Last updated July 29, 2021
The Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas (CFSEK) is pleased to announce that the 2020 Dylan Meier Get Busy Livin’ (GBL) Foundation grant application is now available through March 31. The GBL Foundation provides grants of up to $500 for nonprofit projects that support youth volunteerism. This year’s grant application can be found on the GBL Youth Volunteerism page of our website and is due by March 31, 2020.
Keep reading to learn more about GBL Foundation grants.
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What is the Get Busy Livin’ Foundation?
As explained by the GBL Foundation website, the Foundation:
was established in 2011 to provide support for individuals and groups that embody the values that Dylan pursued: adventure, fitness, curiosity, generosity and a daily zest for life experiences. The GBL Foundation is determined to break down the boundaries that keep people from living life to the fullest, whether those boundaries be social, economical or imaginary.
Since 2013, the Get Busy Livin’ Foundation has offered scholarships administered by CFSEK to graduates of local high schools. And since 2016, the GBL Foundation has offered grants to eligible organizations to support youth-volunteerism activities.
What are GBL Foundation grants?
GBL Foundation grants provide up to $500 in reimbursement for future activities related to youth volunteerism. Examples of projects that may qualify for a grant include trash pickup, maintaining neighborhood parks, cleaning homes for the elderly, assisting at hospitals or nursing homes, working on recycling projects, and others. Importantly, only future projects can receive grants, and grant funds are disbursed only after the proposed project is completed and an Activity Completion Form has been submitted.
Past projects that received a GBL Foundation grant include:
- The Pitt Chapel youth group made door-to-door deliveries of Easter baskets.
- 8th-grade students from Northeast created a book box for the City of Arma.
- Erie High School leadership coordinated and sponsored a Southeast Kansas Special Olympics track and field event.
- Fostering Connections provided a fun night out at The Cheer Pitt and Frontenac swimming pool for foster and adoptive families.
- The Wilidcat Extension Foundation made and donated cage comforters for the SEK Humane Society through the Kids Care Sewing Camp.
For a full list of 2019 GBL-Foundation-grant recipients, see our GBL Youth Volunteerism page.
Who can apply for GBL Foundation grants?
GBL Foundation grants are only available for 501(c)(3) organizations, schools, units of government, and religious organizations. Examples of eligible organizations include Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, FFA chapters, church youth groups, school clubs, YMCA, nonprofit sports organizations, and so on. If you’re uncertain whether your group or organization is eligible for a grant from the GBL Foundation, please contact CFSEK for help.
How to apply for a GBL Foundation grant
To apply for a GBL Foundation grant, download the grant application from our website (UPDATE Apr. 1, 2020: no longer available). After you’ve completed the application, return it to CFSEK with a copy of your organization’s IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter, if we don’t already have it on file. (Churches, schools, and government agencies do not need to provide a determination letter.) Applications can be dropped off at the CFSEK office in the basement of the Commerce Bank building in Pittsburg, mailed to our P.O. Box, or emailed to Sherri Stephens.
Applications must be returned to CFSEK by March 31, 2020.