Grants and scholarships
See what opportunities are available — and how to seize them for yourself and your club.
Youth Opportunities Fund Grant
The Youth Opportunities Fund (YOF) grant is available for Key Clubs in good standing to apply for support with a service project. A Key Club in good standing means that the club’s yearly dues must be paid before you can qualify to receive a grant from the Kiwanis Children’s Fund.
Your project must meet all of the following requirements in order to qualify for a grant:
1. Have Key Club member engagement
2. Fill a need within your community. Determine that need by completing a community needs assessment.
3. Support activities within at least one Children’s Fund cause area: health, education or youth leadership development.
4. Spend the grant money within 12 months of when the grant was awarded.
Applications are reviewed by the Key Club International Board at their November meeting. YOF grant notification is emailed to all grant applicants the first week of January.
If you receive a grant, YOF grant recipients are required to submit a grant report 12 months later in order to qualify for future funding.
Visit our Youth Opportunities Fund program page, for more information before applying. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
Scholarship & sponsorship
Key Club convention scholarship
Need help attending the 2026 Key Club International Convention in Dallas, Texas, U.S.? The application opens closes at 11:59 p.m. ET, February 14, for a financial scholarship of US$750 to help cover convention costs. Applications are now closed.
Key Club event sponsorship toolkit
Get sponsorship money to attend the Key Club International convention! Try the “one-third” concept:
- Raise money for one-third of the cost yourself.
- Ask your Key Club to pay for or fundraise another third.
- Talk to your sponsoring Kiwanis club or local businesses about supporting the final third.
Sponsorship toolkit
Find everything you need to get financial sponsorship for Key Club conventions and other events.
Robert F. Lucas Key Club Leadership Scholarship
March 20, 2026
The Robert F. Lucas Key Club Leadership Scholarship was created in 2018 in memory of Bob Lucas, who served as Key Club International administrator in the 1960s and ’70s and was widely known for his ability to inspire members during a pivotal growth period. He was a mentor and advisor to scores of youth who would later become leaders in business, nonprofits, education, government and communities worldwide. Lucas passed away on February 23, 2017.
Lucas was a compassionate man, loved by his family and friends. He was a volunteer in his community, serving the needs of the homeless and hungry. He also was a preschool volunteer.
Indeed, it was this sense of caring that was the genesis of Key Club International changing its original organizational motto from “We Build” to “Caring … Our Way of Life” in 1977. In that same year, Key Club International sought to further recognize his contributions to the organization with the naming of the Robert F. Lucas Outstanding Lieutenant Governor Award, an annual honor recognizing outstanding achievement by Key Club lieutenant governors.
The scholarship is a monetary award of US$5,000. Use of the awarded funds is at the discretion of the recipient. Funds may be used for further education, community needs, support of other organizations, starting a new service project or anything that would further the principles of caring that so exhibited the life of Lucas. This scholarship is funded by Friends and Family of Robert F. Lucas.
To apply for this scholarship, applicants must meet the following criteria:
1. Be a recipient of the Robert F. Lucas Outstanding Lt. Governor Award.
2. Submit the official application form in PDF format by July 31.
Request the official application from your Key Club district administrator.
Questions may be submitted here.
Robert F. Lucas Key Club Leadership Scholarship recipients
| 2018 – Rylee Briel, Valparaiso High School, Indiana District |
| 2019 – Elena Polizotto, Hobart High School, Indiana District |
| 2020 – Sierra Patberg, Southridge High School, Indiana District |
| 2021 – Kyla Franklin, Jennings County High School, Indiana District |
| 2022 – Jack Miller, North Phoenix Prep, Southwest District |
| 2022 – Shana Xia, American Heritage School, Florida District |
| 2023 – None given |
| 2024 – Cassidy Bell, Lincoln East High School, Nebraska-Iowa District |
| 2024 – Praveen Swaminarayan, Los Alamos High School, Southwest District |
| 2024 – Kayla Holloman, Washington High School, Capital District |
| 2025 – Afia Akowuah, Westosha Central High School, Wisconsin-Upper Michigan District |
| 2025 – Teegan Jones, Spirit Lake High School, Nebraska-Iowa District |
| 2025 – Tasheera Thompson, St. Hilda’s Diocesan High School, Jamaica District |