Funding Paper

Mary Ford

Regina Moore

Jessica Stith

Loyola University of Maryland

May 2, 2017
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Needs Assessment:

We work at three different schools in two different systems so we worked to identify two

overlapping needs that we had in common throughout our individual situations. Ultimately we

discovered that the two needs which were most pressing and relevant were the need for

professional development support for staff to use, incorporate and maximize the appropriate use

of technology and the need for technology as a whole.

Professional development support came up almost immediately as it is so intrinsically

tied to Ely’s Conditions for Change. Being able to provide true professional development support

in a manner that respected the time of the teachers and potentially added additional incentives to

the adoption and/or implementation of new or existing technologies within the school district

will significantly impact Ely’s Conditions and support real, lasting change in our schools. Even

when we have access to technology or resources, we often don’t have the time to experiment or

explore them and to truly understand how they can be integrated into our daily classroom

practice. We know from our coursework that the goal for educational technology is ultimately to

redefine the types of tasks that our students are doing and the learning that they are receiving, but

most of us receive little or no explicit support in how to use the resources we have in these

innovative ways. By building professional learning communities where we can be introduced to,

practice with and ultimately develop lessons around new technologies or strategies we can make

a significant impact in our departments and schools in ways that can be seen in a relatively short

period of time.

The other area where we saw great need was in technology as a whole. In some of our

schools we are looking for more specific technology (a 3D printer for example) and in others we
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are looking for more basic technology (desktops for example), but in all of our schools we

identified the acquisition of new technology as a significant area of need. We all have people

(often ourselves) in our schools who are already using technology and trying to innovate, but

there is a lack of resources, or all the resources are commandeered for testing. Without student

access to the technology that teachers are trying to incorporate, there is no lasting benefit to the

use of that technology. Students need to be able to familiarize themselves with different systems,

software, and devices and they need time to use that technology in meaningful work. In our

schools, there simply isn’t enough access to technology. For example, in one school there are a

total of 24 desktop computers and 4 laptop carts. Three of the carts are on permanent loan to the

Math department and cannot be used by other departments; and the fourth cart and the desktop

computers are in the library and are used on a first-come, first-served basis until testing, at which

time no one can use them. Starting in March, we were told that no one would be able to use the

computers for the remainder of the year because the testing windows for PARCC, HSAs, and the

ACCUPLACER extended through the rest of the year and students would be testing every day.

Functionally this means that for more than a third of our school year there are no technology

resources available at all. In another school, there is more access to technology, but students are

in a STEM environment and are expected to create original works and applications. In that

school a 3D printer would be an asset and allow students to create and test prototypes of larger

projects as well as make functional objects and parts for other, larger projects. Therefore we

chose to research grants that would benefit either schools with non-existent technology

opportunities for their students or schools with very anemic technology resources for students,

especially in grades 6-12. Either by budgetary limitations and funding, or by lack of community
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support and involvement, these schools have a large gap to fill when it comes to technology

opportunities for the underserved students. Mary specifically wanted to choose grants that were

designed for graphic design and creative expression, including grants that would encompass 3D

printers and audio video editing capabilities. Throughout our research into grants, we were able

to find a variety of grants that would serve us well in addressing these needs and support our

schools in becoming more effective and relevant to the modern educational expectations.
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Grants Identified:

We identified five grant opportunities, for each of the grants, the website of the grant is

linked in the title header for that grant.

The Student Achievement Grant available for NEA Members

Regina has been a member of the National Education Association (NEA) since she began

working in education in 2001. Over the years she has used several of their benefits. With that in

mind, she decided to check out their website for grants as well. Working for Prince George’s

County Public Schools there is a big push for students to become College and Career Ready.

Grants pertaining to academic achievement can aid in accomplishing this goal.

The first grant is The Student Achievement Grant available for NEA Members. The

NEA Foundation provides NEA members with grants to improve the academic achievement of

students in U.S. public schools and public higher education institutions in any subject area(s).

The proposed work should engage students in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen

their knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students’

habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection. This grant would also work well

in conjunction with the project-based learning professional development that Jessica is trying to

implement in her school. It would connect the professional development of teachers on these

tools to the student achievement measured by the projects that they create.

Deadline: ​ Applications may be submitted at any time, and are reviewed three times a year.

When submitted by February 1, notification occurs by April 15; submitted by June 1, notification

occurs by September 15, and finally submitted by October 15, notification by January 15. All

applicants are notified in writing, and the grant will fund activities for 12 months from the date
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the reward is received.

Eligibility Requirements:​ Restrictions state that all applicants must be current NEA Members.

Restrictions on Spending​: The grant funds may be used for resource materials, supplies,

equipment, transportation, technology, or scholars-in-residence. Some funds may be used to

support the professional development necessary to implement the project. Most of the grant

funds must be spent on materials or educational experiences for students. Grant funds may not

be used to:

• Support after-school, weekend, or summer programs

• Pay indirect costs, grant administration fees, or salaries

• Pay stipends to the applicants

• Support conference fees for more than one person

• Lobbying or religious purposes

Award Amounts:​ $2000 or $5000

School Needs: ​This grant can be used to address both of our main needs technology and

professional development. These are areas that we identified at all three of our schools as being

key areas of need and this grant has the flexibility to meet those needs in diverse ways in each

school.

Application Analysis: ​The student achievement grant can certainly assist underachieving

students in Prince George’s County. However, a committee would need to be assembled to write

the proposal and include the goals, assessments, and activities. The grant is not a lot of money,

but any amount of extra money given to low income schools is always welcome. If achievement

improves due to the grant, then the program could possibly continue into the next year. The
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principal could set aside funds to continue the good work. Because of the connection between the

way the grant money is allocated and student achievement, and the overall value of the grant, this

grant would not be ideal for Forest Park High School in Baltimore City at this time. After FPHS

is able to build and integrate collaborative project-based learning and technology, this grant may

be good to provide additional support and opportunities for students, but it’s not an ideal year

one grant because FPHS is unlikely to achieve the level of integration and student achievement

that would justify being awarded the grant. However, Forest Park High School, could use this

grant to help kick-start our STEAM and project based-learning initiatives by providing

technology and training to those in the Math or Science departments,

Relevant Information:​ To apply for this grant, submit all proposals through the NEA

Foundation’s ​online grant system​. Include the Lead Applicant, this is the NEA Member who

will be the main contact person. Additionally, include the Partner Data, the person who will lead

the project if the Lean Applicant cannot complete the work. Finally include the Fiscal Sponsor,

to whom the grant funds will be awarded.

Provide a summary of 100 words or less that describes the proposed work. When

describing the project, include the goals for student learning and how the outcome will be

measured. NEA also wants the standards that will be linked to the work. Describe how the

project will be sustained beyond the grant period. Also, show how it provides a model that can

be used for other educators. Next address student need, by focusing on academic need and then

describe sociological, economic, emotional and cultural issues. Finally describe the activities in

which the students will engage to reach the stated goals, including how students will engage in

critical thinking and problem solving.

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The next item required is to include a budget for the proposed work. An itemized budget

must total $2,000 or $5,000. Identify any additional support that will be provided by other

sources, this could be the school system. The budget must be presented in a Word, Excel or a

PDF document. The NEA would like the budget to be extremely cost efficient. All items should

be directly related to the proposed work.

The Foundation will allocate several grants based in part on geographic considerations:

• Proposed goals for student achievement are challenging and rigorous

• Proposed work engages students in critical thinking and problem solving

• There is alignment between goals, assessment, activities and budget

• The project is collaborative and can be sustained in future years and/or modeled by other

Resources:​ All resources, including a detailed FAQ page and role-specific guidance are

available in drop-down menus on the linked site.  

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NEA Foundation Learning and Leadership Grant:

The next grant is also from the NEA Foundation. It is the Learning and Leadership

Grant. This grant supports public school teachers, public education support professionals, and/or

faculty and staff in public institutions of higher education for one of the following two purposes:

• Individuals who fund participation in high-quality professional development, for example

summer institutes, conferences, or action research

• Groups fund collegial study, including study groups action research, lesson plan

development, or mentoring experiences for faculty or staff

Specifically, this grant can be used for one individual to attend a conference or training that will

yield sustainable and ongoing strategies or development. The idea is that teachers will be

empowered to become leaders and come back and facilitate the dissemination of the strategy or

information to a larger collegial group.

Deadline:​ The application submission and timeline are the same as the Student Achievement

Grant. Applications may be submitted at any time, and are reviewed three times a year. When

submitted by February 1, notification occurs by April 15; submitted by June 1, notification

occurs by September 15, and finally submitted by October 15, notification by January 15. All

applicants are notified in writing, and the grant will fund activities for 12 months from the date

the reward is received.

Eligibility Requirements: ​Restrictions state that all applicants must be current NEA members.

The grant my not be used to pay stipends, used for lobbying or for religious purposes.

Additionally, it may not be used to pursue degrees, pay grant administration fees, salaries, travel

costs, or conference fees for more than one person.

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Restrictions on Spending:​ If awarded all professional development must improve practice,

curriculum, and student achievement. Professional growth experiences, such as attending a

national conference or retaining a professional speaker, are discouraged. The professional

growth activities must be based upon an assessment of student work undertaken with colleagues,

and must be integrated into the institutional planning process. Grant funds may be used for fees,

travel expenses, books, or other materials that enable applicants to learn subject matter,

instructional approaches, and skills. Grant recipients are required to share their new knowledge

with their colleagues. This grant can be used to fund taking NEA online courses. Check out the

online courses​ available on their website.

Award Amounts:​ The grant amount is $,2000 for individuals and $5,000 for groups engaged in

collegial study. All group grant applicants must include partner information.

School Needs:​ This grant can serve our technology needs in smaller ways, but it’s definitely

geared towards supporting our need for continued/continuing professional development to

increase technology integration and student achievement.

Application Analysis: ​The Learning and Leadership Grant could benefit lower socioeconomic

schools. It gives an opportunity for educators to obtain additional education without the stress of

having to pay for it out of their own pocket. A committee is needed to write the proposal and

determine the benefit of receiving the grant. If the work was successful, then principals could set

aside funds for educators to use in the future for continued positive student achievement. This

grant would be a benefit for any one of our schools and would particularly be good for Mary’s

school to, for example, to get training on how to use a 3D printer that she could then disseminate

to her staff. However, it’s a good, small grant that could facilitate continuing professional
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development at any one of the schools. Since it has a rolling deadline and the funds can be use

for up to a year after being awarded, it also allows for the recipient to be strategic in their

application. It appears that this grant is best for those who need a specific type of training that

they can then transfer onto others. For that reason, it might not be the best for Jessica and Forest

Park High School because they are looking to do some professional development that will be

sustained over a longer time and isn’t as discrete. However this could be a good grant in the

future to learn new strategies or ways to apply STEAM to their department.

Relevant Information:​ To apply submit applications through the NEA Foundation’s ​online

grant system​. Include the Lead Applicant, this is the NEA Member who will be the main contact

person. All proposals for $5,000 must include partner information. The partner will lead the

project if the Lead Applicant cannot complete the work. Finally include the Fiscal Sponsor, who

the grant funds will be awarded.

In 100 words or less describe the proposed work. Next, share the professional

development plan to include goals for learning, resources, proposed professional development

goals, and how this will advance the workplace goals. Explain how the work will continue

beyond the grant period, and how it can be shared with colleagues, students, and administrators.

Next, explain the need for professional development and how will colleagues assess the need.

Define the need in terms of both student and professional need. Finally, share the how, when,

and where the learning will be accomplished.

The next item required is to include a budget for the proposed work. An itemized budget

must total $2,000 for an individual project, or $5,000 for a group project. Identify any additional

support that will be provided by other sources, this could be the school system. The budget must
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be presented in a Word, Excel or a PDF document. The NEA would like the budget to be

extremely cost efficient. All items should be directly related to the proposed work.

The Foundation will allocate several grants based in part on geographic considerations:

• Proposed learning is high quality and likely to improve student achievement

• Proposed learning is directly related to student need

• Proposed sharing with colleagues is interactive and can be sustained over time

• Budget is appropriate to the proposed learning and sharing

Resources: ​All resources, including a detailed FAQ page and role-specific guidance are

available in drop-down menus on the linked site.  

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Best Buy Community Technology Grant​:

The Best Buy Community Technology Grant is specifically designed for schools and

community organizations that work with teens (such as The Boys and Girls Club of America,

that have several locations and are adding new locations every year) in underserved areas. The

Best Buy Community Technology Grant’s mission is to “open the doors to opportunity with

technology training and tools that transform underserved teens from consumers to creators – a

new generation of engineers, entrepreneurs, teachers, designers and dreamers.” Best Buy is

seeking a community partnership that ideally focuses on a non-profit community organization

that is located in an underserved area wishing to advance their sixth through twelfth grade

students in several areas of technology education. Some of the areas of recognized funding

include: 3D design and printing, coding, programing, graphic design, robotics, and audio and

video production.

Deadline:​The grant period is up to one year and programs demonstrating success are eligible to

apply for future funding years. The deadline for last year was October 1, 2016 and grants were

awarded January 31, 2017.

Eligibility Requirements:​ In order to be eligible, the school or organization should be a

national organization or school that has “demonstrated a track record for building skill

proficiency in technology through out-of-school time programs”. An example of a school in

Baltimore City that would be eligible is Crossroads Living Classrooms. Based in Washington

D.C., The Living Classroom Foundation is a national non-profit organization serving teens in

underserved communities in Baltimore and Washington D.C.

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The school or organization must form a partnership with Best Buy and have a liaison(s)

working with Best Buy employees to ensure grant deliverables are being met. Best Buy

volunteers will also work with the school and reciprocally school employees will learn about and

attend trainings for “supporting teen outreach, learning and curriculum development (in area of

expertise) for Best Buy’s signature programs – Geek Squad Academy and Best Buy Teen Tech

Centers (if appropriate).” School partners must also attend quarterly partner calls and “submit an

annual report on program components such as: participant demographics, program activities,

measurement of progress on desired outcomes (possibly through participant surveys or other

methods of data collection), such as increased knowledge of and interest in technology, 21​st

century skill, development, challenges, and successes”. Organizations are also responsible for

maintaining community support to sustain the program. There must be a community

commitment to diversity and inclusion.

The program being funded must be located within at least twenty-five miles of a Best

Buy corporate headquarters or warehouse. The organization must also be able to conduct their

programming in at least five cities.

Restrictions on Spending:​ None are listed in the document or RFP

Award Amounts: ​Grant awards typically range from $100K to $200K.

School Needs: ​This grant helps us to meet our various technology needs, especially for those

programs which are more cutting-edge or experimental such as the 3D printer. Because the limit

is so high it could make a considerable impact on our student technology needs as long as it is

incorporated with a community partner.

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Application Analysis: ​Initially this grant looked exciting to us, but it is really geared more

towards community partners of schools. In order for the grant to be successful, it would be best

done by an community partner of a school which already has a proven track record. In this case,

Forest Park High School would be a good candidate for this grant through their partnership with

the Family Y of Maryland. The Y of Maryland currently provides all the after-school programing

at our school and is working to build both a music/studio program and a photography

program--both of which could/would benefit from a grant like this. For the schools of Mary and

Regina, this would not be as good an opportunity because they lack the existing partnerships

which are required to apply for the grant. However, they could work to build those partnerships

with an eye towards future applications. One of the drawbacks of this grant, beyond that it is not

a direct school grant is that the programs and opportunities which are resourced through the grant

are intended to be extracurricular and/or after school opportunities. This is really meant to build

after school programs and opportunities and then scale them to other schools and cities, not

develop resources and programs at a specific school--although that can be a side effect.

However, in schools where these community partnerships already exist, this is a great

opportunity and FPHS should consider applying to fund a computer or design lab.

Relevant Information:​ To be considered for funding the school must submit a digital proposal.

Components of this proposal should include a mission and definition of the children being

served, the area being served, program goals, objectives, and impact, plan, sustainability,

measurement of outcomes, and budget. The school or organization must also agree to on site

visits by Best Buy to determine their eligibility.

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Resources:

The Living Classrooms Foundation

The Crossroads Living Classroom Baltimore East Harbor Campus
The Current Best Buy RFP
Best Buy RFP Webinar Powerpoint
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Mary sent the following email correspondence to ​communityrelations@bestbuy.com

To see the screencap of the correspondence ​click here​.

Good morning,

My name is Mary Ford and I am currently in Graduate School at Loyola University

pursuing a Masters in Educational Technology. One of our assignments was to research grant
funding opportunities that would support technology learning opportunities to students.

When I came across the Best Buy Community Technology Grant I was intrigued. I was
wondering if next year's deadline will also be October 1st? I am including your grant as part of
my paper and any information you have that I can pass on would be great.

Thank you in advance.

Sincerely,

Mary Ford

Loyola University Educational Technology Program

fandpdesign2004@gmail.com
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Lockheed Martin STEM Education Grant:

Lockheed Martin STEM Education Grant is particularly appealing because it is a

Baltimore-based corporation. This is a rolling grant and does not indicate a minimum or

maximum award amount. Lockheed Martin’s mission is “… committed to a program of

philanthropy that supports the Corporation’s strategic business goals and invests in the quality of

life in the communities where our employees work and live.” As well, Lockheed Martin seeks

local organizations and initiatives by saying in general they make “…philanthropic contributions

to national initiatives and organizations” that are based on local programs sites near Lockheed

Martin.

Deadline:​ This is a rolling grant and applications are generally considered and/or awarded

quarterly. If a grant application is received in the second half of the year, it may be held until the

following year’s award disbursement after budgets are finalized.

Eligibility Requirements:​ The organization or school must have a non-profit tax exempt status

501(c) (3), or equivalent international non-profit status, or be a public elementary or secondary

school, or be a qualifying U.S. based institute of higher education. Grant seekers must also align

with one of Lockheed Martin’s strategic focus areas, which in this case is STEM Education. The

organization or school must also be located within a community in which Lockheed Martin has

business interests.

Grantees will agree to be fiscally and administratively responsible for managing the

funding. One grant per year is awarded unless unusual circumstances exist. As well this grant, if

awarded, requires recipients to agree, acknowledge, and sign documents that the funding will not
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be used to support terrorism in any way. They clearly state that recipients will, “Agree to act in

accordance with Lockheed Martin’s contribution acknowledgement requirements:

organization/grantees will comply with all applicable requirements of the Patriot Act and the

Voluntary Anti-Terrorist Guidelines and will not use any portion of the grant funds for the

support, direct or indirect, of acts of violence or terrorism or for any organization engaged in or

supporting such acts.” This was the first time I have seen this under any of the grant

requirements for schools and organizations thus far. I am assuming because of Lockheed

Martin’s close work and contracts with the government, this has probably become somewhat of a

standard today.

There were also some very clear restrictions listed which foremost said that any

organization not committed to Lockheed Martin’s values of diversity or equal opportunities

would not be considered. “This includes organizations that discriminate based on race, ethnicity,

religion, gender, age, sexual orientation or other criteria of protected classes, as defined by the

U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission​.” As well, private schools cannot apply unless they are

working with a Lockheed Martin employee performing or involved in a volunteer service

project. Other restrictions for the funding of grants include: home child care services,

individuals, professional associations, social clubs, fraternal organizations, athletic groups, and

religious organizations. There is also a restriction in advertising in any printed or online

publication that does not follow the ideals and values of The Lockheed Martin Corporation. In

other words, they do not want to be misrepresented as a corporation.

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Restrictions on Spending: ​Other than the eligibility restrictions, there are no stated restrictions

on spending.

Award Amounts:​ There are no stated restrictions on award amounts.

School Needs: ​This grant is so open that it can definitely have a tremendous impact on the

technology needs of our schools. Specifically the two Baltimore City schools which either have

or are creating STEM/STEAM programs would benefit from applying for this grant to meet the

increased needs for technology and support.

Application Analysis: ​ For the most part the fact that this is a local company awarding grants

is a major plus for grant seekers in the Baltimore area. There is no minimum or maximum award,

which indicates to me that a public school’s chances of receiving some type of funding seems

relatively high. It looks as if the grant proposal supports students in the area of STEM, is well

thought out with a clear mission statement and vision, and if well written, funding is probably

available. The biggest drawback to this particular funding source is that it is less transparent than

other grant opportunities and while that means that significant projects get funded, it is also hard

to judge the likelihood of a proposal being accepted. However, they exclusively support projects

in the areas where their company is located which is a benefit to the Baltimore-area grant

seekers. This would be a good grant to apply for, particularly for significant funding in

STEM/STEAM areas, but it’s not one that I would necessarily count on receiving. It does seem

worth it to apply since the potential pool of applicants is significantly lower than in other grant

opportunities and the act of applying may make some aspects of their philanthropic efforts more

transparent.
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Relevant Information:​ The application process starts with the organization answering a brief

survey of a few pre-screening questions through “​Cybergrants​” on The Lockheed Martin

website. After the questions, have been answered, with no conflicts of interest, the grant seeker is

directed to register on The Lockheed Martin Grant Funding website in order to apply for grant

funding. Applicants should also closely examine their ​STEM education ​page where they list a

variety of programs that they provide support to. It seems likely that proposals that work with

one or more of those organizations would have a higher chance of success.

Resources:

Lockheed Martin Community STEM application online

Additional Thoughts on the Technology-specific grants:

The idea that both grants chosen were to educate students in the areas of technology was

the driving force in picking them. While the Best Buy Technology Education Grant is geared

towards teens in underserved areas, the Lockheed Martin STEM Grant is available to all schools

including the elementary level students. The Best Buy Technology Education Grant seems to

have more of a volunteer and community involvement dedication as a reciprocal learning

experience. While the Lockheed Martin STEM Grant still has some accountability of community

work involved, it is not a trade of time working for their company be grantees.

Local partnerships not only seem to be the current trend; it also affects eligibility for both

grants. With that in mind, grant seeking schools should weigh the responsibility the grant will

require from the school in exchange for funding. If it is a large grant with a high degree of extra
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work, it may not be the best choice for your particular school. Grant seekers should always

weigh the pros and cons before taking the time to submit a proposal for grant funding.

Both the Lockheed Martin STEM Education Grant and the Best Buy Technology

Education Grant seem like good choices for schools that are seeking a large sum of funding for

technology instruction for their students. Another advantage is that both grants were available

again to the same organization or school after being funded previously. This could provide a

good opportunity to have an ongoing relationship with two major corporations that are based

around the idea of community support and student growth in the area of technology. In our

group, we would would apply for both grants for our schools. Not only do our school meet the

criteria and requirements for either grant, we liked the philosophy and mission and vision

statement both Lockheed Martin and Best Buy expressed. Another plus was the award amounts

were on the higher end of the grant spectrum, which is ideal for schools like ours where there is

little or no technology.
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​The McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation: Professional Development Grant:

This grant is excellent for our needs because it’s specifically geared towards teacher

professional development around specific initiatives. Specifically, is geared towards professional

development which “concurrently boosting student understanding and proficiency and instilling

a passion for lifelong learning.” It can be used in conjunction with a grant to purchase

technology and serve as a way to teach and promote the use of that technology with the staff, but

it can also serve as a way to support teachers in understanding and implementing the technology

that they already have access to. It’s a great grant for all three of us and, conceivably, we could

all three win this grant as they award it to two-three recipients each year. The grant can be

stretched from 1-3 years with a maximum of $10,000 per year and $30,000 total. Although the

grant is specifically for teacher development, you can spend part of it on technology and in that

way, it really does meet all our needs.

Deadline:​ April 15. This grant is awarded annually and they start accepting applications January

15th. However, once they reach 350 applications, they close the pool. This means that even

though the grant deadline is in April, it would be best to submit an application on or near the

January 15th opening date. They say that 90% of applications are completed in the days leading

up to April 15th, but an application is not considered complete until they have the three letters of

recommendation and conceivably you could get locked out of your application if you wait until

the deadline to secure the letters of recommendation.

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Eligibility Requirements:​ They consider applications from licensed educators from private or

public K-12 schools who have the background to successfully manage the project and are willing

to work with the foundation on the project.

Restrictions on Spending:​ There are no specific restrictions on spending although they look at

the appropriateness of the cost for the associated program. Generally, they don’t cover travel, but

they will consider it if it’s integral to the program. Materials, books, technology, and stipends are

all allowable costs though they recommend that stipends are not the bulk of the grant request.

Award Amounts:​ They award amounts up to $30,000 over three years with a maximum of

$10,000 per year of the grant.

School Needs: ​This grant is written specifically for the types of professional development and

training that we are seeking in our schools. This grant is flexible enough to meet the differing

professional development needs that we have as well as to cover some basic technology to

facilitate or support that professional development.

Application Analysis: ​For the most part, this grant is excellent for all our schools and the

flexibility of the grant period as well as the generous monetary amount is ideal for the needs of

our schools. The one concern is that although the grant application closes in April, they do not

begin to evaluate grants until June and recipients are not notified until July. That means that

schools will not know or have an idea whether their application has been approved prior to

finalization of the budget for that school year. Awards are dispersed on August 15th, so if we

were to win, we would have the money in time for the school year, but we could not count on

having that money when we were planning for the school year, nor could we confidently
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schedule PD that relied on the grant for stipends or salaries. Despite these drawbacks, I think

applying for this grant would be a great thing for any one of our schools. Because the grant can

be extended over three years, I would advocate for a light year one, one where there were not

significant costs so that they could be included in the school budget with the idea that in the

second and third years the bulk of the money would be spent on the trainings and development

that are needed at the school That way you would know that you had the funding for those

resources prior to the budget deadlines for those school years and could appropriately allocate

resources and time according to the plan outlined in the grant proposal.

Relevant Information:​ Applicants must have three letters of recommendation for the grant

which are uploaded separately to their online system. A trustee of the grant will monitor the

program and provide applicable assistance. Although they do not provide copies of winning

grant applications, they do list past winners. In the 2014-15 school year one of the winning

grants was titles “​Creating a Collaborative Co-Teaching Culture​,” in the 2015-16 school year one

of the awarded grants was for ‘​Collaborative Integrated Learning​,” and last year one of the

winning grants was title “​Full STEAM Ahead​.” There are also several other listed winners in the

same vein. Since one of group members is specifically planning on applying for support to

integrate the Google Suite in advance of becoming a STEAM school, her proposal would keep

with one trend of previous granted proposals. This makes this a good grant to pursue for possible

funding.
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Resources:

They list a variety of resources to support applicants:

FAQ
Teacher development grant application and FAQ
Winning Proposal Summaries
Grant Awardees by year