Pursue Balance is a non-profit organization that is made possible by your generous support.
We offer a Growth Grant Program that makes funding available to create opportunities that allow people to strive towards reaching their full potential. The application will ask applicants to detail their financial need and the way in which fulfilling this request may bring the applicant a meaningful experience and closer to living their life in personal and environmental balance.
How to Apply
Granting guidelines and criteria may be downloaded below. Please submit all applications by emailing to grants@pursuebalance.org. (Alternatively, you may mail them to PO Box 6819 Jackson, WY 83002.)
Applications will be accepted no later than 5pm on August 14th, 2009 (5pm mountain standard time). Applications will be reviewed by a committee and grants will be awarded mid-October and funding sent out on November 1, 2009.
2009 Grant Application
2009 Grant Guidelines
2009 Grant Report
The application will ask applicants to detail their financial need and the way in which fulfilling this request may bring the applicant a meaningful experience and closer to living their life in personal and environmental balance.
WHY offer Grants to individuals versus other nonprofits?
Because when people move as individuals towards balance they live better lives, lead by example and create a healthier community.
JORDAN SCHREIBER
AWARD - $5,000
AGE 18
Funding from the Growth Grant will help pay for my college education. It didn't take much time for me to fall in love with academia after I began studying International Law at University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. My dream is to continue learning Arabic and study in Cairo, Egypt my junior year. Hopefully I will have the ability to someday go to law school. In the long term I want to turn that knowledge into action and truly make a difference. One semester of college may not seems like a significant part of one's life but I see it as a stepping stone in my life journey and when all the stepping stones are put in a row I hope to make a path that not only brings happiness, joy, and meaning to my life, but to many others. Higher education embodies personal transformation. I am trying to not only learn more about the world around me, but also delve into my own conscience and fully understand myself.
AWARD - $4,500
AGE 25
I hope to deepen my understanding of both the Chilean people and sustainable agriculture by volunteering with Willing Workers On Organic Farms (WWOOF). WWOOF-ing is an opportunity for me to explore other cultures and humanitarian issues they may be facing. I plan to begin medical school in the fall of 2009 to specialize in emergency medicine and international healthcare. This trip will help me become a more effective member of an international medical team. I see this grant funding significantly funding my goal of living a service oriented life. My experiences in South America will directly contribute to becoming a trilingual, culturally conscientious doctor able to provide effective medical care in severely underserved areas.
AWARD - $2,000
AGE 80
The mission of my Growth Grant Project is to optimize the human balance neurological systems, regardless of age, disease, injury, disuse, or misuse. With grant funding I will be able to travel to California State University Fullerton's College of Human Health and Science to hone my balance expertise from three premier balance researchers and authors. I will be able to learn firsthand the latest balance teaching methods and research, participate in the Fullerton balance oriented classes for the elderly, render more precise my own personal balance and fitness training, thus model a healthy lifestyle for my students and the public, and search out proven methods and techniques that enhance the human nervous system's ability to balance.
AWARD - $2,500
AGE 26
With funding received from the Growth Grant I will re-trace 850 miles of the original Inca Trail in Peru, helping rural farmers and their families build chimneys along the way. In rural communities adobe houses or huts do not have proper ventilation. There is no way for smoke produced by open fires, used for cooking, to escape. Inside these homes a thick coat of black soot coats the walls and family member's lungs. I will visit several communities and share chimney designs that will reduce upper-respiratory infection rates. I am currently in the process of applying for Graduate programs in the field of Public Health. I would like to use this trip and all of the data I collect as a major component of my Graduate thesis. After this initial trip I would like to re-visit a number of communities along the Inca Trail and measure if the chimneys contributed to improved health.
AWARD - $2,200
AGE 16
I plan on traveling to Nepal with my parents to experience a new and different culture first hand. I will be helping my mother, who will be doing medical work, teach women about basic healthcare. I have three goals for this trip- the first is to learn about and experience a completely new culture, secondly I want to make a small difference or impact in someone's life, and third is to tell my friends in Jackson about my experiences and live a life that does not take things for granted.
AWARD - $3,000
AGE 37
I have been working as a teacher at the Journey's School for the last 2 years and I am inspired to share what I have learned with school students in remote areas of Bhutan. In particular I want to take placed-based learning approaches to small isolated schools in Bhutan that are otherwise cut off from the world at large. The sharing of ideas will provide exposure to the students and teachers on new concepts and approaches to teaching and learning. I have had the advantage of experiencing the latest state of the art teaching methods in a leading school in the United States. As a young girl I have also experienced the difficulties and hardships of going to school in a remote area of Bhutan. Bridging this gap between the east and the west, the rich and the poor, the disadvantaged and the privileged, and my past the present will bring me personal balance. I want to give back to the villages and the communities of rural Bhutan which gave me so much.
AWARD - $2,000
AGE 27
I will be studying with 83 year old Zen master monk Thich Nhat Hanh and his monastics with the intention of starting a discussion group in Jackson Hole upon my return. My objectives are to learn more about Buddhism as a practice and religion by learning about its origins, receive teachings from an 83 year old respected teacher, learn how other westerners incorporate Buddhism into their everyday lives, and to bring back stories and teachings from my experience to start a weekly or bi-weekly discussion and meditation group in the Jackson community to help people learn to relax, live each moment as fully as possible, and feel supported in this quest for balance and mindfulness.
AWARD - $1,200
AGE 30
I have a lifelong dream of teaching art in our community. The Growth Grant will help me to take five art classes I need to begin my Masters Program in Art. My primary goal is to learn the subject matter and practices of specific trades so that I may effectively teach others, producing good art is secondary to me.
AWARD - $2,600
AGE 59
Growth Grant funds will allow me to participate in the "Being With the Dying: Compassionate End of Life Care Training" at Upaya Institute in New Mexico. This training is designed for those in the caring professions to enhance basic competencies in end of life care as well as introducing trainees to innovative approaches in psycho-social, ethical, and spiritual aspects of dying. I anticipate that this training will increase my capacity to be truly present with those who are seriously ill or nearing death.
AWARD - $2,200
AGE 50
I will utilize Growth Grant funds to purchase, remodel, and winterize a used travel trailer to create an additional creative and sacred space. This space will allow me to become a more balance, fulfilled woman for myself, my family, and community. My relationship with myself will be stronger- creating a stronger relationship with others. Ultimately the trailer will allow me to give to myself so that I can better contribute to the world.
My goal is to better the lives of orphans and AIDS victims in Jinja, Uganda by establishing small scale farms and community gardens. I will be working with the Ugandan American Partnership Organization and Development in Gardening to help AIDS patients create gardens near their clinics. I plan on instructing sustainable agriculture techniques such as drip irrigation, crop rotation, no till farming, and composting. These farming skill sets will supply a constant, healthy food source for sick, undernourished individuals. My hope is that my work in Uganda will dramatically affect the patients and orphans involved in the project by increasing nourishment and building a sense of self worth.
Check out Rafe's Blog at http://ugandafarmingproject.blogspot.com.
AWARD- $764
AGE 44
I will use the Growth Grant to help me pursue an artisan cheese making certificate and potential turn the dream of a cheese making business into a reality. For the past ten years I have been researching, writing, and speaking about food and sustainability. Other than a few attempts at yogurt, butter, and cheddar cheese in my home kitchen, I have no experience in cheese making. I have traveled the world researching cheeses of France, Italy, Spain, and South America and I believe this art is my calling. Unfortunately I continue to put off pursuing my dream with the excuses of children, money, and time. This grant has inspired me to really look inside and decide what it is I really want to pursue before it is too late.
Grant Award Amount: $3,000
Expedition Dates: April 1st - April 30th
The three original goals were:
* To circumnavigate and explore Unimak, the Aleutian chain's largest island, using kites and skis;
* to offer a new perspective and modern ski gear to the False Pass community;
* to publish an article about the experience.
Exploration using Kites and Skis
Our goal to explore and learn about kite skiing in the Aleutian Islands was met. We were unable to cover as much ground as planned, since the terrain and weather we encountered made travel more difficult than expected. Eight out of eighteen days we spent unable to move due to consistently high winds. We spent many days either kiting or hiking, up and down hills, each person towing over 100 pounds of food and gear.
The trips greatest mountaineering fete was accomplished by two other expedition members and me. We climbed and skied the 9,000 foot active volcano Shishalidin. From the time we left camp to the time we returned, we covered twenty miles and ascended over 10,000 vertical feet, due to the rolling hills in front of the volcano. The mountain's warmth from the volcanic activity created a hard icy surface making the skiing quite challenging. The ice fields with up to fifteen foot wide crevasses forced us to travel roped and to seek an alternative routes.
We learned that due to the massive bodies of water, The Bering Sea and Pacific Ocean, the Aleutian Islands are not an optimal kiting or skiing destination. Extremely high winds scoured mountain sides, leaving icy slopes. Although the conditions were not as hoped, Unimak did offer a unique and adventure. We were forced to alter our goals. In the beginning we hoped to cover ground and explore the high peaks, but in the end our only goal was to survive safely.
"In three short weeks what I experienced taught me life lessons. Stepping forth and exploring something new created an unpredictable adventure and a unique exposure. The physical and mental challenges I endured strengthened me, and broadened my awareness of achieving a balanced, satisfying life.....Visiting a remote location, where we encountered unforgettable experiences, was a mind-opening opportunity the six of us could never have anticipated. Because of its remote location, False Pass, Unimak has a very different culture than our own. Since the island is United State's soil, the societal influences of our country are present, but the isolated life is unique. Some villagers have maintained the traditional hunting and fishing lifestyle. They shared these traditions with us by throwing a pot latch in our honor. We ate dried whale fat, seal meat cut from the bone, halibut chowder, dried salmon, seal oil, and badarkis: a half-shell crustacean. The villagers' hospitality made up for the inhospitable weather. .....Through these journeys, I grew and learned the importance of reaching out to new places and people. Connecting and sharing my life with others, is a priority and helps me maintain personal balance and happiness."
Grant Award Amount: $2,500
Goal:
* To qualify for the US Ski Mountaineering Team
* Travel to Switzerland for ski mountaineering world championships
"To qualify and compete with the world's best ski mountaineer racers was a special experience. To set a goal, circle it, then achieve it helps gives balance to my life."
"Everything worked smooth, Thanks to Pursue Balance. I would not have been able to compete at World's Championships without their support and funding...I love the mountains and I love skiing. For me, traveling gracefully, efficiently, and smoothly through the high alpine country on skis, negotiating steep terrain with many variables is something my soul needs. I am continually revived after spending all day in the mountains, drawing their energy in me. I will continue ski mountaineering adventure/expeditions and may try for 2010 Ski Mountaineering Worlds"
Grant Award Amount: $1,175
Project: Nine day silent meditation retreat and written chapter in forthcoming novel titled, Fairy Tale Blues, to be published in April 2009
Objectives: "My inner goal was to attend a nine day silent meditation retreat with the intention to gain a wider and deeper experience of meditation, which I could bring home to my personal life, offering my family, friends and community greater patience, deeper attention, wider acceptance.
My outer goal was to use the experience to write a core chapter in my upcoming novel Fairy Tale Blues, to be by New American Library/ Penguin in April 2009. One of the two main characters attends a retreat, somewhat by accident, then discovers opening in his life that leads him toward healing an old wound."
"This nine day retreat was special for me in that it was the first retreat I attended during my new lifestyle of writing full time. I settled in fast and felt that I experienced a good retreat, instead of a good rest, as I had experienced before when so busy."
"Both of my project goals have been attained. I attended the silent retreat held in Granite Canyon. I participated in every aspect available: sitting meditation, walking meditations, dharma talks, personal and group interviews, yogi jobs, fabulous vegetarian meals.
I felt that I accomplished what I aimed for with the chapter's balance of humor and spiritual awakening in one of the main characters. Much of the growth of this character is rooted in his experience in a silent meditation retreat and subsequent chapters continue to deal with the result of his experience."
Look for Fairy Tale Blues by Tina Welling March '09, Tina will be signing books on March 7th from 4-6pm at the Valley Bookstore.
To learn more about Tina please visit www.tinawelling.com
Grant Award Amount: $1,200
The following is how Elaina is putting her Growth Grant to work:
-Creating paintings to sell this Holiday Season
-Volunteering with Off Square Theatre Company to work on set design
-Volunteering for the Center for the Arts to build and paint stage sites for performances
Grant Award Amount: $4,000
Project: Habitat for Humanity build in Morelos Mexico
Dates: July 1st-17th, 2008
Goal: "As owners of a Habitat for Humanity home in Jackson, we wanted to travel to an area with greater need and help others pursue their own goal of home ownership. Our secondary goals were to experience a different culture, see a country we'd never been to, learn a different way of building, and work on our Spanish."
Outcome: "Our goals were realized beyond our biggest hopes. We joined a group of 8 women and 4 men from all over the U.S. and Canada. Most of the women were under the age of 30 and doing amazing things. It was really great for my daughter Mandze, who is 14, to work with such inspiring young women. We traveled to Morelos, Mexico, a small state about 2 hours south of Mexico City, and built a small, concrete-block home for a woman and her children and dug foundations (by hand, pick, & shovel) for 2 more homes. For two weeks, we stayed in their community and spent time with the family and other community members. Though we were from diverse backgrounds, locations and age groups, we worked really well together, accomplished a lot, and had a lot of fun.
For Mandze, I wanted to pursue this experience to show her that not everyone can live like we do in Jackson and there are people all over the world in great need. It was an amazing experience to visit a rural area and be immersed in the culture and form friendships-things that would not have happened if we had taken a typical tourist vacation to a Mexican beach. While there, the woman we built the house for cooked lunch for us every day, teaching us as she cooked. We played with her children and their dog, talked with the neighborhood kids, listened to their songs and danced. We had very few tools, somewhat unsanitary conditions, and few luxuries. The work was difficult, dirty & hot. We didn't mind. We were humbled by everything they dealt with on a daily basis and the fact that they not only didn't complain, but were some of the happiest people we had ever met.
I know, for myself, that this was a life-altering experience, not your typical vacation. For Mandze, I hope that she keeps a piece of this experience with her and takes away the determination, humility and simple happiness of the people we worked with in Mexico.
Before receiving our grant, this trip was just a vague idea that may or may not have ever happened. The grant allowed us to take this trip, but a good portion of the funds also helped pay for the house we built and provided a donation to Habitat for Humanity in Mexico. We are only two people, but we became part of something that is really huge for one family and will make a difference to us and them for many years. Thank you to everyone at Pursue Balance for helping us make it happen!"
Grant Award Amount: $4,000
The Wyoming Wilderness Association is conducting an inventory of potential wilderness areas in the Bridger Teton National Forest. Over 1.5 million acres of the Bridger-Teton national Forest have been previously inventoried as roadless and contain thousands of acres of pristine wild lands that have potential to qualify for permanent wilderness protection.
Every 10-15 years, the national forest constructs a Forest Plan. The Bridger Teton National Forest is in the midst of the Forest Plan Revision Process, which provides concerned and interested citizens with an opportunity to recommend areas for wilderness protection. To do so, however, we are collecting accurate information on the current state of these roadless areas within the Bridger-Teton National Forest and document their wilderness character. Utilizing a diverse group of volunteers we are visiting all of these roadless areas and using GPS, digital photography, and written comment to analyzing and recording wilderness attributes.
Forrest McCarthy, Bridger-Teton Wildlands Organizer, is leading this effort. Forrest is tasked with training volunteers to identify and document wilderness attributes using GPS, digital photography, and written comment. Forrest has also developed a geo-data base to organize and view the results. And occasionally Forest has the pleasure of conducting some of the inventories himself.
Grant Award Amount: $2,640
"Thanks to the help of Pursue Balance, Colt was able to successfully complete his curriculum at Little Learners Academy in Jackson, Wyoming. The one-on-one detailed attention that Colt received was above and beyond anything else that was available to him in this area. Colt has started kindergarten last month and far surpasses my and his teacher's expectations in his fundamental skills as well as his ability to communicate and work with others. As a full-time working mother, Purse Balance was a true blessing for our family. Without the aid of this wonderful organization we would not have been able to have Colt in such a forward-thinking facility. Seeing him grow and flourish during this crucial time in his educational development brings a tear to my eye nearly every day. For Colt to learn and think for himself has always been our top goal, the unexpected surprise is that he has found so much security in himself he now unselfishly helps his peers whenever they need support. He is growing into a leader. Thank you so much for the role you have played in this!"
- Sheri Gustafson, proud mother
Grant Award Amount: $500
Marlena really took to playing the violin. Having never had the opportunity to take lessons growing up, she really enjoyed the experience. Through she was not the best player or fastest learner, she said taking lessons was a nice break where she could forget about all her other life stressors and solely focus on learning. She was really proud of how far she advanced and was very excited that she got to show off her new skills in a music recital. A neat unexpected outcome was that Marlena started to teach friends how to play the violin!
Grant Award Amount: $1,300
