The Maximus Charitable Foundation makes Maximum Impact

The Maximus Charitable Foundation is a health and human services grant program. Its motto is to help the government serve the people. The goal is to help disadvantaged individuals achieve self-sufficiency and personal growth, particularly those programs serving kids.  The grant amounts vary. The deadlines for grants is  August 31.

The Abreu Charitable Trust Supports Kids

The Francis L. Abreu Charitable Trust for metro Atlanta, provides grants for children and youth services, education, health associations, arts and culture organizations. The trust supports capital campaigns, program development, seed money and matching funds. The deadline for this grant is September 30.  

Georgia-Pacific Offers Grant To Support Creativity

The Georgia-Pacific Foundation Grant seeks to invest in innovative and result-driven educational initiatives. It values creating, supporting and nurturing worthy educational projects. The grant helps kids transition from school to the workforce. For 2011 funding, the GP Foundation accepts proposals for grants and in-kind donations. The deadline for this grant is Oct.

Speedway Speeds Along to Help Children

The Speedway Children’s Charity is dedicated to improving the quality of life for all children. It is the charity’s desire to meet all medical, educational and social needs of all children. The primary focus is in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. The deadline for this grant is August 31, 2011.

STEMester Helps Kids Learn Leadership and Service

STEMester of Service Grants support middle school teachers in engaging kids in a semester of service. This grant helps kids build a framework for service learning, addressing critical environmental and disaster preparedness needs, and connecting them to science, technology, engineering and math. This is to help increase the students' academic achievement. The STEM Schools must be located in one of the 19 states with the highest dropout rate, including Georgia, Washington, Colorado, California, Washington D.C., and many others. The grant is for$5,000 and helps cover a field trip to Pennsylvania.

Ronald McDonald Grant Doesn’t Clown Around With Kids Health

The Ronald McDonald House Charities try to improve the health and well being of children directly. The charity takes a holistic, family-centered approach to helping bring kids care. The Ronald McDonald House Charity hopes to partner with organizations that take an innovative approach to addressing the health needs of the population of kids. The deadline for this grant is August 5, 2011.  

My Best Friend Grant Offers Assistance To Teen and Preteen Girls

My Best Friend Foundation offers a grant to school superintendents and school principals. The program’s message is to reject premarital sex, underage drinking and drugs. The school district must require a long-term commitment to kids from sixth grade through high school graduation. This program is only for girls. Every year, each participant requires at least 110 hours of guidance and activities.

Playgrounds — To the Summit of the Monkey Bars

A few bumps, bruises and broken bones from playing on a playground might be good for kids after all. Playgrounds with safety features such as low height limitations and padded ground might be too safe, the New York Times reports, potentially preventing kids from developing emotionally and contributing to unnecessary anxiety later in life. Risky play, such as climbing or wrestling, gradually exposes kids to dangers and helps them solve problems. What kids learn on the playground is a similar technique that therapists use to help conquer phobias in adults – starting small and working toward larger goals, such as reaching the top of the monkey bars – Ellen Sandseter, a professor of psychology at Queen Maud University in Norway, told the Times. Some experts and parents disagree with the idea that playgrounds may be too safe, worrying fears may be introduced too early in a child’s life and ultimately develop into phobias. However, recent studies have shown quite the opposite, purporting that kids injured at a younger age are less likely to develop phobias toward risky behavior as those who didn’t experience the same life lessons.

Dan Paul Foundation Seeks To Give Kids Opportunities

The Dan Paul Foundation offers funding to help children have all the resources they would need in life to be happy, fulfilled and contributing members of society. The foundation will use its resources to help train teachers and parents in early childhood development, protect children from abuse and neglect, stimulate their personal social responsibilities, and offer them opportunities for enrichment and growth into adulthood and beyond. Child advocacy and protection, teaching social responsibility to the environment, the homeless, and poverty-stricken and underprivileged, and scientific endeavors and advancement in health to improve quality of life are also areas that may be funded. Grants typically range from a few hundred dollars up to a maximum of $20,000.  The deadline for this grant is August 31.  

Lego Children’s Fund Offers Money to Encourage Creativity

The Lego Children’s Fund provides funding to help encourage kids' creativity and problem solving. This grant offers assistance to programs that help kids from birth to 14 years old. The focus is on disadvantaged kids and special projects to help nurture creativity. Lego Children’s Fund welcomes requests nationwide, but gives preferrential treatment to Connecticut and Western Massachusetts.  Typical awards are between $500-$5,000. Matching funds for qualifying projects or qualifying organizations are also considered.