AMERICAN GRADUATE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT GRANTS

Grant: American Graduate Community Engagement Grants
Agency: Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)
Division: National Center for Media Engagement (NCME)
Deadline: April 29, 2011

Description: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is developing an initiative to help public radio and television stations work with their local communities and diverse audiences to address the high school dropout crisis. Overall, the initiative will include support for community engagement and awareness, user-generated content and multiplatform national and local journalism. Goals for the initiative include:

• Communities will better understand the dropout crisis, its impact on local communities and the country as a whole and will be aware of resources available to help communities.
• The knowledge and capacity of adults who can support and influence at-risk youth will be enhanced.
• Public media organizations will have increased capacity to have impact around the most important issues facing local communities and the nation.
• Communities will be aware of national and local public media's role and capacity in partnering with organizations to address issues of vital importance to the nation and to local communities.

The National Center for Media Engagement (NCME) will provide American Graduate Community Engagement Grants as part of the CPB initiative. The purpose of these grants is to support stations committed to connecting with and engaging their communities to collaboratively address the dropout crisis over time, in order to serve the goals of the grant:

• Drive widespread awareness in the community of the causes and ramifications of a high dropout rate.
• Mobilize community members to actively support at-risk students.
• Promote or provide pathways to existing community resources.

As part of the grant application process, applicants will be required to demonstrate:

• An understanding of dropout statistics and issues in their community.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the status of current dropout prevention activities taking place in their community.
• A commitment to sustaining dropout prevention activities in their community over time.
• A thoughtful plan for and commitment to evaluating the success and impact of their proposed activities.

As a part of funded activities, all grantees will be expected to:

• Convene at least one in-person meeting of community partners and key stakeholders that is delivered to the community via rebroadcast or via electronic delivery, including social media and other electronic channels to address the goals of the grant.
• With at least one community partner (one already committed to dropout prevention and diversity), create and execute a plan to serve the goals of the grant.
• Organize key stakeholders in productive dialogue about the dropout crisis and its local impacts and regarding each organization's current activities and capacity to address the issue.
• Ensure stakeholders and partner selection reflects the diversity of the community served by grantee.
• Explore collaborating with local or regional 2-1-1 service or equivalent, as appropriate, to help provide the community a pathway to resources and ways to take action.
• Leverage NCME funding to cultivate prospective donors from the foundation, corporate or local business communities for planned activities. Partners and donors should be able to support and extend project activities for some time following NCME funding.
• As appropriate, ensure public awareness of successful project results and outcomes, especially to key station stakeholders, including the website, social media and mobile channels.
• Discuss implementation progress with NCME and allow inclusion of their local activity information in NCME web properties and on cpb.org as requested.
• Complete a final report detailing their efforts in connection with the grant, provide links to multiplatform materials created, evaluate success and impact of activities and, as requested, submit any and all public awareness materials related to the grant.

Fit for Public Broadcasting: This program is designed for CPB-funded public radio, television and joint licensee stations and provides funding for stations to engage local communities and address the high school dropout crisis.

Eligibility: Any CPB-funded public radio, television or joint licensee is eligible to apply. Collaborative applications involving a combination of station operation types (TV, joint, radio) will be favored. Stations that received a grant through the Dropout Awareness and Youth Engagement Initiative Public Media Community Hub grant program are not eligible. (This includes primary applicant and partner stations.)

Anticipated funding: American Graduate Community Engagement Grants will be offered at two levels: $10,000 and $20,000. Applicants must choose to apply at either the $10,000 or $20,000 level; multiple applications will not be accepted. Partial awards will not be granted. Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals with realistic budgets relative to market size, scope of project, station's demonstrated ability to execute the project and NCME's capacity for financial support. NCME expects to award 30 to 50 grants.

How to apply: Applications must be submitted using the online form. NCME anticipates a rapid contracting process. Grant notifications will be made in early June, 2011.

Resources:
Register for a webinar about this program on Friday, April 15, 2011, at 1:00 p.m. EDT
Contact Jess Main at NCME with any questions.
Program Notice
Application Template
Frequently Asked Questions