Out-of-school reading habits of students has shown that even 15 minutes a day of independent reading can expose students to more than a million words of text in a year. - Anderson, Wilson, & Fielding, 1988

I owe so much to my mother who has always been a true example of an avid reader that shared her love of books with her children. Encouraging a child to read can create a positive chain reaction. Children who often read open their minds to new concepts, improve their spelling, punctuation and word recognition, and self-educate therefore enriching their scholastic experience.

My funder today wants to help youth to encourage their peers to read.

This week’s pick: Youth Service America (YSA) “is a resource center that partners with thousands of organizations committed to increasing the quality and quantity of volunteer opportunities for young people to serve locally, nationally, and globally. “

YSA is partnering with the National Education Association to award their Youth Leaders for Literacy Grants. Thirty Literacy Grants will be awarded to young people across the United States for successful and innovative projects that address a literacy need in their school or community. Five hundred dollars along with $500 in books will be granted to each awardee. Youth ages 5 to 25 are eligible. For more information on this opportunity, click here.

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Like most people who enjoy policy and debate, I've been pretty tuned into the health care issue in the last several months. As a business owner, I have been particularly intersted in whether any of the proposed options will hold down our health care costs long-term, and what sort of obligations the proposed options will put on the Improve Group, our colleagues and our competitors.

I had the opportunity to chat with Michael Caputo of Minnesota Public Radio about employers, jobs and benefits recently. New state data shows that jobs offering health benefits have declined in even greater numbers than job openings generally. Hear the story and my reactions as a business owner here.

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As the Improve Group begins work on evaluation for the State Health Improvement Program (SHIP) in Faribault, Martin and Watonwan Counties we have healthy living on our minds. Health is a multi-layered process that asks us to get regular checkups, watch what we eat and what we do. My funder today supports an active lifestyle as one of the paths to health.

This Week’s Pick: Liberty Mutual is making Responsible Sports Grants available to sports divisions in three categories:

• large division (two hundred or more players)
• small division (under two hundred players)
• educational groups (school athletic programs)

“To be eligible for the program, league administrators must first register their youth sports organization at the Responsible Sports Web site. Then, coaches, parents, administrators, and youth sports supporters can participate in the Responsible Sports Parenting and/or Responsible Coaching coursework.”

Those who pass the self-paced coursework & quiz can give the credit to their favorite youth sports league. Twenty organizations who have the most credited certifications will each receive a Responsible sports Grant in the amount of $2,500; for more information click here.

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We all face challenges in our lives. For example, I watch my sons struggle for acceptance in their schools and among their peers. These are trials most of us have had to face. Many people live with additional challenges due to a disability and living with a disability can be especially hard on children - who do not want to feel any different than their peers. My funder today is looking for programs that assist children with disabilities to lead a full, vibrant life.

This week’s pick: CVS Caremark is a Corporation providing health and pharmaceutical products and assistance. One of their Community Grants supports “programs that promote independence among children with disabilities including physical and occupational therapies, speech and hearing therapies, assistive technology and recreational therapies.” Proposed programs may include either physical activities or play opportunities for children and should address the specific needs of the population served.

The grants are targeted for those under 21 with disabilities and the application process runs from January 1 through October 31. Qualifying organizations are eligible for grants of up to $5,000.

A CVS/pharmacy store must be located within the state where your community organization resides. Grant applications are submitted online. You will need your Tax ID number to access the application. There is a pre-screening process before completing a proposal.

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In this time of economic recovery while we are still experiencing cutbacks and reductions it was nice to find new growth in the foundation sector.

This week’s pick: As the next evolution for the American Indian Family Empowerment Program (AIFEP) a new foundation had been formed called the Tiwahe Foundation (Tiwahe is a Dakota word meaning family). This continuing collaboration by the Marbrook, Westcliff, and Grotto Foundations will be run by individuals from within the Native American Community.

Although still in its fundraising stage of development, the Tiwahe Foundation will continue the work of AIFEP focusing on cultural preservation and self-determination. Look to this fund to provide efforts like the AIFEP micro-grants and other funding avenues that will support the development of culturally based philanthropy programs within the Indian community.

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by Deborah Mattila

If your organization typically does fundraising through silent or regular auction events, or if you are looking for a new, easy setting for fundraising, you may want to consider online auctions for your next fundraising occasion.

Online auctions have many benefits over traditional auctions or other methods of fundraising. Typical auctions limit bidding (and thus the opportunity for funds) by the number of people attending the auction and the time frame of the auction event. Online auctions, however, remove those limitations, and allow organizations to maximize the potential for funds. Online auctions can also help organizations maximize the benefit of funds raised by reducing or eliminating the costs associated with putting on a fundraising event.

A new company in Minneapolis is interested in supporting local organizations by providing its online auction services free of charge. MillCityAuctions.com can collect, store, photograph and catalog your auction items for you and host item inspection events in their 24,000 square foot warehouse space, conveniently located in Northeast Minneapolis. As part of their donated services, MillCityAuctions.com will waive their typical seller’s fees and donate their typical buyer’s premium for eligible, participating organizations. MillCityAuctions.com hosts one charity auction per month and currently has a lot of openings over the next several months for organizations to take advantage of their services. For more information about their charity auctions, visit the Charity section of their website, or email Andrew@MillCityAuctions.com.

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My boys and I were watching that home rebuilding show that changes lives for people by providing a healthy living environment. This particular show was about a family of 13 that had adopted most of their children and the result was a beautiful mixture of boys from vastly different races and cultures. I was moved by the unity of this family that saw no prejudice in facial color or personal history.

My funder today is also in support of harmony and equality among people.

This Week’s Pick:
W.K. Kellogg Foundation supports a diverse collection of community-based, regional and national projects designed to promote racial healing, mitigate the effects of structural racism and help to eliminate institutionalized and structural racism. This new grant for Community-Based Racial Equality Programs addresses healing efforts which may include:

a. Training and learning experiences
b. Dialogues
c. Local history narratives and/or exhibits related to racial history
d. Race-relations and human rights education and assistance
e. Outreach, media, and communication efforts on racial issues
f. School and organizational curricular projects
g. Storytelling and documentation of local racial histories
h. Local regulatory or policy initiatives such as school reform health disparities or citizen engagement efforts

This funding effort also supports:
a. Sustained coalitions and/or multi-sector partnerships with clearly stated goals and projected outcomes that affect the lives of marginalized children
b. Awareness, education, information dissemination, and creative views of media

The Foundation anticipates awarding grants in amounts up to $400,000. The deadline to apply is September 30, 2009 and applications are made online. To review the RFP please click here.

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