know a teacher or group leader in the U.S. who could use a mini-grant for their service campaign? Roots & Shoots is giving away more than $50,000 in mini-grants. Mini-grants are awarded in a $200 VISA gift card.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation
The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation is dedicated to improving the health of Michigan residents through the support of research and innovative programs. Matching grants of up to $25,000 are available for programs that help increase access to healthcare, address critical public health issues, improve the quality of care or enhance efficiency.

National Trails Fund
The National Trails Fund, sponsored by the American Hiking Society, provides support to grassroots nonprofit organizations throughout the country working toward establishing, protecting, and maintaining foot trails in America. The Fund's grants range from $500 to $5,000.
Fifth Third Foundation
The Fifth Third Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that benefit residents and communities. The Foundation favors proposals that make a substantial difference in the quality of community life and strengthen families and communities.
Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation: Community Partners
The Foundation's Community Partners grant program supports nonprofit organizations and local municipalities undertaking high-need projects such as building renovations/upgrades, grounds improvements, technology upgrades, and safety improvements. Most grants range from $10,000 to $25,000.
CSX Corporation Contributions program
The Foundation provides assistance to nonprofit organizations that address one of the following categories: Safety, with a focus on railway, public, and personal safety; Environment, with a focus on land, water, and air preservation and restoration; Wellness, with a focus on healthy lifestyles and wellness education; and Community, with a focus on community leadership and service.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Grants from Michigan foundations and corporations

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Grant opportunities available for Michigan nonprofit organizations from a variety of srouces around the state.

# data[].attributes.headline
NP: Free workshop on intro to project budget 10/24/24

# data[].attributes.subject
NP: Free workshop on intro to project budget 10/24/24

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Are you ready to start fundraising for your project or idea, but don't know what and how much to ask for? If preparing a budget for your foundation grant is holding you back, join us for this virtual session to learn the basic elements of how to draft a project budget with confidence. This training will provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to generate a standard project budget for a foundation proposal.

We will discuss:

The basic components of a project budget including income and expenses

How to estimate the realistic cost of a project

What other financial documents you may also need to submit with your proposal

This class is brought to you in partnership with Candid, a nonprofit that helps other nonprofits serve their communities. As a Candid community member, Co.act offers Candid's key tools including GuideStar and Foundation Directory.

Register Here

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Fundraising Unpacked: Intro to Project Budget - Co.act Detroit

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
10/08/24 @ 11:00 am - 12:30 pm - Are you ready to start fundraising for your project or idea, but don't know what and how much to ask for? If preparing a budget for your foundation grant is holding you back, join us for this virtual session to learn the basic elements of how to draft a project budget with confidence.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Book Love Foundation seeks teachers who demonstrate a passion for promoting a hunger for books. These teachers recognize the diversity of every class of readers and they challenge each student to build an independent reading life of increasing depth and joy. Teachers who apply for a Book Love Foundation grant must demonstrate that they are already committed to the support of readers through current classroom practices and curates a book collection that represents our world.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Applicant must be a full time preK-12 classroom teacher in the United States or Canada. If your teaching position is unclear in your application, we cannot consider you for a grant. If you are awarded a grant and then accept another position in your school district this summer (like a coaching or curriculum position), we will be happy for you, but the grant will be voided. Grants cannot be transferred to colleagues.

Applicant must be willing to maintain the Book Love Foundation library in the applicant's classroom. The books received from this grant are not intended for a school-wide library or to be permanently divided among teachers. Creative sharing, however, is always encouraged.

Applicant must be willing to be included in Book Love Foundation promotional materials /website and participate in research into the effectiveness of classroom libraries on student outcomes in reading. We expect grant winners to collect records and help us advance this important work. This is a partnership. If we choose you, we expect you to help us help others.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Book Love Foundation seeks teachers who demonstrate a passion for promoting a hunger for books. These teachers recognize the diversity of every class of readers and they challenge each student to build an independent reading life of increasing depth and joy.

# data[].attributes.body
Program:

# data[].attributes.headline
NP: Ways to Build Strong Donor Relationships

# data[].attributes.subject
NP: Ways to Build Strong Donor Relationships

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Did you know that recurring donors give 42% more per year on average than one-time donors?

These sustaining donors are crucial to helping fundraisers scramble less. But most fundraisers aren't sure how to get more of these sustaining donors.

The answer is simple: build strong donor relationships. But how does one do that? If you're not sure, read on to learn the stages of a donor relationship as well as nine ways to build up your donor relationships for more giving.

What is Donor Relationship Management?

All relationships need maintenance, but donor relations require a special focus for organizations to see a return. This means that a donor relationship isn't a one-off activity, but rather a long-term commitment to regular touch points and engagement.

Donor relationship management refers to tracking donor outreach, preferences, gifts, and more to build a steady relationship that both donors and nonprofits can count on. Often, this practice depends on powerful donor management tools. Donorbox's donor management features allow you to store your donor information including name, employer, contact info, and any special notes so you don't forget anything. Plus, track donor communication - incoming and outgoing - so you never reach out too much. Get reminded of unique donor moments like the anniversary of their first gift so your targeted outreach can make even more of a difference.

Watch this short video to learn more about Donorbox's donor management tools!

Stages of the Donor Relationship

Each organization can take steps to build and strengthen its donor relationships, but there are some key stages to keep in mind. As time goes on and these relationships develop, donors will have different expectations and needs.

1. Introduction

In every relationship, there is an introduction. For nonprofits, that introduction can happen at an event, through a board member, through a volunteer or donor, at an open house, or even online. Introductions are important because you only have one chance to make a good first impression.

Unfortunately, many nonprofits do waste these opportunities because they see events, mail, and online communication as ways to raise money instead of as a chance to build new relationships. While raising money is essential, an introduction event or communication piece should quickly show people the problem and how your organization is fixing it.

Ensure that every event and communication piece sent out includes your mission - you never know when you might meet a potential long-term donor!

2. Trust

Now that you have introduced yourself, it is essential to show that you can be trusted. Donors interested in your mission will come back and want more information. That does not mean they want to know everything about your history.

Take this stage to show how your organization makes a difference in people's lives and how their gift can help make an impact. Share stories from your organization's beneficiaries through newsletters and social media posts. Offer facility tours and other ways for donors to view your organization in action.

Another way to build trust is by being transparent. Communication is key during this stage, and this communication cannot be one-way. It is crucial to reach out to donors and ask them for their feedback and suggestions. Answer any questions they may have about what you do and why.

3. Decision

If you have introduced yourself, answered questions, and kept communication open and honest with potential donors, the next step will be much easier. With donors, that means asking if they would be willing to give.

You can ask for donations through letters, emails, and in person. Decide the best way to make the ask by evaluating the state of your relationship with this particular donor.

4. Commitment

After donors give their first gift, your job as a fundraiser is not done. This is the stage where you can make or break a donor relationship. Best practices say gifts should be acknowledged within 48 hours.

Your acknowledgment should be personal and give specifics on how their gift is being used. Acknowledgments should let donors know that you cannot make a difference without their help.

Thank-you messages are crucial during this stage! They help you keep the momentum this relationship has established.

5. Nurturing

Nurturing - otherwise known as stewardship - is the final stage of building and strengthening donor relationships. Continue to focus on two-way communication. Send personal acknowledgments for all gifts quickly and ensure donors know they continue to make a difference.

Do not ignore donors when they are not giving. Send them updates on programs and projects, including sharing your annual report. Connect with them and ask them how they want to be contacted. Send out surveys to ask for questions and suggestions.

For a more in-depth look at the steps required to cultivate donors, check out this article.

Why Donor Relations Are So Important

When asking for large gifts from major donors, most fundraisers have done their research and made an effort to build a relationship before asking for a gift. The idea of building a relationship when asking for large amounts is obvious, but few nonprofits think of it when asking for donations from all donors.

Building relationships should be done with each donor, just on a different level. Whether you are asking someone for thousands of dollars, an event ticket purchase, or to buy a product, the ask is easier if you know and understand your donor.

Donor relations are important because you never know how each donor will give and how their gifts will develop. A donor who gives $100 a year could end up leaving a significant amount to the organization in their will. A volunteer could introduce the organization to several large donors and sponsorship opportunities. Organizations that do not work to strengthen donor relationships will never benefit from these gifts.

Acknowledging gifts, preparing reports, and recognizing donors are essential steps to building donor relationships. Through these actions, and by creating a culture of donor appreciation and relationship building in your nonprofit, your organization will watch gifts grow.

9 Ways to Build Strong Donor Relationships

1. Prospect donors

Prospecting donors is the first step in donor cultivation. When searching for major donors, organizations use many tools to find them. Online tools like DonorSearch help nonprofits find donors with the financial ability to become major donors. Other options include using board members and donors to introduce your organization to potential donors who have the capacity to give more.

Once you have developed your list of potential donors, it is time for the introduction stage. Remember, it is essential to make a strong first impression. Keep it simple. Explain the problem and how your organization is solving it.

2. Segment donors

Segmentation is the key to personalized communication - and personalized communication is the key to building better donor relationships. Separating your donors into different lists by factors such as gift amount, location, age, and more helps you target your communication and avoid overwhelming any one group with outreach that isn't suitable for them.

Donorbox donor management makes it easy to sort your donor data with a variety of filters. You can also use Donorbox's reporting templates to pull more detailed data.

3. Set a cadence for communication

After segmenting your donors, your nonprofit should determine goals for donor communication before sending out communication pieces. What is your goal for each communication piece? How often should you send it out? How do donors want to hear about your organization?

When sending out communication pieces, remember to keep it simple and target donors with communication that speaks to their desires and segmentation. Donorbox's Moments feature allows you to create automatic notifications for each donor to make this process easier.

Pro tip: Not every communication should include an ask. Sometimes, you'll want to just share some exciting news. Content marketing is a good practice for some nonprofits, too. This type of entertainment or education-based outreach can help you build stronger relationships with your donors.

4. Encourage face-to-face interactions

Nonprofits have come to rely on mail and online communication tools. Many nonprofits only interact with their donors during annual events. This lack of face-to-face contact makes for very shallow relationships.

When planning your communication with donors, personal and face-to-face activities should be based on donor segmentation. Nonprofits are burdened with lower budgets and limited staff. Meeting each donor face-to-face is not possible.

What organizations can do is decide how each donor can receive personalized communication from the nonprofit. Organizations should always take the time to meet with major donors and those who have the potential to become major donors. Meet with these individuals to discuss the programs that may interest them and find ways they would like to help. Just be sure to follow up with a thank-you note!

Mid-level and smaller donors can be contacted by phone or through personalized letters. This is a great way to get your board involved in donor relationships. Ask your board members to take part in making calls to donors after they give. Let them learn more about the donors and share their personal stories to provide interest.

Pro tip: Host a donor appreciation event for a chance to meet more of your donors in person. Learn more in this blog!

5. Show donor impact

Another way to send out personalized communication is by sharing stories from individuals impacted by your donors' gifts. Donors love to hear how their donations have affected real people on the ground. Creating an impact report is a great way to demonstrate this.

Donors will give more to nonprofits where their gifts are making a difference. Sending donors acknowledgments, newsletters, emails, and online communication from the organization's beneficiaries give donors a sense of community and pride in what they have done.

6. Thank donors

It may seem obvious, but a crucial step in building strong donor relationships is showing gratitude. Get creative! Host a thank-a-thon, send thank-you videos, and make those personal connections that will lead to more donations in the future.

A donor wall, whether online or in person, is another great way to showcase and thank your donors.

Don't skip this step! Gratitude helps donors understand how their donation matters - which is one of the main reasons people donate.

7. Survey donors

When was the last time you had a successful relationship that was entirely one-sided? Probably never. The same is true for donor relationships! You can't always be the one talking - sometimes you need to listen.

Surveying donors is a great opportunity to build stronger relationships while getting useful feedback to make your organization's outreach even better.

8. Act on donor feedback

When donors do respond to your surveys, be sure to act on that feedback. If there are good ideas from donors or volunteers, put them into action and give credit where credit is due. Donors love to know they are being listened to.

This will help you build better relationships with any new donors, too!

9. Monitor donor retention rates

Finally, as more donations come flowing in, your nonprofit needs to keep track of donor retention rates. Donors that continue to give are a great success. It means your organization is communicating successfully!

We have a donor retention calculator that makes it easy to calculate your retention rate.

Measuring donor retention will give you a better idea of what is working. Measure your event attendance, volunteer retention, email click-through rates, and website visits in addition to donor gifts. All of this data will paint a fuller picture of your

Focus on Donors over Donations

Stop spending so much time chasing new one-time donors and redirect some of your energy into building solid donor relationships. These strong relationships will bring more value to your organization over time, both in terms of more donations and in other useful areas like feedback and advocacy.

Donorbox's donor management tools help you with every step of your donor relationship. From the first donation, rest assured that your donors receive a tax-compliant receipt that you can customize with a thank-you message. Then you can track interactions with your donors, from thank-you notes to newsletters and inbound communication. Get reminders of the best times to reach out with unique Moments. And sort your donor data for more targeted outreach so you can craft the perfect communication strategy.

For more ways to strengthen donor relations, visit the Nonprofit Blog. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive a monthly collection of blog content delivered to your inbox.

Kristine Ensor
Kristine Ensor is a freelance writer with over a decade of experience working with local and international nonprofits. As a nonprofit professional she has specialized in fundraising, marketing, event planning, volunteer management, and board development.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
9 Ways to Build Strong Donor Relationships

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Building strong donor relationships is the key to attaining major gifts and endowments for your nonprofit. Read these 9 ways to get started!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Preliminary Proposal - due May 1

The EE Ford Foundation embarked on this Educational Leadership Grant program because we wanted to encourage bold, new, more ambitious ideas as we address some of the challenges we see in the world of independent schools. We are interested in promoting original proposals that hold the promise of catalyzing change. We want to inspire creative problem-solving and incubate new thinking.

For Educational Leadership Grants, the Foundation is most interested in schools that have demonstrated capacity for "generative thinking."

In general, we seek proposals that are innovative and replicable. We believe all requests, if funded, should have a ripple effect where the benefits of the successful pursuit of an idea will not be limited to a single school.

The Board invites schools to submit a request for funds that meets the requirements of the program as envisioned above. The standard request and grant has been $250,000 with a minimum match of 1:1. Some schools in past years have pursued projects that required matches of 1:2 or more. The Foundation expects schools to secure matching funds at a level that is appropriate to the program proposed and represents a reasonable challenge to complete in a time frame that extends two years from the date of notification of a successful proposal. The Foundation's funds are intended for research and program operational expenses, and may not be placed in endowments, though some or all of the school's matching funds may be directed to endowment to provide continuing support for the program funded by the Foundation's grant.

Once your school is placed on an Educational Leadership Grant Agenda, you will need to submit a 3-page, double-spaced document in which you describe your proposal, by May 1. While a detailed budget is NOT required of preliminary proposals, a reader should get some idea of how the EE Ford $250,000 and the matching funds would be spent if the proposal is successful.

We will notify you by approximately June 10 if your proposal makes it to the finalist round.

Online Application Form - due September 1

Project Proposal & Financials - due October 1

1. Project Proposal - Combine the following 5 components (and ONLY these) into a single PDF:

Proposal Narrative: Must not exceed 5 double-spaced pages, 1" margins, 12pt font. Please include the following:

A brief history of the school - please limit to one paragraph

Needs of the school for which the grant is requested

The amount requested

The proposed match and how the school plans to raise the match

Your proposal should focus on the 9th-12th grade division of the school

Grant Budget: Describe how the school plans to use the grant and the match to meet the proposal needs. Please include a general budget that outlines, at least in broad categories, how the funds would be spent. Please limit to ONE page.

Comparative School Operating Budget: Include the current year's operating budget, the last school year's operating budget and the last school year's actual budget results. Please limit to ONE page.

Statement of Activity & Statement of Financial Condition: Please DO NOT include the full audit. This section should consist of approximately 2-4 pages.

School Profile: This is typically the document sent to colleges with student applications.

2. Full Audit for the most recent full school year

3. Internal Revenue Code Forms 501(c)(3) and 509a - For first time applicants only. If you have submitted a proposal to EE Ford in the past, you do not need to include these forms.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Educational Leadership Grant - The Edward E. Ford Foundation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The EE Ford Foundation embarked on this Educational Leadership Grant program because we wanted to encourage bold, new, more ambitious ideas as we address some of the challenges we see in the world of independent schools. We are interested in promoting original proposals that hold the promise of catalyzing change.

# data[].attributes.headline
Amateur Radio Digital Communications Grants

# data[].attributes.subject
Amateur Radio Digital Communications Grants

# data[].attributes.body
ARDC makes grants that align with our mission to support amateur radio and digital communication science and technology. In addition to aligning with our mission, your project must align with at least one of our grantmaking categories:

Support and growth of amateur radio,

Education, and

Research and Development.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
ARDC makes grants that align with our mission to support amateur radio and digital communication science and technology. In addition to aligning with our mission, your project must align with at least one of our grantmaking categories:

Support and growth of amateur radio,

Education, and

Research and Development.

For more information on our categories, see Grantmaking Categories & Goals.

Eligibility

To receive an ARDC grant, your organization must be one of the following:

U.S.-based 501(c)(3) Public Charity, government agency, school, or university.

International charity, nonprofit, school, or university.

Radio clubs and groups who are NOT nonprofits may be eligible if they have a U.S.-based, nonprofit fiscal sponsor. For tips on finding a fiscal sponsor, see our instructions page.

Individuals may be eligible if you work with a fiscal sponsor.

US & international for-profit businesses are currently not eligible for ARDC grants.

Application Deadlines

You may submit an application at any time. In 2024, ARDC will begin reviewing applications on the following dates:

February 1

April 1

July 1

September 1 + Scholarship Applications Due

Applications received after September 1, 2024 will be reviewed February 1, 2025. If you are submitting a proposal for a scholarship program, we'd prefer to evaluate that proposal during our September 1st deadline.

It typically takes 60-120 days to review all the applications following the above dates, so please be patient. We will get back to you if we need more information about your proposal and when the review process is complete.

Apply here: https://grants.ardc.net.

Applications submitted July 15, 2022, and before are available here: https://mailman.ampr.org/hotcrp/.

Application Process

1. Prepare and submit your application
To submit an application, you must first create an account with the ARDC Grants system. To do this, go togrants.ardc.net and click on the "Create an account" link. If you already have an account, sign in with your email address and password. The next step is to fill in the application form. Instructions on how to write your proposal can be found here. They are also available as a downloadable PDF.

2. Email Confirmation
After you submit your application, you will receive an automated email acknowledgement. Please keep a copy of that email in case you need to contact us about your proposal.

3. Preliminary Review
Next, someone on our staff will do a preliminary review of your application. At this point, if any information is missing, we may contact you.

4. Grants Advisory Committee (GAC) Review
Once your application has passed the preliminary check, the staff will send it to the Grants Advisory Committee (GAC). The committee will ask a number of questions as they review your application. You'll find these questions on the instructions page.

5. Board Review
Assuming the grants committee approves the application, it will be forwarded to the ARDC Board of Directors, who will accept or reject your application and decide on the amount of the award. You will be notified of their decision as soon as possible.

6. Selection Notification
Once all the details have been worked out, ARDC will send you a contract detailing the amount of the award, the expected outcomes, and how to report on your project's progress, including annual progress reports and a final project report. Once you review and sign the contract, we will issue the funds. Please note that this entire process may take about four months after the application deadline.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ARDC makes grants that align with our mission to support amateur radio and digital communication science and technology. In addition to aligning with our mission, your project must align with at least one of our grantmaking categories: Support and growth of amateur radio, Education, and Research and Development.

# data[].attributes.headline
NP: Storytelling for Nonprofits - 45 Powerful Examples & Tips

# data[].attributes.subject
NP: Storytelling for Nonprofits - 45 Powerful Examples & Tips

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Nonprofit storytelling is the most powerful way that you can attract support to your organization. So how do you start in engaging in storytelling for nonprofits, and how do you do it in a successful and ethical way?

In this article we will explore exactly what to do to tell your organization's story, delving into the most comprehensive list of organizational storytelling examples and tips. So let's dive in!

What Makes a Good Nonprofit Story? What to Include

To write a good nonprofit story, you should consider your overall goals for telling the story, what structure will make it most compelling, and how you can incorporate visuals to further communicate your message.

Here are some guiding questions and examples you can use as you develop your goals, structure, and visuals:

Clear Goals

What type of story do you need to tell?

Example: is this a story about your overall impact, a story of thanks, or is this about how to make the case for a particular program?

Who is your audience for this story?

Example: potential donors, seasoned volunteers, board members.

How do you want the audience to feel after they hear this story?

Example: do they feel compassionate towards the people you serve? Do they feel proud of the volunteer work they have done with your organization?

What action would you like your audience to take?

Example: donating to your annual campaign or becoming a regular volunteer.

An Organized Structure

Where is this story going to be located?

Example: on the website, embedded in a grant proposal, or in a letter to donors.

What length would you like the story to be?

Example: a paragraph, a page, or multiple pages in an annual report.

What sort of data do you have available that you can include?

Example: census data on the area you serve, compelling research, or narratives from program recipients.

Strong Visuals

Does the format of the story allow for you to include videos and pictures?

Example: a story for your website that you can incorporate many visuals into vs. a donor letter with less space and no room for videos.

What pictures or videos do you have that illustrate your cause?

Example: pictures of the area that you serve or videos of volunteers in action at a site.

Do you have a need for and the capability to design an infographic?

Example: if you have a lot of facts and figures to explore in your storytelling, an infographic can make it more easy to follow.

Why is Storytelling Important in Fundraising?

Successful nonprofit fundraising is based on artfully appealing to your supporters' empathy. When people have an emotional response and connection to a nonprofit's mission, they feel compelled to get involved.

Telling a story gives you the opportunity to elaborate on your mission and inspire supporters to volunteer, donate, and engage with your nonprofit.

Storytelling for nonprofits involves both highlighting the compelling need and communicating how taking action solves the issue. Showcasing how donors' support makes a true difference in accomplishing your mission makes them feel fulfilled in their efforts.

Storytelling can be used in each aspect of your fundraising initiatives, including:

Your overall digital presence (e.g., social media and websites that direct to your giving portal)

Grant writing

Annual campaigns

Peer-to-peer appeals

Events

How Do You Write a Nonprofit Story?

Here are five key steps to create a foundation for a good nonprofit story:

1. Understand Storytelling Basics:

‍What makes a story? Reviewing this National Story Network resource on the components of storytelling can help you get a good feel for how to tell stories in general.

2. Review Nonprofit Storytelling Examples:

‍ Spend some time looking over nonprofit storytelling examples to get inspiration. We have included a list of examples in the later sections of this article!

3. Decide on Your Goals:

‍ Once you get a good feel for how to tell a story, think about what your goals are for your particular story. It's important to understand what you are trying to accomplish before you begin writing.

4. Select and Create the Structure:

‍ Create an outline for your story. Refer back to your goals to make sure that each part of the outline is helping to further your goals for telling the story.

5. Collect and Select Visuals:

‍ Once you have your outline finished, collect and curate the visuals that will help further your story's message. You might even want to create visuals specifically tailored for the story you are telling.

Here's an awesome nonprofit storytelling worksheet by America's Charities that you can download to help guide your storytelling brainstorming:

21 Storytelling Tips for Nonprofits

1. Articulate Your Vision

One of the most compelling points of your nonprofit's mission is your vision of a better world. Highlight that vision in your storytelling as the ultimate goal of what you are working so hard to accomplish!

2. Appeal to Values

An excellent way to emotionally connect with your audience is to appeal to core human values like truth, peace, love, and honor. You can appeal to these core values by selecting community stories that illustrate them, such as a program participant's love for their family or the honor found in advocating for endangered species.

3. Use Real Life Examples of Your Work

Whenever you can, highlight real-life stories of your work and try not to rely too heavily on generic examples. Remember that this story is about your nonprofit and its impact first and foremost!

4. Identify a "Main Character"

In following the principles of storytelling, your story should focus on the journey of a "main character"-someone or something that has been impacted by your cause and your organization.

Remember that your main character can also be your nonprofit organization if you are telling a story of your impact.

5. Describe An Issue/Problem/Struggle

Conflict is a key part of storytelling. For your nonprofit, it is the "villain" that you are combatting-for example, climate change or food insecurity. Your "main character" should face this "villain" midway through your story.

6. Emphasize Your Successful Outcomes

Highlight your accomplishments with a particular focus on outcomes-measurable, tangible results that you have achieved in your target area of work. Tie that back to the issue/problem/struggle, and how you made a real impact on solving that issue for your main character.

7. Focus on Clarity in Your Writing

Be careful to stay focused on clarity in your storytelling-think of the quickest and clearest ways to make your point. Remembering your goals can help you stay on track. No one wants to read a story that is difficult to understand or follow.

8. Write to Appeal to Your Target Audience

Think about who your target audience is, and tailor your story to appeal to them. Emphasize the importance of volunteering if you are looking for volunteers; the importance of donations if you are looking for donors; and the importance of your work overall if it is a general story of impact of your nonprofit.

9. Incorporate Statistical Data Thoughtfully

Data can be a deeply compelling piece of your story, but be careful not to rely too heavily on facts and figures. Incorporate key pieces throughout your story as opposed to focusing solely on statistical data, which can be dry and lacking in emotional appeal.

10. Focus on Your Mission in Action

Storytelling for your nonprofit should always be built around your mission statement, focusing on what that mission looks like in action as you engage in your programs and initiatives. Telling your story is a chance to add detail to your concise mission statement.

11. Explore Changes That Have Happened Over Time

As you craft your story, consider the changes over time that your nonprofit has experienced. Highlight both key historical and recent milestones, and changes in your catchment area. Your focus should be on illustrating the importance of your work and the need for it to continue.

12. Simplify Complicated Subjects

When you write your story, keep in mind your audience's perspective in reading the content. Break down your more complex work into accessible concepts that your audience will be able to follow.

13. Write conversationally and naturally

As you're developing the content of your story, write in the same conversational way that you would speak to someone about your work. For example, if you are writing a story to include as part of a donation thank you letter, imagine that you are speaking to that donor face-to-face over a coffee.

14. Engage Specific Audiences

If there are details you can incorporate to appeal to the specific audience you are crafting the story for, highlight them! For example, if you are writing to your listserv of regular volunteers, emphasize key contributions that the volunteer team has made to the organization's mission throughout the year.

15. Invoke Imagery to Inspire Imagination

Add in descriptive adjectives and describe scenarios in deep detail. You want to leave your audience with imagery that sticks in their mind and inspires them. Paint the scene of what your community looks like, sounds like, and even smells or tastes like if you're doing something like community gardening!

16. Collect Stories from Program Leaders and Volunteers

To write narratives that are reflective of your work, tap your program leaders and volunteers to collect stories of both significant events and their day-to-day operations.

17. Avoid Jargon

Stay away from industry jargon and acronyms whenever possible. If you absolutely need to use them, provide a brief, easy to understand definition that makes the content accessible to your audience.

18. Update Stories Regularly

Your work is constantly scaling and evolving, and so should your stories! Create a system to ensure you are regularly updating your stories with current information.

19. Build A Storytelling Team

If your organization has the capacity, include storytelling as part of the regular duties assigned to key staff and volunteers. Have your team set time aside to capture narratives, take pictures and videos, and brainstorm ideas for storytelling.

20. Provide Links to Additional Information

When you are closing your story, provide an opportunity for the reader to find out more information. If you are closing with a call to action, make sure to clearly include the information they need to complete that action.

21. Proofread and Peer Edit

Lastly, remember to proofread your work! To create a professional-looking story, the grammar and syntax is critical. If you have a colleague who is available (or a member of your storytelling team!) have them take a look at your story and provide honest feedback.

Try 14-days free

11 Best Practices for Ethical Nonprofit Storytelling

A crucial concept to keep in mind when developing storytelling for your nonprofit is looking at your writing through an ethical lens. It is key to highlight your work without compromising trust, privacy, and other keystone values of your nonprofit.

Here's a list of tips for ethical storytelling for nonprofits to help you lead your storytelling with ethical best practices:

1. Lead With Your Clients' Best Interests First

When you are telling your organization's story, remember that the people and communities you serve are important above all else. If you lead with that consideration, the rest of these ethical tips will come easily.

2. Remember That Your Are in a Position of Power

As an organization serving vulnerable communities, remember that you are in a place of power and influence. When you collect information for your programs, remember that it should never be something that is contingent on individuals and communities receiving services.

3. Create and Implement a Digital Media Release Form

If your organization is working with people, create a release form that's incorporated into the intake process. This form should also be shared with staff, volunteers, and anyone who might be involved in the storytelling.

4. Ensure Informed Consent at All Times

Ensure that individuals fully understand the way their stories are being used. Remind anyone whose stories are being incorporated that they can withdraw consent at any time.

5. Engage Folks That Your Serve in the Storytelling Process

Invite your clientele and community to be involved in telling your nonprofit's story. Create space for them to share their ideas and input whenever possible.

6. Tell the Truth

Never exaggerate details for dramatic effect. Both your audience and the community that you serve deserve a real portrayal of your work.

7. Consider Compensating Individuals for Their Time

If you are gathering stories from those that you serve, consider compensating them for any extra time spent interviewing them.

8. Limit the Identifying Information You Collect

Only record information that you need to tell a compelling story about your organization's work. If it's not important to the success of your program, it's not information that you need to ask about.

9. Protect Privacy

Let your clients, volunteers, and staff decide how much information that they are comfortable sharing. Use pseudonyms when possible, and withdraw any other details at the individual's request.

10. Don't Reinforce Harmful Stigmas/Stereotypes

While you are crafting narratives as part of the storytelling process, create genuine portrayals of the people you serve. Be careful and considerate when selecting content.

11. If You Have Questions, Consult Experts

If you find yourself in an ethical gray area, do not move forward with incorporating information into your storytelling until you have carefully considered the implications and consulted experts as needed. Consider taking this nonprofit storytelling pledge from Ethical Storytelling and incorporating it into your organizational policies.

13 of the Best Nonprofit Storytelling Examples

Now that you have a toolkit of tips and best practices for nonprofit storytelling, here are some of the best nonprofit storytelling examples you can use to guide you as you craft your organizatin's story.

This is a short and sweet story for a donor appeal that shows how much can be said with just a few lines of text combined with an emotionally evocative picture. It has a well-described main character, a struggle, and impact statement geared towards a potential donor, as well as strategically placed buttons to allow the audience to complete the desired action.

The charity:water's story is probably one of the most widely known examples of successful nonprofit storytelling. Over the years, it has become the industry standard of what makes a stand-out nonprofit story.

You can see the emotional response that it evokes in their audience just by looking through the YouTube comment section. Their mission and vision focus on the essential human need of water, and on the incredible need that exists in the communities they work with.

The Centre for Community Organizations created this excellent video that follows a very classic story structure, following the journey of a main character (Iman) and her experience with racism and bias nonprofit organizations.

The video concludes with the Centre's vision for what the nonprofit community could be in the future. Their story's goal is to compel their audience to imagine a different world, and envision how the audience could be a part of that change. Looking in the comment section of the video, you can see that is exactly the experience that the viewers had.

This video follows the story of Debby Shore, one of the founders of Sasha Bruce Youthwork, a nonprofit organization dedicated to working with unhoused youth. Their story covers a few different topics, highlighting the journey of both leadership and clients, as well as touching on the need for ongoing support. This is a good model for a story in a video format.

The Advocates for Children of New Jersey tell a very clear and succinct story about why they do what they do in the first two sentences of their "Who We Are" section: "Children can't vote. They have no political influence. They can't tell our state leaders what they need. That's why we're here."

The introduction compels the audience to learn more about the organization that is doing empowering things for New Jersey kids.

Highlighting your grant-funded work is an important story to be able to tell. The Kentucky Nonprofit Network provides a clear and compelling "thank you" overview of their work, breaking down the sections of their grant project and corresponding story into easy to read sections that make the purpose clear to the target audience.

Robinhood tells their story on the front page of their website, using professional photography and graphics to spark interest to continue scrolling. The ultimate purpose of their storytelling ends at the bottom of their page with a call for donations, but they also provide opportunities to click through to other pages on their site.

Of note in their storytelling is their use of data and highlighting the huge amount of money they have contributed to the communities they serve.

Here's another great example of a quick, succinct story-the Center for Nonprofit Management highlights their vision, the main characters (nonprofits), the problem (lack of resources) and their solution (connecting nonprofits with the resources that they need).

CNM couples that hook with a video embedded right next to the text, so once they have the interest of their target audience, they have the immediate ability to learn more by playing the video.

The Malala Fund highlights their work by segmenting their catchment area and the unique challenges and solutions for each area. They provide compelling pictures and statistics that emphasize the text. The focus of this storytelling is to spread awareness of the issue of education in Brazil during the pandemic and how their programming addresses the issue.

The Literacy Lab created a really compelling story that explores the schedules of their tutors so you can see exactly what a day looks like for them. This is a great example of how to tell stories about your program staff in an engaging and accessible way.

BellXcel has an entire section of their website devoted to telling stories of the impact of their work. Take a look at how they explain terminology from their programs to make them accessible to a wide audience and at how they spotlight the students and teachers.

The SELCO Foundation has an approach to storytelling that is unique, strong, and prioritizes a great user experience when clicking through their program highlights. As you scroll through the page, the story literally unfolds in front of you, starting with the background and ending with how the SELCO Foundation helped with their built environment approach.

The Firelight Foundation explains their impact through a theory of change-the story of how their organization fulfills their mission and vision. Creating a graphic like this is an excellent tool for communicating the impact of what your organization is doing, and is a good place to start in storytelling if you are looking to communicate how your programs and services work together to enact change.

Additional Resources on Nonprofit Storytelling

Here are a few more resources you can use to continue to hone your storytelling skills and start creating!

1. How To Collect Your Stories

We've thoroughly explored how to tell your nonprofit story, but you might also be wondering how to collect them! Check out this nonprofit storytelling worksheet by J Campbell Social Marketing that can help you get in the right frame of mind to collect the information you need to tell your nonprofit's story. There are also some great webinars from Instrumentl that can speak to the nuances of storytelling, like putting together a logic model.

2. Digital Storytelling for Nonprofits

Looking for more information on how to tell stories in the digital space? This article by Nonprofit Tech for Good delves into what your digital storytelling ecosystem should look like to make sure that your stories reach your audience in the online realm.

3. Create Graphics to Tell Your Story

Specialized media like infographics and logic models can be an excellent way to tell your nonprofit's story. Check out this post from the Modern Nonprofit for ideas on data visualization.

4. Tell Your Story Using Videos

If the video storytelling examples we went over above inspired you and you want to put one together on your own, here's a how-to video with 34 tips and tricks by the media group What Took You So Long? What's cool about this resource is that the video provides video clip examples of what you should do in your own video.

Wrapping Up: Storytelling for Nonprofits

When you create a compelling story for your nonprofit, you engage your audience to support your cause. This includes the stakeholders that provide crucial support: volunteers, donors, and grantors.

Crafting an engrossing story is made easy by strategizing, outlining, and drawing inspiration from successful storytelling by other nonprofits. Now that you have the tools and resources that you need, go tell your nonprofit's awesome story!

Find Your Next Grant

17K Live Grants on Instrumentl

150+ Grants Added Weekly

Try 14-days free

Want to get better at grants?

Join 10K+ grant pros already receiving our 5-minute free newsletter, packed with grant strategies, networking events and new funding opportunities.

Get access to weekly advice and grant writing templates

10k+ grant writers have already subscribed

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Storytelling for Nonprofits: 45 Powerful Examples & Tips

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In this blog post, we will explore exactly what to do to tell your organization's story, delving into the most comprehensive list of 45 organizational storytelling examples and tips.

# data[].attributes.headline
NP: Why Nonprofits Need to Be Storytellers

# data[].attributes.subject
NP: Why Nonprofits Need to Be Storytellers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
To Andy Goodman, a nationally recognized author, speaker and consultant in the field of public interest communications, storytelling is integral to a nonprofit's ability to advance its mission. Stories can shape people; they can inspire them to think and act differently. Stories are what can connect your nonprofit's community, funders, beneficiaries, and employees with your cause and vision.

In this Q&A, Goodman discusses the importance of storytelling for nonprofits and how nonprofits and their leaders and staff can approach blending powerful stories with data to advance their organizations' missions.

Nonprofits need to influence behavior change across many different stakeholders. How can storytelling help them do this effectively?

Andy Goodman: The key words here are "influence behavior." Think about the way that your mind works. We have stories in our brains about how the world works. And they act like filters. They act like software. The stories tell us what facts to accept and what facts to reject. So whenever you're trying to influence someone's behavior, you have to ask yourself first, "What story is in their brain? What stories are they holding onto that make them behave the way they do? And if I want to change that, you need to ask yourself, "What new story can I give them?" (For a classic example, see the sidebar " Changing the Story in the Fight to Abolish the Death Penalty.")

Nonprofits today track all sorts of metrics that illustrate their effectiveness to stakeholders. Can data take the place of a story or be useful in telling it?

Goodman: It's not to say that nonprofits shouldn't bother with the evidence. It's that in the one-two punch of persuasion. The "one" is the story that gets people to pay attention to you for a second. And then you come in with a number two punch, which is the data that says, "And I've got more than one story to tell you. This one story I told you is illustrative of hundreds of stories, thousands of stories. Here are the numbers that back up what I'm saying."

What I find when working with nonprofits is often they've had it beat into them that they need the data. You must produce the evidence, the metrics, etc., to get that foundation grant. So they have the numbers. But what they don't realize is that in the act of persuasion, if somebody has a story in his or her head that says, "You know, I don't care about dropouts. My kids are through college. This is not my issue." And if you say to them, "Do you realize a child drops out every 26 seconds?" Their response is, "I don't care." So the numbers won't cut through. You've got to give them a story first that tells them, "This does matter to you. It does affect you. You have to respond to this, and here's the data that will further make the case."

What if you don't have compelling numbers but have the stories?

Goodman: You have to have a combination. The stories alone are not enough. People are wary of being conned, and I think people know that almost anybody can produce one good story to tug at the heart strings. So if you only have the stories, if you don't really have the data, you haven't done the due diligence. Ultimately if you're looking for serious investments in what you do, if you're looking for serious support, the serious evaluators will say, "Well, that's a wonderful story. Where's the data that shows me you have more than one story to be told?"

Will one story work for everyone?

Goodman: I don't know if Dr. Seuss ever said this, but if he didn't, he should have: People are people wherever you go. I think that human beings respond to stories: A well-told, authentic story will work with anybody, any culture, any age. It's just the nature of the game. But how you tell the story and the way you pitch a story does depend on the audience. I tell my clients that they have to ask, "Who am I talking to? And how am I going to tell them this story in a way that most resonates with them?" You always want to ask yourself, "Who's the audience? What matters to them? Now, in the story I'm going to tell them, how do I put that at the forefront?" You might tell the story from a different perspective. There might be a different protagonist in your story. There might be certain aspects of the story, certain values that you can emphasize because often contained within a story are lots of different people and different values and different angles.

Think of the story itself as gold. You mine the gold, capture the story. Then you bring it back to your office and you need to pound that gold into different shapes and sizes depending on whom you're talking to, or also where you're telling it. If you're telling it on the web, and it's a long story, you might want to do it in video or audio. If you're telling it in an annual report where you can have beautiful four-color pictures and text, now you have more tools to work with for a reader. If you're telling it orally, that's another style altogether. The story is the story, but how you tell it and who you tell it to is malleable. (For an example of storytelling to different audiences, see the sidebar " A Win-Win Partnership to Vaccinate More Children.")

How can nonprofits leverage different technologies to tell their stories in different ways?

Goodman: Step one is to become systematic about capturing and saving your stories. Either have people or systems in place that help you constantly look for these stories, and then once you get a story, someone should write it up in some standardized format and it should go into a story bank, whether it's a folder or a file on your website or whatever. It's a place to store these stories so that when someone calls up and says, "Oh, I've got a reporter asking about this city." Or, "I've got to testify in front of this legislature and I heard this great story," they know where to get it and because of various tags, they can find the story that they want.

Then there are all kinds of ways to use them. You just have to acknowledge that for every use there will be a slightly different version of the story. There are some places where it's got to be short and sweet. If you want to tell a story that takes more time to tell, and you can get someone for two or three minutes, then you may want to think about how the story will play as a video or as an audio podcast. If I'm going to tell the story in a presentation, I want to make sure I tell it in a vivid fashion so it's visual and people can picture it in their mind's eye. All of those things come into play.

As far as social media goes, Twitter is a great tool to use as a pointer. With 140 characters you can point somebody to a place where they can read or watch a story. Social media is mostly a way of pointing people to the stories that will live somewhere else.

How can you use stories internally with employees to help inspire their work?

Goodman: When I work with nonprofits, I teach them six categories of stories that I think every nonprofit should collect. [They are] part of what we call the "sacred bundle." Three categories are relevant here.

There's one category called value stories. Organizations will have their list of core values. You see that all the time and they're often the same: integrity, diversity, commitment to this, etc. It's a wonderful list of words, but you could put them on any website and say, "Here's our list of core values." What I ask organizations is, "Tell me stories of your people living and expressing those values in their work." If perseverance is a core value, tell me the perseverance story. Tell me a story about Carole and what she did that showed perseverance. Partnership a core value? Tell me the partnership story. Have these stories ready so that when people ask you about your organization's values, you can respond not with a list but with stories.

Another category is called the striving to improve stories. Lots of organizations will tell you, "We are a learning organization. We learn from our mistakes." Tell me a story that shows that. Tell me a story where somebody made a mistake but learned from it and did better next time. I think those are extremely healthy to have, because invariably when someone does screw up, you want to be able to throw your arm around his or her shoulder and say, "You know what? It happens. Carole made a similar mistake. Let me tell you the story about the mistake she made, how she learned from it, and how she did better next time because that's how we do it here."

Also, this might seem obvious, but another is the creation story: the 'how we started' story. I think that if you work for an organization, you should be able to answer the question, "Where did this organization come from? Who started it? When? Why?" Often in your nonprofit's history there's something about the spirit of the people who started the place and why they started it that may still inform your work today, and it's worth knowing about.

A classic example here is the Environmental Defense Fund. It was started by a small conservation group on Long Island who saw that the eggshells of ospreys were thinning and the birds were dying off. They thought, "This is bad. We love these birds. They're native to Long Island. They're beautiful. Why's this happening?" And so they started to pursue it and fought it all the way into court. They ultimately got a ban on DDT because of this curiosity and this issue.

That story is important because from that the organization was founded, but 35 years later when they went looking for a slogan for their organization, they came up with, "Finding the ways that work." That characterizes their very first victory up to their most recent victory. So to know EDF's history is to understand why it has the tagline it has today. And everyone who works there must know that story. I think that's true of every organization.

[These are crucial to organizational culture] because at the same time other stories can circulate that I call the profane bundle. Here's how they work: someone gets hired to work at an organization, he goes through the orientation meeting, and as he comes out an old timer throws an arm around his shoulder and says, "Let me tell you how things really work around here." Those are the negative stories; the cynical stories about the problems of an organization.

The point is that every organization has its stories, its internal stories, its internal lore. And if management doesn't consciously foster and spread the positive stories, the profane bundle will find its way in and take over. There's a cultural imperative to telling good cultural stories; not Pollyanna, rose-colored glasses stories, because you also tell the stories of the troubles, etc. But if you're a healthy organization, you have a good set of stories that say, "This is who we are. This is what we've struggled with. This is how we've gotten to where we are. This is where we're going."
In this excerpt from the interview, Andy Goodman shares a powerful example of how a whole new story told by advocates of abolishing the death penalty helped moved the needle on their cause.
For years in this country, 1960s, 70s, 80s, it was a tough go because the majority of Americans had a story in their heads that worked for them, and the story was one that goes back to the code of Hammurabi, "An eye for an eye. You kill somebody, you deserve to die." Just as simple as that. It just feels equitable deep in our bones. The people trying to abolish the death penalty tried data. They said, "Look at the numbers. Statistics prove that the death penalty is not a stronger deterrent than a life sentence. You can prove that with the numbers." Statistics prove that it's being enforced inequitably, more people of color being executed than white people. People would nod their heads, and they'd say, "Sorry. An eye for an eye. You kill somebody, you deserve to die."

Then they tried a new story and said, "It's immoral for a state to sanction killing. If you believe in the Ten Commandments, Thou shalt not kill, how can you believe in letting the state kill people?" To that, Americans replied, "You're right. It's immoral. Thou shalt not kill. But if you do, you still deserve to die."

Nothing worked until 1992 when the Innocence Project came along, and they started to tell a whole new story: There are people who have been convicted of murder, sentenced to death, and executed for their crimes who were later exonerated due to DNA evidence. We are making mistakes that can never be corrected because of this system. In other words, the story became innocent people have been killed due to this law, due to this system, and to that people couldn't simply shake their heads and say, "An eye for an eye," because now we were talking about cases where, metaphorically, the eye had not been taken.

We started to see a sea change. [According to a CNN poll] as of October of 2011, after years and years of advocacy and years and years of getting these stories out there, for the first time in the history of polling the number passed 50 percent of Americans who favor a life sentence over the death penalty. If you talked to people who work on this issue, they'll tell you that certainly the science advanced and we have more evidence. But it was the stories that got out through the media and through television and movies that told the stories of the wrongly accused and wrongly convicted that started to change the way people think.

To me, that's the most classic example where the only way to change how people think on a large scale is to dislodge the existing story in their head, and give them a new story that makes more sense to them.

In this excerpt from the interview, Andy Goodman shares an example of a nonprofit and a for-profit partnering to help vaccinate more children against maternal and neonatal tetanus. Both supported the goal of more vaccinations but had to appeal to different audiences to achieve it.

I just spoke at The Cause Marketing Forum. This was for both nonprofits and corporations who come together for cross-marketing campaigns. A classic success story I heard about was an effort between Procter and Gamble (P&G) and UNICEF to help pay for more vaccines against maternal and neonatal tetanus. So P&G came up with a campaign where for certain packages of Pampers® that you bought, the purchase price would also pay for one vaccine for a child in Africa to be vaccinated against tetanus.

From UNICEF's point of view, it's all about, "How do we protect more kids?" From P&G's point of view, yes, they certainly want to do that, too. But the main attraction for them, to be perfectly honest, was that when you go in the focus groups and talk to people about diapers, there are certain buyers out there, they call them Private Label Loyalists, who will just basically buy the cheapest diaper because they're on kid number two, three, or four. They know the kid's not going to drop dead depending on what diaper you give them. And they're basically shopping for price. So to them, it's all the same.

But in focus groups they said to them, "Well, hold on a second. Look at this package of Pampers. If you buy this, it'll pay for one vaccination to save one life in the third world. Would that make a difference to you?" And to that, these Private Label Loyalists said, "Yes," and that they would buy it. In fact, it became a hugely successful campaign that was rolled out in Western Europe and eventually went global because it sold more Pampers.

Now, that's a cause marketing success story. On UNICEF's side, it's about a partnership that helped them vaccinate more kids. On P&G's side it's about a way to sell more products that also does some good in the world. But depending on who's telling that story and who they're telling it to, it's either about saving kids or building brand loyalty. Same story.

Andy Goodman is a nationally recognized author, speaker and consultant in the field of public interest communications. Along with Storytelling as Best Practice , he is author of Why Bad Ads Happen to Good Causes and Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes . He also publishes a monthly journal, , to share best practices in the field.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
To Andy Goodman, a nationally recognized author, speaker and consultant in the field of public interest communications, storytelling is integral to a nonprofit’s ability to advance its mission. In this Q&A, he shares how nonprofits and their leaders can use stories to connect their communities, funders, beneficiaries, and employees with their causes and visions.

# data[].attributes.headline
NP: Nonprofit Storytelling - Why It Matters and How to Do It Effectively

# data[].attributes.subject
NP: Nonprofit Storytelling - Why It Matters and How to Do It Effectively

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
To explain the importance of nonprofit storytelling, let's begin with a story about a boy growing up in a gang-ridden community within an immigrant farming town in western Florida.

His name was Jonathan, and he attended the after-school program where I worked. I had the pleasure of getting to know him while I was organizing a project to build a playground in his community. Jonathan was a handsome 15-year-old, with a shaggy haircut and a shy smile. He was at a crossroads in his life.

Although Jonathan was passionate about music, he wasn't able to join the school band. Why? The school had already loaned out his instrument of choice - the trombone - to an older student. His Guatemalan parents, who didn't speak any English, certainly couldn't afford one.

When I shared Jonathan's story with the local media, not only did he receive a trombone through a donation, but the after-school program also benefited. New supporters got to learn how the nonprofit helped local teenagers develop healthy, life-enriching habits instead of getting scooped up by gangs.

For any nonprofit, storytelling is the secret to nonprofit email marketing, and the rest of their charity marketing strategy. It helps you to maintain and gain more supporters, volunteers, grants, donations, and media attention.

Relatable stories about real people can truly touch people's hearts and strengthen your organization's mission.

What is nonprofit storytelling?

You know the work you're doing is important, and it's making a difference. However, you aren't alone if you're struggling to explain exactly how.

There are two methods, and you should have a stockpile of information for both. They are:

Measurable statistics, or cold-hard facts

Impact stories, or heartwarming tales

First, it's crucial to collect measurable statistics that support your work. For example, I could share that Jonathan's grades improved during his years at the after-school program, but what if he's an anomaly?

Instead, I got permission from parents and the school district to collect report cards from all of the nonprofit's members. I was able to quickly share the percentage of students who maintained or improved their math and reading grades. This was measurable proof that demonstrated the academic focus of the program.

You should dovetail statistics like these with nonprofit storytelling in the form of impact stories. This means interviewing people who directly benefit from your programs to shed light on how their lives would be without your services.

The goal of these stories is to highlight the impact that you're having on your community, but on a micro-level that others can relate to.

Tips for effective impact stories

Everyone has a story, but few people are comfortable talking about their struggles. As a newspaper reporter for a decade, I was trained to talk with Jonathan and others. Here are some tips for crafting impactful stories:

Be patient and thorough

It can take time for people to relax when first sharing their personal stories. Start with the basic goal of helping them feel comfortable.

If they're anxious, talk to them about how their story will help support the program that has supported them. Schedule an adequate amount of time to interview them. Leave out last names if that's appropriate.

Focus on the details

Think about Jonathan's story again. You probably remember what instrument he wanted to play (the trombone) and where his parents were from (Guatemala). You probably even have an idea of what he looks like.

The more details you provide, the more others can relate to the subject of the story - and most importantly, the more they'll care. If you're like me, you wanted Jonathan to succeed and appreciate a program that fostered his success.

That's one way to get donors inspired.

Connect it back to your mission

Jonathan wasn't the only success story that I had ready to share.

I could tell you stories about Destiny, the chubby young girl with a lazy eye who would greet me with a hug every day. Her single mother worked multiple jobs to support the family. Destiny needed positive adult role models, and I was proud to be one.

I talked about Jonathan as a way of sharing the enriching programs at the nonprofit. I talked about Destiny to share the value of adult role models. With her story, I could integrate statistics about how children and teenagers grow into productive citizens by avoiding risk factors, like not having caring adults in their lives.

Always connect any nonprofit storytelling to the work that you do.

It's less about Jonathan or Destiny than it is about how they individually benefited from the mission of the after-school program.

There's no place where a nonprofit impact story shouldn't be. You can share your stories through:

A page on your website simply titled "Impact"

Email newsletters, which could feature a different story every month

Social media pages, including Facebook and Instagram

Videos, which you can include on your website homepage or as part of community presentations or virtual events

Consider this one step beyond a testimonial: Rather than having someone describe how they benefited directly, you can show your community how you helped.

You may discover that the people who have come to rely on your nonprofit will be more than happy to share their success if you've truly helped.

Whenever it's appropriate, include a photo of the person with the story. Of course, this isn't something you should do for sensitive situations. Create a photo release form that the person (or parent/guardian) can sign, so it's clear that you plan to use their likeness in your marketing efforts.

Examples of great nonprofit impact stories

Most national or international nonprofits have examples of impact stories on their website. If your agency does similar work to that of a larger nonprofit, check out how the organization does it. Then, focus on the people you're helping and see if you can create stories as well as these groups do:

Feeding America

If you care about children and hunger, you'll learn a lot from the nonprofit Feeding America.

Its website shares that a shocking 25% of children in households at risk for hunger must rely on hunger relief charities - before sharing the video story of Emily from Magna, Utah.

The story: Emily spends every afternoon at her local library, where she can benefit from a healthy snack. Emily's school lunch and her snack at the library comprise the only food she may eat on certain days.

ASPCA

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or the ASPCA, works to get animals adopted, spayed, and neutered.

The story: The organization would like you to meet Tony the American pit bull-terrier mix. This 5-year-old cutie is smart and eager to please. He loves playing tug-of-war and enjoys being around people. As a recent pet of the week, he's ready for a forever home.

By sharing his story, the ASPCA team just might help him find it.

Integrate stories with your marketing

Impact stories are important tools to integrate into your comprehensive marketing campaign. Ensure that you're implementing everything you can in order to increase donations to, and support for, your nonprofit.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Nonprofit Storytelling: Why It Matters and How to Do It Effectively | Constant Contact

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Do you have a story about how your agency helped someone? Nonprofit storytelling is an important way to gain donors and supporters for your agency.

# data[].attributes.headline
NP: Nonprofit Storytelling-The Quick & No-Nonsense Guide

# data[].attributes.subject
NP: Nonprofit Storytelling-The Quick & No-Nonsense Guide

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Nonprofit Storytelling: The Quick and No-Nonsense Guide

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Effective storytelling makes your nonprofit more memorable, helping you raise more. This guide offers everything you need to know about nonprofit storytelling.

# data[].attributes.headline
NP: Nonprofit Storytelling- 6 Reasons to Start Telling Great Stories

# data[].attributes.subject
NP: Nonprofit Storytelling- 6 Reasons to Start Telling Great Stories

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
There is an iconic episode of AMC's Mad Men when Don Draper gets the opportunity to pitch a marketing campaign to Kodak for its new slide projector. In his meeting with the Kodak bigwigs, Don uses his own family photographs to showcase the projector as a carousel - one that allows purchasers to move through time and wax nostalgic.

The pitch has a striking emotional effect on the room, forcing some of the characters to dig deep and reflect on relations with their own loved ones. And while yesteryear's slide projectors have been replaced by devices that can fit in one hand, the tenet of Don's winning pitch still holds true: A story told by visuals pulls at the heartstrings in a big way.

For nonprofits, telling your story - and empowering others to tell it on your behalf - is essential in building and sustaining critical connections with your community, volunteers, and donors. And these days - even more so than in the era of Don Draper - visual content MUST be part of the equation.

Six reasons to embrace nonprofit storytelling

Here are six reasons to embrace and integrate nonprofit storytelling into your marketing and fundraising efforts:

1. Storytelling humanizes the work you do

The United States is home to approximately 1.3 million charitable nonprofit organizations. People have plenty of options when deciding where to invest their time, money, and resources. From cancer support groups and animal rescues, to education and social justice initiatives, the nonprofit sector encompasses a wide range of causes.

Differentiation is key, and storytelling is the most effective way to do it.

In today's world, photo and video content has never been more important when it comes to sharing your impact with your target audiences. These visuals are no longer just "nice-to-haves," they are fundamental. Whether donors are giving $5 or $5 million, they want to know their contributions are making a difference - and as nonprofit leaders, it's your job to show them! Access these free 12 Months of Gratitude Canva Templates to get started making compelling content using your great stories.

2. Nonprofit storytelling empowers your advocates

When you're looking for a new dining experience, it's one thing to read on a restaurant's website that they're the number one Italian restaurant in the city. It's another - and much more telling - to read reviews from past patrons.

The same is true when it comes to companies selling products and nonprofits championing a cause. People want to hear directly from someone with first-hand experiences, which is more powerful than taking your word for it. Nonprofit leaders are among an organization's biggest cheerleaders, but empowering supporters - your staff, board members, program participants, volunteers, and donors - to tell your story is what will truly make a difference.

Nonprofit storytelling puts a spotlight on the people who have been most directly impacted by an organization's efforts, such as someone whose life has changed through volunteering, a student who was able to continue their education because of scholarship funds, or a cancer survivor who hopes to see funding for a cure. These are the impactful stories that leave the biggest mark.

3. Where the written word fails, photos & videos thrive

Have you ever found yourself struggling to find the right words to describe how something affected you? If so, you're certainly not alone. Despite our best efforts, there are times when text just doesn't cut it. In those cases, videos and photos can do the talking for us.

To demonstrate impact, nonprofits can no longer just tell, they need to show. Imagine an annual report that's just pages of text or a social media post about a fundraising event that doesn't include any pictures - neither one would be compelling. The stories you're sharing are more memorable with visuals to match.

The power of visual storytelling through graphic design can be a game-changer for your cause. Whether it's creating eye-catching social media posts, compelling donation campaigns, or impactful event materials, graphic design plays a crucial role in inspiring action. Explore these 5 Graphic Design Tips for Nonprofits to take your graphic design to the next level.

4. Stories stick with us

There's a reason your uncle has been telling the same story at every holiday gathering for the last 30 years. It's the same reason the stories you read to your kids are the same ones your parents read to you. Stories stick with us.

And we have the numbers to prove it! According to the Stanford Graduate School of Business, stories are remembered up to 22 times more than facts alone. While a potential donor may not know your exact mission, they will remember the video they saw telling the story of a local family experiencing job loss and food insecurity who found resources at your food pantry.

Facts, figures, and data have their value. But at the end of the day, real-life stories of your efforts in action are what resonate the most.

5. Nonprofit storytelling enhances transparency

Transparency is crucial in establishing trust with donors. Nonprofits must provide transparent information about how donated dollars and cents will be utilized effectively. When sharing these details, storytelling techniques can be employed to illustrate the journey from inception to completion, showcasing the impact of each step along the way.

Donors appreciate knowing how their contributions will make a difference, and transparency enhances their confidence in the organization, increasing the likelihood of their continued support. With donor retention rates hovering between 40% and 45%, communicating transparently is not something that can be ignored!

6. Great stories inspire action

At the end of the day, the goal of any nonprofit is to inspire people to act: donating, volunteering, signing a petition, contacting public officials, or attending an event. Storytelling is an incredible tool for getting people to remember your cause and to take it one step further and act. For nonprofits, storytelling is about creating emotional connections that move people to take action. And the people you inspire can be your nonprofit's next advocates, further spreading the word about the work you do.

Storytelling has the unique ability to connect with the people who care about your nonprofit's mission on an emotional level, helping them understand the impact of their contributions and inspiring them to support your cause. There is no time to waste, so start your nonprofit storytelling journey today!
Carly is the Marketing Manager at MemoryFox, and comes from the nonprofit world ready to elevate the hundreds of nonprofits in the MemoryFox community. She currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Wily Network's Young Professionals Association, and has previously held positions at numerous nonprofits with a wide range of missions and visions. During her time working for nonprofits, she has specialized in marketing, communications, and fundraising. Storytelling has been an integral part of each role.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Nonprofit storytelling: six reasons to start telling great stories

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For nonprofits, telling your story - and empowering others to tell it on your behalf - is essential in building and sustaining critical connections with your community, volunteers, and donors.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
An introduction to nonprofit storytelling

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Engage readers and move them to action with interactive visual narratives. Create marketing and awareness campaigns that drive donations and inspire change.

# data[].attributes.headline
NP: Practical Tips for Building Relationships with Nonprofit Funders

# data[].attributes.subject
NP: Practical Tips for Building Relationships with Nonprofit Funders

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Kate, Digital Communications Manager, Candid

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
4 practical tips for building relationships with nonprofit funders

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Candid Blog | Use these four tips to help you build relationships with nonprofit funders and increase the odds of gaining their support.

# data[].attributes.headline
NP: Importance of Building Relationships in Nonprofit Fundraising

# data[].attributes.subject
NP: Importance of Building Relationships in Nonprofit Fundraising

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The relationship between the donors and leadership, the donors and the board, fundraising team, volunteers, ultimately, the relationship between the donors and the mission. This relationship is strengthened by establishing trust and instilling confidence in the donors.

Donors want to know that their contributions are making a real impact and that the organization is using their funds effectively. By building a relationship with them, nonprofits can reassure donors that their money is going to a good cause. This leads to increased donations. When we have a direct line to our donors, we can call them up on the phone, we see them out throughout the week, they're involved in our mission on an active basis, we're able to ask them to support us more.

If they're engaged, they're hearing about their impact more, and that enables them to continue to invest knowing they can trust the organization to use their dollars wisely. As we continue to deepen the relationship, they will increase their donations in size as well. We want for donors to give annually, be engaged in a pledge for a larger gift, and to leave us in their will. Each of these steps happens with time, with trust, and with a healthy knowledge of the impact of their gift.

A few additional benefits of focusing on relational fundraising:

1. Word-of-Mouth Referrals: Happy and engaged donors are more likely to refer friends and family to the nonprofit organization. By building relationships, nonprofits can tap into this powerful marketing tool and expand their reach through word-of-mouth referrals.

2. Building Community: Donors who feel connected to a nonprofit are more likely to participate in events, volunteer their time and talents, and become ambassadors for the organization. By building relationships with donors and supporters, nonprofits can create a community of advocates who will help spread the word about the organization's work and support its mission.

3. Feedback and Insights: Donors who have a relationship with a nonprofit are more likely to provide valuable feedback and insights. They may have suggestions for new programs or improvements to existing ones. By listening to donors and incorporating their ideas, nonprofits can strengthen their programs and make a greater impact.

Building relationships is an essential part of nonprofit fundraising. When it comes to strengthening all giving levels within a philanthropy program, consider where your organization can expand your giving from transactional to transformational by making your relationships a priority.

Have more questions about building relationships in the nonprofit world? We can help! Send us a message and you can schedule a chat with one of our team members.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Importance of Building Relationships in Nonprofit Fundraising - PRIDE Philanthropy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Nonprofit organizations are dependent on donations and contributions to achieve their mission and make a difference in the world. To do so, they need to build strong relationships with donors and supporters. There is a clear difference between transactional donations and transformational donations a

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation supports human services, education, health, economic development, arts and culture, seniors, youth and entrepreneurs in Michigan.

The Berrien Community Foundation supports community development, nonprofit capacity building, education, arts and culture and human services in Michigan.

The Community Foundation of Greater Flint supports children and youth, access to healthy food, literacy, community development, racial healing and urgent relief for communities that have been dispoportionately affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan supports arts and culture, education, environment, health, civic affairs, human services and community development in the Detroit region of Michigan.

The Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation supports the arts, community needs and education in Michigan.

The Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation supports community, education, the arts, justice and leadership in Michigan.

The Douglas and Maria DeVos Foundation supports youth, families and community in the Grand Rapids area of Michigan.

The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation supports education, science, arts and culture and community life in Michigan.

The DTE Energy Foundation supports arts and culture, community transformation, economic progress, education, employment, the environment and human needs in Michigan.

The Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation supports Jewish causes, early childhood, arts and culture and impact investing in Michigan.

The Ford Motor Company Fund supports education, safe driving and community life in Michigan and around the world.

The Fremont Area Community Foundation supports community and economic development, education, poverty to prosperity, people with disabilities, health and youth in Michigan.

The General Motors Foundation supports STEM education, vehicle and road safety and community development. It also runs a separate initiative for Detroit, where it funds education, work and opportunity and community development.

The Irving S. Gilmore Foundation supports arts and culture, humanities, human services, education, community development and health and well-being in Michigan.

The Grand Rapids Community Foundation supports education, health, neighborhoods, engagement, prosperity and environment in Western Michigan.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Michigan Grants for Nonprofits | Funding | Inside Philanthropy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation supports human services, education, health, economic development, arts and culture, seniors, youth and entrepreneurs in Michigan.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Candid's Foundation Directory helps you find grants, decide if funders are a good match, and build your network. Since 90% of U.S. foundations do not have websites, the insights you need to find funders will not be discovered via standard search engines. You need up-to-date, in-depth information to reach the funders you want to support your mission.

Use the Foundation Directory when you sign up for Drop-In Work Day at Co.act Detroit!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Candid's Foundation Directory helps you find grants, decide if funders are a good match, and build your network. Since 90% of U.S. foundations do not have websites, the insights you need to find funders will not be discovered via standard search engines. You need up-to-date, in-depth information to reach the funders you want to support your mission.

# data[].attributes.headline
NP: Community Foundation of Southeast MI

# data[].attributes.subject
NP: Community Foundation of Southeast MI

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We seek to make strategic investments in the community, and look to partner with nonprofit organizations to help create enduring solutions to complex problems. Effecting change requires both passion and measured thought, and we work hard to find proposals that encompass both.

As we do our grantmaking, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan is also committed to honoring the intentions of our many donors and creating solutions that make everlasting positive impacts.
And above all else, we are keenly interested in what inspires you. We look forward to hearing your ideas for transforming our vision for a healthy and prosperous region into reality

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Community Foundation Grants and Endowments

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We seek to make strategic investments in the community, and look to partner with nonprofit organizations to help create enduring solutions to complex problems. Effecting change requires both passion and measured thought, and we work hard to find proposals that encompass both.

# data[].attributes.headline
NP: Michigan.GrantWatch.com (fees from $45/mo to $199/yr)

# data[].attributes.subject
NP: Michigan.GrantWatch.com (fees from $45/mo to $199/yr)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Grants to USA and Netherlands researchers associated with IHEs, publicly funded institutions, and laboratories to address sustainable food production systems. Applicants must submit a letter of intent prior to applying. Funding is intended to support programs addressin...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Michigan Grants for Nonprofits - GrantWatch

# data[].attributes.headline
March (Annually) Root & Shoots Project Grant

# data[].attributes.subject
March (Annually) Root & Shoots Project Grant

# data[].attributes.body
Basecamp grants are awarded on a rolling basis, which means you can apply any time between now and Nov 1, 2026! The sooner you apply the sooner you could receive the grant. APPLY: Now through Nov. 1, 2026

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We want to support the incredible work that you are doing in your community.

Young people, educators, individuals, and group leaders based in the U.S. are invited to apply for a $250 Roots & Shoots Project Grant to plan, start, support, or celebrate a community-action project!

The Spring 2024 grant application is open NOW though April 7th! Keep scrolling for more information and to access the application (look for the "Apply Here" button).

Who can apply?

Youth, educators, community groups/organizations, group leaders...any Roots & Shoots member who is interested in starting (or continuing) a community-action project to positively impact people, other animals, and/or the environment we all share.

To be eligible you must:

Reside in the United States.

Plan a project that takes place in the United States.

Be a registered member of Roots & Shoots (It's free! If you're not already a member, register today).

Start planning your R&S project now

Roots & Shoots projects thrive when young people take the lead in choosing, planning, and doing a community project.
Past successful Project Grant applications have shown how young people:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We want to support the incredible work that you are doing in your community. Young people, educators, individuals, and group...

# data[].attributes.headline
ASA Data Visualization Poster Competition for Grades K–12:

# data[].attributes.subject
ASA Data Visualization Poster Competition for Grades K–12:

# data[].attributes.body
Your poster must be uploaded by April 1.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The deadline for submitting posters is April 1.

The poster submission is now electronic with a new judging rubric. In addition to submitting your online entry form, you must upload a high-quality image or digitally created PDF file of your poster. Please ensure the image is high enough quality for all text and graphics to be read. Do not mail a physical poster. If submitting a digitally created poster (rather than a photo of a physical poster), please see the electronic poster tutorial.

To submit your poster, please use this entry form.

The ASA/NCTM Joint Committee on Curriculum in Statistics and Probability and the ASA's education department encourage students and their advisers to participate in its annual Data Visualization Poster Competition.

What is a data visualization poster? A data visualization poster is a display containing two or more related graphics that summarize a set of data, look at the data from different points of view, and answer specific questions about the data.

Rules

Students may work individually or in teams. For those in the K-3 category, there is no restriction on the size of the team. For other categories, the maximum number of students per team is four.

For teams with members from different grade levels, the highest grade determines the entry category.

Posters measure between 18 and 24 inches high and 24 and 30 inches wide.

You will upload a photo/image file of a physical poster or a PDF file of a digitally created poster.

If creating a digital poster, please follow the guidelines in the electronic poster tutorial.

Include the grade category and title of your poster in your file name.

Ensure the image/file is high enough quality that it can be zoomed in on and all text and graphics can be easily read.

Make sure the poster gives no information that identifies the team or school.

Each poster requires a separate online entry.

Posters must be the original design and creation of the entrant(s).

Computer graphics may be used.

Subject matter is the choice of the participant(s) or their classmates.

Brief supplementary information such as examples of original data, references for published data, brief descriptions of data collection procedures, and/or the purpose of the experiment may be provided in a text box in the online entry form. Do not copy and paste your actual data into the form. Please note this information might not be used in the judging, so make sure the main poster briefly provides sufficient information without being too text heavy (the updated judging criteria/rubric penalizes posters with too much text). Follow the evaluation criteria and judging rubric explained below.

Posters must be uploaded by April 1.

In submitting a poster, students agree the poster may be displayed at the ASA's Joint Statistical Meetings, featured in its publications, and included on its website.

Only first-, second-, and third-place winners and honorable mentions will be notified personally. The ASA will announce winners in August on its website.

Evaluation

Teachers and statisticians, whose decisions are final, will judge the posters on the following:

Overall Impact of the Display (Poster Design) - Poster design aspects, colors/patterns, grammar, spelling, dimensionality, readability, neatness

Formulate Statistical Investigative Questions - Statistical question that anticipates variability leads to productive investigations (GAISE* - Step 1)

Collect/Consider Data - How useful are the data for answering the statistical investigative question? (GAISE* - Step 2)

Appropriateness of the Data Visualizations - Visualizations address the statistical question

Creativity (Topic Is of Interest) - Who cares factor

* GAISE Four-step Investigative Process: 1. Formulate Questions; 2. Collect Data; 3. Analyze Data; 4. Interpret Results (see GAISE II Pre-K-12 Report)

The updated judging criteria/rubric rewards the student(s) who uses data visualizations to support their conclusions and penalizes the use of excessive text to describe what we are supposed to see in the graphics. The revised rubric is intended to guide the students in creating a poster that formulates a statistical investigative question, collects the data appropriate to answer their question, and supports their conclusion using data visualizations, rather than text. This poster should be driven by the data visualization's ability to support the student's conclusion/answer to their statistical question.

Prizes

First Prize
$300 and an electronic certificate

Second Prize
$200 and an electronic certificate

Third Prize
$100 and an electronic certificate

Honorable Mention
An electronic certificate

If the submission is a collaborative effort, the prize money will be divided equally.

Also, first-place winners in grades 4-12 will receive Texas Instruments graphing calculators.

Download a certificate of participation (PDF download).

Entry

Complete the online data visualization poster competition entry form.

You will upload a photo/image file of a physical poster or a PDF file of a digital poster below. Include the grade category and title of your poster in your file name. Please ensure the image is high enough quality that it can be zoomed in on and all text and graphics can be read. You will upload your poster file (image or PDF file) after you preview your entry information. Do not forget to upload your file before submitting your entry. Once you have previewed and submitted your entry information, the final screen will display your poster entry number and registration information.

Be sure the poster gives no information that identifies the team or school. A separate entry form must accompany each poster.

There is no entry fee.

Your poster must be uploaded by April 1.

Regional Data Visualization Poster Competitions

Students in an area in which a regional data visualization poster competition is available may submit their posters to their regional competition. Students outside the regional competition areas should submit their posters electronically to the ASA office following the entry instructions above. Information about regional poster competitions is available through the following websites:

Note: Due to COVID, not all regional competitions may be held this year. Please check the individual websites for more information.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
ASA Data Visualization Poster Competition for Grades K-12

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ASA Data Visualization Poster Competition for Grades K-12

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
THE 2024 BOOKMOBILE GRANT APPLICATION IS NOW AVAILABLE. PLEASE VISIT THE BOOKMOBILE GRANTS WEBPAGE.

Lois Lenski, children's book author and 1946 Newbery medalist for Strawberry Girl, had a life-long concern that all children have access to good books. Toward that end, the Foundation provides grants to bookmobile programs that serve

children from disadvantaged populations.

The Lois Lenski Covey Foundation awards grants to organizations that operate a lending bookmobile that travels into neighborhoods populated by underserved youth. The grants are for purchasing books published for young people preschool through grade 8. Bookmobiles operated by charitable [501(c)(3)] and other non-taxable agencies, including public libraries or schools, are eligible. The Foundation provides grants to organizations that serve economically or socially at-risk children, have limited book budgets, and demonstrate real need.

Grants range from $500 to $3000 and are specifically for book purchases, and cannot be used for administrative or operational uses.

SPECIAL NOTE TO THOSE INTERESTED IN GRANTS:

The LLCF no longer provides grants to schools, public libraries, or other libraries for the purchase of children's books, with the exception of bookmobiles. If you have been linked to our website by a grant listing service, please note that many of those services are not up-to-date with their information regarding the LLCF. Read the contents of our website carefully before completing a bookmobile grant application.

The bookmobile grant program provides grants for purchasing children's fiction or non-fiction books. The books are to be available for checkout by young people for pleasure reading or, perhaps, as a source of information for a school assignment. The library grant program DOES NOT provide grants for book distribution programs (book gift programs), atlases, dictionaries, basal readers or similar texts, workbooks or similar instructional tools, magazine subscriptions, or for textbooks or encyclopedias.

The LLCF bookmobile grant program provides grants for the purchase of books for children preschool through grade 8 [Early Reader books through Young Adult and Hi-Lo books].

Only organizations operating and serving areas within the United States, its territories, or commonwealths are eligible.

Grant awardees will be asked to return a brief questionnaire and to provide documentation of grant spending.

Our bookmobile grant cycle begins in February and ends in September.

Applications for library grants typically become available on this website on or around February 15th.

We will make every effort to evaluate applications within three months of receiving them.

The last grant within a given year will be awarded by October 30th. To be considered by that date, applications must be postmarked by September 1.

Applications postmarked after September 1 will be evaluated early the following year.

A link to a downloadable application is available at the Bookmobile Grant Application webpage. That webpage also provides detailed instructions for completing and sending the application.

Questions regarding the Foundation's bookmobile grant program may be emailed to bookmobile@loislenskicovey.org.

# data[].attributes.headline
Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST):

# data[].attributes.subject
Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST):

# data[].attributes.body
Not currently accepting proposals. This program is awaiting a new solicitation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
National Science Foundation

Directorate for Education and Human Resources
Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings

Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitter's local time):

August 12, 2022

August 11, 2023

August 09, 2024

Important Information And Revision Notes
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Innovating and migrating proposal preparation and submission capabilities from FastLane to Research.gov is part of the ongoing NSF information technology modernization efforts, as described in Important Notice No. 147. In support of these efforts, full research proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation must be prepared and submitted via Research.gov. Proposals also may continue to be submitted via use of Grants.gov.
REVISION NOTES

ITEST Solicitation-Specific Review Criteria are required of all proposals.

Required components for proposals in Section B of the Program Description are revised.

Project types are revised.

Any proposal submitted in response to this solicitation should be submitted in accordance with the revised NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) ( NSF 22-1), which is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after October 4, 2021.

Summary Of Program Requirements

General Information
Program Title:

Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST)

Synopsis of Program:

The economic prosperity and national security of the United States is reliant upon the nation's capacity to remain globally competitive in the technological and computational fields. The nation's competitiveness, however, is contingent upon its capacity to educate the next generation. Learning and teaching must be reimagined to better represent the diverse composition and perspective of our nation's people and be expanded to encompass all pathways for students to receive a high-quality STEM education. A highly proficient and diverse technological and computational STEM workforce is needed to advance new discoveries in science, engineering, and technology in the service of the nation. The ITEST program is one way NSF is responding to the challenge and opportunity to provide all students with equitable access to a STEM education related to the technical and scientific workforce.

ITEST is an applied research and development program with goals to advance the equitable and inclusive integration of technology in the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) from pre-kindergarten through high school. The program's objective is to support all students' acquisition of the foundational preparation in STEM disciplines. Preparation for the current and future workforce is increasingly dependent upon the application and use of technology and computing.

Proposed ITEST projects are expected to (1) engage students in technology-rich learning to develop disciplinary and/or transdisciplinary STEM content knowledge, including skills in data literacy and evidence-based decision-making and reasoning; (2) prioritize the full inclusion of groups who have been underrepresented and/or underserved, including but not limited to Blacks and African Americans, Alaska Natives, Hispanics and Latinos , Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Native Pacific Islanders, persons with disabilities, neurodiverse students, and women in the STEM and information and communication technologies (ICT) workforce; (3) motivate students to pursue appropriate education pathways to technology-rich careers; and (4) leverage strategic and community partnerships to expand education pathways in communities through public and private partnerships and collaborations.

ITEST supports three types of projects: (1) Exploring Theory and Design Principles (ETD); (2) Developing and Testing Innovations (DTI); and (3) Scaling, Expanding, and Iterating Innovations (SEI). ITEST also supports Synthesis and Conference/Workshop proposals. ITEST will support one 5-year resource center starting in FY23. All ITEST proposals must address how the proposed research and development project meets the ITEST program Pillars: 1) Innovative Use of Technologies in Learning and Teaching, 2) Partnerships for Career and Workforce Preparation, and 3) Strategies for Equity in STEM Education (Program Description, section A.). All proposals must also include high-quality research design, a section describing how the project meets the Solicitation-Specific Review Criteria and plans for project evaluation and dissemination of findings (Program Description, section B: Requirements for Research Proposals.)

Cognizant Program Officer(s): Please note that the following information is current at the time of publishing. See program website for any updates to the points of contact.
Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):

47.076 --- Education and Human Resources

Award Information

Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant or Continuing Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: 24 to 33

ITEST expects to fund between 24 and 33 awards per year depending on the type of proposal and funding level.

8 to 10 awards for Exploring Theory and Design Principles for Innovations (ETD) with durations up to three years and budgets up to $500,000;

8 to 10 awards for Developing and Testing Innovations (DTI) with durations up to four years and budgets up to $1,300,000;

3 to 5 awards for Scaling, Expanding, and Iterating Innovations (SEI) with durations up to five years and budgets up to $3,500,000;

2 to 4 awards for Syntheses with durations up to two years and budgets up to $400,000; and

2 to 3 awards for Conferences with durations of one year and budgets up to $100,000.

In addition, ITEST intends to fund one Resource Center with a duration up to five years and total funding up to $5,000,000 in FY 2023. This award will be made as a grant.

Anticipated Funding Amount: $25,000,000 to $30,000,000

NSF anticipates having approximately $25,000,000 to $30,000,000 available for the FY23 competition and approximately $25,000,000 to $30,000,000 each year thereafter.

Estimated program budget, number of awards and average award size/duration are subject to the availability of funds.

Eligibility Information
Who May Submit Proposals:

The categories of proposers eligible to submit proposals to the National Science Foundation are identified in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), Chapter I.E. Unaffiliated individuals are not eligible to submit proposals in response to this solicitation.

Who May Serve as PI:

There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:

There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or co-PI:

There are no restrictions or limits.

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions
A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Letters of Intent: Not required

Preliminary Proposal Submission: Not required
B. Budgetary Information C. Due Dates
Proposal Review Information Criteria
Merit Review Criteria:
National Science Board approved criteria. Additional merit review criteria apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

Award Administration Information
Award Conditions:
Standard NSF award conditions apply.
Reporting Requirements:
Additional reporting requirements apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

I. Introduction

The world is experiencing rapid acceleration in the development of new information and communication technologies (ICT). The convergence of both technological and computational advancement has led to the transformative emergence of artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, robotics, and transdisciplinary research across the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The economic prosperity and national security of the United States is reliant upon our capacity to remain competitive in these and continuously evolving technological and computational fields. Remaining competitive, however, is contingent upon our nation's capacity to educate students in the skills and expertise needed to conceptualize and develop the next generation of technological and computational innovation.

To strengthen the competitiveness of the STEM and computational U.S. workforce, learning and teaching must be reimagined to better represent the diverse cultural composition and perspective of our nation's people, and be expanded to encompass all pathways for students to receive an equitable, high-quality STEM education that includes learning with technology and applying computing to technical problem-solving. Widespread inequality in education and lack of access to technology isleaving too many students unable to participate in, or contribute to, the nation's critical technical and computational infrastructure. As a result, the nation's workforce is unprepared to solve the most pressing scientific and technical problems of our time-affecting not only our nation's competitiveness, but its national security. In the Biennial Report to Congress (2019-2020) the Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering (CEOSE) suggests "diverse perspectives are necessary for solving critical scientific and social challenges, such as disease, hunger, poverty, safety and security. Yet, statistics show relatively little diversity in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics necessary to solve those issues." The ITEST program, mandated by Congress by the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-first Century Act of 2000, is one way in which the National Science Foundation (NSF) is responding to the challenge and opportunity to address inequities in STEM education related to the technological and computational workforce.

The overarching vision of the ITEST program is to support applied research and development that provides pre-kindergarten to high school students with equitable and inclusive access to robust, rigorous, and effective learning opportunities using technology integral to a high-quality education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Three core ITEST Pillars ( Innovative Use of Technologies in Learning and Teaching, Partnerships for Career and Workforce Preparation, and Strategies for Equity in STEM Education) frame the opportunities for all students to acquire the foundational preparation in fields aligned with the technological and computational workforce, including students in underserved regions and Tribal Nations where access to technology and virtual learning remains a substantial challenge. Students emerging from their STEM education with proficiency in emerging technological and computational fields will find increasing career opportunities (Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections, 2021).

Proposed ITEST projects are expected to (1) engage students in technology-rich learning to develop disciplinary and/or transdisciplinary STEM content knowledge, including skills in data literacy and evidence-based decision-making and reasoning; (2) prioritize the full inclusion of groups who have been underrepresented and/or underserved, including but not limited to Blacks and African Americans, Alaska Natives, Hispanics and Latinos, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Native Pacific Islanders, persons with disabilities, neurodiverse students, and women in the STEM/ICT workforce; (3) motivate students to pursue appropriate education pathways to technology-rich careers; and (4) leverage strategic and community partnerships to expand education pathways in communities through public and private partnerships and collaborations.

[1] National Science Foundation (2020). Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering (CEOSE) Biennial Report to Congress: Making Visible the Invisible--Bold Leadership Actions. Retrieved from: CEOSE | 2019-2020 Biennial Report to Congress (nsf.gov)

[2] American Competitiveness in the Twenty-first Century Act of 2000. AICA PL 106-313 PUBLIC LAW 106-313-OCT. 17, 2000. Retrieved from: https://www.congress.gov/106/plaws/publ313/PLAW-106publ313.pdf Section 110

II. Program Description

The following three ITEST Pillars are the core intellectual foci of the ITEST program. In aggregate, these Pillars advance the solicitation's career and workforce objectives. Each Pillar is required to be presented in all proposals. The perspectives, issues, and elements discussed under each Pillar are for consideration by investigators within the context of the proposed research and development.
A. ITEST Pillars Pillar 1. Innovative Use of Technologies in Learning and Teaching
ITEST requires that proposed activities engage students and/or informal learners in the use of technologies that will support acquisition of the foundational preparation in STEM and information and communication technologies.

When responding to this Pillar, consideration should be given to how specific disciplinary concepts will be taught, such as how the proposed technology will be used to improve or deepen students' conceptual and disciplinary understanding, critical thinking skills, development of competencies in computing, computational thinking, data literacy, and evidence-based decision-making and reasoning. It is not sufficient for students to gain only experience in how to use technology. Students need to learn the creative ideas and STEM knowledge behind technology, such as the highly creative application of artificial intelligence used to solve scientific and social problems for the benefit of society or Quantum information science (QIS) as a new field of science and technology. When addressing more than one STEM discipline, as in transdisciplinary learning, discussion of the research on integrative teaching and learning processes is an important consideration.

The following details are considerations for clear descriptions of this required Pillar:

Discuss the key design features of the interventional technology, including grounding in relevant scholarly literatures and/or evidence from practice; how the intervention provides innovative STEM learning experience with age and grade appropriateness, and contributes to broadening participation of students underrepresented and/or underserved in STEM; how the learning process itself will be studied to understand how and under what conditions the technology may have an effect on students' STEM learning.

Discuss how students' engagement with the proposed technology-infused disciplinary or transdisciplinary learning activities will strengthen disciplinary knowledge, skills, and dispositions in one or more disciplinary areas; explain the measures for cognitive outcomes (such as changes in knowledge) and social or affective outcomes (such as changes in motivation, engagement, interest, dispositions, or attitudes) and how they are appropriate for participants.

Discuss any professional development of PreK-12 teachers or other relevant educators in the use of technology in the classroom or informal settings for STEM learning; the ways in which the technology will be designed specifically for teaching, and/or integrated within a curriculum, including discussion of specific research methods for understanding how the professional development activity for teachers will ultimately demonstrate an effect on their students' disciplinary understanding and skills in STEM/ICT.

Pillar 2. Partnerships for Career and Workforce Preparation
Core to this Pillar is the call for investigators to work with community stakeholders to identify and define opportunities for proposed research to support students' awareness and preparation for careers in the technological and computational workforce.

Opportunities, such as entrepreneurship, apprenticeships, externships, internships, and mentoring can promote or support students' STEM engagement and interest in STEM/ICT careers. Community stakeholders may include, but are not limited to, neighborhood or community groups, nonprofit or philanthropic organizations, businesses, libraries, museums, educational institutions, and other agencies.

The voices, knowledge, and experiences of individuals who have been underrepresented and/or underserved in STEM should be considered to play a key role at the center of strategic partnerships, collaborations, and career guidance to ensure that students have full and equitable opportunities to prepare for the future workforce. Such community-based strategies include, for example: project leadership, research positions, conceptualization of the partnership, decision-making processes, and interpretation and dissemination of evidence and research results.

The following details are considerations for clear descriptions of this required Pillar:

Describe how partnerships will strengthen existing collaborations and/or develop new connections between educational institutions, employers, and their communities; how will opportunities, such as entrepreneurship, apprenticeships, externships, internships, and mentoring promote or support students' STEM engagement and interest in STEM/ICT careers. Specify how partnerships directly engage students, parents, and/or teachers in STEM career-based learning experiences, as is age-appropriate and may capitalize on formal and/or informal learning contexts to support academic learning.

Discuss partnerships led by, or that actively incorporate the values and diverse perspectives of individuals from groups that are underrepresented and/or underserved in the technological and computational fields.

Successfully sustaining a partnership requires trust to identify and negotiate differences between policies and culture. Discuss the collaborative theory of action, how it is being implemented, and the ways in which the partnership will benefit students, educators, and strategic partners, such as schools, industries, and professional organizations.

Pillar 3. Strategies for Equity in STEM Education
"The goal of broadening participation is not only an issue of fairness and equal opportunity but is the means of bringing diversity and intellectual breadth to the transformation of science itself." (NSF GPRA Report 2009 and in CEOSE 2011-2012).

The ITEST program seeks to advance NSF's vision of STEM inclusivity by leveraging diversity of intellectual and cultural perspectives to meet the goal of a fully inclusive and fully diverse STEM workforce. Ensuring equity and strengthening access and inclusion for the diverse groups of PreK-12 learners who are underrepresented and/or underserved in STEM fields is fundamental to broadening participation in the high-quality careers and high-paying jobs in the technological and computational STEM workforce. Exclusion from participation diminishes the nation's capacity for creative and innovative scientific discovery, including new technologies and advances in computing capacity that the U.S. depends upon for global economic competitiveness.

The following details are considerations for clear descriptions of this required Pillar:

Discuss specific strategies for including participants from underrepresented and/or underserved groups. In this solicitation underrepresented and underserved groups in STEM fields include, but not limited to, Blacks and African Americans, Alaska Natives, Hispanics and Latinos, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Native Pacific Islanders, persons with disabilities, persons from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, women, and individuals or representatives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) communities.

Discuss strategies needed to overcome any challenges and inequities that exist in areas of practice or organizational culture/climate that have affected participants' inclusion in the STEM enterprise.

Discuss how strategies and approaches might be advancing educators teaching in communities with high populations of underrepresented and underserved students in STEM.

Discuss explicit strategies for addressing or accommodating the specific characteristics and needs of all targeted underrepresented and/or underserved participants.

B. Research Project Types and Requirements
ITEST proposals must advance the goals of increasing student knowledge of, and interest in, STEM and ICT careers as well as the development of STEM / ICT knowledge and skills required for pursuit of those careers. Proposals should clearly identify the specific age- and grade-appropriate STEM disciplinary concepts and educational practices that will be addressed. There is no expectation that proposals will address all disciplines included in STEM but may engage students or teachers in more than one discipline or as part of an integrated STEM curriculum.
B1. Project Types
ITEST supports three types of applied research and development projects, as well as synthesis studies and conferences/workshops. The amount of funding and duration requested in proposals submitted to the ITEST solicitation should align with the maturity of the proposed work and the size and scope of the empirical effort.
Exploring Theory and Design Principles (ETD)
ETD projects describe and explore extant conditions and factors in the field intended to increase students' (and educators') STEM knowledge and motivation, participation, persistence, confidence, and resilience in STEM and ICT fields. ETD studies build core knowledge, interrelated theory, design principles and methods. Successful ETD proposals demonstrate strong potential to yield a preliminary theoretical framework, prototype or design principles, methods or features that increase STEM knowledge, and knowledge and interest in STEM and ICT careers among PreK- 12 students in formal and informal settings, particularly students from underserved and/or underrepresented populations. This project type is appropriate for projects in the conceptualization and planning phase with the goal of developing proof of concept.
Up to three years, up to $500,000 Developing and Testing Innovations (DTI)
DTI projects draw on existing theory and evidence to design and iteratively develop interventions, including testing individual intervention components, to provide feedback in the development process. DTI proposals involve designing a theoretically driven innovation, pilot-testing or implementing the innovation and analyzing its outcomes. DTI studies focus on direct engagement with students and educators and assessment of student outcomes relevant to ITEST's primary goals of increasing student knowledge of, and interest in STEM and ICT careers as well as the development of STEM / ICT knowledge and skills required for pursuit of those careers. Results from DTI studies should inform the project's guiding theory of change and may lead to additional work to better understand the guiding theory. DTI projects may also indicate that the intervention is sufficiently promising to warrant large-scale testing, and expansion or iteration of innovations. DTI projects must be clear on the guiding theory of change, logic model, or other rationale for the relationship between its proposed activities and anticipated outcomes.

DTI implementation involves all students in underserved and or underrepresented student populations in PreK-12 formal or informal settings. Research on implementation should explicitly attend to the ways in which the design principles or features of the innovation capitalize on the strengths and challenges that participating student populations bring to the learning environments and how the design principles or project features are expected to influence student knowledge of and interest in STEM and ICT careers.
Up to four years, up to $1,300,000 Scaling, Expanding, and Iterating Innovations (SEI)
SEI studies are designed to build on and expand an existing innovation that has evidence of success (including DTI projects or similar innovations previously developed within or outside of the ITEST portfolio). SEI projects (a) broaden the implementation and research of an innovation at a significant scale of five to ten times greater than the original implementation. (b) extend an innovation to different student populations, regions of the country, grade levels or ages of students with varying skills, and educators' capacities in PreK-12 formal and informal settings; (c) examine issues of transferability and generalizability and the factors that support or inhibit scaling; and (d) assess cognitive and social-emotional student outcomes and measure student STEM knowledge and whether students continue to pursue further STEM and ICT education or careers.
Up to five years, up to $3,500,000 Synthesis Studies
Synthesis proposals should focus on a question, issue, or topic of critical importance to the ITEST program's pillars. ITEST supports various types of syntheses including literature reviews, qualitative meta-syntheses, and meta-analyses focused on effective technology-based models, efforts to advance students' interest in or awareness of STEM and ICT careers in PreK-12 STEM learning environments, and measurement of cognitive and social-emotional student outcomes in relation to STEM learning and learning environments. Synthesis studies are expected to generate products usable by researchers and practitioners and indicate how the products serve the ITEST program goals. The goals, potential outcomes and dissemination plan for the proposed work should be emphasized. Synthesis proposals must demonstrate a command of the literature or topic to be addressed in both breadth and depth. They should also strive to present the current state of knowledge in the area of interest and highlight issues for future research. Synthesis proposals should explain and justify the methodological approach (e.g., meta-analysis or meta-synthesis), and should outline the systematic steps that will be taken regarding literature identification and decision points (e.g., identifying inclusion and exclusion criteria and outcome measures of interest).

Investigators interested in Synthesis proposals are strongly encouraged to contact a program officer prior to submission to discuss proposal idea(s).

Up to two years, up to $400,000
Conference or Workshop Projects
ITEST supports conference or workshop projects aimed at advancing the ITEST program goals, objectives and pillars as described in this solicitation. All proposals in this category should address the need for the work, why it is timely, and the expected contributions to understanding or advancing the question, issue, or topic. Proposals must demonstrate command of the literature and the challenges and opportunities related to current practice of the topic selected. They must also describe the expertise and selection criteria of participants, include a conceptual framework, a draft agenda, the expected outcomes or products resulting from the conference or workshop activities. Finally, all conference/workshop proposals should discuss how these outcomes will be useful and disseminated to the research and practitioner communities and the broader public. Conference or workshop proposals may be submitted anytime during the year and reviewed accordingly. Proposers should contact a program officer prior to submission to discuss their ideas. For general guidance, follow the PAPPG guidance for preparing Conference Proposals (PAPPG II.E.9). The "Conference" type of proposal should be selected in Research.gov or Grants.gov.
Up to one year, up to $100,000 B2. High-Quality Research Plans, excluding Synthesis and Conference/Workshops
ITEST research and development proposals (i.e., ETD, DTI and SEI projects) must include objectives of frontier educational and societal importance, sound literature reviews, clearly formulated research questions and research designs, and valid and reliable measurement instruments (or plans to develop such instruments). Appropriate data collection and analysis methods that contribute to high-quality evidence-based projects are also required. ITEST proposals must outline a research plan explaining how the project will fulfill its short- and long-term aims. Moreover, projects should focus on ensuring that these elements of the proposal align into a coherent framework.

Students / PreK-12 learners are required participants. Projects proposing teacher professional development are required to address how student outcomes will be examined in relation to educator learning outcomes or learning processes. Research measures should attend to cognitive processes and outcomes (such as changes in knowledge required for STEM and ICT domains and careers), and social-emotional facets of learning (such as changes in motivation, engagement, interest, dispositions, or attitudes towards STEM and ICT careers) for individual and groups of students.

Consistent with the NSF Merit Review Criteria of Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts, research plans should aim to advance scholarly literatures and promote understanding of the context-specific factors that influence the impacts of designed innovations. Research can be framed as design-based with both practical and theoretical implications. ITEST proposals can include a variety of research designs and methodologies but must include the following four components: (1) a high-quality research plan, including selection of a project type that is aligned to the proposal's aims, (2) a description of how the proposal addresses ITEST's solicitation-specific criteria, (3) a project evaluation plan, and (4) a dissemination plan.

The following details are required of all research plans:

Research questions that are appropriately framed and motivated by scholarly literatures relevant to STEM learning, teaching, student interest in and awareness of STEM / ICT careers, broadening participation, innovative uses of technology, and/or strategic partnerships.

Research questions that are theory-oriented and enhance the ability to explain the relation between the proposal's design and the anticipated outcomes.

Specific plans for collecting quantitative and/or qualitative data that can inform the research questions. Such data may include but are not limited to cognitive and social-emotional outcomes, mediating factors (e.g., patterns of engagement, discussion, and affect), characteristics of participants, features of the innovative technologies, and participants' interactions with them.

Well-defined analytical methods appropriate for drawing inferences from the collected data to address the research questions.

A description of the research team's roles and expertise including their qualifications for working with the target student population and other research participants.

B3. Solicitation Specific Review Criteria
Consistent with Pillar 3 ( Strategies for Equity in STEM Education),all ITEST proposals are required to address the Solicitation Specific Review Criteria identified below. Proposers must address these four questions within the project description with appropriate headings:

1. To what extent does the proposal include explicit and adequate strategies for recruiting and selecting participants from underserved and underrepresented populations in STEM professions, careers, or education pathways?

2. To what extent does the proposal describe approaches to address diversity, access, equity, and inclusion in PreK-12 learning environments to ensure that all students, particularly those from underserved and underrepresented populations, actively engage with STEM disciplines and fields that stimulate effective instruction and learning?

3. To what extent does the proposal describe specific research-informed instructional approaches to build on the strengths and challenges that students and their educators bring to classrooms and informal learning environments, particularly with students from underserved and underrepresented populations in STEM fields?

4. To what extent does the proposal explain how planned innovations with the technology are developmentally and age-appropriate for students and suited for the specific populations of students and educators from underserved and underrepresented student populations?

In addressing the solicitation-specific review criteria, ITEST especially welcomes proposals that will pair well with the efforts of NSF Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES) to develop STEM talent from all sectors and groups in our society. Collaborations are encouraged between ITEST proposals and existing NSF INCLUDES projects, provided the collaboration strengthens both projects.
B4. Project Evaluation
ITEST proposals must include a project evaluation plan that details the mechanisms that will be used to assess the project's success in developing students' STEM knowledge and their knowledge of and interest in STEM and ICT careers. The evaluation plan should describe the steps that will effectively provide feedback on all aspects of the work both formatively and summatively. Evaluation plans can involve an external Advisory Board and/or a formal external evaluation, depending on the project's aims and scope of work.

Formative evaluation is often designed to document the extent to which project activities are being carried out as intended and to provide information on interim outcomes. Such information allows the project team not only to assess success over the course of the project, but also to make mid-course corrections iteratively to improve the project. Summative evaluation activities typically focus on documenting the final outcomes achieved and the extent to which these are in line with the original goals of the project. Evidence from ongoing evaluative activities may provide valuable insights into any discrepancies between stated and achieved outcomes.

The following details are essential for clear descriptions of a project evaluation plan:

Identification of the mechanisms for providing independent oversight and review of these activities (e.g., an independent, third-party evaluator or an external advisory board).

Articulation of evaluation questions relevant to the project's scope of work.

Delineation of the activities and data that will be used to gather evidence that informs the evaluation questions and identification of the project staff who will be responsible for gathering this evidence.

Description of how the project plans to use the evaluation evidence, including how feedback will be shared, with whom (e.g., project leadership, external advisors), and for what purpose (e.g., to inform ongoing project management, to supplement research findings and contribute to the generation of knowledge).

Inclusion of project evaluation activities in the project timeline.

B5. Dissemination of Findings
ITEST proposals are required to include a communication strategy for reaching broad audiences, including scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and the public. While the potential results of the proposed research are expected to be of sufficient quality and significance to merit peer-reviewed publications, approaches that reach broader audiences are also expected.

The following details are essential for clear descriptions of this component:

Key elements of the communication plan, such as target audiences and the channels, media, or technologies appropriate for reaching specific audiences.

Dissemination strategies that reach audiences that are appropriate to the strategic partnership, in addition to scholars reached through publications and presentations in conferences and other similar environments.

C. ITEST Resource Center
ITEST intends to fund one Resource Center in FY 2023 to build a community of educational researchers and practitioners consistent with the purpose of ITEST. An important aim of the resource center will be to foster a community of research and practice that is framed around the NSF's current and emerging priorities. The Center is expected to provide technical support for all ITEST active and prospective PIs and partners, facilitate dissemination of awards' outcomes, convene PI meetings, advance the mission of broadening participation in STEM and ICT careers and career education pathways, and respond to the needs of the ITEST program. The size of the request should be appropriate to the scope of work proposed. The "Center" type of proposal should be selected in Research.gov or Grants.gov.

The Resource Center is expected to advance the goals of ITEST through (a) capacity building and technical support that facilitates ITEST projects' success and articulates innovative models for STEM learning environments; (b) synthesizing and disseminating ITEST projects' findings nationally to inform the national STEM education fields; and (c) conducting outreach to broaden participation from the ITEST and NSF communities, as well as from states, organizations, and higher education institutions not currently represented in the ITEST portfolio. Expectations for the Resource Center are outlined below.
Up to five years, up to $5,000,000
C1. Capacity Building: The ITEST Resource Center is expected to build the capacity of the ITEST community to develop and execute innovative research and development projects consistent with ITEST's goals. This work includes facilitating discussions across a network of active and potential ITEST projects through appropriate means to facilitate the development of a broader and better-connected research and development community.

C2. Technical Support: The ITEST Resource Center is expected to provide technical support to facilitate ITEST projects' success in developing and articulating innovations that strengthen student knowledge of, and interest in, STEM and ICT careers as well as the development of STEM / ICT knowledge and skills required for pursuit of those careers. Support activities can include but are not limited to, providing short-term online or blended professional development courses and workshops for educators, facilitating the emergence and development of communities of practice, identifying promising practices and resources (both print and digital) that may help projects in achieving their goals, and assisting prospective PIs with access to information about ITEST outcomes and resources.

C3. Synthesis and Dissemination: The ITEST Resource Center is expected to synthesize and disseminate ITEST projects' findings nationally to inform and influence the community of stakeholders. This work includes conducting a comprehensive analysis of the ITEST portfolio for internal and external stakeholders annually and as needed. It also includes implementing a comprehensive dissemination plan to communicate ITEST outcomes and resources to formal and informal STEM education professional organizations, industry and policy stakeholders, and STEM education research communities about the significant unique contributions of ITEST projects to the field.

C4. Broadening Participation in the ITEST PI Community: The ITEST Resource Center is expected to conduct outreach efforts to broaden participation in the ITEST community. Specifically, the Resource Center should seek individuals from organizations and communities underrepresented or not currently represented in the ITEST portfolio and facilitate increased participation in STEM workforce development through expansion of the ITEST portfolio to underrepresented geographic regions, community types (e.g., rural, suburban, or urban), and institutions (e.g., minority-serving institutions, community colleges, school districts, or formal and informal learning centers).

C5. Responding to the Needs of the ITEST Program: The Center is expected to collaborate with other EHR-supported resource centers. Collaboration among resource centers is necessary to broaden awareness of the various funding programs and resources in STEM education and promote synergistic efforts to advance the knowledge base and broader participation in STEM education. The Center is also expected to host annual ITEST Awardee Meetings.

The lead institution of the ITEST Resource Center is expected to demonstrate the capacity to plan, develop, and manage a national center that provides technical support to a diverse portfolio of projects. The lead institution should have proven expertise in STEM and ICT, formal and informal STEM education, and capacity building of STEM educators and researchers. The lead institution and any identified partners should also show expertise in relation to the ITEST program pillars.

NSF intends to ensure systematic communication and participation between NSF and the potential ITEST Resource Center awardee, including annual assessment of progress and implementation of necessary modifications.
D. Relevant References
Broadening Participation in America's STEM Workforce. Retrieved from: https://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/activities/ceose/reports/2011-2012-ceose-biennial-report-508.pdf.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2017). Building America's skilled technical workforce. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Retrieved from: https://www.nap.edu/read/23472/chapter/1.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2018). Measuring the 21st century science and engineering workforce population: Evolving needs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Retrieved from: https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/24968/chapter/1.

National Q-12 Education Partnership. (2021). QIS Key Concepts for Early Learners: K-12 Framework. Retrieved from: https://q12education.org/learning-materials/framework

National Science Board. (2018). Our nation's future competitiveness relies on building a STEM-capable U.S. workforce: A policy companion statement to Science and Engineering Indicators 2018. Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation. Retrieved from: https://www.nsf.gov/nsb/sei/companion-brief/NSB-2018-7.pdf.

National Science Board. (2020). NSB Statement on Racism in Science and Engineering. Retrieved from: https://www.nsf.gov/nsb/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=300730

National Science Board. (2020). Vision 2030. (NSB-2020-15). Retrieved from: https://www.nsf.gov/nsb/publications/vision2030.pdf.

National Science Foundation (2013). Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering (CEOSE) 2011-2012 Biennial Report to Congress: Broadening Participation in America's STEM Workforce.

National Science Foundation (2020). Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering (CEOSE) Biennial Report to Congress: Making Visible the Invisible--Bold Leadership Actions. Retrieved from: CEOSE | 2019-2020 Biennial Report to Congress (nsf.gov)

National Science Foundation. (2018). Building the future: Investing in discovery and innovation - NSF strategic plan for fiscal years (FY) 2018 - 2022 (NSF 18- 045). Retrieved from: https://www.nsf.gov/about/performance/strategic_plan.jsp

National Science Foundation. (n.d.). Broadening participation. Retrieved from: https://www.nsf.gov/od/broadeningparticipation/bp.jsp

National Science & Technology Council: Committee on STEM Education. (2018). Charting a course for success: America's strategy for STEM education. Retrieved from: https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2019/05/f62/STEM-Education-Strategic-Plan-2018.pdf.

III. Award Information

Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant or Continuing Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: 24 to 33

ITEST expects to fund between 24 and 33 awards per year depending on the type of proposal and funding level.

8 to 10 awards for Exploring Theory and Design Principles for Innovations (ETD) with durations up to three years and budgets up to $500,000;

8 to 10 awards for Developing and Testing Innovations (DTI) with durations up to four years and budgets up to $1,300,000;

3 to 5 awards for Scaling, Expanding, and Iterating Innovations (SEI) with durations up to five years and budgets up to $3,500,000;

2 to 4 awards for Syntheses with durations up to two years and budgets up to $400,000; and

2 to 3 awards for Conferences with durations of one year and budgets up to $100,000.

In addition, ITEST intends to fund one Resource Center with a duration up to five years and total funding up to $5,000,000 in FY 2023. This award will be made as a grant.

Anticipated Funding Amount: $25,000,000 to $30,000,000

NSF anticipates having approximately $25,000,000 to $30,000,000 available for the FY23 competition and approximately $25,000,000 to $30,000,000 each year thereafter.

Estimated program budget, number of awards and average award size/duration are subject to the availability of funds

IV. Eligibility Information
Who May Submit Proposals:

The categories of proposers eligible to submit proposals to the National Science Foundation are identified in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), Chapter I.E. Unaffiliated individuals are not eligible to submit proposals in response to this solicitation.

Who May Serve as PI:

There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:

There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or co-PI:

There are no restrictions or limits.

V. Proposal Preparation And Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Full Proposal Preparation Instructions: Proposers may opt to submit proposals in response to this Program Solicitation via Research.gov or Grants.gov.

Full Proposals submitted via Research.gov: Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the general guidelines contained in the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG). The complete text of the PAPPG is available electronically on the NSF website at: https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pappg. Paper copies of the PAPPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-8134 or by e-mail from nsfpubs@nsf.gov. The Prepare New Proposal setup will prompt you for the program solicitation number.

Full proposals submitted via Grants.gov: Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation via Grants.gov should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants.gov. The complete text of the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide is available on the Grants.gov website and on the NSF website at: (https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=grantsgovguide). To obtain copies of the Application Guide and Application Forms Package, click on the Apply tab on the Grants.gov site, then click on the Apply Step 1: Download a Grant Application Package and Application Instructions link and enter the funding opportunity number, (the program solicitation number without the NSF prefix) and press the Download Package button. Paper copies of the Grants.gov Application Guide also may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-8134 or by e-mail from nsfpubs@nsf.gov.

In determining which method to utilize in the electronic preparation and submission of the proposal, please note the following:

Collaborative Proposals. All collaborative proposals submitted as separate submissions from multiple organizations must be submitted via Research.gov. PAPPG Chapter II.D.3 provides additional information on collaborative proposals.

See PAPPG Chapter II.C.2 for guidance on the required sections of a full research proposal submitted to NSF. Please note that the proposal preparation instructions provided in this program solicitation may deviate from the PAPPG instructions.

The following information supplements the standard PAPPG or NSF Grants.gov Application Guide proposal preparation guidelines:
Type of Proposal:

Select the "Research" type of proposal for ETD, DTI, SEI or Synthesis proposals.

Select the "Conference" type of proposal for Conference proposals.

Select the "Center" type of proposal for Resource Center proposals.

Proposal Title: Please begin the title with the type of research project being submitted (i.e., Exploring Theory and Design Principles [ETD]; Developing and Testing Innovations [DTI]; Scaling, Expanding, and Iterating Innovations [SEI]; Synthesis; Conference or Center, followed by a colon, and the title of the proposal. Please note that if submitting via Research.gov, the system will automatically insert the prepended title "Conference" when the Conference proposal is created and "Center" when a Center proposal is created.

Cover Sheet: Prospective PIs should complete this sheet with all the requested information.

If the proposer requests that another NSF program also consider the proposal, that must be indicated on the Cover Sheet. Instructions for Research.gov (effective May 2, 2022): Additional programs can be added once the proposal is created by clicking on "Manage Where to Apply" under "Where to Apply" on the main proposal page.

Please make sure to check the human subjects box if the proposal involves human subjects. To avoid delays in processing award recommendations, it is strongly recommended that PIs begin the process of obtaining appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) approvals or exemptions as needed for projects involving human subjects. No awards will be made without such approvals or exemptions.

Project Summary: A one-page Project Summary must be provided, which consists of three parts: (1) an overview, (2) a statement on the intellectual merit of the proposed activity, and (3) a statement on the broader impacts of the proposed activity. The first sentence of the overview must indicate the type of ITEST project being submitted. The overview must describe the STEM content emphases; the approach to be designed, implemented, and evaluated; and the participants to be targeted, including the age ranges or grade levels of student participants.

Project Description: This section is limited to a maximum of 15 pages. A proposal must respond fully to the ITEST Program Description in Section II of this program solicitation. Please note that, per guidance in the PAPPG, the Project Description must contain a separate section labeled "Broader Impacts." The Project Description must address the following elements in any order:

Project Overview, Rationale, and Importance: The proposal must show how the project addresses critical STEM educational needs and the potential for intellectual merit and broader impacts within the context of the ITEST purpose. The proposal provides an overview of the project goals or objectives, and a rationale for how the work will improve knowledge of and interest in STEM/ICT career pathways for students and advance educators' understanding of STEM/ICT content and career pathways. The proposed work addresses how the planned STEM education innovations differ from existing practice, and why the study has the potential to improve student and educator learning and other educational outcomes beyond what current practices provide.

Results from Prior NSF Support: In cases where the prospective PI or any Co-PI has received more than one award (excluding amendments to existing awards), please report only the one award that is most closely related to the proposal.

Expertise and Management: The project team should reflect the types of expertise needed to successfully implement and manage the project. An advisory group or consultants who can provide guidance in research design and methodologies, including quantitative or qualitative research methods, implementation, or development of measurement instruments are highly recommended.

References Cited: Any literature cited should be specifically related to the proposed project, and the Project Description should make clear how each reference has played a role in design of the project.

Special Information/Supplementary Documentation: The only items permitted in the Supplementary information section are (1) letters of collaboration, (2) the data management plan, and (3) the postdoctoral researcher mentoring plan (if applicable).

If submitting via Research.gov, the Data Management Plan should be included in the Data Management Plan section and the Postdoctoral Researcher Mentoring Plan should be included in the Postdoctoral Mentoring Plan section. Both documents should be included as Other Supplementary Documents in Grants.gov.

Data Management Plan: Proposers should provide a detailed data management plan. Transparency requires that the Federal agencies share how they are maximizing outcomes of Federal STEM investments and activities and ensuring broad benefit to the public. Proposers are highly encouraged to review the EHR Directorate-specific data management plan guidance, which can be accessed at https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/dmpdocs/ehr.pdf.

Appendices: Not permitted. The 15-page project description must contain all the information needed to describe the project. Proposals submitted with an appendix will be returned without review.

B. Budgetary Information
Cost Sharing:
Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.
Other Budgetary Limitations:
Major research equipment purchases are not supported. The ITEST program limits the purchase of equipment to software, probes, and specialized equipment needed to implement a specific project. General purpose equipment, such as computers, notepads, and cellphones are not supported.

C. Due Dates

D. Research.gov/Grants.gov Requirements
For Proposals Submitted Via Research.gov:
To prepare and submit a proposal via Research.gov, see detailed technical instructions available at: https://www.research.gov/research-portal/appmanager/base/desktop?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=research_node_display&_nodePath=/researchGov/Service/Desktop/ProposalPreparationandSubmission.html. For Research.gov user support, call the Research.gov Help Desk at 1-800-673-6188 or e-mail rgov@nsf.gov. The Research.gov Help Desk answers general technical questions related to the use of the Research.gov system. Specific questions related to this program solicitation should be referred to the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this funding opportunity.
For Proposals Submitted Via Grants.gov:
Before using Grants.gov for the first time, each organization must register to create an institutional profile. Once registered, the applicant's organization can then apply for any federal grant on the Grants.gov website. Comprehensive information about using Grants.gov is available on the Grants.gov Applicant Resources webpage: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants.html. In addition, the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide (see link in Section V.A) provides instructions regarding the technical preparation of proposals via Grants.gov. For Grants.gov user support, contact the Grants.gov Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726 or by email: support@grants.gov. The Grants.gov Contact Center answers general technical questions related to the use of Grants.gov. Specific questions related to this program solicitation should be referred to the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this solicitation.

Submitting the Proposal: Once all documents have been completed, the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) must submit the application to Grants.gov and verify the desired funding opportunity and agency to which the application is submitted. The AOR must then sign and submit the application to Grants.gov. The completed application will be transferred to the NSF FastLane system for further processing.

Proposers that submitted via Research.gov may use Research.gov to verify the status of their submission to NSF. For proposers that submitted via Grants.gov, until an application has been received and validated by NSF, the Authorized Organizational Representative may check the status of an application on Grants.gov. After proposers have received an e-mail notification from NSF, Research.gov should be used to check the status of an application.

VI. NSF Proposal Processing And Review Procedures

Proposals received by NSF are assigned to the appropriate NSF program for acknowledgement and, if they meet NSF requirements, for review. All proposals are carefully reviewed by a scientist, engineer, or educator serving as an NSF Program Officer, and usually by three to ten other persons outside NSF either as ad hoc reviewers, panelists, or both, who are experts in the particular fields represented by the proposal. These reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with oversight of the review process. Proposers are invited to suggest names of persons they believe are especially well qualified to review the proposal and/or persons they would prefer not review the proposal. These suggestions may serve as one source in the reviewer selection process at the Program Officer's discretion. Submission of such names, however, is optional. Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts of interest with the proposal. In addition, Program Officers may obtain comments from site visits before recommending final action on proposals. Senior NSF staff further review recommendations for awards. A flowchart that depicts the entire NSF proposal and award process (and associated timeline) is included in PAPPG Exhibit III-1.

A comprehensive description of the Foundation's merit review process is available on the NSF website at: https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/merit_review/.

Proposers should also be aware of core strategies that are essential to the fulfillment of NSF's mission, as articulated in Building the Future: Investing in Discovery and Innovation - NSF Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years (FY) 2018 - 2022. These strategies are integrated in the program planning and implementation process, of which proposal review is one part. NSF's mission is particularly well-implemented through the integration of research and education and broadening participation in NSF programs, projects, and activities.

One of the strategic objectives in support of NSF's mission is to foster integration of research and education through the programs, projects, and activities it supports at academic and research institutions. These institutions must recruit, train, and prepare a diverse STEM workforce to advance the frontiers of science and participate in the U.S. technology-based economy. NSF's contribution to the national innovation ecosystem is to provide cutting-edge research under the guidance of the Nation's most creative scientists and engineers. NSF also supports development of a strong science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce by investing in building the knowledge that informs improvements in STEM teaching and learning.

NSF's mission calls for the broadening of opportunities and expanding participation of groups, institutions, and geographic regions that are underrepresented in STEM disciplines, which is essential to the health and vitality of science and engineering. NSF is committed to this principle of diversity and deems it central to the programs, projects, and activities it considers and supports.

A. Merit Review Principles and Criteria

The National Science Foundation strives to invest in a robust and diverse portfolio of projects that creates new knowledge and enables breakthroughs in understanding across all areas of science and engineering research and education. To identify which projects to support, NSF relies on a merit review process that incorporates consideration of both the technical aspects of a proposed project and its potential to contribute more broadly to advancing NSF's mission "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense; and for other purposes." NSF makes every effort to conduct a fair, competitive, transparent merit review process for the selection of projects.
1. Merit Review Principles
These principles are to be given due diligence by PIs and organizations when preparing proposals and managing projects, by reviewers when reading and evaluating proposals, and by NSF program staff when determining whether or not to recommend proposals for funding and while overseeing awards. Given that NSF is the primary federal agency charged with nurturing and supporting excellence in basic research and education, the following three principles apply:

All NSF projects should be of the highest quality and have the potential to advance, if not transform, the frontiers of knowledge.

NSF projects, in the aggregate, should contribute more broadly to achieving societal goals. These "Broader Impacts" may be accomplished through the research itself, through activities that are directly related to specific research projects, or through activities that are supported by, but are complementary to, the project. The project activities may be based on previously established and/or innovative methods and approaches, but in either case must be well justified.

Meaningful assessment and evaluation of NSF funded projects should be based on appropriate metrics, keeping in mind the likely correlation between the effect of broader impacts and the resources provided to implement projects. If the size of the activity is limited, evaluation of that activity in isolation is not likely to be meaningful. Thus, assessing the effectiveness of these activities may best be done at a higher, more aggregated, level than the individual project.

With respect to the third principle, even if assessment of Broader Impacts outcomes for particular projects is done at an aggregated level, PIs are expected to be accountable for carrying out the activities described in the funded project. Thus, individual projects should include clearly stated goals, specific descriptions of the activities that the PI intends to do, and a plan in place to document the outputs of those activities.

These three merit review principles provide the basis for the merit review criteria, as well as a context within which the users of the criteria can better understand their intent.
2. Merit Review Criteria
All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two National Science Board approved merit review criteria. In some instances, however, NSF will employ additional criteria as required to highlight the specific objectives of certain programs and activities.

The two merit review criteria are listed below. Both criteria are to be given full consideration during the review and decision-making processes; each criterion is necessary but neither, by itself, is sufficient. Therefore, proposers must fully address both criteria. (PAPPG Chapter II.C.2.d(i). contains additional information for use by proposers in development of the Project Description section of the proposal). Reviewers are strongly encouraged to review the criteria, including PAPPG Chapter II.C.2.d(i), prior to the review of a proposal.

When evaluating NSF proposals, reviewers will be asked to consider what the proposers want to do, why they want to do it, how they plan to do it, how they will know if they succeed, and what benefits could accrue if the project is successful. These issues apply both to the technical aspects of the proposal and the way in which the project may make broader contributions. To that end, reviewers will be asked to evaluate all proposals against two criteria:

Intellectual Merit: The Intellectual Merit criterion encompasses the potential to advance knowledge; and

Broader Impacts: The Broader Impacts criterion encompasses the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes.

The following elements should be considered in the review for both criteria:

1. What is the potential for the proposed activity to

1. Advance knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields (Intellectual Merit); and

2. Benefit society or advance desired societal outcomes (Broader Impacts)?

2. To what extent do the proposed activities suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts?

3. Is the plan for carrying out the proposed activities well-reasoned, well-organized, and based on a sound rationale? Does the plan incorporate a mechanism to assess success?

4. How well qualified is the individual, team, or organization to conduct the proposed activities?

5. Are there adequate resources available to the PI (either at the home organization or through collaborations) to carry out the proposed activities?

Broader impacts may be accomplished through the research itself, through the activities that are directly related to specific research projects, or through activities that are supported by, but are complementary to, the project. NSF values the advancement of scientific knowledge and activities that contribute to achievement of societally relevant outcomes. Such outcomes include, but are not limited to: full participation of women, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); improved STEM education and educator development at any level; increased public scientific literacy and public engagement with science and technology; improved well-being of individuals in society; development of a diverse, globally competitive STEM workforce; increased partnerships between academia, industry, and others; improved national security; increased economic competitiveness of the United States; and enhanced infrastructure for research and education.

Proposers are reminded that reviewers will also be asked to review the Data Management Plan and the Postdoctoral Researcher Mentoring Plan, as appropriate.
Additional Solicitation Specific Review Criteria
All ITEST proposals are required to address the Solicitation Specific Review Criteria identified below. Proposers must address the following four questions within the project description with appropriate headings. Reviewers will be asked to evaluate proposals based on how broadening participation is described in the proposal, including the solicitation-specific review criteria. Proposers and reviewers must answer the following questions:

1. To what extent does the proposal include explicit and adequate strategies for recruiting and selecting participants from underserved and underrepresented populations in STEM professions, careers, or education pathways?

2. To what extent does the proposal describe approaches to address diversity, access, equity, and inclusion in PreK-12 learning environments to ensure that all students, particularly those from underserved and underrepresented populations, actively engage with STEM disciplines and fields that stimulate effective instruction and learning?

3. To what extent does the proposal describe specific research-informed instructional approaches to build on the strengths and challenges that students and their educators bring to classrooms and informal learning environments, particularly with students from underserved and underrepresented populations in STEM fields?

4. To what extent does the proposal explain how planned innovations with the technology are developmentally and age-appropriate for students and suited for the specific populations of students and educators from underserved and underrepresented student populations?

In addressing the solicitation-specific review criteria, ITEST especially welcomes proposals that will pair well with the efforts of NSF Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (INCLUDES) to develop STEM talent from all sectors and groups in our society. Collaborations are encouraged between ITEST proposals and existing NSF INCLUDES projects, provided the collaboration strengthens both projects.

B. Review and Selection Process

Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation will be reviewed by Ad hoc Review and/or Panel Review.

Reviewers will be asked to evaluate proposals using two National Science Board approved merit review criteria and, if applicable, additional program specific criteria. A summary rating and accompanying narrative will generally be completed and submitted by each reviewer and/or panel. The Program Officer assigned to manage the proposal's review will consider the advice of reviewers and will formulate a recommendation.

After scientific, technical and programmatic review and consideration of appropriate factors, the NSF Program Officer recommends to the cognizant Division Director whether the proposal should be declined or recommended for award. NSF strives to be able to tell applicants whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months. Large or particularly complex proposals or proposals from new awardees may require additional review and processing time. The time interval begins on the deadline or target date, or receipt date, whichever is later. The interval ends when the Division Director acts upon the Program Officer's recommendation.

After programmatic approval has been obtained, the proposals recommended for funding will be forwarded to the Division of Grants and Agreements for review of business, financial, and policy implications. After an administrative review has occurred, Grants and Agreements Officers perform the processing and issuance of a grant or other agreement. Proposers are cautioned that only a Grants and Agreements Officer may make commitments, obligations or awards on behalf of NSF or authorize the expenditure of funds. No commitment on the part of NSF should be inferred from technical or budgetary discussions with a NSF Program Officer. A Principal Investigator or organization that makes financial or personnel commitments in the absence of a grant or cooperative agreement signed by the NSF Grants and Agreements Officer does so at their own risk.

Once an award or declination decision has been made, Principal Investigators are provided feedback about their proposals. In all cases, reviews are treated as confidential documents. Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the names of the reviewers or any reviewer-identifying information, are sent to the Principal Investigator/Project Director by the Program Officer. In addition, the proposer will receive an explanation of the decision to award or decline funding.

VII. Award Administration Information

A. Notification of the Award

Notification of the award is made to the submitting organization by a Grants Officer in the Division of Grants and Agreements. Organizations whose proposals are declined will be advised as promptly as possible by the cognizant NSF Program administering the program. Verbatim copies of reviews, not including the identity of the reviewer, will be provided automatically to the Principal Investigator. (See Section VI.B. for additional information on the review process.)

B. Award Conditions

An NSF award consists of: (1) the award notice, which includes any special provisions applicable to the award and any numbered amendments thereto; (2) the budget, which indicates the amounts, by categories of expense, on which NSF has based its support (or otherwise communicates any specific approvals or disapprovals of proposed expenditures); (3) the proposal referenced in the award notice; (4) the applicable award conditions, such as Grant General Conditions (GC-1)*; or Research Terms and Conditions* and (5) any announcement or other NSF issuance that may be incorporated by reference in the award notice. Cooperative agreements also are administered in accordance with NSF Cooperative Agreement Financial and Administrative Terms and Conditions (CA-FATC) and the applicable Programmatic Terms and Conditions. NSF awards are electronically signed by an NSF Grants and Agreements Officer and transmitted electronically to the organization via e-mail.

*These documents may be accessed electronically on NSF's Website at https://www.nsf.gov/awards/managing/award_conditions.jsp?org=NSF. Paper copies may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-8134 or by e-mail from nsfpubs@nsf.gov.

More comprehensive information on NSF Award Conditions and other important information on the administration of NSF awards is contained in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) Chapter VII, available electronically on the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pappg.

C. Reporting Requirements

For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants), the Principal Investigator must submit an annual project report to the cognizant Program Officer no later than 90 days prior to the end of the current budget period. (Some programs or awards require submission of more frequent project reports). No later than 120 days following expiration of a grant, the PI also is required to submit a final project report, and a project outcomes report for the general public.

Failure to provide the required annual or final project reports, or the project outcomes report, will delay NSF review and processing of any future funding increments as well as any pending proposals for all identified PIs and co-PIs on a given award. PIs should examine the formats of the required reports in advance to assure availability of required data.

PIs are required to use NSF's electronic project-reporting system, available through Research.gov, for preparation and submission of annual and final project reports. Such reports provide information on accomplishments, project participants (individual and organizational), publications, and other specific products and impacts of the project. Submission of the report via Research.gov constitutes certification by the PI that the contents of the report are accurate and complete. The project outcomes report also must be prepared and submitted using Research.gov. This report serves as a brief summary, prepared specifically for the public, of the nature and outcomes of the project. This report will be posted on the NSF website exactly as it is submitted by the PI.

More comprehensive information on NSF Reporting Requirements and other important information on the administration of NSF awards is contained in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) Chapter VII, available electronically on the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pappg.

For projects with external evaluators, PIs are encouraged to include reports of evaluation activities as part of their annual and final project reports.

VIII. Agency Contacts
Please note that the program contact information is current at the time of publishing. See program website for any updates to the points of contact.
General inquiries regarding this program should be made to:

For questions related to the use of FastLane or Research.gov, contact:

FastLane and Research.gov Help Desk: 1-800-673-6188

FastLane Help Desk e-mail: fastlane@nsf.gov

Research.gov Help Desk e-mail: rgov@nsf.gov.

For questions relating to Grants.gov contact:

Grants.gov Contact Center: If the Authorized Organizational Representatives (AOR) has not received a confirmation message from Grants.gov within 48 hours of submission of application, please contact via telephone: 1-800-518-4726; e-mail: support@grants.gov.

IX. Other Information

The NSF website provides the most comprehensive source of information on NSF Directorates (including contact information), programs and funding opportunities. Use of this website by potential proposers is strongly encouraged. In addition, "NSF Update" is an information-delivery system designed to keep potential proposers and other interested parties apprised of new NSF funding opportunities and publications, important changes in proposal and award policies and procedures, and upcoming NSF Grants Conferences. Subscribers are informed through e-mail or the user's Web browser each time new publications are issued that match their identified interests. "NSF Update" also is available on NSF's website.

Grants.gov provides an additional electronic capability to search for Federal government-wide grant opportunities. NSF funding opportunities may be accessed via this mechanism. Further information on Grants.gov may be obtained at https://www.grants.gov.

About The National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent Federal agency created by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended (42 USC 1861-75). The Act states the purpose of the NSF is "to promote the progress of science; [and] to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare by supporting research and education in all fields of science and engineering."

NSF funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering. It does this through grants and cooperative agreements to more than 2,000 colleges, universities, K-12 school systems, businesses, informal science organizations and other research organizations throughout the US. The Foundation accounts for about one-fourth of Federal support to academic institutions for basic research.

NSF receives approximately 55,000 proposals each year for research, education and training projects, of which approximately 11,000 are funded. In addition, the Foundation receives several thousand applications for graduate and postdoctoral fellowships. The agency operates no laboratories itself but does support National Research Centers, user facilities, certain oceanographic vessels and Arctic and Antarctic research stations. The Foundation also supports cooperative research between universities and industry, US participation in international scientific and engineering efforts, and educational activities at every academic level.

Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED) provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with disabilities to work on NSF-supported projects. See the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide Chapter II.E.6 for instructions regarding preparation of these types of proposals.

The National Science Foundation has Telephonic Device for the Deaf (TDD) and Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) capabilities that enable individuals with hearing impairments to communicate with the Foundation about NSF programs, employment or general information. TDD may be accessed at (703) 292-5090 and (800) 281-8749, FIRS at (800) 877-8339.

The National Science Foundation Information Center may be reached at (703) 292-5111.

The National Science Foundation promotes and advances scientific progress in the United States by competitively awarding grants and cooperative agreements for research and education in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering.

To get the latest information about program deadlines, to download copies of NSF publications, and to access abstracts of awards, visit the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov

Privacy Act And Public Burden Statements

The information requested on proposal forms and project reports is solicited under the authority of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended. The information on proposal forms will be used in connection with the selection of qualified proposals; and project reports submitted by awardees will be used for program evaluation and reporting within the Executive Branch and to Congress. The information requested may be disclosed to qualified reviewers and staff assistants as part of the proposal review process; to proposer institutions/grantees to provide or obtain data regarding the proposal review process, award decisions, or the administration of awards; to government contractors, experts, volunteers and researchers and educators as necessary to complete assigned work; to other government agencies or other entities needing information regarding applicants or nominees as part of a joint application review process, or in order to coordinate programs or policy; and to another Federal agency, court, or party in a court or Federal administrative proceeding if the government is a party. Information about Principal Investigators may be added to the Reviewer file and used to select potential candidates to serve as peer reviewers or advisory committee members. See System of Record Notices, NSF-50, "Principal Investigator/Proposal File and Associated Records," and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File and Associated Records." Submission of the information is voluntary. Failure to provide full and complete information, however, may reduce the possibility of receiving an award.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OMB control number for this collection is 3145-0058. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 120 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions. Send comments regarding the burden estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to:

Suzanne H. Plimpton
Reports Clearance Officer
Policy Office, Division of Institution and Award Support
Office of Budget, Finance, and Award Management
National Science Foundation
Alexandria, VA 22314

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
National Science Foundation Directorate for Education and Human Resources Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitter's local time): August 12, 2022 August 11, 2023 August 09, 2024 IMPORTANT INFORMATION Innovating and migrating proposal preparation and submission capabilities from FastLane to Research.gov is part of the ongoing NSF information technology modernization efforts, as described in Important Notice No.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Challenge America offers support primarily to small organizations for projects in all artistic disciplines that extend the reach of the arts to populations that are underserved. Challenge America features an abbreviated application, a robust structure of technical assistance, and grants for a set amount of $10,000. Grants require a cost share/match of $10,000 consisting of cash and/or in-kind contributions. Total project costs must be at least $20,000 or greater.

This category is an entry point for organizations seeking Arts Endowment funding. See Applicant Eligibility for more information.

We welcome the opportunity to speak with you about Challenge America. Contact us at challengeamerica@arts.gov or 202-682-5700, and see Staff Assistance for more information.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Challenge America offers support primarily to small organizations for projects in all artistic disciplines that extend the reach of the arts to populations that are underserved. Challenge America features an abbreviated application, a robust structure of technical assistance, and grants for a set amount of $10,000.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Homepage - Richard S. Reynolds Foundation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Foundation Our History Richard S. Reynolds found success by turning crises into opportunities. Through the Foundation, his family has been able to carry on his legacy, strengthen global communities and support future generations.

# data[].attributes.body
Monthly Education Grants Alert ©

The Monthly Education Grants Alert (MEGA) contains the largest continually updated listing of upcoming grant opportunities for public and private elementary and secondary education available anywhere in the United States.

Each MEGA issue is divided into three sections. Section I lists upcoming grant opportunities with hard deadlines for public, charter, private, and religiously affiliated schools. Section II lists open grant opportunities that have no deadlines. Applications are accepted anytime. Section III contains announcements of awards, recognitions, training stipends, scholarships, and classroom grants targeting individual staff and faculty members.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Frances R. Dewing Foundation's grant application process is entirely online. Please be certain to review our procedures before applying.

# data[].attributes.body
Use GuideStar to look up a nonprofit and access the most complete data available. Educational website for nonprofits

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What Are Federal Grant Internal Controls?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What is the Grant Lifecycle and Why is it Important?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Organization resources designed for you

Organization resources designed for you

Spark Good includes local grants, round up, registries & the space request tool. Walmart Business offers items for purchase like office supplies & other products on a tailor-made site and experience.

Already have an account? Sign in

Starting in 2024, Deed is providing organization verification for Spark Good programs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Organization resources designed for you Organization resources designed for you Spark Good includes local grants, round up, registries & the space request tool. Walmart Business offers items for purchase like office supplies & other products on a tailor-made site and experience. Already have an account?

# data[].attributes.body
Schools, public libraries, and nonprofit organizations who help students that are below grade level or having trouble reading are eligible to apply. Grant funding is provided to assist in the following areas: (1) Implementing new or expanding existing literacy programs, (2) Purchasing new technology or equipment to support literacy initiatives, and (3) Purchasing books, materials or software for literacy programs. D

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Section 35j of the FY 2024 State School Aid Act provides $140,000,000 to districts and intermediate districts to improve literacy instructional practices by investing in quality, research-based best practices, and professional learning.

Section 35a(10) of FY 24 State School Aid Act allocates $10,000,000 to the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) to administer and provide training of, in partnership with Lexia® Learning: LETRS (Grades K-3) or LETRS for Early Childhood Educators (LETRS EC) (Pre-K) to interested pre-K to grade 6 educators and pre-K-12 certified special education personnel with endorsements in learning disabilities, emotional impairments, or speech and language impairments.

Section 35a(4) of the FY 24 State School Aid Act provides $42,000,000 for early literacy coaches at ISDs to assist teachers in developing and implementing instructional strategies for pupils in grades Pre-K-3 so that pupils are reading at grade level by the end of Grade 3. Each ISD is eligible to receive $125,000 per coach from the MDE and must have a minimum of 2 early literacy coaches.

Section 35a(5) of the FY 24 State School Aid Act provides $19,900,000 to districts for additional instructional time to pupils in Grades Pre-K-5 who have been identified as needing additional supports and interventions in order to be reading at grade level by the end of Grade 3.

The MDE received a 5-year $16 Million award for the Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant from the U. S. Department of Education. The first year of funding totals $3,175,598 which will be dispersed to five subgrantee Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) to build an educational and professional development literacy system to serve children and students from Birth to Grade 12. This award will specifically focus on high-need, geographically diverse LEAs located in Qualified Opportunity Zones.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Section 35j of the FY 2024 State School Aid Act provides $140,000,000 to districts and intermediate districts to improve literacy instructional practices by investing in quality, research-based best practices, and professional learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ProLiteracy offers grants through the Literacy Opportunity Fund of between $3,000 and $6,000 to literacy organizations of all types and sizes that are doing direct work with adult students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Production Grants - Educational Theatre Foundation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ETF provides financial support for schools to produce plays and musicals that further racial equity, social justice, and community growth. Explore the

# data[].attributes.headline
 Integrity: Arts & Culture Association (IACA)

# data[].attributes.subject
 Integrity: Arts & Culture Association (IACA)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
JumpStart Theatre - Educational Theatre Foundation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A collaboration between the Educational Theatre Foundation, Music Theatre International (MTI), and iTheatrics, JumpStart Theatre is a three-year scalable

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Sara Jaffarian School Library Program Award for Exemplary Humanities Programming recognizes excellence in humanities programming in libraries that serve children in grades K-12.

The $5,000 award, presented annually by the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office, is sponsored by the American Library Association's Cultural Communities Fund in cooperation with the American Association of School Librarians (AASL).
Applications for the 2023-2024 cycle are now closed. The next award cycle will begin in February 2025. To be notified about grant opportunities from ALA's Public Programs Office, sign up for the Programming Librarian newsletter.
What counts as a humanities program?

The humanities program can be focused in many subject areas, including, but not limited to, social studies, poetry, drama, art, music, language arts, foreign language, and culture.

Programs should focus on broadening perspectives and helping students understand the wider world and their place in it.

The humanities program should be initiated and coordinated by the school librarian and exemplify the role of the library program in advancing the overall educational goals of the school.

What types of libraries and programs are eligible?

U.S. school libraries, public or private, that serve children in any combination of grades K-12 are eligible, provided the library is staffed by a state-certified librarian. Libraries are encouraged to self-nominate.

Nominated programs must have taken place during the current school year. Programs that are still in progress as of the award deadline are eligible.

Who was Sara Jaffarian?

Sara Jaffarian was a dedicated school librarian and longtime ALA member. She began her career as a librarian in the public school system of Quincy, Massachusetts. She later served as the director of libraries for the Greensboro Public Schools in North Carolina and the Supervisor of Libraries for the Seattle Public Schools in Washington. Read more about Mrs. Jaffarian.

What is the award?

The Sara Jaffarian School Library Program Award is an annual award to a school library that has conducted an exemplary program or program series in the humanities during the current school year. It consists of (1) a $5,000 cash award; (2) a crystal award; and (3) the promotion of the winner as a model program for other school libraries.

To be notified about other grant opportunities from ALA's Public Programs Office, sign up for the Programming Librarian newsletter.

Who are the past winners?

Get inspired by these winning programs

2024: Tom C. Cark High School, San Antonio, Texas

2021: Shawnee (Okla.) Middle School (View a free webinar with librarian Carol Jones about Shawnee Middle School's award-winning program, Teaching the Tulsa Race Massacre with Guided Inquiry Design)

2020: Batesville (Ind.) Intermediate School (View a free webinar with Anne Armhein, previous media and instructional technology specialist at Batesville Intermediate School about the award-winning Junior Ambassadors program)

2016: Friends Seminary, New York, New York

2014: Perry Meridian Middle School, Indianapolis, Indiana

2013: Meadowbrook School of Weston, Weston, Massachusetts

2012: Inter-American Magnet School, Chicago, Illinois

2011: Harmony Middle School, Overland Park, Kansas

2010: Jefferson Elementary School, Elmhurst, Illinois

2009: The Carroll Academy for International Studies, Houston, Texas

2008: Woodsdale Elementary School, Wheeling, West Virginia

2007: Central Elementary School, Wilmette, Illinois

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sara Jaffarian School Library Program Award

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The $5,000 award, presented annually by the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office, is sponsored by the American Library Association's Cultural Communities Fund in cooperation with the American Association of School Librarians (AASL). Applications for the 2023-2024 cycle are now closed. The next award cycle will begin in February 2025.

# data[].attributes.headline
Gameplan - Guide to Grants and Funds for Esports Programs

# data[].attributes.subject
Gameplan - Guide to Grants and Funds for Esports Programs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Guide to Grants and Funds for Esports Programs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Discover funds for esports programs that boost engagement and align with Title funds. Learn how to secure grants through esports and gaming.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Thespian Growth & Excellence Fund - Educational Theatre Foundation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Thespian Growth & Excellence Fund is the next generation of the Thespian Relief grant program, launched in the fall of 2020 to help schools dealing

# data[].attributes.headline
Opens March - Due May - Sparkplug Foundation:

# data[].attributes.subject
Opens March - Due May - Sparkplug Foundation:

# data[].attributes.body
The Sparkplug Foundation is a family foundation, funded and administered in the US. We are guided by community voices, and prioritize grassroots organizing and innovation as the key for creating change. Our Spring 2026 LOI deadline is May 1, 2026. If your LOI is accepted, the application deadline is May 22, 2026 and the Spring 2026 grant announcements well be on July 9, 2026.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We highly encourage Black, Indigenous, People of Color, people with disabilities, women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, queer and other queer-identifying communities, organizations or organizers to apply.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sparkplug Foundation - Sparking Ideas into Action.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We highly encourage Black, Indigenous, People of Color, people with disabilities, women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, queer and other queer-identifying communities, organizations or organizers to apply.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
© 2021 Good Sports. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy Website Design by Jackrabbit

# data[].attributes.headline
June (last year) Collision Repair Education Foundation Benchmark Grant:

# data[].attributes.subject
June (last year) Collision Repair Education Foundation Benchmark Grant:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
CREF Opens Benchmark Grants Applications

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Collision Repair Education Foundation's grants provide up to $25,000 per school to pay for tools and hands-on learning opportunities.

# data[].attributes.headline
Mental Health Service Professional (MHSP) Demonstration Grant Program: 

# data[].attributes.subject
Mental Health Service Professional (MHSP) Demonstration Grant Program: 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program - Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program provides competitive grants to support and demonstrate innovative partnerships to train school-based mental health service providers for employment in schools and local educational agencies (LEAs). TYPES OF PROJECTS Projects should support and demonstrate innovative partnerships to train school-based mental health service providers for employment in […]

# data[].attributes.headline
American Rocketry Challenge 2024 Marketing Competition

# data[].attributes.subject
American Rocketry Challenge 2024 Marketing Competition

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Marketing Competition

Show off your hard work and get everyone excited about rocketry!

Our Marketing Competition challenges students to create a video to generate excitement about their team, the American Rocketry Challenge, and aerospace and space exploration.
See the 2024 Marketing Competition winners below!

2024 First Place

Olympia High School (Olympia, WA)

2024 Second Place

Shrewsbury High School (Shrewsbury, MA)

2023 First Place

Marquette High School (Chesterfield, MO)

About the Competition

The Marketing Competition is your team's chance to show everyone your work, and help get others excited about rocketry, STEM, and aerospace.

Click here to read the rules for the 2025 Marketing Competition.

The team that creates the best video based on Strength of Message, Creativity, and Editing and Technical Skills will win:

$3,000 team prize

A custom logo and poster consultation

Custom swag with your new logo

There's also a $1,500 prize for the team that takes second place, too.

And don't worry - there's plenty of extra credit! Your team can earn bonus points by engaging the media, engaging your community, and engaging your peers. Some social-distancing friendly suggestions on activities include creating rocketry tutorials, to engaging with our sponsors on social media and showing off your rocket there, there are plenty of ways to help share your story and get points. Download the Bonus Point Form here.

All entries will be scored based on our rubric by at least three members of the American Rocketry Challenge team. From there, the top ten entries will be sent to a panel of five judges from our partners and sponsors.

All submissions should be uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo. All entries must be submitted to the submission portal by Sunday April 13, 2025 at 11:59 PM Eastern.

Submit your entry!

Get in Touch

Don't see the answer to your question? Want to learn more? Get in touch and someone from our team with reach out to you shortly.

Contact us

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Marketing Competition - The American Rocketry Challenge

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our Marketing Competition challenges students to create a video to generate excitement about their team, the American Rocketry Challenge, and aerospace and space exploration. See the 2024 Marketing Competition winners below! Olympia High School (Olympia, WA) Shrewsbury High School (Shrewsbury, MA) Marquette High School (Chesterfield, MO) The Marketing Competition is your team's chance to show everyone your work, and help get others excited about rocketry, STEM, and aerospace.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Alberton Branch Library, Alberton Branch Library, MT

Alleghany County Public Library, Sparta, NC

Alma Public Library, Alma, AR

Ashville Free Library, Ashville, NY

Augusta Public Library, Augusta, IL

Banks County Public Library, Homer, GA

Benzonia Public Library, Benzonia, MI

Bowdle Public Library, Bowdle, SD

Bowen Public Library, Bowen, IL

Casselton Public Library, Casselton, ND

Centralhatchee Public Library, Franklin, GA

Choteau/Teton Public Library, Choteau, MT

Chouteau County Library, Fort Benton, MT

Colby Community Library, Colby, WI

Colfax Public Library, Colfax, WI

Crawford Public Library, Roberta, GA

Curry Public Library, Gold Beach, OR

Dorothy Asbjornson Library, Winifred, MT

Dutton/Teton Public Library, Dutton, MT

Elbert County Public Library & Bowman Branch Library, Elberton, GA

Eldora Public Library, Eldora, IA

Elmer P and Jewel Ward Memorial Library, Centerville, TX

Enterprise Public Library, Enterprise, OR

Ethel Everhard Memorial Library, Westfield, WI

Evans County Public Library, Claxton, GA

Evelyn Lang Public Library, Springfield, SD

Geneseo Public Library District, Geneseo, IL

Glendale Community Library, Glendale, OR

Glover Spencer Memorial Library, Rush Springs, OK

Golden Public Library, Golden, IL

Graettinger Public Library, Graettinger, IA

Greenford Community Library, Salem, OH

Gregory Public Library, Gregory, SD

Greig Memorial Library, Oneida, IL

Gresham Public Library, Gresham, NE

Griggs County Library, Cooperstown, ND

Haynie Public Library`, Prague, OK

Henning Public School Library, Henning, MN

Hopkinton Public Library, Hopkinton, IA

James W. Curry Public Library, French Creek, WV

Jamestown City Library, Jamestown, KS

Kemper Newton Regional Library System, Union, MS

Keytesville Library, Keytesville, MO

Kinney Memorial Library, Hanlontown, IA

LaValle Public Library, LaValle, WI

Laverne Delphian Public Library, Laverne, OK

Leach Public Library, Irasburg, VT

Lied Tekamah Public Library, Lied Tekamah Public Library, NE

Lopez Island Library District, Lopez Island, WA

Marshallville Public Library, Marshallville, GA

Meeker Public Library, Meeker, OK

Minerva Free Library, Sherman, NY

Mount Carroll District Library, Mount Carroll, IL

Neshoba County Public Library, Phildelphia, MS

North Toole County Library - Sunburst Branch, Sunburst, MT

Oakland Public Library, Oakland, OR

Oglethorpe Public Library, Oglethrope, GA

Oswayo Valley Memorial Library, Shinglehouse, PA

Pawnee City Public Library, Pawnee City, NE

Plainview Public Library, Plainview, NE

Plymouth Public Library, Plymouth, IL

Prattsburg Free Library, Prattsburgh, NY

Project Carpe Diem Mobile Learning Resources Library, Lander, WY

Radcliffe Public Library, Radcliffe, IA

Ritzville Public Library, Ritzville, WA

Shinnecock Indian Nation School Library, Southhampton, NY

Somesville Library Association, Mount Desert, ME

Spanish Peaks Library District, Walsenburg, CO

Sparta-Hancock County Library, Sparta, GA

Toole County Library, Shelby, MT

Twiggs County Public Library, Jeffersonville, GA

Valley Mills Library Association, Inc., Valley Mills, TX

Weatherford Public Library, Red Bay, AL

Weiser Public Library, Weiser, ID

Weller Public Library, Waitsburg, WA

Wells Public Library, Wells, MN

Children's Book Project Grant Awards

Aguilar Public Library, Aguilar, CO

Ahira Hall Memorial Library, Brocton, NY

Akeley Community Library, Akeley, MN

Akron Public Library, Akron, IA

Alba Public Library, Alba, TX

Albany Carnegie Public Library, Albany, MO

Alberton Branch Library, Alberton, MT

Albion Area Public Library, Albion, PA

Albion Municipal Library & Heritage Center, Albion, IA

Alden Balch Memorial Library, Lunenburg, VT

Alfred Box of Books Library, Alfred, NY

Aliceville Public Library, Aliceville, AL

Alleghany County Public Library, Sparta, NC

Alma Public Library, Alma, AR

Angelica Free Library, Angelica, NY

Apache Public Library, Apache, OK

Argyle Public Library, Argyle, WI

Arley Public Library, Arley, AL

Artesia Public Library, Artesia, MS

Ashland City Library, Ashland, KS

Ashville Free Library, Ashville, NY

Athena Public Library, Athena, OR

Athens Community Library, Athens, MI

Augusta Public Library, Augusta, IL

Babcock Library, Ashford, CT

Bagley Public Library, Bagley, IA

Bancroft Public Library, Salem, NY

Banks County Public Library, Homer, GA

Barker Public Library (disaster relief), Barker, NY

Barnet Public Library, Barnet, VT

Bath Public Library, Bath, NH

Beatty Library District, Beatty, NV

Beaver County Pioneer Library, Beaver, OK

Bellaire Public Library, Bellaire, MI

Bennett Public Library, Bennett, IA

Bennington Community Library, Bennington, KS

Benzonia Public Library, Benzonia, MI

Bethany Public Library, Bethany, MO

Bethel Elementary School, Sugar Grove, NC

Bethel Public Library, Bethel, VT

Bicentennial Library of Colstrip, Colstrip, MT

Bird City Public Library, Bird City, KS

Blakesburg Public Library, Blakesburg, IA

Blanche Bradley Public Library, Cathlamet, WA

Bloomfield Public Library, Bloomfield, NM

Blue Mountain Public Library, Blue Mountain, MS

Bolivar Free Library, Bolivar, NY

Bonney Memorial Library, Cornish, ME

Bowdle Public Library, Bowdle, SD

Bowen Public Library, Bowen, IL

Brantley Public Library, Brantley, AL

Bridger Public Library, Bridger, MT

Brigham Memorial Library, Sharon, WI

Britton Public Library, Britton, SD

Brooksville Public Library, Brooksville, MS

Brunswick Public Library, Brunswick Public Library, NE

Bunker Hill Public Library District, Bunker Hill, IL

Burgettstown Community Library, Burgettstown, PA

Burlingame Community Library, Burlingame, KS

Bushnell-Sage Library, Sheffield, MA

Butte Valley Library, Dorris, CA

Caledonia Public Library, Caledonia, MS

Calhoun County Library, Edison, GA

Camden Library Association, Camden, NY

Cameron Main Library (disaster relief), Cameron, LA

Cando Community Library, Cando, ND

Caney City Library, Caney, KS

Canton Township Carnegie Library, Canton, KS

Canyonville Community Library, Canyonville, OR

Caribou Public Library, Caribou, ME

Carnegie Library (Ballinger TX), Ballinger, TX

Carrier Mills-Stonefort Public Library District, Carrier Mills, IL

Casselton Public Library, Casselton, ND

Catlin Public Library District, Catlin, IL

Central City Public Library, Central City, IA

Centralhatchee Public Library, Franklin, GA

Charles Whitehead Public Library (disaster relief), Wewahitchka, FL

Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library, Lovell, ME

Chateaugay Memorial Library, Chateaugay, NY

Chelsea Public Library, Chelsea, IA

Cherokee City-County Public Library, Cherokee, OK

Choctaw County Public Library, Hugo, OK

Choteau/Teton Public Library, Choteau, MT

Chouteau County Library, Fort Benton, MT

Clarks Public Library, Clarks, NE

Clarksville-Habersham Library, Clarkesville, GA

Clatskanie Library District, Clatskanie, OR

Clear Lake Public Library, Clear Lake, WI

Clinton County Public Library, Albany, KY

Clyde Nix Public Library, Hamilton, AL

Cochranton Area Public Library, Cochranton, PA

Colby Community Library, Colby, WI

Colchester District Library, Colchester, IL

Coleman Area Library, Coleman, MI

Colfax Public Library, Colfax, WI

Columbia Township Library, Unionville, MI

Combined Community Library, Ordway, CO

Conejos Library District, La Jara, CO

Cook Public Library, Cook, MN

Cooke County Library, Gainesville, TX

Cornelia-Habersham County Library, Cornelia, GA

Cornell Public Library, Cornell, WI

Cornwall Library, Cornwall, CT

Cottage Grove Public Library, Cottage Grove, OR

Coudersport Public Library, Coudersport, PA

Council Grove Public Library, Council Grove, KS

Crawford Public Library, Crawford, MS

Crawford Public Library, Roberta, GA

Cross Plains Public Library, Cross Plains, TX

Croton Township Library, Newaygo, MI

Cuba Circulating Library, Cuba, NY

Culbertson Public Library, Culbertson, NE

Curry Public Library, Gold Beach, OR

Curtis Township Library, Glennie, MI

Cuttyhunk Public Library, Cuttyhunk Island, Town of Gosnold, MA

Dally Memorial Library, Sardis, OH

Davenport Public Library, Davenport, NE

David A. Howe Public Library, Wellsville, NY

David Hunt Library, Falls Village, CT

Declo Elementary School, Declo, ID

Deer Park Public Library, Deer Park, WI

Del Norte County Library District, Crescent City, CA

Denmark Public Library, Denmark, ME

Deubrook Area School and Community Library, White, SD

Deweyville Library (disaster relief), Deweyville, TX

Dillon Public Library, Dillon, MT

Dixon Township Library, Argonia, KS

Dorothy Asbjornson Library, Winifred, MT

Dowling Public Library, Hastings, MI

Doyle Public Library, Raymond, IL

Dr. Sandor and Bethe Benedek Memorial Library, Savona, NY

Dr. Shaw Memorial Library, Mt Vernon, ME

Dublin Public Library, Dublin, TX

Dummer Public Library, Dummer, NH

Durant Public Library, Durant, MS

Dutton Community Library, Dutton, AL

Dutton/Teton Public Library, Dutton, MT

Dwight Public Library (disaster relief), Dwight, KS

East Glacier Park Woman's Club Library, East Glacier, MT

Eckels Memorial Library, Oakland, IA

Eden Valley Area Library, Eden Valley, MN

Edith B. Ford Memorial Library, Ovid, NY

Effingham Community Library, Effingham, KS

Elbert County Public Library & Bowman Branch Library, Elberton, GA

Eldora Public Library, Eldora, IA

Elgin Public Library, Elgin, IA

Ellendale Public Library, Ellendale, ND

Elmendaro Township Library, Hartford, KS

Elmer P. & Jewel Ward Memorial Library (disaster relief), Centerville, TX

Elmwood Public Library, Elmwood, NE

Endeavor Public Library, Endeavor, WI

Enterprise Public Library, Enterprise, OR

Essex Public Library, Essex, MO

Estancia Public Library, Estancia, NM

Ethel Everhard Memorial Library, Westfield, WI

Evans County Public Library, Claxton, GA

Evans Public Library, Vandalia, IL

Evelyn Lang Public Library, Springfield, SD

Everly Public Library, Everly, IA

F. D. Campbell Memorial Library, Bessemer, PA

Fairbury Public Library, Fairbury, NE

Fairfield-Teton Public Library, Fairfield, MT

Fairplay Branch - Park County Library, Fairplay, CO

Faith Memorial Library, Wallace, NE

Farmersville-Waggoner Public Library District, Farmersville, IL

Farmington Public Library, Farmington, IA

Fertile Public Library, Fertile, IA

Forman Public Library, Forman, ND

Frances O'Brien Memorial Library, Blue River, OR

Francesville Salem Twp Public Library, Francesville, IN

Franklin County Public Library, Meadville, MS

Franklin Free Library, Franklin, NY

Friends of Marcola School Media Center, Marcola, OR

Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH

Genesee Public Library, Little Genesee, NY

Geneseo Public Library District, Geneseo, IL

Genoa Public Library, Genoa, NE

George McCone Memorial County Library, Circle, MT

George Public Library, George, IA

German-Masontown Public Library, Masontown, PA

Gibbs Memorial Library (disaster relief), Mexia, TX

Gilliam County Public Library, Condon, OR

Gilman Public Library, Gilman, IA

Ginanda Gikendaasomin, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribal Library, Bayfield, WI

Glendale Community Library, Glendale, OR

Glenns Ferry Library, Glenns Ferry, ID

Glover Spencer Memorial Library, Rush Springs, OK

Golconda Public Library, Golconda, IL

Golden Public Library, Golden, IL

Gooding Public Library District, Gooding, ID

Goshen County Library, Torrington, WY

Goshen Public Library, Goshen, CT

Graceville Public Library, Graceville, MN

Graettinger Public Library, Graettinger, IA

Grangeville Centennial Library, Grangeville Centennial Library, ID

Greenford Community Library, Salem, OH

Greenville-Butler County Public Library, Greenville, AL

Gregory Public Library, Gregory, SD

Greig Memorial Library, Oneida, IL

Gresham Public Library, Gresham, NE

Griggs County Library, Cooperstown, ND

Griswold Public Library, Griswold, IA

Groff Memorial Library, Grayville, IL

Guilford Memorial Library, Guilford, ME

Guilford Smith Memorial Library, South Windham, CT

Gypsy Jackson Memorial Library, Homedale, ID

Hackberry Branch Library (disaster relief), Hackberry, LA

Haleyville Public Library, Haleyville, AL

Hampshire County Public Library, Romney, WV

Hand County Library, Miller, SD

Hankinson Public Library, Hankinson, ND

Hansford County Library, Spearman, TX

Harbor Springs Library, Harbor Springs, MI

Hardtner Public Library, Hardtner, KS

Harlem Public Library, Harlem, MT

Harlowton Public Library, Harlowton, MT

Harvey Public Library, Harvey, ND

Haxtun Public Library, Haxtun, CO

Hayden Public Library, Hayden, CO

Haynie Public Library, Prague, OK

Hazel M. Lewis Library, Powers, OR

Hazel W. Guilford Memorial Library, Aurora, NC

Helper City Public Library, Helper, UT

Hennessey Public Library, Hennessey, OK

Henning Public School Library, Henning, MN

Herington Public Library, Herington, KS

Hermitage Library, Hermitage, AR

Hill Library, Strafford, NH

Hillsboro Public Library, Hillsboro, IL

Hoisington Public Library, Hoisington, KS

Homedale Public Library, Homedale, ID

Homer Public Library, Homer, MI

Hopkinton Public Library, Hopkinton, IA

Howard Public Library, Hornell, NY

Hruska Memorial Public Library, David City, NE

Hubbard Public Library, Hubbard, IA

Hugo Public Library, Hugo, CO

Hymera Community Library, Hymera, IN

Indianola Public Library, Indianola, NE

Ione Public Library, Ione, OR

Irene-Wakonda Community Library, Irene, SD

Ivanhoe Public Library, Ivanhoe, MN

J. C. Wheeler Public Library, Martin, MI

J. R. Clarke Public Library, Covington, OH

Jackson County Library, Newport, AR

James E. Shanley Tribal Library, Poplar, MT

James W. Curry Public Library, French Creek, WV

Jamestown City Library, Jamestown, KS

Jeff Davis County Library, Fort Davis, TX

Jefferson Public Library, Jefferson, NH

Jennie Woodworth Library, White Bluff, TN

Johnson Bayou Branch Library (disaster relief, Cameron, LA

Jordanville Public Library, Jordanville, NY

Joseph R. Palmer Library, Elsberry, MO

Josephine Community Libraries, Williams Branch, Williams, OR

Julesburg Public Library, Julesburg, CO

Junction City Public Library, Junction City, OR

Kalama Public Library (disaster relief), Kalama, WA

Kasilof Public Library, Kasilof Public Library, AK

Keene Valley Library, Keene Valley, NY

Kemper Newton Regional Library System, Union, MS

Kennedy Public Library, Kennedy, AL

Keytesville Library, Keytesville, MO

Kinney Memorial Library, Hanlontown, IA

Kirkland Public Library, Kirkland, IL

Kittanning Public Library, Kittanning, PA

Knightstown Public Library, Knightstown, IN

Kurth Memorial Library, Lufkin, TX

La Harpe Carnegie Public Library District, La Harpe, IL

Laguna Madre Youth Center Branch, Port Isabel, TX

LaHarpe Carnegie Public Library, LaHarpe, IL

Lake Andes Carnegie Public Library, Lake Andes, SD

Lake Benton Public Library, Lake Benton, MN

Lake County Library District, Lakeview, OR

Lakin Library & Envisioning Center, Tabor, IA

Langlois Public Library, Langlois, OR

Laporte School District, Laporte, MN

Las Animas Bent County Library, Las Animas, CO

Laurel Public Library, Laurel, DE

LaValle Public Library, LaValle, WI

Laverne Delphian Public Library, Laverne, OK

Lavonia-Carnegie Library, Lavonia, GA

Lenox Public Library, Lenox, IA

Leon Saxeville Library, Pine River, WI

Lettie W. Jensen Library, Amherst, WI

Letts Public Library, Letts, IA

Lewis County Public Library, Vanceburg, KY

Lewis Public Library, Lewis, IA

Liberty Library, Liberty, ME

Lied Irwin Public Library, Irwin, IA

Lied Lincoln Township Library, Wausa, NE

Lied Tekamah Public Library, Tekamah, NE

Lincoln County Library, Libby, MT

Lincoln Public Library, Lincoln, NH

Linn County Library District 1, Parker, KS

Lisbon Public Library, Lisbon Public Library, ND

Littleton Public Library, Littleton, NH

Long Lake Public Library, St. Agatha, ME

Lopez Island Library District, Lopez Island, WA

Louisville Public Library, Louisville, NE

Lowden Public Library, Lowden, IA

Lower Umpqua Library, Reedsport, OR

Luther Area Public Library, Luther, MI

Lyndon Carnegie Library, Lyndon, KS

Lytton Public Library, Lytton, IA

Madison Valley Public Library, Ennis, MT

Madisonville Public Library, Madisonville, TN

Maggie Osgood Library (disaster relief), Lowell, OR

Mallard Public Library, Mallard, IA

Manning Public Library, Manning, IA

Margaret Fraase Library, Buffalo, ND

Marianne Beck Memorial Library, Howey-in-the-Hills, FL

Mariposa County Library System-El Portal Branch Library, El Portal, CA

Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Public Library, Presque Isle, ME

Marshallville Public Library, Marshallville, GA

Mary Wallace Cobb Memorial Library, Vernon, AL

Mary Willis Library (Bartram Trail Reg Lib), Washington, GA

McCloud Library, McCloud, CA

McLean County Public Library, Livermore, KY

Mead Public Library, Mead, NE

Meagher County City Library, White Sulphur Springs, MT

Medicine Spring Library, Browning, MT

Meeker Public Library, Meeker, OK

Meinders Community Library, Pipestone, MN

Meridian Public Library, Meridian, TX

Millport Public Library, Millport, AL

Milner Community Library, Milner, GA

Minburn Public Library, Minburn, IA

Mineral County Public Library, Superior, MT

Minerva Free Library, Sherman, NY

Modeste Bedient Memorial Library, Branchport, NY

Monroe County Public Library, Monroeville, AL

Montague Branch Library, Montague, CA

Montello Public Library, Montello, WI

Montgomery House Warrior Run Area Public Library, McEwensville, PA

Monticello Branch Library, Monticello, UT

Montrose School Library, Montrose, SD

Moore Memorial Library, Moore, MT

Moores Memorial Library, Christiana, PA

Moose Lake Public Library, Moose Lake, MN

Morgan County Public Library, Berkeley Springs, WV

Morrisville Public Library, Morrisville, NY

Morton Memorial Library, Pine Hill, NY

Mott Public Library, Mott, ND

Mount Ayr Public Library, Mount Ayr, IA

Mount Carroll District Library, Mount Carroll, IL

Mount Jewett Memorial Library, Mount Jewett Memorial Library, PA

Mount Union Community Library, Mount Union, PA

Nance-McNeely Memorial Library, Myrtle, MS

Neshoba County Public Library, Philadelphia, MS

Neuschafer Community Library, Fremont, WI

New Virginia Public Library, New Virginia, IA

Newbern Public Library, Newbern, AL

Newell Public Library, Newell, IA

Newkirk Public Library, Newkirk, OK

Newport Public Library (Calispel Branch), Newport, WA

Newton County Public Library, Newton, TX

Nicholas County Public Library, Nicholas County Public Library, KY

Nickerson Public Library, Nickerson, KS

Ninilchik Community Library, Ninilchik, AK

North Freedom Public Library, North Freedom, WI

North Manchester Public Library, North Manchester, IN

North Powder City Library, North Powder, OR

North Toole County Library - Sunburst Branch, Sunburst, MT

North Valley Public Library, Stevensville, MT

North Wales Area Library, North Wales, PA

Northern Cambria Public Library, Northern Cambria, PA

Nottoway County Public System, Crewe, VA

Nyssa Public Library, Nyssa, OR

Oakland Public Library, Oakland, MS

Oakland Public Library, Oakland, OR

Oakridge Public Library, Oakridge, OR

Ocracoke Community Library (disaster relief), Ocracoke, NC

Oglethorpe Public Library, Oglethrope, GA

Onawa Public Library, Onawa, IA

Oneida County Library, Malad City, ID

Ord Township Library, Ord, NE

Orford Social Library, Orford, NH

Orwigsburg Area Free Public Library, Orwigsburg, PA

Osburn Public Library, Osburn, ID

Osmond Public Library, Osmond, NE

Oswayo Valley Memorial Library, Shinglehouse, PA

Owls Head Village Library, Owls Head, ME

Oxford Public Library, Oxford, WI

Ozark Regional Library, Ironton, MO

Packwaukee Public Library, Packwaukee, WI

Palisade Public Library, Palisade, NE

Park County Public Library-Lake George Branch, Lake George, CO

Park County Public Library - Bailey Branch, Bailey, CO

Park County Public Library-Guffey Branch, Guffey, CO

Parnell Memorial Library, Montevallo, AL

Pathfinder Community Library, Baldwin, MI

Patterson Memorial Library, Wild Rose, WI

Patton Public Library, Patton, PA

Paw Paw Public Library District, Paw Paw, IL

Pawlet Public Library, Pawlet, VT

Pawnee City Public Library, Pawnee City, NE

Payette Public Library, Payette, ID

Peabody Township Library, Peabody, KS

Pelican Rapids Public Library, Pelican Rapids, MN

Pember Library, Pember Library, NY

Philippi Public Library, Philippi, WV

Philipsburg Area Community Library, Philipsburg, MT

Piedmont Public Library, Piedmont, OK

Piedmont Public Library, Piedmont, WV

Pioneer Heritage Library, Le Grand, IA

Piper City Public Library, Piper City, IL

Plainview Public Carnegie Library, Plainview, NE

Platte Public Library, Platte, SD

Plover Public Library, Plover, IA

Plymouth Public Library, Plymouth, IL

Polk Public Library, Polk, NE

Pomona Community Library, Pomona, KS

Port Orford Public Library, Port Orford, OR

Prattsburg Free Library, Prattsburgh, NY

Prentiss Public Library, Prentiss, MS

Prescott-Nevada County Library, Prescott, AR

Preston Public Library, Preston, IA

Priest Lake Public Library, Priest Lake, ID

Pringle-Morse Consolidated Independent SD, Morse, TX

Project Carpe Diem Mobile Learning Resources Library, Lander, WY

Pulteney Free Library, Pulteney, NY

Quitman County Public Library, Georgetown, GA

R. K. Kittay Library, Rupert, VT

Radcliffe Public Library, Radcliffe, IA

Randolph Public Library, Randolph, IA

Ravenna Public Library, Ravenna, NE

Ray Township Public Library, Ray, MI

Raymond A. Whitwer Tilden Public Library, Tilden, NE

Reeseville Public Library, Reeseville, WI

Remington Carpenter Township Public Library, Remington, IN

Republic-Michigamme Public Library, Republic, MI

Rich County Library, Randolph, UT

Richburg Colonial Library, Richburg, NY

Rio Abajo Community Library, La Joya, NM

Ritzville Public Library, Ritzville, WA

Roachdale Public Library, Roachdale, IN

Roann Paw Paw Township Library, Roann, IN

Roberts County Library, Miami, TX

Robertson County Carnegie Library, Franklin, TX

Rock Falls Public Library District, Rock Falls, IL

Roeliff Janson Community Library, Hillsdale, NY

Royalton Memorial Library, South Royalton, VT

Ruthven Public Library, Ruthven, IA

Sac City Public Library, Sac City, IA

Salem Public Library, Salem, MO

Sanbornton Public Library, Sanbornton, NH

Sarah Stewart Bovard Memorial Library, Tionesta, PA

Scio Memorial Library, Scio, NY

Scio Public Library, Scio, OR

Seligman Public Library, Seligman, AZ

Sheridan Public Library, Sheridan, MT

Shinnecock Indian Nation School Library, Southhampton, NY

Shoshoni Public Library, Shoshoni, WY

Siletz Public Library, Siletz, OR

Silver Bay Public Library, Silver Bay, MN

Silver Creek Township Library, Silver Creek, NE

Simpson Memorial Library, Carmel, ME

Sinclairville Free Library, Sinclairville, NY

Slippery Rock Community Library, Slippery Rock, PA

Smith-Welch Memorial Library, Smith-Welch Memorial Library, TX

Somerville Public Library, Somerville, AL

Somesville Library Association, Mount Desert, ME

South Jefferson Public Library, Summit Point, WV

Southern Area Library, Lost Creek, WV

Southern Wasco County Library, Maupin, OR

Spanish Peaks Library District, Walsenburg, CO

Sparta-Hancock County Library, Sparta, GA

Springport Free Library, Union Springs, NY

St. Clair County Library, Osceola, MO

St. Francis Public Library, St. Francis, KS

St. Maries Public Library, St. Maries, ID

St. Marys Public Library, St. Marys, PA

St. Paul Public Library, St. Paul, AR

Stanfield Public Library, Stanfield, OR

Stanwood Public Library, Stanwood, IA

Sulligent Public Library, Sulligent, AL

Summerville Public Library, Summerville, PA

Swan Valley Branch Library, Irwin, ID

Sweet Home Public Library, Sweet Home, OR

Tabor Public Library, Tabor, IA

Taliaferro County Library, Crawfordville, GA

Tallahatchie County Library System, Charleston, MS

Tarkington Community Library, Cleveland, TX

Tellico Plains Public Library, Tellico Plains, TN

Teton Public Library-Fairfield, Fairfield, MT

Thomasville Public Library Branch (disaster relief), Thomasville, MO

Thomasville Public Library, Thomasville, AL

Thomas-Wilhite Memorial Library, Perkins, OK

Thompson Public Library, Thompson, IA

Thompson-Hickman Madison County Library, Virginia City, MT

Thornson Memorial Public Library, Elbow Lake, MN

Tifton-Tift County Public Library, Tifton, GA

Toledo Public Library, Toledo, OR

Toole County Library, Shelby, MT

Towanda Public Library, Towanda, KS

Tri-Community, Fernwood, ID

Tripoli Public Library, Tripoli, IA

Tri-Valley Community Library, Healy, AK

Truro Public Library, Truro, IA

Tryon Public Library, Tryon, OK

Turkeyfoot Lending Library, Confluence, PA

Turtle Lake Public Library, Turtle Lake, WI

Twiggs County Public Library, Jeffersonville, GA

Tyringham Free Public Library, Tryingham, MA

Tyson Library Association, Versailles, IN

Unadilla Public Library, Unadilla, NY

Upper Skagit Library District, Concrete, WA

Valier Public Library, Valier, MT

Valley Mills Library Association, Valley Mills, TX

Valley Public Library, Valley, NE

Van Community Library, Van, TX

Vance Township Library, Fairmount, IL

Vandergrift Public Library, Vandergrift, PA

Varnum Memorial Library, Jeffersonville, VT

Vassalboro Public Library, Vassalboro, ME

Vernonia Public Library, Vernonia, OR

Vienna Carnegie Public Library, Vienna, IL

Virden Public Library, Virden, NM

Vista J. Daniels Memorial Library, Shuqualak, MS

Waldport Public Library, Waldport, OR

Wall Lake Public Library, Wall Lake, IA

Wallowa Public Library, Wallowa, OR

Wartburg Public Library, Wartburg, TN

Waucoma Public Library, Waucoma, IA

Weatherford Public Library, Red Bay, AL

Webster Public Library, Webster, SD

Wedsworth Memorial Library, Cascade, MT

Weed Community Library, Weed, CA

Weir Public Library, Weir, KS

Weiser Public Library, Weiser, ID

Weller Public Library, Waitsburg, WA

Wells Public Library, Wells, MN

West Bend Public Library, West Bend, IA

West Stockbridge Public Library, West Stockbridge, MA

Western Taylor County Public Library, Gilman, WI

Westminster West Public Library, Putney, VT

Wheatland Elementary School Library, Grainfield, KS

Wheeler Library, North Stonington, CT

White Pine County Library, Ely, NE

White Pine Public Library, White Pine, TN

White Smith Memorial Library, White Smith Memorial Library, AL

Whitesville Public Library, Whitesville, NY

Whitewood Public library, Whitewood, SD

Whiting Library, Chester, VT

Wide Awake Club Library, Fillmore, NY

Williamsburg Community Library, Williamsburg, KS

Wilmot Public Library, Wilmot, SD

Winchester Public Library, Winchester, KS

Windham Free Library, Windham, CT

Windsor Storm Memorial Public Library, Windsor, IL

Winfield Public Library, Winfield, AL

Winona-Montgomery Public Library, Winona, MS

Winter Public Library, Winter, WI

Winters Public Library, Winters, TX

Withee Public Library, Withee, WI

Wolfe County Public Library, Campton, KY

Woodsville Free Public Library, Woodsville, NH

Woodward Public Library, Woodward, IA

Yoncalla Public Library, Yoncalla, OR

Yreka Public Library, Yreka, CA

Yuma Public Library, Yuma, CO

Yutan Public Library, Yutan, NE

Lineup:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
April 2024 Children's Book Project Grant Awards Alberton Branch Library, Alberton Branch Library, MT Alleghany County Public Library, Sparta, NC Alma Public Library, Alma, AR Ashville Free Library, Ashville, NY Augusta Public Library, Augusta, IL Banks County Public Library, Homer, GA Benzonia Public Library, Benzonia, MI Bowdle Public Library, Bowdle, SD Bowen Public Library, Bowen,...

# data[].attributes.body
The Kids in Need Foundation’s Supply A Teacher Program provides essential resources to teachers in underserved schools, supporting a full semester of active learning. Eligible teachers at schools with 50% or more students in the National School Lunch Program can apply. Deadline: Ongoing.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Supply A Teacher - Kids In Need Foundation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kids In Need Foundation's Supply A Teacher Program seeks to empower teachers by providing supplies for their classroom - and eliminate the burden of purchasing supplies out of their own pocket. Each teacher supported through Supply A Teacher receives two large boxes filled with the items they need to fuel a full semester of active...

# data[].attributes.headline
School-Based Mental Health Services (SBMH) Grant Program:

# data[].attributes.subject
School-Based Mental Health Services (SBMH) Grant Program:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program - Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Program Description The purpose of the SBMH grant program is to provide competitive grants to State educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and consortia of LEAs to increase the number of credentialed mental health services providers providing school-based mental health services to students in LEAs with demonstrated need.

# data[].attributes.body
ministries, health, relief, education, community service, welfare, and arts organizations.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
About DEW Foundation

With a vision to help charitable organizations meet pressing needs and fulfill vital missions, the DEW Foundation promotes the common good worldwide. Our charitable contributions reflect the diverse interests and passions held by our Board of Directors, and their desire to support the communities they live in.

Since Convoy of Hope was founded in 1994 we have served more than 55 million people throughout the world through international children's feeding initiatives, community outreaches, disaster response and partner resourcing.

Animal Ark is a sanctuary for non-releasable wildlife. Our mission is "to inspire environmental stewardship through wildlife education".

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
With a vision to help charitable organizations meet pressing needs and fulfill vital missions, the DEW Foundation promotes the common good worldwide. Our charitable contributions reflect the diverse interests and passions held by our Board of Directors, and their desire to support the communities they live in.

# data[].attributes.headline
(2023 grant) Early Learner STEM Education Grant

# data[].attributes.subject
(2023 grant) Early Learner STEM Education Grant

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Game jerseys & one set of game pants with school name, numbers, & JJWF logo on uniforms tops only. These uniforms cannot be personalized with student names.

Safety equipment like helmets expiring within 2 years (reconditioning report must be submitted with application), pads, and wrestling or cheerleading mats.

Balls, bats, nets, and other equipment vital to the sport.

Reasonable storage equipment. For example, we will not fund ball carts, as mesh bags would serve an equal purpose.

Due to the high request volume we receive, please prioritize the items being requested in the comment section of the application or attach a separate document. You may be partially funded and this will help expedite the process. If applicable, please submit photos of your current uniforms and/or equipment that you are applying to replace.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Game jerseys & one set of game pants with school name, numbers, & JJWF logo on uniforms tops only. These uniforms cannot be personalized with student names. Safety equipment like helmets expiring within 2 years (reconditioning report must be submitted with application), pads, and wrestling or cheerleading mats.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Eligibility and Guidelines

Funds for Fuel Up is available to any qualified U.S. K‐12 schools. Sponsored by National Dairy Council, state and regional Dairy Councils and other supporting organizations, the competitive, nationwide grant program provides school nutrition equipment to help improve access to healthy meals in schools

To apply, schools must:

Participate in the National School Lunch Program.

If you have received Funds For Fuel Up in the past three years, your school needs to have submitted all required Funds for Fuel Up to Play 60 final reporting to be eligible to receive an equipment kit.

NOTE: Due to COVID-19 disruptions, reporting was not required of schools who received Funds for Fuel Up for use in the 2019-2020 school year. These schools are eligible for funding, provided all other past reporting is submitted.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Looking for funding to improve overall health and wellness at your school? Apply for a grant!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sports 4 Life - Women’s Sports Foundation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sports 4 Life is a national effort to increase the participation and retention of African-American and Hispanic girls, ages 11-18, in developmental youth sports programs. Through education, public awareness and grants to organizations nationwide, Sports 4 Life seeks to effect sustainable improvement to the overall health and development of girls in these communities.

# data[].attributes.headline
Nov 4, 2025 Research on Innovative Technologies for Enhanced Learning

# data[].attributes.subject
Nov 4, 2025 Research on Innovative Technologies for Enhanced Learning

# data[].attributes.body
PNC Grow Up Great is our signature program. It is a $500 million, multi-year, bilingual initiative that began in 2004 to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life.

As part of this initiative, the PNC Foundation has earmarked funds for grants to nonprofit organizations that work to improve school readiness by providing support in areas such as: vocabulary development; social-emotional learning; math; science; and the arts.

By focusing our support on high-quality early childhood education, we aim to positively impact school readiness and contribute to stronger, smarter and healthier children, families and communities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Storytelling for Grantseekers: A Guide to Creative Nonprofit Fundraising

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Storytelling for Grantseekers: A Guide to Creative Nonprofit Fundraising [Clarke, Cheryl A.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Storytelling for Grantseekers: A Guide to Creative Nonprofit Fundraising

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
2026 Book Love Foundation Library Grant application 