For Immediate Release
June 12, 2023
Contacts:
Kamryn Ryan
AmeriCorps Seniors and Capacity Building Officer
kamryn.ryan@volunteeriowa.org
515.348.6264
Mary Sheka
Iowa MENTOR Partnership Director
mary.sheka@volunteeriowa.org
515.348.6236
Awards Announced for Iowa Volunteer Generation Fund ARP Grants
Federal VGF ARP grants help students succeed academically and support their mental health and overall wellbeing through mentoring and service-learning
DES MOINES, Iowa - Volunteer Iowa is pleased to announce funding to nine K-12 schools from the AmeriCorps Volunteer Generation Fund American Rescue Plan (ARP). Volunteer Iowa will distribute $155,000 in funding to K-12 schools selected in state-wide competitive processes. Funding will be distributed through two separate initiatives, both aimed at supporting students: Youth Service-Learning Grants and Youth Mentoring Grants.
The Volunteer Generation Fund American Rescue Plan resources are made available as part of President’s Biden’s American Rescue Plan, and will help organizations meet the need to recruit, manage, and support volunteers. In particular, Volunteer Generation Fund ARP partnered with the National Partnership for Student Success to support funding for applicants focused on engaging caring adults in roles to support students.
Four K-12 schools were selected to receive Youth Mentoring Grants. Grantees will be awarded $20,000 to support planning and starting new mentoring programs in any school serving students in any grades ranging from K-12. Funding is provided for school staff time to develop a youth mentoring program in accordance with the Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoringâ„¢ with consulting provided by Iowa MENTOR, the Iowa Mentoring Partnership.
The following schools were awarded a Youth Mentoring Grant:
- Dike New Hartford Community School District
- Carlisle Community School District
- Cedar Valley Catholic Schools
- Hamburg Community School District
Five K-12 schools were selected to receive Youth Service-Learning Grants. Grantees will be awarded $15,000 fixed-price grants to support the development and strengthening of service-learning programming in K-12 schools districts.
The following schools were each awarded a Youth Service-Learning Grant:
- CAL Elementary School
- Central Lyon Community School District
- Hamburg Community School District
- Waterloo Community School District - LifeLab
- Sioux Center Community School District
For more information regarding volunteer or professional development opportunities, as well as resources available to school districts, communities, and nonprofits to develop mentoring or service-learning programming, visit volunteeriowa.org.
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About Volunteer Iowa (or Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service)
Volunteer Iowa and its partner agencies work with organizations and individuals on three main fronts. The first is to help agencies develop quality programs that use service as a strategy to fulfill their missions and address Iowa’s greatest areas of need. The second is to help engage Iowans in their communities by promoting service and expanding the volunteer base. Finally, the third area of work is to connect individuals with appropriate service opportunities by building the volunteer infrastructure.
About Iowa MENTOR
Iowa MENTOR works to promote, support and build quality mentoring relationships by elevating the capacity of programs, systems, and policies that foster proven results for Iowa. We envision an Iowa where every young person has the supportive, caring adult relationships needed to grow and develop into thriving, productive, and engaged adults. Iowa MENTOR is an initiative of Volunteer Iowa and an affiliate of MENTOR National and works to build relationships between government, private, and public agencies in support of youth mentoring.
About AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through AmeriCorps, AmeriCorps Seniors, and the Volunteer Generation Fund, and leads the President's national call to service initiative, United We Serve.