4-H Afterschool is a collaborative effort of the Cooperative Extension System – state land-grant universities, state and county governments and the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service at the United States Department of Agriculture – and the National 4-H Council.

Competitive grants of $10,000 each will be awarded to state 4-H programs for grantees to improve the quality of after-school programs in their state by providing a minimum of eight hours of training to at least 500 local after-school providers. Over three years, the program will reach 35,000 after-school providers in 30 states, trained to make a difference in the lives of more than 700,000 youth.

“4-H and MetLife Foundation have a long-standing partnership and I am thrilled that we are able to continue this relationship with the emphasis on civic engagement in 4-H Afterschool programs,” said National 4-H Council President and CEO Donald T. Floyd, Jr. “MetLife Foundation’s support helps 4-H ensure that high-quality after-school programs can provide more opportunities in this area.”

By training after-school providers and creating extraordinary opportunities for young people to engage in their communities, MetLife Foundation and 4-H will expand a 10 year partnership and work together to improve the quality of after-school programs, infuse civic engagement into after-school programs and increase the number of youth engaged in high quality after-school programs.

“MetLife Foundation and 4-H share a commitment to increasing after-school opportunities for young people and engaging them in their communities,” said Sibyl Jacobson, president of MetLife Foundation. “We are pleased to partner with 4-H to bring quality after-school programs to scale nationally and institutionalize civic engagement in after-school settings.”

MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 by MetLife to carry on its longstanding tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. Grants support health, education, civic and cultural programs. For more information about MetLife Foundation, visit www.metlife.org.

4-H is a community of more than 6.5 million diverse young people across America learning leadership, citizenship and life skills. Through clubs, camps, school-based and after-school programs, 4-H makes a positive impact on the lives of urban, suburban and rural youth and their families, providing fun, hands-on learning experiences in areas including science, engineering, technology, healthy lifestyles and citizenship. National 4-H Council is the national, private sector, non-profit partner of the 4 H Youth Development Program and its parent, the Cooperative Extension System of the United States Department of Agriculture. Learn more about 4-H at www.4husa.org. For more information about 4-H Afterschool, visit www.4hafterschool.org.