Opportunity Information: Apply for CNCS GRANTS 031908 001
Apply for CNCS GRANTS 031908 001
- The Corporation for National and Community Service in the community development disaster prevention and relief education employment, labor and training environment food and nutrition health other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) regional development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Learn and Serve America School Based STEM FY 2008" and is now available to receive applicants.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 19, 2008 and posted on Mar 19, 2008.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 30, 2008 The deadline for submission of applications is 500 p.m. Eastern Time on April 30, 2008. Applications must be submitted using eGrants, the Corporations integrated, secure, web based system for grant application and management. To create and submit an application via eGrants, please visit http://www.learnandserve.gov/egrants.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $2,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $800,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education State governments Private institutions of higher education Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized).
- Eligible applicants include Grantmaking Entities (GMEs) that are not currently Learn and Serve America grantees. GMEs are defined by statute for the purposes of this competition as public or private nonprofit and faith based organizations, which have existed at least one year before applying, are experienced with service learning, and are proposing to make subgrants in two or more states. All grantees must make and oversee subgrants to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) that are in partnership with one or more additional local organizations to implement service learning activities in local communities. LEA partners may include private schools, for profit businesses, faith based organizations, other nonprofits, and institutions of higher education.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Learn and Serve America School Based STEM FY 2008 opportunity was a discretionary grant competition run by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to expand high-quality service-learning tied directly to STEM instruction for students in grades 6 through 12. CNCS set out to fund projects that blend science, technology, engineering, and math learning with hands-on community problem solving, with a clear emphasis on reaching students who have had fewer opportunities to participate in service-learning in the past. The broader intent was to advance CNCS strategic goals around scaling service-learning across K-12 schools and increasing access for youth from disadvantaged circumstances.
The program was designed around a grantmaking model rather than direct funding to individual schools. CNCS planned to award roughly 2,000,000 total across an estimated 3 to 4 awards, with individual awards generally in the 500,000 to 800,000 range (the published ceiling was 800,000 and the floor was listed around 600,000 in the source data). Projects could run for up to three years, and cost sharing or matching was required, meaning recipients needed to bring non-federal resources to support the work alongside CNCS funds.
Only certain organizations could apply directly to CNCS. Eligible applicants were Grantmaking Entities (GMEs) that were not already Learn and Serve America grantees. For this competition, GMEs were defined as public or private nonprofit and faith-based organizations that had existed for at least one year, had experience with service-learning, and proposed to award subgrants in two or more states. While the eligibility list in the posting included a range of organizational types (including nonprofits, state governments, tribal entities, and institutions of higher education), the practical requirement in the notice was that applicants function as GMEs under the statute and carry out a multi-state subgrant strategy.
A central requirement was that the prime grantee (the GME) would not simply pass funds through, but would actively manage and strengthen the local implementations. GMEs were expected to make and oversee subgrants to Local Education Agencies (LEAs), and each LEA had to work in partnership with at least one additional local organization to implement service-learning activities in the community. Acceptable partners could include private schools, for-profit businesses, faith-based organizations, other nonprofits, and colleges or universities. The GME’s responsibilities included frequent communication with subgrantees, providing training and technical assistance, monitoring program quality, overseeing LEA expenditures and financial compliance, and clearly defining staff roles at both the grantee and subgrantee levels to ensure the work was implemented consistently and effectively.
The competition’s thematic priority was explicitly about bringing STEM-focused service-learning into high-poverty schools with limited prior exposure to service-learning. Applicants were expected to target subgrants to schools where more than half of students received free or reduced-price lunch, using that threshold as a practical indicator of poverty concentration. In other words, the program was not only about STEM enrichment; it was also an equity-driven effort to place service-learning opportunities in settings that had been historically underserved and to build durable local capacity for this type of instruction.
In terms of what strong projects were supposed to look like, CNCS signaled several student-centered outcomes and design elements. Successful applicants needed to describe how student participants would use knowledge and skills from one or more STEM disciplines to identify and address real community problems, work collaboratively with peers and community members to set goals and carry projects through, and build skills and attitudes that translate to the workplace and civic life. The notice framed service-learning as both an instructional strategy (supporting STEM learning objectives) and a civic development strategy (strengthening collaboration, problem solving, responsibility, and community engagement).
Administratively, the opportunity was posted on March 19, 2008, with an application deadline of 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on April 30, 2008. Applications had to be submitted through CNCS eGrants, its web-based grant application and management system. The funding opportunity number was CNCS-GRANTS-031908-001, and the opportunity was later archived on May 1, 2008. For applicants who needed help accessing the full announcement, the posting provided a CNCS contact, Meredith Hatch, Program Coordinator for Knowledge Management, at 202-606-7513.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Learn and Serve America School Based STEM FY 2008 grant opportunity?
It was a discretionary grant competition run by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to expand high-quality service-learning that is tied directly to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) instruction for students in grades 6 through 12.
What was CNCS trying to accomplish with this competition?
The competition aimed to fund projects that blend STEM learning with hands-on community problem solving. A major emphasis was expanding access to service-learning for students who had fewer opportunities to participate in service-learning in the past, supporting CNCS strategic goals to scale service-learning across K-12 schools and increase access for youth from disadvantaged circumstances.
Which grade levels were targeted?
Students in grades 6 through 12.
What does "STEM-focused service-learning" mean in this opportunity?
Projects were expected to connect STEM instruction to real community needs, where students use knowledge and skills from one or more STEM disciplines to identify and address community problems through hands-on service-learning activities.
Who could apply directly to CNCS?
Only certain organizations could apply directly, specifically Grantmaking Entities (GMEs) that were not already Learn and Serve America grantees.
What is a Grantmaking Entity (GME) in the context of this competition?
For this competition, GMEs were defined as public or private nonprofit and faith-based organizations that had existed for at least one year, had experience with service-learning, and proposed to award subgrants in two or more states.
Did the eligibility list include organizations other than nonprofits?
The posting’s eligibility list included a range of organizational types (including nonprofits, state governments, tribal entities, and institutions of higher education). However, the practical requirement described in the notice was that applicants function as GMEs under the statute and carry out a multi-state subgrant strategy.
Could an individual school apply directly for funding?
No. The program was designed around a grantmaking model rather than direct funding to individual schools. CNCS intended to fund GMEs that would then award and manage subgrants.
How were funds intended to reach schools?
The prime grantee (the GME) was expected to make and oversee subgrants to Local Education Agencies (LEAs). LEAs would then implement the service-learning activities in partnership with at least one additional local organization.
Who were the required local implementers and partners?
Subgrants were to be made to LEAs, and each LEA had to work in partnership with at least one additional local organization to implement service-learning in the community.
What types of organizations could serve as LEA partners?
Acceptable partners could include private schools, for-profit businesses, faith-based organizations, other nonprofits, and colleges or universities.
Was the GME allowed to simply pass funds through to LEAs?
No. A central requirement was that the GME would not merely pass funds through. GMEs were expected to actively manage and strengthen local implementation.
What responsibilities did the GME have for managing subgrants?
GMEs were expected to communicate frequently with subgrantees, provide training and technical assistance, monitor program quality, oversee LEA expenditures and financial compliance, and clearly define staff roles at both the grantee and subgrantee levels to support consistent and effective implementation.
What was the main priority or focus for where projects should be implemented?
The thematic priority was bringing STEM-focused service-learning into high-poverty schools with limited prior exposure to service-learning, with an explicit equity emphasis.
How did CNCS define or indicate "high-poverty" for targeting purposes?
Applicants were expected to target subgrants to schools where more than half of students received free or reduced-price lunch, using that threshold as a practical indicator of poverty concentration.
What student outcomes and experiences were emphasized?
CNCS signaled that strong projects would describe how students would: (1) use STEM knowledge and skills to identify and address real community problems; (2) collaborate with peers and community members to set goals and carry projects through; and (3) build skills and attitudes that translate to workplace and civic life, such as collaboration, problem solving, responsibility, and community engagement.
Was this opportunity focused only on STEM enrichment?
No. While STEM learning was central, the competition was also framed as an equity-driven effort to expand service-learning access in historically underserved settings and build durable local capacity for service-learning as an instructional and civic development strategy.
How much funding did CNCS plan to award overall?
CNCS planned to award roughly $2,000,000 total across an estimated 3 to 4 awards.
What was the typical award size?
Individual awards were generally expected to be in the $500,000 to $800,000 range. The published ceiling was $800,000, and the floor was listed around $600,000 in the source data.
How long could projects run?
Projects could run for up to three years.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
Yes. Cost sharing or matching was required, meaning recipients needed to bring non-federal resources to support the work alongside CNCS funds.
When was the opportunity posted and when were applications due?
The opportunity was posted on March 19, 2008. The application deadline was April 30, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
How were applications submitted?
Applications had to be submitted through CNCS eGrants, CNCS’s web-based grant application and management system.
What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number was CNCS-GRANTS-031908-001.
Was this opportunity later archived?
Yes. The opportunity was later archived on May 1, 2008.
Who was listed as the contact for help accessing the full announcement?
The posting provided a CNCS contact: Meredith Hatch, Program Coordinator for Knowledge Management, at 202-606-7513.
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Applicants also applied for:
Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (CNCS GRANTS 031908 001) also looked into and applied for these:
| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Learn and Serve America School Based Competitive FY 2009 Apply for CNCS GRANTS 011609 001 Funding Number: CNCS GRANTS 011609 001 Agency: Corporation for National and Community Service Category: Community Development Disaster Prevention and Relief Education Employment, Labor and Training Environment Food and Nutrition Health Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Fund Funding Amount: $450,000 |
| Learn and Serve America Community Based Programs FY 2009 Apply for CNCS GRANTS 011609 002 Funding Number: CNCS GRANTS 011609 002 Agency: Corporation for National and Community Service Category: Community Development Disaster Prevention and Relief Education Employment, Labor and Training Environment Food and Nutrition Health Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Fund Funding Amount: $450,000 |
| Learn and Serve America School Based Indian Tribes US Territories FY 2009 Apply for CNCS GRANTS 011609 003 Funding Number: CNCS GRANTS 011609 003 Agency: Corporation for National and Community Service Category: Community Development Disaster Prevention and Relief Education Employment, Labor and Training Environment Food and Nutrition Health Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Fund Funding Amount: $120,000 |
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