Youth from various DYCD-funded programs come together to learn different performance pieces that celebrate the diversity of DYCD. The groups will then perform at the holiday "DYCD Gives Back" festival. In the spirit of giving, entrance to the festival requires a new, unwrapped gift to be distributed during DYCD's Smiles of Love Gift Drive. Visit Eventbrite to reserve a seat. Saturday, December 19, 2015 from 1:00pm—3:00pm at the BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers Street, New York, N.Y. 10007

Located in Manhattan's Meatpacking neighborhood, Target Wonderland is a free family-friendly experience. The space features ten larger-than-life spectacles, including a jumbo Etch-a-Sketch, a Christmas tree made from 320 green foam Hulk Hands, the S.S. Free Shipping LEGO pirate ship seen in Target's holiday commercials and more. Additionally, through the use of Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, guests will be able to add items to a digital shopping list and purchase at the end of the experience. Open December 9—22, Target Wonderland is located at 70 10th Avenue (at West 15th Street) in Manhattan. The hours of operation are: Monday through Saturdays, 10:00am—8:00pm and Sundays, 10:00am—6:00pm.

Saturday, December 26 through Friday, January 1 marks Kwanzaa, a weeklong commemoration of African heritage and culture. At this family-friendly fest you can catch dance, theater and an unbelievable beat-box performance by Doug E. Fresh; peruse arts, crafts and food vendors at an International Marketplace; and learn about the 48-year-old holiday at a screening of the Maya Angelou—narrated documentary The Black Candle: A Kwanzaa Celebration, introduced by director MK Asante and followed with a tribute to Angelou. Free with museum admission, vendor and food prices vary. Please visit the museum's website for additional information. Sunday, December 27, 2015, 12:00pm—3:00pm American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024

The Three Bears Holiday Bash is a variety show that celebrates the holiday season in song, dance and puppetry. This production quickly becomes a comedy of errors when Baby Bear invites Santa to star in Mama and Papa Bear's annual holiday show. The audience also gets to join in on the fun with a "12 days of Christmas" sing-a-long during the performance! Written and directed by the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre's longtime Artistic Director, Bruce Cannon, The Three Bears Holiday Bash draws from the stories of Hanukkah, The Night Before Christmas, and Kwanzaa, making it a great way to get into the holiday spirit!
Show times are Monday—Friday 10:30am and 12:00pm; Additional show on Wednesdays at 2:30pm; Saturday and Sunday at 1:00pm. Tickets are $7 for children and $10 for adults. Schedule varies, for more information on up to date showtimes and tickets, please visit the theatre's website.

For more than three decades El Museo del Barrio has celebrated and promoted the Three Kings Day tradition with an annual parade. This upcoming year's parade begins at 106th Street and Lexington Avenue and travels to Third Avenue to end at 115th Street and Park Avenue. Experience the live camels, colorful puppets, parrandas and dancing on this magical day. School groups, community members, local businesses, and families are encouraged to participate. For more information, visit elmuseo.org. This year's event will take place on January 6, 2016 at 106th & Park Avenue, Manhattan.

DYCD is proud to release the Comprehensive Afterschool System of NYC (COMPASS) Explore Request for Proposal (RFP) and COMPASS High Request for Proposal (RFP) through the HHS Accelerator system to those organizations prequalified in the relevant service areas. Likewise, proposals must be submitted through the HHS Accelerator system in the manner set forth in the "Procurement" section of the system by those same pre-qualified organizations. It is anticipated that the contract term for both will be from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2019 with options to renew for an additional three years. Through the COMPASS Explore RFP, DYCD is seeking appropriately qualified nonprofit organizations to operate COMPASS Explore programs for elementary, middle and high school students. The due date for the COMPASS EXPLORE Request for Proposal (RFP) is January 12, 2016 in the HHS Accelerator system. In the COMPASS High RFP, DYCD is seeking appropriately qualified nonprofit organizations to provide school-based COMPASS High programs for students entering grades 9 and 10. The due date for the COMPASS High Request for Proposal (RFP) is January 11, 2016 in the HHS Accelerator system. Please go to the DYCD website to learn more.

The primary purpose of the ESD/SVP Program is to award competitive grants to provide support to students through extended school day activities and/or school safety programs which promote violence prevention. Programs must demonstrate consistency with the school safety plans required by section twenty-eight hundred one-a of the Education Law and should not displace existing school district after-school funding. School districts and not-for-profit organizations working in collaboration with a public school district(s) may submit an application to conduct an ESD program or a SVP program or a combination of both. The grant period is five years, from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2021. The due date for application submissions is January 8, 2016. Additional information can be found on the website.

The Lily Palmer Fry Memorial Trust was established in 1954 to support and promote summer camp opportunities for underserved children. Special consideration is given to traditional camp programs that take urban children out of the city to experience the natural environment. The deadline for application to the Lily Palmer Fry Memorial Trust is February 1, 2016. Applicants will be notified of grant decisions by letter within two to three months after the proposal deadline. Bank of America serves as co-trustee of the Fry Memorial Trust, in conjunction with two relatives of Lily Palmer Fry. The Fry Memorial Trust prefers to fund "camperships" for children and not other expenses of the camp such as supplies, salaries, etc. Grants from the Fry Memorial Trust are one year in duration. Please find submission information on the Application and Procedures on the website.

The G. A. Ackermann Memorial Fund was established under the will of Mrs. Mary A. Ackermann in 1937 to support quality health care and human services programming for underserved populations. According to Mrs. Ackermann's wishes, the Ackermann Memorial Fund supports charitable organizations operated or controlled by the Roman Catholic church and/or members of the Roman Catholic Church, and charitable organizations operated or controlled by a Protestant Church and/or its members. Special consideration is given to hospitals. The G. A. Ackermann Memorial Fund has biannual application deadlines of January 15, 2016 and June 1, 2016. Applicants for the January 15, 2016 deadline will be notified of grant decisions by June 30, 2016, and applicants for the June 1, 2016 deadline will be notified by December 31, 2016. The Foundation will consider requests for general operating support only if the organization's operating budget is less than $1 million. To better support the capacity of nonprofit organizations, multi-year funding requests are considered. Organizations must be geographically located within the city limits of New York City or Chicago. In general, grant requests for individuals, endowment campaigns, capital projects or research will not be considered. Click here for more information.

The Gates Millennium Scholars Program (sometimes called the Bill Gates Scholarship) is funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It was established to give underserved high school seniors an opportunity to complete an undergraduate college education in any field of study. Scholars can even request funding for a graduate degree program in one of the following discipline areas: computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health or science. Every year, 1,000 talented students receive scholarships good until graduation to use at any college or university of their choice. The deadline for application to the the Bill Gates Scholarship is January 13, 2016. The award amount varies, please visit the scholarship's website for further information.

Carnegie Council's International Student/Teacher Essay Contest

CLIMATE CHANGE: International Student Photo Contest