Community Interaction Grant

Many studies point to the under-representation of minorities in the sciences. The Community Interaction Grant supports ACS Student Chapter projects and interactions that help improve the science learning experience of African American, Native American, Hispanic/Latino and Pacific Islander students, as well as economically disadvantaged students, in grades K-12.

ACS student chapters are eligible to receive up to $500 to support community interactions and projects. The ACS Undergraduate Programs Office awards ACS student chapters each year that provide K-12 minority students with enriched hands-on science activities and give ACS student members an opportunity to enhance their skills as future teachers and mentors.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for a Community Interaction Grant, chapters must:

Be a chartered ACS student chapter with active status
Have obtained matching funds
Must have submitted a final report for any Community Interaction Grant awards within the last 3 years
Available only to domestic chapters (United States & Puerto Rico)

Project Goals

Your project should seek to:

Actively involve K-12 students, their teachers, and/or parents in hands-on science activities, as this a critical time for children to learn and become enthusiastic about the chemical sciences.
Enhance the involvement of your ACS student chapter in hands-on science education activities specifically targeting underserved minority children.
Strengthen the network of your ACS student chapter to interact with ACS local sections and other community groups.

Project Guidelines

Application Component	Requirements
Proposal Summary	300 words or less No bullets or lists, must be in narrative format Identifies key program elements such as: event title, date, and meeting name
Proposal	Must not exceed 3 pages Provides preliminary program/activity overview Explains, in detail, program elements Answers; What does the chapter hope to accomplish? Identifes partnerships and roles of each partner Details benefits for the chapter and target audience Explains how the chapter plans to make this porgram repeatable
Budget	Budget proposals MUST use the Student Chapter Grants Budget Template (other formats will not be accepted) Proposals must include anticipated income (grant funding, matching funds, in-kind donations, etc.) Letters of support verifying that matched funds have been aquired are required and must be on OFFICIAL LETTERHEAD of the institution/organisation providing the funding Factulty Advisors are not permitted to provide letters of support unless the advisor is the Department Chair Chapters must provide a plan in their timeline to raise funds to cover negative costs for their program
Timeline	Student chapters will be asked to complete a timeline that identifies 30, 60, 90 day milestones measured from the event date Timelines MUST include plans for post-event analysis and final report milestones no later than 30 days after the event