National Service Agency Announces New Funding Opportunity for Higher Education Service-Learning
Washington, DC - The Corporation for National and Community Service announces a funding opportunity of an anticipated $7.3 million for new Learn and Serve America Higher Education grants. The funding will support institutions of higher education that use innovative service-learning programming to meet the needs of local communities, and programs that foster lifelong civic engagement among students.
“These grants will be instrumental as colleges and universities help to prepare today's students to address tomorrow's national challenges,” said Nicola Goren, Acting CEO of the Corporation. “Service-learning sets students on the path to a lifetime of service and civic engagement, while enabling them to use their degrees to contribute back to our local communities.”
The Corporation anticipates that grants will be awarded to an estimated seven to nine individual institutions ranging from approximately $85,000 to $200,000 annually for a project period of up to three years, and an estimated seven to eleven consortia ranging from approximately $200,000 to $500,000 for a project period of up to three years. Consortia can consist of two or more institutions of higher education, or one or more public or private non-profit entities working in partnership with two or more institutions of higher education.
The grants will specifically fund programs that focus on one of the following priorities:
- Embedding Service-Learning in Pre-Service and In-Service Teacher Training – programs will include service-learning as a key component of pre-service teacher curricula and/or professional development provided to in-service teachers.
- Service-Learning in STEM-focused disciplines – programs will integrate high-quality service-learning into the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).
Funding for this grant competition is contingent on the enactment of the Fiscal Year 2010 budget for the Corporation. Click here for more information about this funding opportunity and instructions on how to apply. Applications are due by 5 p.m. Eastern Time, March 9, 2010.