 Omprakash Volunteer Grant
Our Volunteer Grants support travel and living expenses for qualified, energetic, and entrepreneurial individuals who want to serve our Partners and are committed to making a long-term contribution to our international network. This contribution might involve: - Outreach to prospective volunteers: raise awareness about the Omprakash network by delivering presentations, using social media, building relationships on local high school and university campuses, organizing events in your home community, etc.
- Outreach to current and prospective Partners: provide support to other Omprakash Partners nearby the primary one you are serving; visit other organizations that fit our model and encourage them to apply to join our network.
- Sharing well-designed material in our archive of Resources: post lesson plans, reading lists, or travel tips for other volunteers; create short documentaries that help other members of our network learn about the social issues our Partners confront; share relevant articles, links, and multimedia that offer value to Partners, volunteers, students, donors, and more.
- Classroom collaboration: help other students around the world learn from our network by posting provocative Resources, organizing penpal exchanges, participating in our Photopals program, or developing service-learning projects through which students and teachers can engage with our network.
- Fundraising for our Partners and/or our grant programs: organize a raffle or an auction or a benefit concert, write letters to friends or family, etc.
- Documenting the work of our Partners: create a short video, administer a survey, conduct interviews, collect financial data-- by sharing this kind of information across our network, you help increase transparency and highlight our Partners' needs and achievements
- Mentoring future volunteers: we hope that all grant recipients will be willing to mentor future volunteers.
Everyone is eligible for a Volunteer Grant, regardless of age or nationality. Please be aware that it is unusual for us to give grants to volunteers who propose trips less than four weeks in length. We review grant applications on a quarterly basis. Our quarterly "deadlines" are February 15, May 15, August 15, and November 15.
The ideal applicant will propose a creative, detailed, and realistic plan for how he or she will contribute to our network of Partners and our broader educational community before, during, and after his or her volunteering experience. We encourage applicants to carefully consider the following five questions as they devise a plan for making a long-term contribution to Omprakash: 1. How will you introduce our network to more prospective volunteers?
2. How will you introduce our network to more prospective Partners?
3. How will you collect funds and other material resources to support our Partners and our grant programs?
4. How will you contribute to our larger educational mission by sharing stories, media, and resources that will help other volunteers, organizations, and students learn from your experience?
5. Why should we give you a grant rather than just send money to the Partner you propose to serve? In other words-- what value will you add to our network? If you have any other questions regarding Omprakash Volunteer Grants, please contact info@omprakash.org. Note: Every applicant must complete this form. There are no “group applications.” Note: It is not possible to save your work while filling out our online application form. To prevent frustration, we advise formulating your answers in a separate document and then pasting them into the form below. | 