The purpose of this project was to write a grant proposal to fund a comprehensive after-school program that will promote academic success and reduce educational barriers for children from impoverished communities. The program is designed for adolescents between the ages of 10-14 attending middle schools in Compton, CA. The primary goal of the after-school program is to provide academic support and strengthen non academic factors such as social skills, self esteem, health and fitness, and life skills which have been shown to be impacted by poverty. A literature review increased the grant writer’s knowledge concerning the effect of poverty on child development and school readiness among individuals from disenfranchised communities. A literature review also resulted in the identification of information regarding evidence based practices that the grant writer used to create an after-school program. A search for potential funding sources utilizing internet search engines resulted in the identification and selection of the Weingart Foundation for this project. However, the submission of this grant was not required for this academic assignment.