The Kentucky Out-of-School Alliance (KYOSA) will fund mini-grants to help support community coalitions in their efforts around literacy and health and wellness initiatives in out-of-school time (OST) settings. OST settings are places where children and youth spend their time before and after school, during school breaks, and over the summer. Coalition activities will vary in each community, based on local needs, but will have a clear focus on improving children’s literacy and health. Examples of project activities could include leading local awareness campaigns, holding community events to commemorate Lights On Afterschool, increasing accessibility to high-quality books and physical activity equipment for OST programs, organizing community book exchanges, and hosting health and fitness events for families.

The overarching project goals of this funding opportunity are to

• build support among diverse stakeholders committed to increasing access and opportunities to quality OST programming in local communities;
• enhance current OST programming through professional development and resource distribution; and
• raise local awareness about the importance of OST programs and engage residents in advocacy efforts at the local and state level.

Projects for this mini-grant will range from $5,000–$10,000 over a one-year grant period (January 1, 2019–December 31, 2019).  Applications must be submitted by 5:00 pm EST on December 7th, 2018.  Notification of awards will be announced December 19th, 2018.   For more details and application instructions, please download the 2018 KYOSA Mini-grant Guidelines and RFP

PLEASE NOTE: Applicants must be a member of the KYOSA network to be considered for funding.  Membership is free.  Click here to join the network.

What’s the difference between a coalition and an advisory council?  A coalition is an alliance or partnership of individuals or organizations that come together for a common purpose or to achieve a specific goal.  Unlike an advisory council, a coalition is not a governing structure.  For the purpose of this project, a coalition will likely have broader reach and representation of various organizations and/or community members than a typical advisory council might.