Youth Ambassadors Program

The Youth Ambassadors Program is a three-week exchange for high school youth (ages 15-18) and adult educators focused on civic education, community service, and leadership. Subthemes through which to explore those overarching themes may be added, such as the environment or business and entrepreneurship. Participants engage in a variety of activities, such as workshops on leadership and service, community site visits related to the program themes, interactive training, presentations, visits to high schools, local cultural activities, civic education programming, and other activities designed to achieve the program's stated goals. Multiple opportunities for participants to interact with peers while they are in the host country must be included. Follow-on activities with the participants are an integral part of the program, as the students apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired by planning service projects in their home communities.

The goals of the program are to:
(1) Promote mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of the Americas;
(2) Prepare youth leaders to become responsible citizens and contributing members of their communities;
(3) Influence the attitudes of the leaders of a new generation; and
(4) Foster relationships among youth from different ethnic, religious, and national groups and create hemispheric networks of youth leaders, both within the participating countries and internationally.

Comments invited on Teacher Incentive Fund

The Secretary of Education (Secretary) proposes priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria under the Teacher
Incentive Fund (TIF) program. These proposed priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria are designed to be used in two
separate and distinct TIF grant competitions: The Main TIF competition, which will provide TIF funding to eligible entities to support their
implementation of performance-based compensation systems (PBCSs) in accordance with the priorities, the Main TIF requirements, the
definitions, and the selection criteria proposed in this document, and the TIF Evaluation competition, which will provide, in accordance with
the priorities, the Main TIF requirements, the definitions, and the selection criteria as well as the Evaluation requirements proposed in
this document, TIF funding to help pay for the costs of implementing these eligible entities' PBCS in exchange for an agreement to
participate in the national evaluation. The Secretary may use these proposed TIF priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection
criteria in fiscal year (FY) 2010 and subsequent years. We intend the proposed priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria
to improve student achievement in high-need schools by creating incentives for effective teachers and principals in these schools.

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before March 29, 2010.

Under the program, grantees may only use TIF funds for expenses related to the development and implementation of their PBCS in high-
need schools identified in the applicant's proposal. However, in addition to the financial incentives given to teachers and principals
based on their effectiveness and their assumption of additional responsibilities or leadership roles (as defined in this notice), TIF
funds also may be used to support a variety of activities either for the entire LEA or only for high-need schools served under the grant,
that are related to the PCBS. These activities include professional development activities, evaluation and research analysis, costs of
developing or improving systems and tools that would enhance the quality and success of the PBCS, such as high-quality teacher
evaluations and tools to measure growth in student achievement, reasonable travel expenses related to the TIF program, data system
enhancement or development, and other reasonable and necessary costs.

Suder Scholars Program

[From Philanthropy News Digest:] The mission of the Suder Foundation is to dramatically improve the graduation rate of first-generation college students by providing financial, academic, emotional, and social assistance at selected public universities across the United States.

The foundation accomplishes its mission by engaging with selected four-year public universities to implement its Suder Scholars Program, which provides holistic support for first-generation students in on-campus Scholar Development Sites.

The foundation is expanding its Scholar Development Site network and will add two university partners as new sites during this grant cycle. The selected institutions will receive a one-year planning grant followed by multiyear grants for scholarships and program operation. The new partners will spend the 2010-11 academic year involved in further developing the program materials and model and securing campus collaborations to launch their site and first scholars cohort in August 2011.

The foundation will award planning grants of up to $60,000 each toward a planning coordinator, the planning process, and one visit to each of the two existing program sites. Funding for the first year of scholarships and program support will be disbursed in the spring of 2011. Co-investment by the institution is required. Complete funding responsibility is expected to transition to the university by the program's fifth year.

The program is open to public four-year institutions of higher education in the United States. Ideal grantees will have enrollments between 10,000 and 25,000 undergraduate students and a sizeable residential population.

Complete program information is available at the foundation's Web site

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP

Erma Byrd Scholarship Program

1. Eligible Applicants: Individuals who, at the time of application, are: (1) Enrolled or planning to enroll in an associate's, bachelor's, or graduate degree program at an accredited U.S. institution of higher education; (2) within two years of completing a degree in an eligible field of study under the Erma Byrd Scholarship Program; (3) a citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States; and (4) eligible to receive Federal grants, loans, or work assistance pursuant to section 484 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA).

2. Program Requirements: (a) Satisfactory academic progress. Scholarship recipients must maintain satisfactory academic progress in accordance with 34 CFR 668.34 throughout the period of funding; additionally, they must submit a Student Activities Report to the Secretary at the end of each year of funding, with a certification from an authorized representative of the institution that the student is maintaining satisfactory academic progress. If an Erma Byrd Scholarship recipient does not maintain satisfactory academic progress throughout the period of funding or does not submit a Student Activities Report to the Secretary at the end of each year of funding, the recipient is not eligible for any additional funding and must repay the scholarship amount as a Direct Unsubsidized Student Loan with all the associated repayment conditions, including interest charges and fees as provided under title IV, part D of the HEA. (b) Service obligation. Scholarship recipients must be employed in a career position related to industrial health and safety, including mine safety, for a period of one year following the completion of their degree program. Scholarship recipients must begin such employment no more than six months after the completion of their degree program.

More information available at grants.gov.

ARRA - TRAINING IN PRIMARY CARE MEDICINE AND DENTISTRY

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 signed into law on February 17, 2009 provides $500,000,000 to address health professions workforce shortages. Through the Recovery Act, HRSA is making funds available to increase the Nation's ability to address the shortages of health care practitioners. More information is available on the U.S. Health and Human Services website.

Erie Community Foundation Scholarships

Each year, The Erie Community Foundation awards between $350,000 to $500,000 in scholarships to an average of 250 deserving students. Most scholarships are intended for high school students seeking higher education, but The Foundation is also home to a grade school scholarship, as well as law and medical school scholarships. Most deadlines are in April and May.

“In today’s world, scholarships are increasingly important for students and quite popular with donors,” said Michael Batchelor, president of The Erie Community Foundation. There are now 51 different scholarship funds within The Erie Community Foundation, 20 in the Corry Community Foundation and 2 at the North East Community Foundation as well as 2 with the Union City Community Foundation, for a total of 75 scholarships.

Each scholarship is distinct. Recipients are selected in accordance with criteria established by the donor. The Erie Community Foundation publicizes the availability of scholarships through local high school guidance offices. To learn more, visit our website featuring the various scholarships.

Improving Literacy through School Libraries

The purpose of the Improving Literacy through School Libraries program is to improve student reading skills and academic achievement by providing students with increased access to up-to-date school library materials; well-equipped, technologically advanced school library media centers; and well-trained, professionally certified school library media specialists. Eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) may use funds for the following activities: Purchasing up-to-date school library media resources, including books; acquiring and using advanced technology that is integrated into the curricula of the school in order to develop and enhance the information literacy, information retrieval, and critical-thinking skills of students; facilitating Internet links and other resource-sharing networks; providing professional development for school library media specialists and providing activities that foster increased collaboration among library specialists, teachers, and administrators; and providing students with access to school libraries during non-school hours, including before and after school, weekends, and summer vacations.

Deadlines are April 20, 2010. An expected 53 awards will be made, averaging $350,000 each.