Action Circle Grant Program
Nurturing a nationwide movement, one action at a time

Application Deadline:
08/15/2023









The Action Circle Movement
Values to Action and the Paxis Institute are offering $2,500 mini-grant awards to people who want to create an Action Circle in their community to address a significant problem. We will provide training and consultation to your Action Circle. We can help you pinpoint evidence-based strategies for addressing the problem you are most concerned about--from addressing homelessness, delinquency, or substance use disorders, to addressing climate change, public health, or education. We can also help you develop a community organizing strategy to get the policies and programs you propose adopted and used. We will also help you seek further funding to advance your solutions. Values to Action believes that nothing short of a nationwide movement to promote the policies and practices that can nurture everyone’s wellbeing is needed. This movement can be built by creating Action Circles that begin to take the small steps in communities that can build from a trickle of successes to a flood of activity that makes nurturance the fundamental value in society. We are supporting the creation of Action Circles of eight to twelve people that focus on addressing a single problem in their community and that develop an evidence-based plan to address that problem. The success of a single Action Circle in addressing a problem in a community can inspire members of the group and others in the community to create additional Action Circles to address more problems. And this success in one community can inspire other communities to start using Action Circles, building a movement. Values to Action’s ability to help Action Circles make a difference is grounded in more than forty years of accumulated evidence on how to prevent or ameliorate virtually every psychological and behavioral problem that undermines wellbeing.  We have developed the Action Circle strategy through work on problems as diverse as getting more effective instruction in schools, developing a social movement to end child abuse and neglect, and creating a guide on reforming juvenile justice. Imagine that in committing to spend no more than a few hours a week for two months that you not only contributed to wellbeing in your community, but become a part of a nationwide movement. Wouldn’t that be exciting?
To apply for one of our mini-grants, please submit a brief proposal below for your Action Circle. Your proposal should be no more than 3 pages (single spaced) excluding references, tables, or figures.
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In your proposal, please describe:
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Where you live and a little about the community you’ll be working in
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A description of the problem, issue, or need, that you’d like your Action Circle to address (including prior efforts, if any, of the community to address this problem)
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An enumeration of some of the key sectors that will be vital to mobilize to accomplish the goals of the Action Circle
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A brief description of things you might do to recruit community members to join the action circle and a rough draft of the invitation you would use to recruit people
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A brief description of how you would like to spend your award (e.g., hourly wages to Action Circle members, marketing and recruitment, community events, etc).
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Email grant@valuestoaction.org if you have any questions