MSU Extension

The Michigan 4-H Foundation has announced grant and award opportunities of up to $1,000 to support local 4-H clubs and county programs for the 2017-18 program year. 4-H volunteer leaders, members and staff are encouraged to apply for these funds. All grant and award applications are due June 1, 2017.

The following funding opportunities are now open for the 2017-18 program year:

• 4-H Educational Garden Grants – Two $1,000 grants available
  Supports the creation of local 4-H educational gardens in Michigan. Funded by the Albert A. Albright Endowment.
• 4-H On-Target Grants – Two $500 grants available
  Supports 4-H shooting sports programs to enhance existing programs, develop new programs or offer special experiences related to 4-H shooting sports. Funded with support from the Thomas H. Cobb 4-H Shooting Sports Endowment Fund.
• Collins 4-H Youth Horticulture Grant – One $350 grant available
  This grant is only open to 4-H clubs and groups (not individuals). It is intended to advance local 4-H work in plant science and horticulture. The grant is made possible by the William J. and Ruth D. Collins Endowment Fund.
• Michigan 4-H Legacy Grants – Two $1,000 grants available
  Supports development of new 4-H programs or initiatives and efforts to strengthen, enhance or expand current 4-H programs that are making a difference. Funded by the Michigan 4-H Legacy Fund Endowment.
• Michigan 4-H Outbound International Travel Scholarship Award – Four $1,000 travel scholarships available
  These scholarships are awarded to 4-H youth who have applied and been accepted to travel as part of Michigan 4-H–sponsored outbound international travel experiences such as Labo (Japan), IFYE (many countries), Poland, Belize and others.
• Michigan Farm Bureau 4-H Excellence in Agriculture Award – Three $1,000 grant awards available
  This award recognizes the outstanding achievements of Michigan 4-H volunteers or groups who have exhibited excellence in 4-H youth agriculture education and in helping youth participants develop leadership skills in the following project areas: beef cattle, dairy cattle, goats, horses, horticulture, crops and soils, poultry, rabbits, sheep, swine and veterinary science. Honorees will choose how their $1,000 grant awards will be used to support Michigan 4-H agriculture programs (such as for 4-H volunteer training, to buy supplies and curriculum materials, or to enhance local or statewide programming). Funded by the Michigan Farm Bureau Excellence in Agriculture Endowment.

You can apply for these grants and awards online at http://mi4hfdtn.org/grants/ or contact the Michigan 4-H Foundation for more information at (517) 353-6692.

The 4-H grant and award recipients for the 2016-17 program year were:

4-H Educational Garden Grants

• 4-H Green Thumb Community Garden Project (Iron County) – $1,000 grant to expand the community garden. The garden provides a space for 4-H, schools and a local community center to teach hands-on gardening, plant science and nutrition education to local young people.
• Ecorse Grandport Academy 4-H Garden Project (Wayne County) – $1,000 grant to expand the current 4-H garden at Grandport Academy. Youth participants will become certified junior Master Gardeners and engage in hands-on gardening, nutrition and physical fitness activities.

4-H On-Target County Grants

• Non-Typical Shooters 4-H Club (Gratiot County) – $500 grant to install target cameras and screens so audiences can see where shooters’ arrows have landed on the targets before shooters retrieve them. This added visibility makes watching the sport more exciting and encourages potential participants to give archery a try.
• Kalamazoo County 4-H– $500 grant to help buy archery equipment and supplies for a new, archery-specific club: the Aim to Achieve 4-H Club. This club allows young people who are interested in shooting sports to join and start practicing new skills.

Collins 4-H Youth Horticulture Grant

Rockin’ Ranchers 4-H Club (Monroe County) – $350 grant for a monarch butterfly migration and breeding garden project. The club will build an educational garden on the grounds of a public library that will harbor monarch butterflies and help educate the public about butterflies, the local natural environment and 4-H.

Michigan 4-H Legacy Grants

• Allegan County 4-H Shooting Sports Program – $1,000 grant to upgrade its shooting equipment to expand the opportunity for young people to participate in competitive shooting that emphasizes safety, rules and fair play.
• Macomb County 4-H Peer Mentoring Program – $1,000 grant to provide supplies. The mentorship program matches successful high school seniors with freshmen who are having a tough time adjusting to high school. Mentors promote life skills such as leadership, career exploration, communication and financial literacy.

Michigan 4-H Outbound International Travel Scholarship Award

• Devyn Barnette (Oakland County)
• Emma Harbaugh (Monroe County)

Michigan Farm Bureau 4-H Excellence in Agriculture Awards

• Penny Sween (Ingham County)
• Hollis and Jill Rockwell (Oceana County)

These outstanding 4-H volunteers will choose how their $1,000 grant awards will be used (such as for 4-H volunteer training, to buy supplies and curriculum materials, or to enhance local or statewide 4-H programming). The winners have exhibited excellence in creating positive learning environments that allow young people to participate in the learning process, understand and appreciate society’s diversity, and become active citizens through service and leadership.

The Michigan 4-H Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports Michigan 4-H Youth Development. For more information about the Michigan 4-H Foundation, visit http://www.mi4hfdtn.org.