Tomorrow Fund Grant Opportunities Available to Clubs & Districts

The Tomorrow Fund is an endowed fund for Circle K International held within the Kiwanis International Foundation. This fund, utilizing the interest earned, helps Circle K Clubs and Districts serve the world through grants for service opportunities. The fund is established through a portion of your Circle K Club International dues, through direct donations, through the donation of Carthage-Pullman Society Memberships, and through the donation of Sapphire Circle Honoraries.

Tomorrow Fund grants can help you take action. Look around and identify the things that need to get done on your campus, in your community and in your world. Circle K Clubs and Districts can now apply for grant funds to support varied service projects.

Some examples of what Tomorrow Fund grants might support include:

• Based on a need to develop better reading skills among at-risk kindergarten students, a Circle K club might make chair covers with pockets in them for books. Each kindergarten student has a book read to them by the Circle K member, and the books and chair covers are donated to the classroom.
• A District Project might focus on neglected and abused school children who are less likely to have book bags and school supplies. The district could solicit donations from many area businesses and together with their grant be able to supply 200 children with book bags and supplies to get started in the school year.
• A Circle K Club could purchase the book “Love You Forever” for first grade students and the first graders could then take the books to an area nursing home and read the books to residents there. If the children do not have grandparents, the program could allow them to adopt a grandparent for the day. The Circle K club helps with teaching the children to read the book and helps with the interaction at the nursing home.

Grants by the Circle K International Board from the Tomorrow Fund must conform to the Policies of Circle K International. The Tomorrow Fund grants are granted only to Circle K Clubs and/or Districts. The Grant Review Committee may award up to, but not more than, the amount of interest earned off of the endowment available at the convening of the committee.

A grant awarded to a Circle K club or district may be distributed in one of three ways:

1. The club or district may choose to have the money given directly to their school/district/Kiwanis Club Foundation/District Foundation,
2. The grant shall be reimbursed to the club or district upon presentation of receipts, invoices, or other documentation of expenditures, or
3. The grant shall be paid to any designated vendor, as directed and approved by the club or district. The application can be found here. The Guidelines for filing the Tomorrow Fund Grant Applications are also under Board Policies. Please review them before completing the application.

There is only one funding cycle for the Tomorrow Fund. The postmark deadline is July 15. The applications must be submitted to the Youth Funds Specialist at Kiwanis International, 3636 Woodview Trace, Indianapolis, IN   46268; or via fax at 317/879-0204.

If you read the application, clubs may request funding assistance from $200 to $2,000. The committee typically funds those clubs who are asking for a portion of the total cost of the project, and clubs who are working with other organizations to fund and complete the project.

Here are a few suggestions to keep in mind when completing the application:

• The committee judging the application does not live in your community, so the better you clarify the project, the better the committee can understand the project.
• Write legibly, or enter the application on a computer utilizing the application format.
• Follow the directions! Do not attach any additional pieces except for the budget.
• Ensure that all required signatures are included.
• The project should reflect appropriate planning and ideas that have been thoroughly thought-out.
• Have someone else read the application to check for grammar and spelling.
• The budget must cover all areas of the project and should be clear.
• The timeline should be accurate and well prepared.

The postmark deadline for receipt of the grant request is July 15. The notification of the Circle K International Board’s decisions will be mailed no later than September 15.