By Matthew Watson
The Order of the Arrow has sponsored service grants as a way to assist those lodges who have sought to provide meaningful cheerful service to their council properties. Many service grant projects have been executed through the years and have exemplified the Order’s purpose to crystallize Scout habits into a life of unselfish, cheerful service.
Perhaps your lodge is planning a large undertaking on council property and needs financial assistance. The national Order of the Arrow committee is available and willing to help! If your lodge is planning a council camp or service center project for 2016, you can apply now for a 2016 OA matching service grant. All lodges applying for the grant must be a 2014 Journey to Excellence lodge (bronze level or higher) and should not have received a grant from the OA during the last two years (2014 or 2015). Applications must be submitted by October 31st, 2015, and they must be signed by the lodge chief, lodge adviser, council president and Scout executive.
All 2016 camp property or service center projects approved for funding must be completed by October 31st, 2016. The total cost of your proposed project should not exceed $20,000. The OA will provide up to one-half of the money for a service project with a $5,000 maximum amount awarded by the national OA committee for any lodge project. The local lodge must also contribute at least 50 percent of the labor necessary to complete a grant-approved project. All lodges awarded these merit-based grants will be notified by January 31, 2016.
The OA service grant program is another way to help carry your lodge’s tradition of service into the second century of the Order of the Arrow. If your lodge is eligible, don’t miss this potential funding opportunity, as the Order of the Arrow continues to support local councils as it has since 1915. Be sure to apply soon and forever become a part of the service grant legacy.