The America-Italy Society of Philadelphia

Ente Gestore

The America-Italy Society of Philadelphia Ente Gestore (AIS) is a non-profit organization founded in 1956 for the purpose of promoting the Italian culture and language in the Philadelphia area.

In 2007 the AIS started a new program for the promotion of the Italian language and culture in public and private schools in the 7 states area of the Consulate General of Italy in Philadelphia: Pennsylvania, New Jersey (only the following counties: Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean and Salem. The remaining counties are under the jurisdiction of the Consulate General in New York), Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina.

The program is made possible mostly through an Italian Government grant and operates under the supervision of the Consulate General of Italy in Philadelphia.

We promote Italian Language programs by offering:

Grants to public and private schools for teacher’s salary (K-10) up to $ 25,000.00 and not more than 50% of the total salary
Workshop for Teachers of Italian Language in partnership with Italian and U.S. Educational Institutions.
2 weeks in Salerno for HS students with teachers at Accademia Italiana
Educational activities and events to enhance Italian education and enrich students knowledge of Italian culture.

GRANT PRESENTATION 2011

Philadelphia, April 6^th, 2010

To: Chief School Administrator, World Language Coordinators, and Teachers of Italian

Subject: Funding for Italian Programs 2011-2012 school year. GRANT APPLICATION FORM

The America Italy Society of Philadelphia is a well-established non-profit cultural agency committed to promoting the Italian language and culture throughout the seven-States area included in the Italian consular jurisdiction of Philadelphia. The America Italy Society is currently working in collaboration with the Office of Education of the Consulate General of Italy in Philadelphia and is officially recognized by the Italian Foreign Affairs Department in Rome.

Thanks to funds given to us by the Italian Foreign Affairs Department, we are looking to strengthen your efforts to teach Italian language and culture to students in grades K-10

In order to foster the diffusion of the Italian language and culture, a number of 12-months grants will be awarded to programs established according to the guidelines provided in the World Language Curriculum Framework of each state.

The funds (up to $ 25,000.00) can be utilized by the school to start a new curricular Italian program. Schools that already enroll a significant number of students taking Italian, as part of their future activities are also encouraged to apply for the 2011 grant cycle.

The grant will cover up to 50% of the salary costs of a certified Italian teacher, with the expectation that the program will become gradually self-sustaining within a period of three years, unless the initial program has expanded to include new courses.

No materials with this year grant.

Students and teachers of schools receiving the grant will have the opportunity of participate in student exchange and summer programs in Italy. Teachers will also have the opportunity to attend a free professional development workshop and cultural events at the AIS.

The schools receiving the grant are required to:

- permit teachers of Italian to participate in at least three days of free professional development workshops organized during the year with Italian and US educational institutions;

- include Italian on the report card;

- attach a statement of administrative and board support for the proposed program and the need for funding;

- include a plan of action to sustain the program in subsequent years;

This is an excellent opportunity for your school and teachers to start or enhance an Italian language program.

If you are interested, we would like to know about your current program and how we can best support it. Please, complete the information on the attached three-page funding proposal form and send it to AIS-Ente Gestore by May 15^th, 2010.

We look forward to hear from you and please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any question.

Sincerely,

Franca Riccardi, Ph.D.

Responsabile Esecutivo ENTE GESTORE

Pictures of the last ACTFL 2009 meeting in San Diego