Grants for Cub Scouts

Officially established in 1930, the Cub Scouts had just 5,000 members.

The Cub Scouts is a division of the Boy Scouts of America for boys ages 7 to 10 years old. Activities include weekly meetings, projects and trips that promote the goals of the boy scouts of citizenship training, character development and personal fitness. Cub scout packs receive funding from a wide variety of sources, including fundraising events, private donations and member dues. In addition, several grant programs are available to help packs pay for projects and programs.

National Shooting Sports Foundation

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, established in 1961, is a trade association for the fire arms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry. For 2011, the foundation established the Boy Scouts of America Council Challenge Grant 2011 to help boy scout programs participate in shooting sports activities. A total of $100,000 has been set aside for this grant with the first 50 applicants receiving up to $2,000 in assistance. Qualifying purchases include targets, eye protection and ammunition to help with programs on gun safety, team building and marksmanship.

Corporate Grant Programs

Many cub scout and boy scout troops rely on donations from local businesses. Employees of companies that have matching gift or volunteer grant programs can use these resources to support local scouts. The Mecklenburg County Council, Boy Scouts of America in North Carolina reports that in 2010, corporate programs provided over $40,000 in funding for local scouting. For example, in Pennsylvania, health insurance company Highmark, Inc. donated money and volunteer hours through the Highmark's Employee Volunteer Grant program to local organizations, including the cub scouts. In 2010, Cub Scout Pack 598 used the $500 grant from Highmark to pay for trips and merit badges.

Boy Scouts of America National Foundation

The national foundation solicits donations from donors at an individual and corporate level so as to provide funding to local troops worldwide. As of September 2011, the grant opportunity is to support and develop scout programs deemed "hard-to-serve" by the foundation. Priorities are given to scouts obtaining bilingual and bicultural resources, such as staff members, fundraisers and marketing materials.

Scholarships for Boy Scouts

Being a cub scout can also lead to scholarship opportunities to fund a college education. For cub scouts that become eagle scouts, numerous awards are available such as the National Eagle Scout Scholarship Fund and scholarships granted by individual colleges or universities. Cub scouts who sell popcorn produced by Trail's End as a fundraising activity can apply for a Trail's End Scholarship. For scouts who sell at least $2,500 in product, Trail's End will award 6 percent of the scout's sales into a scholarship savings account. The $2,500 is a one time goal; once reached, the company places 6 percent of annual sales in the account.

References

• Boy Scouts of America: How Scouting is Funded
• Boy Scouts of America: Be a Scout
• Boy Scouts of America: History of Cub Scouting
• National Shooting Sports Foundation: $100,000 in NSSF Grants for Local Boy Scouts Councils
• National Shooting Sports Foundation: Boy Scouts of America Council Challenge Grant 2011
• Mecklenburg County Council Boy Scouts of America: Funding
• Highmark, Inc.: Highmark Inc. and its Employees Support Local Nonprofit Organizations
• National Foundation Boy Scouts of America: Grant Opportunities
• Boy Scouts of America: Scholarships
• Trails End: College Scholarships

Resources

• CBS DFW; Dallas Boy Scouts Loose Funding; Jason Allen; May 2011