In order to encourage and recognize outstanding volunteer service and inspire others to volunteer, the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation created the President’s Volunteer Service Award. These Awards will honor those Americans who have made serving a central part of their lives and show that when you help your neighbor, you are helping your nation.
Awards are given to youth ages 14 and under who have completed 50 or more hours of volunteer service; to individuals 15 and older who have completed 100 or more hours; and to families or groups who have completed 200 or more hours. Lifetime achievement is recognized with a special President's Call to Service Award, which honors those who have provided more than 4,000 hours of service over the course of their lifetime.
This new program is now incorporating the President's Student Service Award.
For more information about the President’s Volunteer Service Award, visit http://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov.
The USA Freedom Corps also maintains the following list of additional scholarships, awards and fellowships you can receive for volunteering or public service. If you know of others, please contact us at info@usafreedomcorps.gov.
Scholarships
Awards
- Angels in Action
Eligibility: Ages 5-15 who performs acts of kindness for their community Awards: 5 winners will receive $10,000 savings bond and a family trip to New York City, where they will receive their awards in Times Square with actress/model Tyra Banks as host. Another perk is a year's supply of AngelSoft Bath Tissue. For more information visit or contact: http://www.angelsoft.com/angels_in_action.html Angel in Action Contest PO Box 5325, Suite 1002 Unionville, CT 06087-5325
- Brick Awards
Each year, Do Something honors 10 outstanding leaders under the age of 30 who use their talents to take action that measurably strengthens their local communities. The national grand prize winner receives a grant of $100,000 and the nine other winners each receive a grant of $10,000. For more information visit: http://www.dosomething.org
- Comcast Foundation Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program
$1,000 scholarships are awarded to 700 high school seniors in recognition of their community service. It will expand to award $1.1 million in scholarships in 2003. Introduced during the 2000-01 school year, the Leaders of Tomorrow program expanded in 2002 to include Comcast's Midwest Division states of Arkansas, Arizona, Indiana, Michigan and New Mexico. To date, the program has recognized more than 900 students for their service to their communities. To learn more about the scholarship program. For more information visit: http://www.comcast.com/corporate/about/inthecommunity/scholarships/scholarships.html
- Congressional Award
The Congressional Award is a public partnership created by Congress to promote and recognize achievement, initiative, and service in America's youth ages 14-23. The Congressional Award provides a unique opportunity for young people to set and achieve personally challenging goals that build character and foster community service, personal development, and citizenship. For more information or to register for the award visit: http://www.congressionalaward.org
- Daily Points of Light Award
The Daily Points of Light Awards are designed to honor those who have made a commitment to connect Americans through service to help meet critical needs in their communities, especially focused on the goals for children and youth set by the Presidents’ Summit for America’s Future. The program is sponsored by the Points of Light Foundation, the Corporation for National Service and the Knights of Columbus, with full program funding provided by the Knights of Columbus. Eligibility: Open to any individual, group or organization actively engaged in volunteer service. Award Certificates and winners are featured on website and nominations are accepted year-round (awards are given daily). For more information visit or contact: http://www.pointsoflight.org/awards/dpol/ Daily Points of Light Awards Points of Light Foundation 1400 I Street, NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20005 202-729-8000 email: awards@pointsoflight.org
- The Jefferson Awards
Since its inception in 1972, the Jefferson Awards have honored outstanding Public Servants who are making a difference in this country. In 1977, the American Institute for Public Service began a breakthrough relationship with the media. The Institute reached out to newspapers and television stations in local communities and asked them to join a unique partnership to highlight "Unsung Heroes." These Jefferson Awards Media Sponsors solicit nominations of volunteers who work to better their communities. Each Media Sponsor honors five to six Jefferson Awards winners. One representative from each Media Sponsor is chosen by the American Institute Board of Selectors for national recognition. For more information visit or contact: http://www.jeffersonawards.org Mike Hyland Executive Director Jefferson Awards 621 Delaware Street New Castle, DE 19720 302-323-9659
- The National Caring Award
The Caring Institute seeks to identify, honor, and reinforce the activities of particularly caring Americans - those whole ennoble the human race by transcending self in service to others. Each year the Caring Institute recognizes 10 adults and 5 young adults. Adult nomination are accepted year round, late spring entries held for the following year. Young adult nominations are accepted during the school year until March. To nominate someone you know visit: www.caring-institute.org National Caring Awards Caring Institute 513 C Street NE Washington, DC 20002-5809 202-547-4510 (fax)
- Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
These awards are designed to recognize middle and high school students for demonstrated exemplary, self-initiated community service. Participating middle and high schools select one honoree for every 1,500 students. This honoree is then judged at the state level. One middle school and one high school student in each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico become state honorees and receive $1,000 awards, silver medallions, and all-expense paid trips (with one parent each) to Washington, DC. In Washington, ten state honorees are named national honorees. Each national honoree receives an additional $5,000, a gold medallion, and a crystal trophy for his/her school. October deadline. For more information visit or contact: Prudential Spirit of the Community Initiative www.prudential.com/community 212-682-4100
- The Samuel Huntington Public Service Award
This award provides an annual stipend of $10,000 for a graduating senior to pursue public service anywhere in the world. The award allows recipients to engage in meaningful public service activity for up to one year before proceeding on to graduate school or a career. For more information visit: http://www.nationalgridus.com/commitment/d4-1_award.asp
- Temple Awards For Creative Altruism
An award fund of $25,000 is divided among several "outstanding altruists" whose lives exemplify unselfish love and service to others. The Temple Award recognizes those people who inspire altruism in others; demonstrate sustained commitment to altruistic ideas as well as personal; qualities that support this commitment. The deadline for nominations is September 1. For more information visit or contact: http://www.noetic.org/community/grants.cfm Institute of Notice Sciences P.O. Box 909 Sausalito, CA 94966
- The Youth Literacy Leaders Awards
Twenty-five Youth Leaders for Literacy projects will be recognized with a grant of $200.00 each for the project. The top five projects will be recognized with $200.00 each and a collection of children's books. All applicants will receive a Certificate of Merit for their participation and effort. The NEA and Youth Service America developed the Youth Leaders for Literacy program to encourage and celebrate literacy service of our nation's young people and honor them for doing reading-related activities that benefit others. Making a difference in the lives of America's children is what the relationship between the NEA and YSA is all about. For more information visit: http://www.nea.org/resources/index.htmlx
- The Yoshiyama Award for Exemplary Service to the Community
Provides a unique opportunity to recognize those high school seniors who are engaged in extraordinary community service activities. Given to approximately ten high school seniors, it is accompanied by a gift of $5000 over two years. This program is not based on academic achievement, and high school students may not nominate themselves. The awards are based on the significance of the service activities, the extent to which the service provides a solution to important problems faced by society, and demonstration of self-motivation, leadership, creativity, dedication, and commitment. Nominations are due in April. For more information visit or contact: http://www.hitachifoundation.org/yoshiyama/ The Yoshiyama Award PO Box 19247 Washington, DC 20036 202-457-0588
Fellowships
- Ashoka
Ashoka is a global nonprofit organization that searches the world for, identifies and invests in social entrepreneurs—extraordinary individuals with unprecedented ideas for change in their communities. It does so through stipends and professional services that allow "Ashoka Fellows" to focus fulltime on their ideas for leading social change in education and youth development, health care, environment, human rights, access to technology and economic development. For more information visit: http://www.ashoka.org
- The Coro Fellows Program
The Fellows Program in Public Affairs is a nine-month, full-time, post-graduate experiential leadership-training program that introduces diverse, intelligent and driven young public servants to all aspects of the public affairs arena. Field assignments, site visits, interviews and special individual and group projects and consultancies prepare Coro Fellows to translate their ideals into action for improving their own communities. Sixty-four Fellows are chosen annually each year through a highly competitive selection process. They represent a broad range of cultural, racial and economic backgrounds, ages, interests, and academic and work experience, but all are committed to excellence in public affairs. The Fellows Program in Public Affairs is conducted in San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Louis, New York and Pittsburgh. For more information visit: www.coro.org/programs/programs.html
- Echoing Green
Echoing Green is a nonprofit Foundation that offers full-time Fellowships to emerging social entrepreneurs. Our Foundation applies a venture capital approach to philanthropy by providing seed money and technical support to individuals creating innovative public service projects that seek to catalyze positive social change. Echoing Green invests in entrepreneurs' projects at an early stage, before most funders are willing to do so, and then provides them with support to help them grow beyond start-up. The Echoing Green network currently includes over 300 Fellows working domestically and internationally on a wide range of social issues. For more information visit: http://www.echoinggreen.org/
- Hearst Minority Fellowship- Indiana University Center on Philanthropy
The Hearst Minority Fellowship is designed to provide members of minority groups the opportunity to engage in the study and practical application of philanthropy, while in pursuit of the M.A. in Philanthropic Studies or M.P.A. in Nonprofit Management degree. For more information visit: http://www.compact.org/opportunities/detail/3927
- Jane Addams - Andrew Carnegie Fellowship Program
The Jane Addams-Andrew Carnegie Fellowship Program in Philanthropy consists of work and study from August 15-June 15. Fellows receive an introduction to the philanthropic tradition - its history and societal role, its ethics and values, its opportunities and limitations, and its responsibilities. Time is devoted to formal study and to the practice of philanthropy. For more information visit: http://www.stlawu.edu/career/scholarships/addams.php
- Nonprofit Leaders Program - The Washington Center
This program provides a unique opportunity to "do good" and learn about exciting career opportunities in the nonprofit sector. The nonprofit sector includes charitable, educational, and scientific organizations; professional societies; and trade and business groups. Interning within the nonprofit sector provides a unique opportunity to explore your chosen career field while working with an organization that has a conscience. Students accepted into this program initiative receive a guaranteed award of $1,000. For more information visit: http://www.twc.edu
- White House Fellows
Since 1964, White House Fellowships have offered outstanding young Americans the opportunity to participate in the day to day business of governing the nation. After a highly competitive selection process, 11 to 19 men and women are chosen to serve for a year as White House Fellows. The fellowship year runs from September 1 through the next August. Each fellow works full time as a special assistant to a Cabinet member or senior presidential advisor and also participates in an education program designed to nurture his or her development as a leader. Applications are due February 1. For more information visit: http://www.whitehousefellows.gov
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