Grant Opportunities
Potterfield Grants for Shooting Sports
The primary focus of the Potterfield Grants for Shooting Sports is to help young people gain more experience, confidence, and expertise in gun safety and shooting sports. The specific goals of the Potterfield Grants are to: a) significantly increase the number of shooting-related merit badges and achievements by youth members; and b) significantly increase the number of shooting experiences for councils' total available youth.
Twenty-three (23) grants totaling just under $500,000 were awarded to local councils for 2013 to support these purposes. Preliminary recipients were selected by the Grants Committee, with the final decision for each grant made by the fund donor. All grants were one-year grants, though grantees are eligible to re-apply for additional funds in subsequent years. A list of local councils receiving the grants, and a brief description of each grant purpose, may be found under the Donors and Projects tab of this website.
These grants were made possible through the generous support of Larry and Brenda Potterfield and the MidwayUSA Foundation. Additional funding for 2014 from the Potterfield Grant program is not currently available and, at this time, we are not accepting applications for these grants. If that changes, councils will be notified and changes will be posted to this website.
Note:
The Potterfield Grant program is different from the National Shooting Sports Foundation grants, also offered by the BSA. For more information on this program, please visit http://www.nssf.org/bsagrant/.
Foundation Grants Now Available for Hard-to-Serve Areas of Local Councils
We are excited to announce some substantial new grants that can be made directly to local councils from the BSA Foundation. These grants were made possible because of the highly successful sales by the U.S. Mint of the BSA's Centennial Coin, as well as a generous private match by Ed and Jeanne Arnold of Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
The purpose of the grants to local councils is to help fund the extension of Scouting in hard-to-serve areas. Proposals will be considered for both current and multiyear funding needs, and grant decisions will be made by a selection committee of top professionals and volunteers actively involved in this area of Scouting.
Examples of the priority areas of funding for these council grants include:
- Hiring a commissioned, bilingual/bicultural youth-serving executive to serve one of these areas
- Hiring a bilingual/bicultural staff member in a fundraising position to focus on getting new gifts for the council for these purposes
- Bilingual membership and marketing materials for the targeted communities and areas
- Other innovative and creative ways to deliver Scouting to hard-to-serve areas
Serving populations and neighborhoods that are traditionally difficult to reach is one of Scouting's highest priorities. These funds will help us successfully address this critical need. We encourage you to investigate the details and submit a grant application. Be sure to involve local council board members in identifying the unique needs and opportunities in your council where additional funding could extend the influence of Scouting.