The AJ Muste Foundation in New York City provides grants, sponsorships, and educational resources to hundreds of grassroots projects around the world.

The foundation invites applications for its Social Justice Fund, through which it awards grants for grassroots activist projects in the United States, giving priority to those with small budgets and little access to more mainstream funding sources. The foundation is especially interested in funding efforts to end the violence of borders and the criminalization of immigrants; shut down CBP and ICE; abolish prisons and dismantle and redefine systems of policing and criminal justice; confront institutionalized violence against racial, ethnic, gender-based, and LGBTQ communities; put an end to economic exploitation, class stratification, and systemic poverty; and stop the war machine, end state sponsored terrorism, and expose the dangers of nuclear power.

The Social Justice Fund’s priority is to support direct grassroots activism and organizing, groups with diverse, representative and democratic leadership structures, and groups that need additional support to carry out a project or build capacity. The maximum grant award through the fund is $10,000, and occasionally the foundation will consider requests for multiple-year funding.

The fund seeks proposals from groups with limited access to more mainstream funding sources, with or without 501(c)(3) status or a fiscal sponsor. The fund only requires a fiscal sponsor if the group receiving the grant does not have its own bank account.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the AJ Muste Foundation website.

Deadline: October 21, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. ET

A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)’s ‘For Action’ panel will feature unique research collaborations. Investigators from Evidence for Action (E4A), Policies for Action (P4A), and Systems for Action (S4A) share their insights and findings, discussing key cross-sector collaborations to address structural racism and health equity in their local communities.

Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) Deputy Director, Paige Castro-Reyes, will be moderating the panel.

Date and Time: October 2, 2024, 12:00 PM

Register.

As we honor National Student Parent Month and National Suicide Prevention Month, it is crucial to recognize the compounded effects of basic needs challenges for populations who are structurally marginalized in higher education. We’re committed to not only documenting the unjust status quo, but also dismantling it.

We’re releasing this preview at a crucial time.

To mark the start of National Student Parent Month, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory, noting it’s time to recognize that the stress and mental health toll associated with parenting is a serious public health concern. Across the country, partisan legislators have introduced legislation to ban diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in higher education. This is happening alongside a record-high number of anti-LGBTQIA+ bills being introduced. In this uniquely hostile environment, we need all hands on deck to ensure students have their basic needs met. A better world is not only needed, but possible.

Read on for our preview.

Open to the public, all adult job seekers, military veterans, and recent college grads strongly urged to attend!

IMPORTANT:  Job seekers come dressed to impress and bring copies of your resume.

Date and Time: Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Location: Howard Gittis Student Center, Room 200, 1755 North 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19122 (corner of 13th & Montgomery Avenue)

More information: contact Michael Robinson, M.S., Director, Community Outreach and Hiring, Temple University Lenfest North Philadelphia Workforce Initiative, 215-204-0677  or mike.robinson@temple.edu

Register.

OVERVIEW:

We are looking for individuals who plan on attending the “PHENND CONFERENCE: From Financial Aid to Economic Inclusion: The Intersection of Money and Community Engagement,” to be held Friday, February 21, 2025 to design and lead paper presentations and workshops. This gathering will be attended by 100-120 campus staff, faculty, students and community partners active in community service, service-learning, college success and campus-community partnership work. While primarily targeting individuals who are part of the 20+ colleges and universities involved in the Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development (PHENND), this event is also open nationally to practitioners of campus-community partnership. Over the course of one day, between 3 and 5 elective choices will be offered during each of three sessions. Therefore, we are looking for a total of roughly 10-15 workshops and/or paper presentations.*

There will be four tracks at the conference based on the key themes of the conference:
– Financial Aid: sessions related to Federal Work Study and service; FAFSA and changing financial aid particularly for first gen students; student basic needs; emergency funds for students; stranded credits for non-traditional students; economic impact of college attainment for low-income communities
– Economic Inclusion: sessions related to universities as anchor institutions and their impact on local economies through hiring, purchasing, and real estate development
– Changing Economy: sessions related to the changing business model of higher education and how that impacts community engagement programs
– Sharing Resources: sessions related to both the ethical considerations and logistical practices of compensating community partners, faculty and students for community engagement work; equitable sharing of grant resources

Learn more and submit your proposal here.

* Based on the number of proposed sessions and overall interest, there is potential for additional sessions or a pre-conference on Thursday, February 20th.

Since 1981, VIP has been the hub of pro bono in Philadelphia, annually supporting over 1,500 volunteers assisting hundreds of low-income clients in four priority areas: preventing homelessness, preserving income, supporting family stability, and promoting community economic development. Our staff of twenty consists of attorneys, case managers, and other professionals and is highly collaborative, creative, and passionate about our capacity-building model of service. VIP values a diverse work environment and encourages people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ, and people with disabilities to apply.

POSITION SUMMARY

Reporting to a Supervising Attorney, Pro Bono Case Managers play a critical role in VIP’s volunteer-based service model. Focusing on a variety of legal issues, Pro Bono Case Managers have primary responsibility for preparing cases for placement with volunteer attorneys, matching clients with volunteers, and providing logistical support to attorneys and clients throughout the life of the case.

Spanish language skills are preferred. If proficient, this Pro Bono Case Manager position also plays a key role in communicating with our Spanish-speaking clients.

Deadline: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Full job description and application information.

The scholarship program rewards students who help end hunger in their communities. Students from kindergarten through graduate school are eligible to apply for a $10,000 scholarship and receive a $5,000 grant for the hunger-related charity of their choice.

National winners are recognized at the Foundation’s annual fundraising event, the Sodexo Charity Classic Presented by PepsiCo, which will take place on May 5 – 7, in Frisco, Texas. This is a three-day all-expenses-paid networking and recognition event where they will meet top global and national food, beverage, supplies, equipment and facilities management companies who support the Stop Hunger mission.

Learn more and apply here.

Click here for the application to apply. On that page you will also be able to see who is attending the Winter ’25 Institute and the courses they will teach using an experiential social action model.

Our no cost Institutes train faculty and staff to develop social action syllabi for a course (or workshop series) that engages students in leading “policy change” campaigns. The key component of this experiential learning model of teaching social action is that students during the semester the class is taught, choose a campaign to work, and as part of a team, attempt to enact a policy change on campus or in the community by making demands of a decision-maker. Students can launch their own campaign or join a community organization’s campaign and create a “student-wing” in collaboration with the community organization. Click here to see the Fall 2024 courses using social action.

Here is what Dr. Arun Agrawal, from the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), participant in the virtual Summer ’23 Institute, says about the Institute on Teaching Social Action:

Teaching social action has been one of the highlights of my career, as it provides students with concrete tools with which to organize social action campaigns. I have personally gone through the Institute and found it incredibly helpful in developing a social action course, that I then taught at the University of Michigan the following semester. I highly recommend it!

If January 6-8th does not work for you, please consider applying to one of our upcoming Institutes at Rollins College in Florida (February 8-9) or at Rhodes College/U of Memphis in Tennessee (March 8-9).

An internship with CWF offers a valuable, multifaceted experience that will enrich your  academic and professional journey! Interns will earn $15 per hour with a guarantee of at least  12 hours per week.

Learn more here.

Join Cities of Inclusion on Thursday, October 10th from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM for our 2024 Disability Summit alongside advocates, service providers, employers, and community members. The day will feature keynote panels, breakout sessions, networking, and the Inclusive Resources and Connections Expo as we work towards a future for Philadelphia that fully embraces and works for the disability community as essential members of a more inclusive society.

Who Should Attend:

• Disability advocates
• Service providers
• Members of the disability community
• Community members interested in inclusion

What to Expect:

• Keynote Panels: Hear inspiring speakers discuss critical issues in disability inclusion.
• Breakout Sessions: Engage in interactive workshops focused on specific areas of disability advocacy.
• Networking Opportunities: Connect with colleagues and make valuable connections.
• Inclusive Resources & Connections Expo: Explore resources and services offered by disability organizations.

This FREE event will take place at the Lincoln Financial Field, Hyundai Club, One Lincoln Financial Field Way, Philadelphia, PA 19148 and is open to everyone.

Learn more and register. (Includes Cities of Inclusion Summit Week Virtual Programming, October 7-9.)

With that in mind, we’re thrilled to unveil the final version of the District’s Enrichment Theory of Change—a culmination of months of collaboration with nearly 100 dedicated stakeholders. This document serves as a guiding “north star” for our collective work with, and on behalf of, our city’s young people.

This is not just a document—it’s a celebration of the incredible work you, our valued partners, bring to life in our schools. Your dedication ensures that our students have amazing opportunities to experience the joy, community, and fulfillment that is so vital to their growth and flourishing.

How you can leverage this report:

• Align your program language with the key terms and frameworks in the Theory of Change.
• Integrate its strategies and outcomes into your program’s logic model.
• Share it with funders to showcase the far-reaching impact your organization has in advancing our District’s collective vision.
• Collaborate with other organizations to pursue common outcomes identified in the Theory of Change, working together toward shared goals.

We’re excited to see the amazing work that will continue to grow from this shared vision. If you have any questions, feedback, or innovative ideas, we’d love to hear from you.

View the Final Enrichment Theory of Change here.

This event will be held virtually and in-person at the Urban Institute in Washington D.C., on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, 3:00 PM.

Learn more and register. 

This webinar aims to advance the understanding of higher education practitioners, especially financial aid administrators, as to the circumstances of refugees and therefore how to best support them in completing their financial aid applications. It will especially focus on refugees without parents in the United States and when a dependency override is needed. Campus professionals will share their experiences supporting refugee students, without parents in the U.S., in completing FAFSA, submitting documentation required for a dependency override, and any institutional policies to support refugee students in the process.

Date and Time: October 9, 2024, 2:00 PM

Register.

The conference is FREE and open to Educators, Administrators, High school students, College students, and anyone interested in STEM Education. Teachers will receive Act 48 credits. Click here to register for the conference.

This event will include:

• Keynote Speaker
• Hands-on STEM Workshops for Educators
• Resource Tables from Community Partners
• Student Panel titled The Future of STEM: A Student’s Perspective
• Student Networking Session
• Student Table Discussions
• Lunch

Workshop Presentations – If you are interested in presenting a 45-minute STEM workshop, then please, click here.

Student Presentations – High School and College students are invited to present a poster or a table discussion. Click here to apply for a student presentation.

Host a Resource Table – Community organizations are invited to host a table. Click here to submit an application.

Volunteer – Click here to volunteer for the conference.

PRISE would like to encourage and recognize high school and college students who are interested in exploring STEM teaching as a possible career and have had some type of STEM teaching related experience (broadly interpreted) at our Annual STEM Educator Conference on October 26, 2024. Examples of teaching related work include serving as a class teaching assistant or teaching/mentoring in a STEM after school or camp program.

We invite these students to give a presentation on their teaching related work at the annual PRISE STEM Educator Conference. The presentation could be in the form of a poster or it could be a presentation as part of a round table presentation. In the round-table setting, students would give a 5 minute or so presentation of their experience and answer questions about their experience. As the audience circulates around the room, students would get to give their spiel several times.

Students who give a presentation will receive a $100 award. If a team of students does the presentation, they will each receive a $100 award. Spaces are limited and you will receive an email with more information after you submit an application.

For high school students, a mentor may fill in this application form (in partnership with the student). In nominating a student, the mentor indicates their willingness to support the student’s participation at the conference and help them prepare their presentation. College students can take the lead in filling in the application but should also include contact information about their mentors.

Students and Mentors/Teachers may fill out an application here. Priority deadline is October 1, 2024.

When: October 10, 2024, 12:00pm-1:00pm

Where: In person: Lubert Commons, Penn State Abington (lunch will be provided) or on Zoom

RSVP: A Zoom link will be sent out to this participating remotely within 48 hours of the event and parking information will be sent to those participating in person.

RSVP here.

And we’re doing it again!

We are launching our search for the newest Citizens of the Year. Who do you think we should honor this time?

Let us know in and stay tuned for information about our Citizen of the Year Awards celebration, to be held on January 30, 2025.

2025 Categories:

• Disruptor of the Year
• A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. Social Justice Champion
• Block Captain of the Year
• Lewis Katz Corporate Citizen
• Educator of the Year
• Youth Leader of the Year
• Lifetime Achievement
• Philadelphia Citizen of the Year

Learn more and nominate.

This November, we (Stanford Democracy Day) are initiating a virtual intercollegiate gathering of student civic engagement leaders. We are inviting student leaders from various colleges and universities that have successfully advocated to make Election Day a class-free day to share their civic engagement efforts and create opportunities for cross-campus collaboration in the future. We were impressed by the work being done within your networks and believe that many peer schools can learn from the progress made in developing robust civic engagement programming. Day on Democracy’s Election Map shows just how much support there is across the country––we strongly believe bringing student leaders from different institutions together is critical in building this momentum moving forward.

If you are interested in partnering with us for this gathering, please reach out to kylepark@stanford.edu! We would love to further discuss this idea with you and have your team join us.

Learn more.

All students ages 13-18 are welcome to participate, as well as educators and parents/guardians. This workshop will be held via Zoom meeting, and participants will be invited to engage in discussion using their microphones and the chat.

We will meet Wednesday, October 16, 6:30-7:30pm.

The event is free, but registration is required.

We welcome entries from all current K-12 students across the globe. Letters may be written in English and/or Spanish. Letters should address a topic within one of the Pulitzer Center’s five focus issues:

• Climate and Environment (Includes climate change, pollution, extractive industries, and more)
• Global Health (Includes health inequities, food security, mental health, water and sanitation, and more)
• Human Rights (Includes racial justice, gender equality, migration and refugees, Indigenous rights, and more)
• Information and Artificial Intelligence (Includes technology and society, misinformation, and more)
• Peace and Conflict

Deadline to submit an entry: November 15, 2024

Learn more.