Grant Opportunities

Grant Opportunities

Grant: Agriculture and Youth Program Grant

Who May Apply:

  • Agriculture and youth organizations
  • Any organization composed mainly of youth, or an organization with programs that benefit youth, and organized to promote development in the areas of agriculture, community leadership, vocational training and peer fellowship. The term includes a school district.

Use: The Pennsylvania Ag & Youth Grant Program offers direct and matching grants for youth-centered organizations, projects, programs, and equipment to promote agricultural, leadership, and vocational skills, along with peer relationships.

Funds: $500,000 is available for grants for two different grant types that can be awarded under the program:

  • Direct, non-matching reimbursement grants of up to $7,500 to defray costs of an eligible project, other than a capital project.
  • Matching reimbursement grants of up to $25,000 to defray the costs of an eligible capital project or equipment purchase, where the grant covers no more than 50% of the project cost.

Application Deadline: October 2, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.

More information: Learn More

Grant: Catalyze Pittsburgh Challenge
(Partner4Work Pittsburgh, Catalyze Challenge, and the Richard King Mellon Foundation)

Who May Apply: The initiative will support innovative, early-stage career-connected learning ideas that introduce young people to pathways in emerging industries and occupations.

Eligible counties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Washington, and Westmoreland.

Use: Funding will prioritize opportunities for youth from financially constrained families and those facing challenging circumstances in Southwestern Pennsylvania, ages 11–18 years old.

Funds: Selected applicants will be awarded funding of up to $15,000 to refine their idea and prepare a competitive application for implementation funding.

Organizations selected after the planning period will be awarded implementation-focused funding of up to $350,000 for projects lasting 12-24 months.

Application Deadlines:
Phase 1: September 22, 2026 – October 30, 2026
Phase 2: December 2026 – May 2027
Phase 3: June 2027 – May 2029

More information: Partner4Work Pittsburgh

Grant: Ready to Learn Block Grant

Who May Apply:

  • Programs that focus on high‐quality academics
  • Programs that establish evidence-based practices to improve educational outcomes;
  • Programs that design a system of multitiered supports
  • Use for Increases in Charter School Tuition costs

Use: For the complete language please visit Expanded description of acceptable uses of Ready to Learn Foundation and Adequacy allocations. Listed are proven practices that are acceptable expenditures of Ready to Learn (RTL) funds using the Foundation (school districts, charter schools) and Adequacy (qualifying school districts) allocations. This list provides a summary of practices.

Funds: The 2026-2027 Ready to Learn Block Grant appropriation includes:

  • a Foundation amount of $1,383,402,000;
  • an increase of $526,440,000 in funding through the Adequacy Supplement;
  • a new minimum adequacy supplement of $6,437,000;
  • and an increase of $32,202,000 in the Tax Equity Supplement.

Application Deadlines:

  • September 14, 2026: Ready to Learn Grant applications open
  • October 16, 2026: Deadline to submit Foundation and Adequacy application
  • November 2, 2026: Ready to Learn Tax-Equity applications open
  • February 28, 2027: Deadline to submit Tax Equity application

More information: Ready to Learn Block Grant