One of my sons recently fulfilled an obligation to put in 30 hours of volunteer time into family, church and community efforts. With a start that began with teen grumbling he soon started enjoying himself and the contribution he was making along with many others. There is not enough that can be said for the power of people working together to better their community. The purpose of my next highlighted funder reflects support for this type of positive, communal work.

This week’s pick: ServeMinnesota, a grantee of the Corporation for National and Community Service, is a nonprofit which administers federal AmeriCorps State Grants in Minnesota. Statewide public and nonprofit agencies have created opportunities for thousands of AmeriCorps members to serve in Minnesota. These grants pay for costs necessary to implement new or existing programs.

To apply, a concept paper is due by October 26, 2009 with a full application due by December 8 2009. For full instructions on how to apply, click here.