Education includes student-centered activities that promote curiosity, joy and academic improvement in math, literacy, civics, history and science. It also includes the development of critical thinking, project-based learning and social capital competencies that are key to student success. Key to the development of these skills is the out-of-school time community, which serves as a bridge between learners, families and educational institutions. In Allegheny County, 67,000 students would attend an out-of-school time program if one were available. And if performance gaps based on race, ethnicity or economic status were eliminated, up to $5 billion dollars in lifetime compensation and in-kind benefits could be directed to students and their families, annually.
In our education portfolio, we are interested in supporting the following:
Out-of-school time (OST)
The Foundation supports culturally-responsive, out-of-school time programs that promote academic achievement and whole-child development. Specifically, we seek to support:
- Activities that offer advanced skill development opportunities and/or certifications.
- Tutoring and homework assistance.
- Post-secondary planning and application support.
- Opportunities to build relationships between schools and families.
We are particularly interested in programs that work to maximize student learning time, reduce chronic absenteeism, offer evidence-based mental health supports, serve immigrant or refugee students, students with disabilities, LGBTQIA students and students experiencing housing insecurity.
The Foundation supports the following to ensure every child receives in-school instruction in an environment that is safe and high-quality:
- Specific curricula improvements at high-need, low-performing schools serving marginalized students (Ex: new science, literacy, math, civics or history curricula).
- Culturally responsive professional development for OST and school staff.
- Efforts to eliminate systemic policies and practices that negatively impact students and their families.
NOTE: With limited resources, we find that we must create some parameters for our grantmaking. While we recognize their value, the following are not eligible for support at this time: Episodic programming, occurring less than three days per week or summer-only programs; leadership development or service-learning programs; and athletic programs, unless there is a clear case for alignment with the criteria for out-of-school time.
| GRANT CYCLE | APPLICATION DEADLINES |
|---|---|
| Spring grant cycle | March 24, 2023 by noon (for funding decision by June 14) |
| Fall grant cycle | July 18, 2023 by 5 p.m. (for funding decision by Nov. 1) |
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CONTACT:
Jamillia Kamara Senior Program Officer for Education kamaraj [at] pghfdn.org |
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