PURPOSE: The intent of mini-grants is to introduce the concept of a community foundation and its work while supplying educational and funding opportunities of up to $300.00 for projects or programs which will benefit the youth of Barry County schools, encourage youth volunteerism, and enhance the school/classroom environment through positive activities. WHAT CAN BE FUNDED: Proposals which are school or student oriented will be considered for funding. This includes special classroom projects which are planned by the students, or extracurricular activities such as student newspapers, special sports or music projects. As this is a student program, teacher or administration projects/programs will not be considered for funding. WHO CAN APPLY: Any student(s) and adult advisor(s) of a school club or organization or student(s) and teacher(s) representing a classroom can apply for a grant. All applications must be written and submitted by the student(s) and must be signed by the teacher(s) and principal. If an application is written by someone other than a student, it will be disqualified. However, teachers are encouraged to have students work on the proposal as a total class project, help them investigate the cost of budget items, answer questions about the form, and give suggestions about appropriate responses. For grades 1 and 2, teacher(s) can either help students write the applications or write it for them after class discussion for proposal ideas. Teachers are encouraged to explain the following terms and ideas to students: *Grant: a gift, donation, present, or award. *Proposal: an act of putting forward or stating something for consideration. *Budget: a plan for the coordination of resources and expenses; the amount of money that is available for, required for, or assigned to a particular purpose. Community Foundation: a publicly supported organization which administers and distributes income from (endowed) funds to community organizations. WHEN: YAC meets September-May SUBMISSION: The application shall be submitted online; if that is not possible, a hard copy can be mailed or dropped off to Barry Community Foundation, 231 S. Broadway St., Hastings, MI 49058. All proposals will be reviewed by the Youth Advisory Council. Applications recommended for award must be approved by the Barry Community Foundation. Please refer questions to Sam Waller or Duska Brumm at the foundation office: (269) 945-0526.