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Lights On Afterschool: Advocate in October

Pictured above: Students in the afterschool program at Washington Elementary in Valley City display their #LightBulbChallenge artwork in 2021.  


Join thousands of communities in celebrating and rallying for afterschool programs as the Afterschool Alliance organizes the 23rd annual Lights on Afterschool! This nationwide event, taking place in October of 2022, showcases the important role afterschool programs play in supporting students, families, and communities. Shining a light on afterschool programs helps build awareness of the critical need for more afterschool resources and affordable programming. For every youth in grades PreK-12 in an afterschool program in North Dakota, TWO MORE would participate if a program were available to them.


Join the ND Afterschool Network and afterschool programs from across our state and nation in celebrating afterschool this month. Register your program today!

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Governor Burgum Proclaims Lights on Afterschool Day

Governor Doug Burgum proclaims October 20, 2022 as Lights on Afterschool Day in North Dakota, stating "the citizens of North Dakota stand firmly committed to quality afterschool programs and opportunities to provide safe and engaging learning experiences for children, support working families, build stronger communities and engage families, schools and community partners in advancing the welfare of our children."


Read the full proclamation below:

Join the #LightBulbChallenge

Lights On Afterschool celebrations don't have to be huge to be effective. Your activity could be as simple as taking part in the #LightBulbChallenge on social media. 


If you are planning a Lights On Afterschool celebration of any sort, please register your program to join thousands of programs across our state and country to lift our voices around the importance of afterschool for all. 


We look forward to hearing about your event! Share pictures, stories, and your lightbulb art with the ND Afterschool Network. We'll be highlighting programs throughout the Fall and at ND Afterschool Day on the Hill at the Capitol in Bismarck on February 22, 2023! 

Afterschool Grants & Funding Opportunities

ND Arts in Afterschool Funding 2022-23

Applications now open!


The ND Afterschool Network, in collaboration with ND Council on the Arts, is pleased to offer funding to afterschool and other out-of-school time programs ranging from $500 to 2,000 to increase opportunities for students across North Dakota in grades K-12 to engage in arts programming during the 2022-23 school year.


Applications will be funded on a rolling basis based on proposal and funding availability. Click below for full requirements, activity ideas, and a link to the application. 

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Building, Sustaining and Improving: Using Federal Funds for Afterschool

This guide can help district leaders, out-of-school time providers and intermediaries identify federal funding streams to support afterschool and summer learning. 


High-quality afterschool and summer learning programs play an essential role in the lives of young people. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 includes several funding opportunities that could support efforts to help young people recover from learning time lost to COVID-19 and to promote well-being. 


The guide groups funding streams under three broad headings:

  • Creating & Sustaining Equitable Conditions for Learning
  • Preparing for Program Delivery
  • Building & Aligning Ecosystems of Support
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Service-Learning Grants: Take action on Teen Driver Safety or Education Equity in your community. Open to U.S. schools and nonprofits, leadership teams (two students and one adult) will receive free training, materials, monthly support, access to peer learning community, and a $1,000 grant to implement their campaigns. A limited number of teams will also be selected to present at the 2023 National Service-Learning Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, with registration and travel expenses paid. Space is still available, and applications will be reviewed daily until all grants are allocated. Hurry - the program begins Oct. 11! 


NDDPI Teacher Innovation Grants: North Dakota Department of Public Instruction is encouraging innovative education ideas from teachers by funding up to $10,000 in grants every three months. Grant awards will continue every three months for another two years. The next round of grant applications opens October 12, with an October 26 deadline. 


ALDI Cares Community Grants: Community grants range from $100 to $5,000 and fall under the following: Children's Health & Wellness, Food Insecurity, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Organizations will be asked to apply under the ALDI division closest to their location. Applications accepted ongoing through December 15, 2022.


Girls Who Code: Start a free Girls Who Code Club and enroll 3 or more members this school year to be eligible to receive up to $300 for materials and supplies for your club. Clubs are free programs for 3rd-5th and 6th-12th grade students to join a sisterhood of supportive peers and role models using computer science to change the world. Clubs are completely free and offer fun activities through a flexible curriculum that adapts to your unique needs. Clubs can take place afterschool, on weekends, or during the summer, and they can be held in-person or online.


First Book Marketplace: Sign up to get new books and resources for the kids you serve. First Book is a non-profit social enterprise that provides new books and educational resources - for free and at low cost - to schools and programs serving children in need, ages 0-18. If you are an educator at a Title I or Title I eligible school, health care provider, school support personnel, librarian, early learning professional, community program or afterschool staff, you can join for free.


Parks and Rec Field Trips: North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, ND Parks and Recreation announces the availability of field trip funding assistance for North Dakota Students! The funding may provide student programming fee and transportation expense support for a ranger or interpreter-guided field trip in any North Dakota State Park.


Discover Literacy Grants: Discover is offering grants of up to $5,000 to nonprofit organizations working in the areas of education and literacy. Funding, donations, and sponsorships are intended to support programs and initiatives that meet the needs of various communities across the country. Applications accepted on a rolling basis.


CaringforCommunities Grants: Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota's CaringforCommunities Grants recognize that developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a lifelong process and our communities play an integral role. Successful grant applications demonstrate strong collaboration and sustainability, incorporate proven, evidence-based approaches, and encourage citizen engagement. No deadline to apply and applications accepted year-round.


Bush Foundation Community Innovation Grants: Funding the most promising ideas to change communities and systems. These grants support organizations coming together to solve community challenges, and efforts that help people lead in strong, equitable and connected ways. Grants are funded above $20,000 with no set limit on grant amounts. Applications accepted on ongoing basis.

Million Girls Moonshot Feature - STEM Resources

National Girls Collaborative Project: Addressing STEM Stereotypes with Youth and Young Adults

Join the National Girls Collaborative Project for a two-webinar series to dig deeply into research and best practices related to addressing STEM stereotypes with older youth and young adults. Researchers and educators will share strategies and resources to counter and break down STEM stereotypes. 

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Youth Engineering Solutions (YES) Out-of-School Field Testing Opportunity

Youth Engineering Solutions: Out of School is developing engineering curricula for afterschool programs in collaboration with educators who test their materials with youth. Educators participate in professional learning that focuses on engineering in afterschool spaces. They implement a YES engineering unit designed for an out-of-school setting and provide feedback and suggestions that inform revisions of the curriculum. Educators receive all curricular resources, materials and supplies, and an honorarium of $350 for participating. Learn more and apply by October 15, 2022 below:

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Upcoming Trainings & Events

NESC ConnectEd lessons are offered live through Zoom on Tuesdays from 3:45 - 4:15pm CT. Each session is designed for the K-2 or 3-8 grade span and includes a community teaching partner who provides an engaging experience for your learners. If you can't connect live, you can access the archived lesson recordings or facilitator materials to use at a different time. 


With support from the ND Afterschool Network, all afterschool programs throughout the state are welcome to join for lessons at no cost! 


2022-2023 NESC ConnectEd Live Lesson Schedule is now live and includes the following upcoming lessons:


  • October 11, Grades K-2: ND Council on the Arts/Visual Arts: Ali LaRock
  • October 18 (Lights On Afterschool Event), Grades K-2: ND Afterschool Network/Gateway to Science
  • October 25, Grades 3-8: ND Afterschool Network/Gateway to Science
Learn More
Register Here!

October 11 - Free Training on Mizzen


Mizzen by Mott inspires, engages, and sparks learning in young people. This free app developed by afterschool professionals for afterschool professionals is available to any out-of-school time educator to download and use in your programming with students of all ages. 


Mizzen is an all-in-one tool that can strengthen your program with high-quality lesson plans, activities, and playlists. Leveraging Mott's relationships with NASA, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and others, Mizzen provides exciting content that engages young people. 


Join this special session for afterschool educators from across North Dakota to learn about Mizzen and how it can be utilized in your programming to support positive student outcomes. 

ACRES: Afterschool Coaching for Reflective Educators in STEM

Starting October 19 

Questions are the beginning of a path towards discovery, imagination, and STEM exploration. How can we help youth expand and clarify their thinking and develop their reasoning through the questions we ask them? This module is designed for educators who have some experience facilitating STEM learning and would like to grow in their practice within a supportive group of other educators. This three part series begins on October 19th. Learn more. 


Middle School ND Cyber Madness

October 28

Middle School Cyber Madness will consist of a virtual play in round on October 28th where all teams will compete to be in the final ten teams: five finalists from the West and five finalists from the East. The ten teams moving forward will compete in an in-person competition on November 18 in Grand Forks and Minot, with all teams vying for the statewide crown. This is an exciting new opportunity to expand the community of youth in North Dakota who are interested in the rapidly growing field of Cyber Security and technology. Registration for the Middle School ND Cyber Madness Tournament closes October 21. Learn more. 


ND Afterschool: Empowering Kindhearted Kids

November 17 | Virtual

Join Two by Two Character Development to explore the latest research regarding social emotional learning and the importance of explicitly teaching core values. Plan on loading up your "toolkit" with lots of fun and engaging ideas to immediately use with your children and walk away feeling empowered and rejuvenated for the important work you do. Register here.


Save the Date! Afterschool Day on the Hill

February 22, 2023

Join the North Dakota Afterschool Network for Afterschool Day on the Hill in Bismarck on February 22 from 10:30am - 1:30pm to showcase afterschool and highlight how essential out-of-school time programs are to ND's students, families, and communities. Limited travel reimbursement is available for staff and students to attend in person. Watch for more details to come!

Our Mission
We equip North Dakota afterschool programs with the tools and support to expand program quality, build leadership capacity, and ensure access to afterschool programs for all youth in their community.