Education Initiative

The Safeco Insurance Foundation is pleased to request proposals for our initiative to improve the educational achievement and educational opportunities for disadvantaged youth.

The intent of the Education Project is to reach, and to assist, underprivileged adolescents within the states of Washington and Oregon. Furthermore, the Education Project intends to locate and support educational programs that seek to build on prior academic and social successes. The Safeco Insurance Foundation aims to achieve these goals by taking the following actions:

• Expand academic opportunities for low-income and limited English proficient (LEP) students by funding out-of-school time educational programs, extended learning in-school programs, vocational and technical-training programs and programs that emphasize and highlight the path to further education.
• Support elementary programs that seek to prevent the “achievement gap” by employing results-based curricula and focusing on basic literacy and/or numeracy.
• Broaden educational options for limited English proficient (LEP) students by increasing the number and quality of programs in Washington and Oregon that provide English language instruction, especially those organizations that exhibit a special focus toward children and adolescents.
• Provide further options for education by expanding the educational alternatives (outside of the public school system) that are available to low-income and non-English speaking students.

Proposals should be submitted electronically by September 30, 2009. No late applications will be considered. Grant awards will be announced by the end of October 2009.