Many churches, urban ministries and faith based tutoring programs have very limited budgets. Often the students are from families who have little if any discretionary income and can’t afford to donate to projects. If you are creative though, you can often find outside funding for the service projects you want to do with your students. Some of these programs will also help publicize your program if you win the grant or award.
A common fear of most programs is that secular organizations will not give awards or grants to programs connected to churches in some way. Some do have that rule, but others are very open to helping churches and faith based programs. Teach One Reach One for example has received so much encouragement over the years from the Points of Light Foundation and GenerationOn.
GenerationOn is currently promoting a program called the Martin Richard Bridge campaign. The campaign, calls on kids and teens to do service projects or acts of kindness in honor of Martin Richard, the 8-year-old boy who was killed as the second of two bombs went off at the Boston Marathon in 2013.
GenerationOn is particularly interested in hearing about projects that promote caring, kindness and compassion in a local school or community by addressing issues such as bullying, insecurities, and community conflict. After your group completes its project, share your story of service at www.generationon.org/peace for a chance to win a $250 service grant. I am sure winners will also be publicized, which you can then share locally to bring more attention to your church or faith-based program.
The deadline for the GenerationOn campaign is October 16, 2015. If you miss the deadline, a quick search online can reveal other organizations with small grants or contests focused on helping young people serve others. A few clicks could help your group find the funds it needs to help your students serve others.