The Eagle Endowment will award $1,300 more than last year, due to a record number of applications.
The program should give out an unprecedented $8,800 through 17 grants this year, up from $7,500 through 13 grants last year.
The program received 15 applications during winter, the most ever. Last year, the program received seven applications during the same time period.
The Eagle Endowment is a student-run program in the Center for Engagement and Community Service that awards grants to AU student groups who propose service projects on campus and in D.C., according to the Eagle Endowment website. The program receives its funding through contributions and pledges.
One of the reasons for this increase is because of the rise in the program’s membership, according to Leah Simoncelli, a senior in the School of Communication and coordinator of the Eagle Endowment for Public and Community Service.
“We have given out more grants than normal since the program is expanding, which is definitely a good thing,” she said.
The number of applications has also increased as a result of efforts to reach a wider audience and educate more students about the Eagle Endowment program, said Lisa Mickolajczyk, a sophomore in SOC and member of the Eagle Endowment Council.
Grants range between $250 and $1,000, according to Mickolajczyk.
Some groups receiving money include:
Freshmen Service Experience group Prevention Works, which received money in the fall to organize a community barbeque and distributed safe sex kits in the fall. FSE group Lands and Waters received money to coordinate garden planting at elementary and middle schools.
FSE group City-Gate received money to prepare lesson plans for students at the City-Gate center and take the students on D.C. field trips. City-Gate is the only FSE group to ever receive a fall Eagle Endowment grant for two years in a row, according to Simoncelli.
Seven Washington College of Law students received a grant for the winter and aim to set up the UNROW Human Rights Impact Litigation Clinic, which will discuss the issues of illegal inter-country adoption with a panel of legal experts.
Norma Cruz, a human rights activist for women in Guatemala, has been invited to speak at this event.
“We want to broaden understanding and reach the legal community, since in most countries, parents aren’t giving consent,” said Natassia Rozario, a second-year law student.
The next grant cycle will fund projects to be performed in the fall. Spring 2011 applications are due Feb. 15 and winners will be announced March 2.
pjones@theeagleonline.com
