Investing Beyond Grades, Graduation, and College: Developing the Whole Child
Before you submit your next grant application, here are some commonly asked funder questions that demonstrate impactful whole-learner programs to consider…
Fundraising Consultant and Grant Writer with Purpose Possible
In the ever-evolving landscape of education, funders recognize the need for a transformative approach that goes beyond traditional success metrics. Since COVID, funders have seen the urgency around investing in resources that develop the whole learner. While grades, reading levels, and graduation rates are valuable measurements of a successful education, how can programs prepare students to be adaptive, grow, and thrive throughout their education and adulthood?
Moving away from the one-size-fits-all model, education funders increasingly support a comprehensive "whole-learner" approach, acknowledging that mental and physical health, workforce development, and life skills are just as important (if not more important) than academic achievement.
We are seeing a trend in funders supporting youth-serving organizations that demonstrate a holistic understanding of a child's development, emphasizing the importance of addressing fundamental needs and emotional stability–alongside academic achievements—to tell a complete story.
Before you submit your next grant application, here are some commonly asked funder questions that demonstrate impactful whole-learner programs to consider:
Student Voice: A crucial component of a comprehensive education approach.
How is your program incorporating student voices to understand their needs, challenges, and experiences?
How is that feedback used to inform programming, staffing, resources, etc?
Utilizing pre- and post-program surveys allows for direct insights, ensuring that programs evolve based on real-time feedback.
Mental Health & Wellness: Mental health is a cornerstone of a child's overall well-being.
How is your organization addressing mental health?
What resources are you offering?
How is mental health incorporated into the day-to-day activities of the program?
What training has the staff received to support the mental, racial, and economic challenges of the youth they serve?
Discipline is not enough. Students and educators need the tools to cope with challenges, understand emotions, and manage experiences.
Life Skills: Grantmakers want to invest in programs building life-ready individuals.
How does your program contribute to students becoming self-sufficient beyond graduation?
If students enter the workforce, what knowledge and skills will they possess to help them to succeed?
What are the long-term impacts of your programs?
Helping students achieve academically is important, but you must invest in programs—like workforce development and career pathway programs—that transcend academics.
Breaking Poverty Cycles: Ending the cycle of generational poverty by creating opportunities for equitable access.
How can your program help break the cycle of generational poverty for a child?
Are your programs accessible to students regardless of financial ability?
Are your programs accessible to students with location or transportation barriers?
What financial literacy resources are available?
Ensuring students are trained in financial wellness and can access resources is an investment in life skills and well-being.
Additional Wrap-Around Services: Efforts to eliminate barriers to success.
Does your program provide essential services like meals and transportation?
What financial burdens are students and families incurring, and how can these be minimized?
Are you partnering with community organizations to help meet the needs of your students?
Equitable education opportunities are one small piece of the wealth disparity crisis, and schools often fail to provide resources outside of the classroom that low-income students and their families need to have any chance of breaking the cycle of poverty and succeeding beyond graduation.
In pursuing a comprehensive "whole-learner" approach, investing in students' emotional, mental, and practical well-being becomes as important as academic achievements. Relying on graduation rates and test scores to determine a student’s post-secondary success ignores critical factors like mental health, housing stability, financial stability, and sources of trauma. By asking these questions and actively addressing these facets, youth programs can prepare students for success beyond the classroom. Tracking the impact with student feedback, staff feedback, benchmarking, and other metrics can make youth-serving organizations more appealing to funders and thus more able to invest in their mission-driven work.
Here are a few recommended resources for youth-serving professionals:
Caroline Egan is a Fundraising Consultant and Grant Writer with Purpose Possible. She has worked with 21st Century Leaders, Next Gen Men & Women, Tapestry Public Charter School, Wesley International Charter School, Veritas School of Social Sciences, Odyssey Atlanta, and many other youth and education organizations.
Funding for Food
In addition to your Community-Centric information from residents about specific needs and interests, grantors are interested to know the research data that specifies the problem and informs your approach, and how local issues reflect regional/national food-related challenges.
Since I was a child, I have, first as a volunteer and later as a nonprofit staff member, participated in food drives, in which local schools and other organizations collect canned goods to combat food insecurity in the community. While shelf-stable foods are an important resource, we’ve all learned over time that a healthy diet requires fresh foods as well. I’ve been privileged to work with a number of nonprofits committed to the idea that everyone should have access to fresh produce and other healthy foods. If you are seeking grant funding for similar food programs, I have some helpful resources to share.
In addition to your Community-Centric information from residents about specific needs and interests, grantors are interested to know the research data that specifies the problem and informs your approach, and how local issues reflect regional/national food-related challenges. Here are some resources to help you get grant-ready - grouped into two general areas:
1 - Healthy Food Access, which may include organizations providing food pantries, congregate or home-delivered meals, nutrition education, and/or working in communities without access to local grocers and other healthy food sources -
Food Research and Access Center (FRAC) - A wealth of resources about poverty-related hunger in the U.S., including local and national data and trends
A FRAC fact sheet has helpful information if you are considering an application to USDA's Summer Nutrition Program, which funds meals for children over the summer. This map helps you find the agency administering the program in each state.
The USDA provides a map showing low income areas with low access to grocery stores. Your state or local government may have similar tools available.
The American Society for Nutrition has data about the “global epidemic of diet-related chronic disease,” including research and data about the benefits of both healthy food and nutrition education.
2 - Food Sourcing, which includes varied interests such as consumer access to locally-grown and/or organic produce, ensuring the success of BIPOC and other socially disadvantaged and beginning farmers/producers, and environmentally sustainable agriculture. I expect that our country’s supply chain problems will spark funders’ interest in this area, so you’ll want to keep current on new programs and data.
If your nonprofit is working in this area, you’ll want to become familiar with the USDA’s programs, especially as they recently announced upcoming increased funding in several key areas.
Nonprofits working to support beginning farmers or small farms can visit the USDA’s Beginning Farmers and Ranchers page for an introduction to services and funding, including resources for Historically Underserved Farmers, Urban Farmers, and Organic Farmers.
If your nonprofit is new to Federal Grants, visit the Grants Learning Center at grants.gov to learn more, including how to search for USDA grants.
A source of recent scientific research in agriculture is the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which partners with the Land-Grant University (LGU) System - this link will help you find institutions, many of which are HBCUs and Tribal Colleges and Universities, conducting agricultural research in your region.
I am honored to have worked with food-related nonprofits who are working to ensure the personal health of individuals, and the economic health of local farmers, both of which benefit our entire community. If your nonprofit needs help in obtaining foundation, corporate or government grant funding in this area, please contact me or anyone at Purpose Possible and we’ll be glad to share how we can help.
Susan Butler Allison
sallison@purposepossible.com
Purpose Possible Consultant