Washington D.C. -- $500,000 in grant funding will be available to organizations to plan and carry out projects that bring Americans together to support their communities in observation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Corporation for National and Community Service announced today.

Americans served on King Day 2008 in record numbers with more than a half million Americans serving in projects in all 50 states. The President and First Lady Laura Bush served at the MLK Library in Washington D.C., one of 5,000 projects taking place across the country. Participation in the King Day of Service has grown each year since 1994, when Congress passed legislation encouraging the holiday to be observed as a national day of service.

“This year, we had more volunteers than ever before serving on the King holiday,” said David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the agency charged by Congress in 1994 to make the holiday a day of service. “We hope even more Americans will help make Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a day on, not a day off in 2009.”

The purpose of these grants is to mobilize more Americans to observe the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday as a day of service in communities, to encourage those who serve on this holiday to make a long term commitment to service, and to bring people together to serve others.

All initiatives should serve as a call to service that continues throughout the year. Service projects should meet a tangible need in the community such as preparing food for the homeless, fixing up a senior center, or repairing homes damaged by a natural disaster. The Corporation is interested in initiatives that are multi-state and regional and must include projects that improve the lives of disadvantaged youth and engage all sectors of the community with a diversity of partners that will help mobilize volunteers, engage students and Baby Boomers in service, and/or support disaster preparedness and response.

Grants will range in amounts from approximately $50,000 to $300,000 to support King Day activities in 2009. Grantees will be eligible for continuation funding in 2010 and 2011 contingent on their performance, compliance with grant requirements, and the availability of appropriations. Grantees must competitively subgrant a portion of the federal funds to eligible local organizations, and may also directly support local projects, to plan and carry out direct service activities on the 2009, 2010, and 2011 Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekends. Letters of intent are due April 1 at 5 p.m. Eastern and applications are due April 15 at 5 p.m. Eastern.

For further information and to apply, visit the funding opportunities detail page at http://www.nationalservice.gov/for_organizations/funding/nofa_detail.asp?tbl_nofa_id=55.

The Corporation for National and Community Service improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. Each year we engage 4 million Americans of all ages and backgrounds through our Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.

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