MyOCF

Out-of-School Time Initiative

Bolstering middle school attendance and academic success among Oregon’s students of color, rural students and low-income students.

Applications are by invitation only and will be focused on programs that have utilized the Youth Program Quality process in the past.  Additional information will be shared by the end of April 2024.

Fund supports community-based programs that offer best-practice after-school and summer academic support, positive adult role models, and parent engagement programming. Best-practice programs increase student attendance and academic achievement, and decrease risky behaviors, particularly for our target population.

OCF and The Ford Family Foundation (TFFF) have identified middle school as a key transition point and an opportunity to combat socio-economic, geographic and racial inequities in student success. Research has shown that quality out-of-school time programs support positive youth development and increase engagement with school, thus improving attendance, boosting academic performance and increasing the likelihood of high school graduation and postsecondary attainment. Successful programs are also positively associated with social-emotional skills such as creativity, resiliency and problem-solving, which are known to contribute to the likelihood of success in school and life.

Request for Proposals: Participation in a Program Quality Improvement Learning Community

OCF and TFFF seek proposals from out-of-school time programs in Oregon and Siskiyou County, California, that wish to participate in a three-year, highly structured Learning Community focused on improving program quality and building evaluation capacity. Grants ranging from $25,000 to $60,000 per year will be awarded to out-of-school programs that currently serve middle school-aged youth and are focused on promoting academic success for low-income youth, youth of color and/or rural youth.

OCF does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disabilities, age, status as a veteran, national origin or any other protected class. Applicants for the Student Success Initiative must hold similar standards in the provision of services.

Application Process

Applications are accepted through MyOCF. You must be a registered user to access OCF's Grants Portal. If you don't have an account, you can create one by following the instructions on the MyOCF login screen.

Open every other year: Next application window expected 2024

Please note: We strongly recommend using Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer to fill out your application. Safari has been found to have some technical difficulties.

Staff Assistance

For more information, please contact: