Information on this page is intended for the staff and clients of homeless shelters in Allegheny County affiliated with the Homeless Children's Education Fund.

Mini-grants for educational innovation

Round VII 2008-09 Mini-grants process

Our goal is always to support your innovative and creative ideas for children's education: to meet the needs you identify for your specific shelter populations, to fill gaps in your educational planning or to reach new levels of programming impact – whether through what other shelters have done with great success or by innovative educational ideas not yet explored.

The seventh round of Mini-grants was kicked off at the Spaghetti Warehouse, June 4, As always there was a time for sharing ideas of things that have worked and recommendations for innovative educational resources.

The HCEF Board of Trustees has approved $34,500 for 2008-09 mini-grants and educational field trip allowances, with requests for mini-grants capped at $2000 per shelter. Mimi-grants will be awarded Friday, August 8, 2008.

Recipients of Round VI grants
(for the 2007-08 school year):

• Allegheny Valley Association of Churches, $2,000
• Alle-Kiski Area Hope Center, $1,561.46
• Bridge to Independence, $2,000
• Crisis Center North, $2,000
• Healthy Start House, $2,000
• HEARTH, $1,300
• Open Arms, $1,441.05
• Salvation Army Family Crisis Center, $2,000
• Sisters Place, $2,000
• Three Rivers Youth - The Hub, $2,000
• Womanspace East, $1,564.70
• Womansplace, Inc., $2,000
• Women's Center and Shelter, $2,000
• YWCA Bridge Housing-Wilkinsburg, $1,000
  
  
• For a total of $22,4867.21 in Round VI Mini-grants

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Educational field trip allowance

The HCEF Endowment Fund provided over $1700 in transportation allowance for May 1 - October 1, 2007, shelter-sponsored educational field trips.

Recipients of 2008 grants of $300 each are Healthy Start House, Primary Care Health Services/Supportive Housing Program, Salvation Army, Sisters Place, Sojourner House, Three Rivers Youth - The HUB, Womanspace East, Womansplace, and Women's Center and Shelter, with planned trips including visits to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, Carnegie Science Center, Ohio Pyle State Park, Idlewild Park, Children's Museum, Gateway Clipper cruise, Phipps Conservatory, and Just Ducky Tours.

Field trip reports will be due October 31, 2008. Click here for the report form and click here for the photo permission form.

We encourage you to complete a reporting form for each HCEF-supported field trip.

2008 Gear for Grades

Citizens Bank's 2008 Gear for Grades (formerly Pack-to-School and Tools for School) collection drive begins July 14 and ends August 8, with delivery of backpacks on August 18. Once again all Citizens Bank offices in the region, including those in Giant Eagle stores, will be accepting donations of supplies to fill the backpacks.

If you haven't already done so, please complete this survey and return it to HCEF so that we will know how many and what size backpacks you'll be needing.

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rev. 7/8/08