Starting in November, MCR, the Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association, is rolling out a new program to provide grants to school clubs around the county that promote some form of leadership. In total, MCR will allocate $3000 to our grant program, with a cap of $350 awarded to each club. By doing so, MCR hopes to allow budding clubs all over the county to grow and expand into their full potential. As MCR President David Edlimo states, “Our student leadership grants will allow MCR to truly serve students by encouraging innovation and leadership in extracurriculars.”

The idea for the grant program came MCR President David Edlimo, with the assistance of Finance Director Ravi Kemburu and MCR Treasurer Ally Anderson. The application process is extremely straightforward; any interested clubs are welcome to apply, and can do so by accessing the application located at http://mcrsga.com/grants. They must fill out the application and obtain signatures from the designated adults, and email it to [email protected] by the current deadline of December 10, 2015. The MCR Grant Committee, headed by Kemburu, with members including Ally Anderson and me, Kyle Zhu, will review applications and conduct interviews for clubs that present the most potential. Funds will be disbursed at the end of December and the application cycle will begin anew in the month of January.

As part of MCR, I can personally vouch for our group’s impact throughout our county; we hope this new opportunity will encourage numerous clubs to apply and receive grants in order to allow them to blossom, and that those clubs will be able to make a difference in even more MCPS schools.

Kemburu says of the MCR Grant Program, “I am hoping it allows extracurricular activities that normally don’t get that much attention to get the funds they need to flourish and grow.”