Subject to the availability of appropriations for fiscal year 2009, the Corporation for National and Community Service (the Corporation) announces the anticipated availability of approximately $9.27 million to support higher education service-learning and community service programs that address community needs through local service projects. These funds will be awarded to both individual institutions and consortia.An estimated six to eight individual institution applicants will receive awards ranging from approximately $85,000 to $195,000 annually for a project period of up to three years.An estimated seven to nine consortia applicants will receive awards ranging from approximately $200,000 to $500,000 annually for a project period of up to three years.
The Corporation’s mission is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. The purpose of Learn and Serve America Higher Education grants is to expand participation in community service and service-learning programs in colleges and universities serving as civic institutions to meet the human, educational, environmental or public safety needs of their local communities.
America’s communities are being drastically affected by the economic downturn. Institutions of higher education are an important part of their local communities, with many resources, including students, faculty, and staff, research and expertise. Effective partnerships with other local organizations can help communities come together to provide needed services and build capacity in the nonprofit sector. Learn and Serve America encourages applicants to propose programs that will leverage these resources to assist in economic recovery through service and service-learning.
Key agency priorities for the 2009 Higher Education grant competition include:
- Creating and/or expanding initiatives engaging campuses and the communities they serve. Activities should focus on assisting with economic recovery and strengthening the vitality of the nonprofit and social service sectors
- Promoting student leadership through program models incorporating student-initiated and student-led service and service-learning activities addressing critical social needs, particularly those resulting from the economic downturn.
For more information about Learn and Serve America grant competitions, please visit Learn and Serve America’s National Service Learning Clearinghouse.