It's never to early to plan for next year... If your school could use a little cash to kick-start walking and biking this coming September, look no further. The National Center for Safe Routes to School has opened up another call for applications for it's $1,000 mini-grants. Portland's own Emerson School was one of 25 schools nation-wide to receive an award last time (read more about their project here). Let us know if you have questions about your proposal.

National Center for Safe Routes to School Seeks Applications for $1,000 Grants

Call for Applications for Fall 2011 Activities
 

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (April 19, 2010) -- The National Center for Safe Routes to School is now accepting applications for 25 mini-grants of $1,000 each. These mini-grants support the goal of Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs, which is to enable and encourage children to safely walk and bicycle to school. SRTS programs are implemented nationwide by parents, students, schools, community leaders, and local, state, and tribal governments. Applications are due Wednesday, May 18, 2011.

The National Center’s SRTS mini-grant program, now in its fourth award cycle, seeks creative ideas that match a school’s needs and interests together with ways to help improve safety and/or increase the number of students walking and rolling to school. They may fund activities ranging from the nuts and bolts that help start or sustain a program to new ideas that explore the range of benefits of safe walking and bicycling.

Selected mini-grant proposals will fit a school's identified needs and interests. It may help to engage a variety of student and adult leaders to decide what kind of changes the school would like to accomplish and the types of activities that could support these changes. The goal of this program is to support schools' and communities' needs related to walking and bicycling programs, as well as to involve students' creativity and leadership at an age-appropriate level. There are many right answers, and creativity and innovation are encouraged.

Mini-grant activities should occur between August 1, 2011, and the end of the Fall 2011 semester. The National Center encourages applicants to use student creativity along with student and adult leaders to identify their school's needs and interests and to propose safe walking/bicycling activities that address those needs and interests.

For more information and to submit a mini-grant application, visit minigrants.saferoutesinfo.org.