The Goal
Advancing Rural Post-High School Education and Career Attainment
with a focus on students experiencing barriers or no plans on pursuing post-high school education.
Grant Guidelines
Through the generosity of Senator Patty Murray and the Department of Education, LaunchNW is providing rural communities with the opportunity to enhance economic and social mobility within their regions by investing in their youth.
School districts within the below nine counties are eligible to apply for up to $50,000 to be spent on a new or existing program and/or event that supports high school students to pursue post high school education and career attainment of their choice.
(Adams County, Asotin County, Columbia County, Ferry County, Garfield County, Pend Oreille County, Lincoln County, Stevens County, Whitman County)
Applicants must include at least 2 community partners and are required to participate in the Center for Education Excellence (CEE) survey. Applications are accepted December 6, 2024, through December 31, 2024. Grant awardees will be notified by January 17, 2025.
This is a reimbursement grant, and all dollars must be fully spent by August 31, 2025, with final receipts and required reporting due no later than September 12, 2025.
Proposed Opportunities with Examples
- Moving the needle on FAFSA completion through programming and events.
- Create collaborative programming between local school districts, non-profit partners, and universities, to connect high school students with mentors and wrap around social support.
- Creating strategies on how to encourage youth out of the virtual world and engage in real life activities and connecting with their community.
- Promoting apprenticeships, on-the-job training, and industry certifications that lead directly to employment. I.E. NEW Health University, Avista lineman school, Wagstaff summer program.
- Partnering with your local Chamber of Commerce and/or local business community to create educational programming, to provide on the job, real life opportunities to students in all career fields. I.E. medical, construction, manufacturing, engineering.
- Implementing comprehensive Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs that align with local industry needs.
- Developing flexible rural career pathways that start as early as elementary school and continue into adulthood, adapting to changing economic requirements.
- Establishing partnerships between secondary schools, postsecondary institutions, and local employers to create seamless transitions from education to employment.
- Leveraging distance learning technologies to expand access to specialized courses and training programs.
Application Instructions
Applicants will submit their information via an online Microsoft Form. When starting the form, you will want to click the box that will allow you to “Save my progress and resume later.” You will then be prompted to enter your email address and create a password, which you will need to access your application in the future.
To save your application progress and return to it later, be sure to click the “Save my progress and resume later” link at the bottom of the page. Each time you do that, you will receive a link via email that you can use next time you want to access the application.
On the website you can download a copy of the application questions. We highly recommend you download the sample form, save it to your computer and use that to draft your responses. When you’re ready to enter information into the Word Form, you can copy and paste the information into the online form, and then you will have the sample question responses as backup.
Who We Are
Innovia Foundation inspires generosity that transforms lives and communities so that every person has the opportunity to thrive. As the community foundation for Eastern Washington and North Idaho, we partner with people who want to make our world better. We work together to address and solve our region’s problems, help those in need, identify and respond to our greatest opportunities and leave a lasting impact. Each year, Innovia Foundation invests $10 million into our communities through grants and scholarships to nonprofit organizations and local students.
About LaunchNW
LaunchNW, an initiative of Innovia Foundation, is a community mission to galvanize entire communities to ensure that every child finds belonging and travels their best journey from birth to career attainment.
Contact Us
For more information, contact Molly Sanchez, Chief Community Investment Officer, at 509-808-5504 or msanchez@innovia.org.