ARISE (Alumni Resurgence Inspiring Service and Engagement) supports Camp Rising Sun alumni participating in projects that aim to positively impact local communities and the world. Grants are available for alumni engaged in service-oriented humanitarian projects (e.g., peace, justice, environment, human rights, etc.). 

DEADLINES:
Applications are considered on a rolling basis.  Submit your application now to be considered.

The goals of ARISE are to:

• Promote well-being of individuals and communities;
• Enable opportunities to enhance the ability of alumni to be of service;
• Enable opportunities that will foster alumni appreciation of both diversity and common humanity;
• Facilitate opportunities that will develop alumni capacity for sensitive and responsible leadership;
• Encourage alumni collaboration.

Budget

Thanks to the vision of CRS alumnus Dr. Frank Ochberg '55-56 and the generosity of the Dart Foundation, ARISE is currently funded by a restricted grant from the Dart Foundation. 

Governance

An ad hoc committee of the LAJF Board of Directors oversees the ARISE program by approving its program and structure, reviewing its progress and reporting significant issues to the LAJF Board.

The ARISE Committee has the following responsibilities:

• Design and operate the grant-making system as well as the program support system for grant recipients.
• Negotiate and gather information on service opportunities for grantees.
• Publicize the program to alumni and request applications.
• Review applications and select grant recipients.
• Reach out to alumni to develop a program support system, identify additional service opportunities and develop program partnerships.
• Guide candidates through the application process.

Program Officers

Christina Rose Busso
Director of Alumni Relations
The Louis August Jonas Foundation

Tony Pfaff
ARISE Committee Chairman

Grant Guidelines

All CRS alumni are invited to submit applications for financial and program support to participate in humanitarian service projects. ARISE seeks to promote human dignity and well-being by funding, in part or in full, projects that have a positive impact on the condition of human rights, education, public health, and the environment in the local communities of alumni or in regions throughout the world. ARISE also focuses on developing the skills and experiences of alumni by providing them with the opportunity to take part in such projects.

To this end, ARISE establishes the following grant guidelines and criteria for applicants who wish to seek funding. Please review these guidelines carefully and keep them in mind when preparing your application.

• All LAJF alumni, including student participants and staff-members, are eligible, with the exception of members of the ARISE Team and the Board of Directors.
• The program holds as its highest priority the inspiration, motivation, and personal growth of alumni (as individuals or groups) rather than the support of existing organizations.
• ARISE will give preference to applicants who have not yet received funding through this program.
• Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis for up to $US 5,000.
• Alumni are also welcome to receive program support without financial assistance (see Program Support section below).
• While ARISE funding may be available for projects where applicants travel abroad, ARISE will tyically require grant recipients to fund their own travel.  

Types of projects:

• ARISE will fund alumni projects which are service-based and will have a positive impact on improving human rights, education, public health, and the environment in a particular community.
• Funding can cover expenses such as travel, supplies, living stipend, travel insurance or other expenses incurred by a grantee during the time of their service.
• ARISE does not fund conferences, trainings or tuition for educational programs because such programs usually benefit the applicant exclusively and tend not to be service-oriented.
• ARISE does not fund projects that serve exclusively religious or political agendas.
• Preference will be given to projects that last one month or longer. The one month does not have to be continuous: e.g. you can set up a project for three weeks in your home country and fly to another country to implement the project for one week.
• The following will give you an idea of the types of projects that fall within ARISE's guidelines, although this list is by no means complete.

~A service-oriented project that you are working on as an extension of your full-time job. (e.g., providing pro bono legal service to victims of domestic violence or providing grant-writing services to an organization devoted to cleaning up the Hudson River)

~A collective effort of alumni to engage in humanitarian service. (e.g., creating a documentary about a social or environmental issue faced by a CRS alum in their community or developing a campaign to engage CRS alumni in preserving the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge)

Alumni Involvement: Applicants should be interested in advancing a sense of fellowship and community among the CRS alumni. Therefore, applicants are encouraged to consider ways to actively involve fellow alumni in their ARISE project and to share their experiences with the CRS community. Examples include: engaging in your project with one or more CRS alumni, giving a talk at camp about your project or soliciting the help of local alumni in the community or region that you are serving through your project.

ARISE does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, nationality, age, physical ability, or sexual orientation. Neither does ARISE discriminate on the basis of age, although certain legal restrictions may apply to applicants who are under eighteen years of age. ARISE participants who are under 18 years of age will be required to have a parent or guardian sign a liability waiver form.

Application Process

The ARISE committee accepts applications for consideration on a rolling basis.  Grants are awarded as long as funding is still available for that year.

Project applications received will be reviewed by the committee.  Should additional information be required for application review, applicants will be contacted by the committee. 

Alumni interested in receiving an ARISE grant must submit an application by email to arise@lajf.org.  To download an application form, click here.

Complete applications will include the following information:

• A thorough description of the project/internship, its location and aims (including specifically how the project/internship will have an impact on improving human rights, education, public health, or the environment);
• Why they wish to participate in the project/initiative;
• What they will do, how they will participate;
• When the project will occur and its estimated duration;
• How they will share the experience with Rising Sun alumni/campers in order to help foster alumni collaboration/development/involvement around the world;
• An estimated, itemized budget;
• Evidence that supports the applicant's need for financial assistance;
• Potential alternative funding sources - parents, foundations, scholarships, etc.;
• Acknowledgement that ARISE will receive a report on the activities undertaken within 30 days of project completion;
• A letter of support from any collaborating organization or agency (this is not required to begin the application process).

When the Team has specific questions or a need for clarification from the applicant, the chaperone will correspond with the applicant. If the applicant is not responsive to a request by the Team for additional information within the decision-making period, the application will be denied.

Successful grantees will sign a contract with the LAJF indicating the terms of the grant and outlining the grantee's responsibilities. The LAJF will disburse funds to the grantee within two weeks after submitting a completed contract to the LAJF.

Program support

ARISE is currently developing the following program support services both to grantees and to alumni generally interested in humanitarian service.

• Hosting and Travel Network: ARISE will assist grantees in connecting to alumni in the communities where they will be engaging in their service projects. Alumni may be asked to serve as hosts for ARISE grantees and also to provide informational, program and moral support for grantees' projects.
• Mentoring & Sharing Expertise: ARISE makes connections between alumni who have strong experience working in areas related to humanitarian service with alumni who are new to the field. Furthermore, we can connect together alumni who are interested in working on the same issue areas or humanitarian organizations.
• Support: On the CRS web site, ARISE provides links to organizations engaged in humanitarian service. This guide will also include information on sources of potential funding support for projects

Previous Grantees

This is a partial list of grants awarded by ARISE to CRS alumni:

• A group of six CRS alumni participated in a Global Youth Connect-led human rights delegation in support of Bhutanese refugees living in Nepal. The delegation met with key community leaders, participated in training workshops, and held internships with local human rights and community groups.
• Kunal Amrute '98 participated in a ten-week internship on sustainable living skills with the Aprovecho Research Center in Oregon, USA. The Aprovecho Research Center provides a basis for scientific research on appropriate technologies and techniques for simple and cooperative living, and to serve an educational role in disseminating information on such technologies and techniques.
• Adam Burgoyne '98 participated in a summer internship with CEDRO, a micro-lending project that seeks to improve entrepreneurial opportunities for poor people in Peru.
• Lauren Curatolo '99-00 and Zen Glasser '99-00 worked with Mahavya and Aalochana in an orphanage housing children of prostitutes and conducted interviews and research on child exploitation in India. Developing a documentary about the experience entitles "Breaking the Cycle." Mahavya provides services for former prostitutes suffering from AIDS and their children. Aalochana is a research and documentation center focusing on women's issues.Connect here for more information.
• Holly Harris '01, '03, '04 and Jose Saenz '01, '02, Co-founders of “The Bana Project” which is committed to adopting orphanages throughout the world and sustaining their needs through Education, Volunteerism, and Resources. The needs of the orphans are met through local volunteers who are experts in these areas.  From December 2005 through December 2006, the Bana Project engaged a large number of CRS alumni in South Africa to participate in providing service and support in the community of Atteridgeville . The team designed a specific program for each area to be implemented into two orphanages in Atteridgeville and plan to use the Bana Project as a model for further projects in years to come. 
• Ochas Pupwe, Jr. '95 designed and implemented an AIDS testing, counseling, and education program for prisoners in Zambia.
• Anne Louise Winslov '91, 99 & 02C worked as part of the United Nations Development Program's (UNDP) administration and contributed to the shaping of policy recommendations with the area of development. She assisted in the writing of the Human Development Report. UNDP provides funds; helps developing countries attract and use aid effectively; and promotes South-South cooperation. It seeks to address the many causes of poverty and to promote development, including through the protection of human rights and the empowerment of women.