Blue Grass Community Foundation, with support from the Walton Family Foundation, is offering a second round of a two-round funding opportunity aimed to foster the development of innovative education-to-workforce programs.
Donor Name: Blue Grass Community Foundation
State: Kentucky
County: Fayette County (KY)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 12/02/2024
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
Grant funds will support initiatives that prepare Fayette County students in grades 6-12 for in-demand, high-wage employment opportunities. BGCF is seeking proposals for new projects that bridge the gap between education and the workforce, with focus on addressing disparities due to socioeconomic status, gender, and/or race and ethnicity.
Objectives
The primary objectives of this funding are to:
- Equip Fayette County youth with 21st-century skills, hands-on learning experiences, and experiential workforce opportunities that will prepare them for high-wage local employment of tomorrow.
- Address and reduce disparities in education and workforce readiness for youth in Fayette County.
- Positively impact Fayette County by contributing to its skilled workforce, economic growth, and social health.
Funding Priorities
Successful proposals will align with the following priorities, which will be used as scoring criteria in the review process:
- Equity-Focus – Projects should address disparities that exist for students due to socioeconomic status, gender, and/or race ethnicity.
- Innovation -Projects should introduce novel approaches or utilize cutting-edge technology to enhance education-to-workforce experiences.
- Cross-Sector Collaboration – Projects should demonstrate authentic partnerships between co-applicants and with other key stakeholders that represent different sectors, e.g., public, private, schools, nonprofits, and businesses.
- High-Wage Potential – Projects should demonstrate strong potential to create pathways to high-wage employment opportunities for students.
- Experiential Learning – Projects should provide immersive and hands-on learning experiences, such as internships, apprenticeships, project-based learning models, and service learning projects that promote active learning, critical thinking, and real-world problem solving.
- 21st Century Skills Development – Projects should promote the development of cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal skills that will equip students to succeed in the modern workforce. Such skills include critical thinking and problem solving; collaboration and teamwork; proficiency in oral and written communication; digital literacy; creativity and innovation; flexibility and adaptability; leadership and responsibility; global and cultural awareness; and self-management/initiative.
- Community Impact – Projects should demonstrate potential to contribute to the greater wellbeing of the local community.
- Scalability – Projects should demonstrate potential to operate at a larger scale without lessening project impact, either through growth of the funded project, through replicability by other entities, or by serving as a model for other initiatives.
- Sustainability – Projects should demonstrate potential for continuation beyond the grant period.
- Viability – Projects should have a clear and feasible implementation plan that defines roles/responsibilities of all partners, outlines specific steps to achieve the project’s goals, presents a realistic timeline, and details a method for evaluating the project’s success.
- Budget – Projects should have a detailed budget that is appropriate to the scope/scale of the proposed project.
- Organizational Capacity – Applicant organizations should demonstrate capacity to successfully implement the scope and scale for the proposed project. Leadership in partner organizations should have demonstrated expertise for the proposed project and its budget.
Funding Information
- One or more grants totaling up to $450,000 will be awarded for the two-year grant cycle (March 1, 2025 – February 28, 2027).
- Proposals with projects between $200,000 and $450,000 will be considered.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicant organizations must be located in Fayette County. Program proposals must be for service to youth in grades 6-12 residing in Fayette County.
- Proposals must be aimed directly at workforce development, and may include one or more approaches, such as career cultivation, skill development, and job awareness.
- Proposals must include one or more partner organizations, such as public entities, nonprofits, governmental agencies, or private corporations. Individuals are not considered partners.
- The lead applicant organization must be classified as a nonprofit public charitable organization under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code, a unit of government, or a school.
- The lead applicant organization must have a Candid (formerly GuideStar) Seal of Transparency at the Gold level or higher. GuideStar.org is a national database of nonprofits recognized by the IRS. Organizations have free access to their profile on the site and can provide added information to increase the level of Transparency.
- Applicant organizations must not discriminate in their hiring, volunteer participation, or provision of client services. Exceptions may be made for hiring practices for religious organizations that can demonstrate bona fide occupational qualifications based on religious beliefs for employment.
- Applicant organizations with religious affiliations will be considered for funding only if the project for which they seek support attempts to address the needs of the wider community without regard to religious beliefs.
- Applicant organizations must not have final grant reports that are past due to Blue Grass Community Foundation.
For more information, visit BGCF.
