The Teagle Foundation invites applications for the Cornerstone: Learning for Living initiative, a grant program designed to revitalize the role of the humanities in general education, and in doing so, expose a broad array of students to the power of the humanities; help students of all backgrounds build a sense of belonging and community; strengthen the coherence and cohesiveness of general education; and increase teaching opportunities for humanities faculty.

This initiative is dedicated to the proposition that transformative texts—regardless of authorship, geography, or the era that produced them—give students the analytical tools and historical awareness to interrogate themselves as well as the culture and society by which we are all partially formed. Such texts give students access to a wide range of lived experiences and form the basis for creating a common intellectual experience that fosters a sense of community.

Institutions may submit planning or implementation requests, and will be selected based on the design and scale of their proposed programs. Selection criteria for both planning and implementation requests include faculty-led and faculty-owned initiatives; a common intellectual experience anchored in transformative texts for incoming students; coherent pathways through general education; student reach, particularly for STEM and other pre-professional majors; sustainability; assessment; and dissemination.

Planning grants may be used to cover expenses including compensation for faculty members on the planning team, travel to annual faculty professional development institutes, and other similar professional development opportunities. Planning grants up to $25,000 over six to 12 months are strongly encouraged to lay the groundwork for successful curricular reform and faculty professional development.

Implementation grants will provide support for institutions to enact concrete plans for comprehensive and sustainable curriculum development or redesign efforts. Implementation grants of up to $300,000 over 24 months will be made to each funded project participating in this initiative, with the size of the award based on the scope of the project.

This funding opportunity is available to regionally accredited private not-for-profit and public institutions of higher education. The initiative welcomes the participation of a diverse array of institutions—community colleges, liberal arts colleges, regional comprehensive institutions, and research universities.

Concept papers are due December 1, 2024. Upon review, selected applicants will be invited to summit a proposal, due early April 2026.

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

Deadline: December 1, 2025 (Concept papers)

Register today for the 2025 APLU Annual Meeting, taking place November 9–11 at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. APLU’s Annual Meeting convenes senior public university leaders for three days of substantive discussions, collaborative workshops, and strategic networking opportunities focused on advancing public and land-grant universities’ education, research, and engagement mission.

Register Today

Public universities today face unprecedented challenges as well as opportunities, making it more important than ever for leaders to come together to share strategies, advocate for higher education’s vital role, and chart a course for the future.

With more than 100 sessions planned, the Annual Meeting offers a robust and wide-ranging program designed to deliver practical insights, foster new collaborations, and inspire leadership across the public higher education sector.

Some of the expected topics to be addressed at the APLU Annual Meeting include:

• Reaffirming and demonstrating the public value of a college education;
• Advancing public impact research to meet state and national needs;
• Addressing enrollment shifts through innovative strategies;
• Aligning academic programs with future workforce needs;
• Navigating the rapidly changing state and federal policy landscape;
• Expanding global engagement amid evolving student visa policies;
• Strengthening cybersecurity to safeguard research and institutional operations; and
• Modernizing infrastructure to support long-term growth and sustainability.

APLU Annual Meeting

From career pathways to compensation, the survey surfaces critical insights about the people at the heart of afterschool and summer programs—who they are, what they value, and what they need to thrive. We’ll unpack what the data means for systems leaders, funders, and advocates—and how we can take collective action to better support this essential workforce.

Learn more and register.

In this episode of The Power of Young People, Nora discusses how intergenerational programming helps bridge the gap between generations, fosters community bonds, and promotes mutual learning. She shares how her experiences in Girl Scouts motivated her to create meaningful connections with seniors, and offers valuable insights on balancing nonprofit leadership with school life.

Tune in to learn how plants serve as a creative medium for relationship-building, the importance of mentorship, and practical advice for young changemakers eager to make a positive social impact.

Listen here.

Registration is open on a rolling basis for the The 2026 Huddles—regardless if Huddle meetings have already started. Please register to participate in future meetings:

• Adult Learners Huddle
• Community Engagement Data Huddle – Huddle leader is Rita Patel Eng, Ed.D., Director of Community Engagement and Social Impact at West Chester University of Pennsylvania
• Partnerships Huddle
• Provost/Chief Academic Officer Huddle – Huddle leader is Sandra Richtermeyer, Rutgers University–Camden

Learn more.

He writes, “Any way you cut it, Penn graduates have steered clear of lives defined by continued learning, the creation of knowledge, and service to humanity.” He cites lower percentages of Penn students awarded public service oriented Rhodes scholarships, lower percentages pursuing advanced degrees, and fewer Nobel Prizes. Although Van Doren admits that these days we may not immediately associate the U.S. Congress with public service, he identifies only two members with Penn undergraduate degrees, compared to 12 from Georgetown, 14 from Stanford, and 17 from Harvard.

Elaine Maimon, Ph.D., author of Leading Academic Change: Vision, Strategy, Transformation, is not entirely convinced by Van Doren’s singling out of Penn. She says that he reflects his own personal experience in feeling insufficient encouragement for his own search for meaning and then assumes the grass is greener on other university quads.

But the problem may be more widespread than he indicates. Elaine is concerned that many young people today are insufficiently encouraged to plan for a meaningful future. College should be a time for thinking through personal values and then finding a pathway that fulfills those values. (Yes, she is one of those who thinks that college is for everyone, including those talented in working with their hands and interested in technical fields.)

Read more.

Participants will gain insight into the federal legislative process and how policy decisions shape what and how we teach as mathematics (teacher) educators. Through collective learning, dialogue, and action planning, we’ll strengthen our shared commitment to academic integrity and the free exchange of ideas.

Speakers:

• Kathryn T. Taylor, Program Coordinator, Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom
• Isaac Kamola, Associate Professor of Political Science at Trinity College, Director of the Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom and founder of Faculty First Responders

Date and Time: November 5, 2025, 3:00 PM

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The speakers, who hail from all over the world and are at different stages in their careers, will describe their distinct pathways into this work, providing models and inspiration for others who seek to bridge the gap between SLCE and STEM. Please join us for what is sure to be a lively conversation with four remarkable women!

Date and Time: November 6, 2025, 12:00 PM

Learn more and register.

Date and Time: Tuesday, November 4, 2025, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Register.

In this session, you’ll learn how to develop clear and outcome-driven learning objectives, select instructional strategies to engage different types of learners, and plan content using a person-centered approach to deliver content that meets the needs of your audience. We will look at how to create engaging activities to support knowledge retention and create participant-centered experiences, whether you’re training in person or online. We’ll also cover techniques to reduce facilitation anxiety and improve engagement, even in trainings within mandatory settings.

Through group work, reflection, and sample materials, you’ll leave with actionable tools you can use right away. You’ll analyze how to scaffold learning for deeper understanding, manage group dynamics, and build your personal trainer toolkit. Whether you’re brand new to training or looking to refresh, this workshop will give you the skills and confidence to design effective, engaging, and person-centered learning environments.

Dates and Times: November 5, 12 & 19, 2025, 2:00-3:30 PM

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This workshop will cover how to use trauma informed facilitation practices to plan, create and design. Using trauma informed principles of facilitation, we will cover the structure and format of facilitated experience, review how to create an agenda, design a facilitated experience, and how to handle disclosures, disruptions, and other facilitation challenges. This workshop is for facilitators and trainers who lead community-based conversations with adults where difficult topics may arise or in-depth discussions may occur. Participants in this workshop will learn how to better navigate situations that may arise with adult participants in a facilitated experience. Please come to this training thinking about specific gatherings, workshops, orientations or trainings where you want to integrate these approaches.

Dates and Times: December 3, 10 & 17, 2025, 2:00-3:30 PM

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Access the report.

Participants will gain insight into the vision for this partnership, opportunities to engage in the upcoming conference, and how these national gatherings can strengthen local and global movements for service and youth leadership.

Date and Time: Wednesday, October 29, 4:00-4:30 PM

Register.

SLC attendees will still enjoy youth showcases, peer networking, and familiar programming—plus access to Points of Light main stage moments, expanded workshops, and intergenerational connections.

The Points of Light Conference is the world’s largest gathering of civic engagement leaders. It brings together companies, nonprofits, and civic innovators to strengthen purpose, deepen community ties, and build national resilience.

Save the date for June 22–25 in Washington, D.C.!

Learn more.

The call for Points of Light Conference workshop proposals opened Monday, October 27. Share your expertise, inspire action, and help shape the 2026 Points of Light Conference in Washington, D.C. Proposals are due by November 14, 2025.

We’re seeking workshops that inspire action and equip attendees to harness the Power of Volunteering to strengthen communities, deepen purpose and build resilience. New this year, the 37th Annual National Service-Learning Conference® is uniting with the Points of Light Conference, elevating youth-leaders as co-creators, allowing established leaders to learn a new perspective while mentoring the next generation.

Join the Bipartisan Policy Center for a conversation with practitioners and experts on how innovative financing, with support from policymakers and comprehensive data, can build a child care ecosystem that works for parents, employers, and the economy.

The event will take place from 1 to 2 p.m. EDT on October 30.

Learn more and register.

This series of virtual workshops is designed to resource educators to better support their students in learning about U.S. history, their role in its future, and how Pulitzer Center reporting on global topics can intersect with issues found in The 1619 Project and students’ own communities. Workshop participants will receive detailed resource guides, hear from award-winning journalists, engage in professional learning with educators from around the country, and receive certificates of professional development for their participation.

If you’re looking for strategies to teach hard histories in a joyful and solutions-oriented way this school year, you won’t want to miss this free webinar series! Here’s a sneak peek at some of the exciting events you can join from the comfort of your classroom:

Understanding Environmental Racism
November 1 | 3:00-4:30pm EDT
How can journalism help students understand the racialized impacts of climate change on a local and global scale?

Elevating Critical Voices in Conflict
November 15 | 3:00-4:30pm EST
How can journalism introducing underrepresented perspectives help students explore multiple pathways to peace?

Envisioning Healthy Black Futures
November 29 | 3:00-4:30pm EST
How can journalism help students to recognize historical and present-day racial inequities in health, and to envision a better future?

Investigating Legacies of Slavery in AI
December 13 | 3:00-4:30pm EST
How can AI accountability journalism help students investigate the benefits and harms of the technology around them?

Register.

In this training, attendees will practice developing career-connected STEM activities, exchange feedback with peers, and leave with three ready-to-use activities. Please bring one STEM activity to workshop during the training.

Audience: This training is designed for out-of-school time program providers and staff, including directors, professional development and quality specialists, and facilitators. It is also ideal for out-of-school time organizations, including museum and library staff.

Date and Time: November 5, 2025, 3:00–4:00 PM

Register.

Learn more.

In case you have not heard, GoFundMe recently created donation pages for approximately 1.4 million U.S. nonprofits – including many in Pennsylvania – without asking for permission.

These pages may look legitimate to potential donors, but nonprofit organizations did not authorize them and, in many cases, are not managing them. That means your supporters could be donating through a third-party platform without your knowledge or consent.

We want to make sure the PA Association of Nonprofit Organization (PANO) members and beyond are informed and empowered.

Read more and find out what else you need to know.

Here’s a quick update (October 28, 2025) on the GoFundMe situation, and new developments we’re tracking:

• GoFundMe has issued a public statement and removed nonprofits from its own search results.
• However, many of those pages still appear in Google searches.
• We’ve also heard from members about similar issues on Pledge.to and Every.org.

Update on GoFundMe & Other Crowdfunding Sites