HOW TO FUND AND SUSTAIN YOUR AMERICAN GRADUATE PROJECT

Updated April 18, 2013

Is your station involved in the American Graduate initiative, working on projects aimed at dropout prevention? Are you in search of additional funding opportunities to keep your project going? Both federal agencies and foundations have an interest in funding dropout prevention work, and the Grant Center wants to make sure you are aware of the various opportunities available. The resources provided below break it down by foundation and federal agency. We also provide you with successful case studies from your peers through our webinar on sustainability.

Federal funding opportunities
This resource lists the variety of federal agencies which are an excellent match for stations in search of additional funds to sustain their American Graduate projects. Each grant listed addresses eligibility requirements, anticipated funding amounts, examples of stations that have been funded, and how the grant program relates to the American Graduate initiative. Not all programs are currently accepting applications. (Updated April 2013 to reflect the President's Fiscal Year 2014 budget request. These are not definitive numbers and ultimately Congress will decide the final funding levels for FY 2014 in the coming months. Presently, this document is best used to identify federal trends and political will rather than exact funding information. We will continue to provide updates as the federal budget is finalized.)

• Download the resource on the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, providing state by state contact information as well as competition details. (Updated March 2013)

Foundation funding opportunities
This resource highlights in detail each of the major foundations that actively fund projects on dropout prevention. Each foundation listed includes a description of the organization, including links to the official site, and a list of related projects that have been funded in the past.

Additional resources to extend CPB initiatives
This resource lists additional foundations that are known to fund American Graduate work on dropout prevention. This resource also addresses foundations that have an interest in funding projects on issues surrounding women and girls to extend stations efforts on Women and Girls Lead projects, another CPB funded initiative.

Grant Center Webinars
Last fall, the Grant Center hosted two webinars which highlighted the different funding opportunities available related to American Graduate. Each webinar is archived on our website and is coupled with additional resources available for download.

• Federal Grant Trend Alert: College Access and Affordability
  This June 28, 2012 webinar discussed the rising federal focus on college access and affordability. Federal policy experts provided tips on how stations can strategically think about college access and affordability, as well as a discussion with KET on their efforts to make more students college-ready.
• Funding and Sustainability Plan for American Graduate Webinar
  This November 15, 2011 webinar, hosted by Nine Network and NCME, featuring the Grant Center discussed important issues and opportunities for American Graduate grantees to leverage and sustain their funding.
• Expanded Learning Opportunities...Expanded Opportunities for Public Media Webinar
  This September 29, 2011 webinar featured new ways to access federal dollars through lesser known programs. Focus was placed on expanded learning opportunities which includes after-school, summer learning, extended day and other initiatives to keep kids learning longer.
• Grant Center Webinar Series: Strategies for Grantseeking Success
  This six part webinar series, hosted by the Grant Center, addresses the grantseeking process with topics ranging from defining your work, to identifying potential funders, to creating a successful proposal. Launched in 2012, the series will host its fourth session later this summer.