Education grants: 15 after-school program funding opportunities

High-quality academic enrichment after-school programs are designed by schools and communities across the United States to help students meet academic needs and solve problems that youth are facing. After-school programs and learning enrichment programs provide a wide range of benefits to students of all ages, such as:

• Social and Emotional Learning
• Academic Support
• Safety
• School Participation
• Supporting Working Families
• Nutrition and Physical Activity
• Work-Based Learning

After-school programs have inspired kids to learn, kept them safe, and helped families for years. Unfortunately, for the first time in more than a decade, the number of children enrolled in after-school programs across the country has decreased. There are nearly 25 million school-aged children unable to access after-school programs.

Most families report that these programs are too expensive for them to participate in, which means now more than ever, there is a need for funding for after-school and learning enrichment programs. 

Below are fifteen grant opportunities for enrichment and after-school programs across the country:

1. 21st Century Community Learning Centers supports the creation of community learning centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools. The program helps students meet state and local student standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and math; offers students a broad array of enrichment activities that can complement their regular academic programs; and offers literacy and other educational services to the families of participating children
2. 4Girls Foundation, Inc. invests in initiatives that give voice to girls and women by providing individuals with opportunities to enrich their lives and supporting organizations committed to strengthening the lives of girls, women, families, and communities.
3. The ATCO Group Community Investment Program supports organizations that help company communities thrive, such as youth and education, including learning centers and youth programs.
4. The Baltimore Summer Funding Collaborative (SFC) is a partnership between public, private, and nonprofit organizations that supports high-quality summer programs serving children and youth from low-income backgrounds in Baltimore, Maryland.
5. The Beyond the Books Educational Foundation funds innovative enrichment programs for the students of McLean County Unit District No. 5 and Bloomington District 87 Public Schools in Illinois. The Foundation funds innovative programs (which are not currently offered) that enhance educational experiences.
6. Boeing is committed to helping children and youth achieve their potential through educational enrichment and support programs that promote academic success, independence, and economic sustainability.
7. The Champlin Foundation primarily makes direct grants for capital needs to nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. Champlin maintains a focus on supporting those organizations and schools that provide access to experience and learning—whether in the classroom, after school, or beyond.
8. The Ciresi Walburn Foundation for Children serves as a catalyst for creative, innovative, and societal-changing programs and policies to promote education and equitable opportunities for all of Minnesota’s children and youth. The Foundation supports nonprofit organizations, higher education institutions, and K-12 schools that support children and families in Minnesota.
9. CREATE ACTION is seeking grant applicants committed to serving their local communities in areas such as STEAM/academic enrichment, workforce development, and non-profit services for underserved and under-represented groups.
10. The Charles Lafitte Foundation works to improve education in preschool through college and seeks to improve teaching results by supporting computer-based and technological education, promoting leadership skills, and offering programs about the arts.
11. The Just for Kids Foundation supports nonprofit organizations and individuals that empower youth through experiential learning programs, collaborative efforts between children’s organizations, and character-building programs.
12. The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation supports organizations that offer literacy, STEM, college access and success, and enrichment programs.
13. The McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation serves as a catalyst in maximizing the skills and creativity of educators at the K-12 level throughout the U.S. and in cultivating pioneering approaches to teaching that result in dynamic student learning. The Foundation sponsors proposals that enhance student learning and educational quality, paying particular attention to after-school programs that enrich and inspire.
14. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Afterschool Snack Service is a federally-assisted snack service that provides cash reimbursement to encourage or assist schools in serving snacks to children after the regular school day ends. The after-school snack component of the NSLP helps children fully engage in after-school programming by filling the hunger gap many children face in the afternoon and early evening.
15. Texas ACE (Afterschool Centers on Education) provides no-cost activities before and after school and during summer for K–12 students in Title I schools. Through its competitively funded grants, Texas ACE operates more than 700 learning centers in more than 140 school districts and employs thousands of Texas teachers.

Help the youth in your community schools by writing one of these grants today.