Each year, the South Dakota 4-H Leaders Association awards Mini-Grants across the state to county or 4-H club projects. The purpose of the 4-H Grants Program is to address youth needs at the local level. The 4-H Leaders Association recognizes that the greatest impact of 4-H occurs at the local level, usually between youth and 4-H volunteers.
Criteria for awarding funds include potential for youth involvement in the planning and implementation of the project, impact on addressing youth issues at a local level through either a traditional or nontraditional setting, increasing life skill outcomes for youth, reaching expanded youth audiences, potential for transitioning new youth audiences into more “traditional” or ongoing 4-H programs, and consistency with present directions of statewide 4-H/youth development programs.
There was some tough competition this year with 13 applications submitted.
The following local project was chosen to receive a Mini Grant:
Sanborn County’s “Let’s Build It” project was chosen to receive a grant. The program will promote science, math and engineering with their $200 grant, they will have a project day that includes an electrical project, where youth will build their own fixture and see how electricity works, as well as building and/or constructing a model to allow them to see what it takes to be an engineer. They plan to utilize local science teachers to help with the project day.