Powered By Service Grants:

Who is eligible for a grant?
Young people between the ages of 12-25 with a creative idea to change their community can apply for grants. Currently grants are available for ANY youth in our seven target communities: Atlanta, GA, Biloxi, MS, Detroit, MI, Los Angeles, CA, Milwaukee, WI, New Orleans, LA, Biloxi, MS, and New York, NY.

ADDITIONALLY, youth working with one of our national or international partners like HandsOn Network, the Global Peace Service Alliance or City Year in ANY community are eligible. Just remember to indicate which partner you are working with in the application!

How much money can I apply for?
Youth can apply for grants of up to $500 to implement their service projects. We encourage all grantees to  raise additional funds for their projects from local partners as well.

When are applications due?
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. The first round of review closes November 6th. There are a limited number of grants available so we encourage you to get your applications in early!

How do I get started?
First, get together a group of 5-10 friends to plan your project. Then, download the tools on the Powered By Service website that can help you get to the root cause of an issue, discover your own power and plan your project. Figure out which organization you will work with. Then, fill out the forms and upload your application. You’ll hear from us in about two weeks.

Powered By Service says a lot about using my talents.  What does that mean?
Powered By Service wants to help you create change on your terms. We all have unique talents. Yours might be singing or dancing. Maybe you’re a great public speaker. You might have a great mind for business. Your passion may be photography. You can and should use any of these talents, passions or interests to create change.

Get creative! Do what you love and become Powered By Service!

I’m still not sure how to put my talents and project idea together. What should I do?
We have staff and peer support available to help you think through your project. Get in touch with us through the website and we will be happy to talk with you on the phone or through email to help you get an application together. We want to make sure ALL youth who want to improve their communities have a chance to do so!

How do I stay up to date on new Powered By Service news and opportunities?
There are lots of ways to stay up to date on Powered By Service. You can follow us on twitter: PowerByService. Join our facebook group. Support us on ammado.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter. And, you can download our widget to post on your website for everyone to stay up to date with Powered By Service news.

How do I partner with a community organization?
Powered By Service asks youth to partner with a local organization to support the implementation of the project. This partner will also be the financial partner that receives the grant in the name of the youth team. Powered By Service the has some preferred partners including City Year, HandsOn Network, Communities In Schools, Public Allies and Boys and Girls Clubs. If you choose to work with a different organization, that organization must provide a small matching grant of 20% of the total budget to support your project. The organization you partner with must be a non-profit 501c3 or school.

I belong to a religiously affiliated youth group. Can we apply for a grant?
Yes, your group can apply for a Powered By Service project so long as the project does not exclude participants or beneficiaries because of religion and the ultimately goal of the project is not related to the advancement or promotion of a single religious group  or philosophy.

Can I use the funds to engage in political activity?
Powered By Service is a non-partisan effort, which means funds cannot be used to endorse or advocate for a specific candidate or policy. However, you can use funds to educate others and build awareness around a specific issue your community is facing and your solution. For example: You cannot use funds organize a rally for a mayoral candidate. You can use funds to hold a town hall to educate all candidates on issues important to youth in the community.

Are there any limitations on types of issues my project can address?
At this time there are two Powered By Service grant opportunities: What’s Your Power? and Nothing But Nets. The Nothing But Nets opportunity is specifically for projects addressing malaria prevention. The goals of these projects must include raising awareness about malaria and raising bednets to send to Africa to prevent the disease. The primary mechanism to raise nets is by texting “bednets” to 90999.
The What’s Your Power? grant is available to address any domestic issue. The beneficiaries of these projects must be people and communities in the United States.

Can I use the grant funds to hold a fundraiser?
Powered By Service is ultimately about addressing the root cause of a problem with creative and long term solutions. Fundraisers are not always the most effective way to accomplish this kind of impact. We encourage youth to develop projects that go beyond raising dollars through single events.
We do understand that on occasion emergency situations arise that require direct action and donation. In these circumstances we encourage youth to partner with a local charity that can directly accept any donations raised by the service project. These projects will be evaluated by the MIT Youth Board to determine whether or not they meet the goals of Powered By Service.

Can other organizations support my project with funds or in-kind support?
Absolutely! We encourage youth to reach out to local partners that can contribute to the project with in-kind or financial support. Make sure you indicate any matching support in your budget on the application.

I’ve never participated in a service project before. Can I apply?
If you have a great idea to change your community, we want to support it. No experience necessary! If you aren’t sure how to get started get in touch with us or a local community partner.

I’m a Camp New Look alumni. Can I just send my application directly to New Look staff?
We absolutely look forward to all of our camp alumni applying. Even though you have direct lines of communication to our staff, in order for your application to be considered, you must upload an application to the Powered By Service website. If you have questions about your project idea definitely get in touch and we are happy to think through your projects with you.

Can we get local media involved in covering my project?
Absolutely! Our team will work with each grantee to release a local press release and drive local media to cover your project. Also, we expect each grantee to submit video project updates using Flip Cams and other web video devices. These will be posted to the Powered By Service website, facebook, twitter and widget.

How will the applications be reviewed?
Each application is reviewed by three members of our Moguls In Training Youth Advisory Board. This board is composed of nine youth ages 17-20 who have been trained in board governance and youth philanthropy. They designed the application and the review criteria. Applications are reviewed and scored on six criteria: youth leadership, diversity, relevance, accessibility, budget and accountability. If you want to see the actual scoring sheet the board will use click here.

What happens after I receive a grant?
After your project is selected you’ll get the contact information for a peer mentor and an Usher’s New Look staff member. These individuals will help you along as you finalize the planning and the implementation of your project. We’ll ask you for regular reports through the online form as well as through uploaded video. Once you complete your project we’ll help you publish a success story on the Powered By Service website.

OK! So, what happens after I complete my project?
After a project is completed there are a number of things you can do. One, you can apply for another grant to take your project to the next level. Two, you can become a peer mentor in the Powered By Service network. Three, you can become youth spokesperson for Powered By Service. Four, you can help us plan the Powered By Service Tour rolling into a city near you in 2010.

I still have questions! What do I do?
If you still have questions about Powered By Service please use the contact us page on this website.