Requests for Proposals for FLOW funding are released each spring and are available online. Please check in March for updated funding opportunity dates and deadlines.

Grants available:

• $5,000 Ripple Grant Application - The FLOW Ripple grant provides organizations an opportunity to involve 10 or more youth who will engage in 30 hours of service-learning. Approximately 3 to 6 grants are available for the funding year August 1, 2008 to July 31, 2009.

Grant requirements:

• Youth led service-learning activities focused on watershed health
• 10 youth participants, ages 5-17 inclusive, each serving at least 30 hours
• Collaboration between youth-serving, watershed, and/or community organizations
• K-12 school connection (this could range from an involvement of a teacher to a formal partnership with a local school)
• Local match of 30%
• Must submit volunteer opportunities and have service hours logged on this web site (www.volunteerwv.org). For youth to be eligible for summer camp, they must use this web site to record service-learning hours.
• All grantees must implement a service event on the FLOW Day of Service on Earth Day 2009.
• Attend four FLOW-sponsored trainings.

Grant Proposal Priorities
Special priority will be given to service-learning projects addressing:

• Watershed health
  • streams that are impaired,
  • streams that have not had assessments conducted, or
  • streams that have data missing from existing assessments that are needed for evaluation of water health and potential threats.
• Youth, at risk
  • for academic failure,
  • for risky behaviors, or
  • located in rural area.
• Intergenerational service that engages the baby boom generation.

Grant Deadline
Proposals are due on Friday, May 23, 2008 at 5 p.m. EST. Proposals should be sent to:

West Virginia Commission for National and Community Service
ATTN: Sherry Swint
710 Central Ave.
Charleston, W.Va. 25302