September 11th has been federally designated as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. This year, in honor of the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, more than a million Americans are expected to pay tribute by volunteering in community service projects. HandsOn Network, a network of more than 70,000 volunteer organizations, is leading this call to service by offering up to $35,000 in grants to organizations and civic groups across the country who lead service and remembrance projects for this anniversary.

Its goals are to:

• Inspire 1 million Americans to engage in civic commitments
• Build 9/11 into an unprecedented annual catalyst for ongoing citizen engagement
• Create a constructive legacy that forever honors the victims of 9/11 and the heroes who rose in service in response to the tragedy
• Promote cultural and interfaith understanding
• Help nonprofit organizations build capacity and expertise to effectively engage more volunteers and donors in meaningful service.

The organization offers a number of project ideas, including creating a disaster resource directory, leading a resume preparation workshop, and organizing a neighborhood cleanup. HandsOn Network is also offering webinars to help local government leaders engage volunteers in their community. (You can find more information in the webinar document downloadable below.) For more project ideas and resources from HandsOn, visit the 9/11 Day of Service page.

HandsOn Network has released a Request for Proposals for nonprofit and civic groups interested in applying for one of 20 grants. These grants are intended to increase the organization’s ability to engage volunteers and develop best-in-class projects for community engagement and impact. $2,500 grants will be awarded to projects that expected to mobilize at least 250 volunteers, and $1,000 grants will be awarded to those planning to attract at least 100 volunteers.

See the full details in the RFP available for download below. The deadline is July 8, 2011.