Kids’ Chance of America: Emergency Grant Program

The Kids’ Chance of America: Emergency Grant Program aims to provide essential support to state organizations facing unexpected challenges in funding scholarships for children of injured workers. This initiative ensures that these children can continue their education despite unforeseen financial hardships. Grants can be utilized for scholarships, room, board, and educational fees, emphasizing the importance of maintaining educational support for deserving students during the 2023-2024 academic year.

About Kids’ Chance
Our purpose is to give the kids of workers who have been critically or fatally injured on the job a chance at a better future. Workers get injured on the job every day. And when a worker is seriously or fatally injured, it doesn’t just affect them, it affects their entire family — especially their kids. Thinking about the future is put off, and when the time comes, the cost of higher education can be well out of reach. Every kid should have a chance at a better future. That’s why our 50 state organizations provide scholarships and support to ensure our kids can complete their education and pursue their desired career paths. Since our inception, we have collectively awarded more than 11,000 scholarships, totaling over $42 million. Kids’ Chance of America unites the workers’ compensation community in support of these kids and their families. We provide resources, develop sustainable state organizations, and power the pipeline of eligible applicants.
Kids’ Chance of America established the Emergency Grant Program to assist state organizations that are having trouble meeting the needs of their scholarship applicants due to unusual or unforeseen circumstances.
Grant funds may only be used for scholarships, room, board, books, and fees for qualified students under the applicable rules of the applicant’s state organization and must be distributed by the state organization within 12 months of receipt. The member organization may not use the funds for organization overhead.
Member organizations must be in good standing to be eligible to apply to the Emergency Grant Program – when they submit the application and at the time of the award. Kids’ Chance of America reviews and evaluates each grant application based on the criteria and requirements listed below. The committee’s decision is final. The amount of money available will vary according to KCOA’s available funds and the number of applicants. Funds requested must be used for scholarship awards for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Eligibility

Applicant’s description of unusual or unforeseen circumstances leading to the need for additional scholarship funding for the 2023-2024 academic year. There must be documented reasons for needing emergency supplemental funding, such as a significant increase in scholarship applicants, an applicant applying after scholarship awards have been disbursed, an unforeseen decrease in funds raised by the organization, etc.Applicant’s ability to continue the level of scholarship support even when experiencing a recent increase in qualified applicants or decrease in revenues.Applicant’s ability to address shortfalls in current awards given in 2023-2024 scholarship cycle that did not fulfill the needs of their recipients.Applicant’s ability to increase 2023-2024 scholarship awards to the national average award amount of $3,000 annually.