Educational Mini-Grants

Mini-Grants for Educational Enrichment provide homeless housing providers with funds that may be spent on educational programs, projects, materials, and community excursions.

Since its inception in 1999, HCEF has offered yearly Mini-Grants of up to $2,000 each to homeless housing providers.  The grants are intended to provide on-site educational enrichment opportunities for children and youth experiencing homelessness at the locations where they reside or receive services. Grants may also be used for educational field trips, enabling hundreds of children, youth, and their parents to explore the cultural and educational resources that exist within our region and beyond.

Examples of recent Mini-Grant projects include physical fitness, gardening, learning center technology, DJ workshops, science clubs, life skills, storytelling, puppetry, and art supplies.  Popular field trip destinations are Children’s Museum, Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh Zoo, National Aviary, and Just Ducky Tours.

children

&

parents

experienced educational projects and field trips through the Mini-Grant program in 2018. 

What participants are saying:

"My daughter did not want to leave the Children's Museum. She had such a good time!"
Parent
"We got to hold the tall dinosaur bone. We saw the dinosaur and his neck was so tall and his legs were really big!"
Child
“Parents have shared how grateful they are that the programs were offered to their children, because otherwise they may not have had these wonderful experiences.”
Homeless Provider
“This is the beginning of creating the space for parents and children to use together to help the children and parents interact appropriately so that they can learn and grow together.”
Homeless Provider
“Children said that field trips ‘made them feel normal’ and ‘like other kids.’ In addition, children also noted that while on field trips, they were able to forget their worries temporarily.”
Homeless Provider

For more information, contact HCEF’s Afterschool & Enrichment Director.

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