Grant Me the Money

1. Grant Me the Money The following presentation is information compiled by: Florida Center for Instructional Technology Steven. M. Hart Kimberly A. Schwartz 2006

2. What is a GRANT? • Simply put, it is a contribution of money. Some grants provide thousands and thousands of dollars; others may fund two hundred dollars. • They can be individual or from an organization that funds a project or a program. • They are located in the private and public nonprofit sector • One thing is common: • They all have very individual and specific “rules and regulations”

3. Awards General support Endowments Fellowships Matching funds Continuing support Often given for projects, research, scholarships, or seed money. Generally have geographic preferences Ranging from a local district or city, to count, state, or national level Types of Grants

4. Top Questions to Consider • Does the proposal tie into your schools' overall goals and strategies? • Will the proposal have a positive impact on student learning? • How will progress toward the project's desired goals be measured? • Does the project have the potential to be modeled or adapted by other communities?

5. Questions cont. • Does the proposal reflect creativity in tapping existing resources before seekingoutside sources? • Is the budget clearly defined? • Who will benefit from the project? • How well does the project reflect what the funder is looking for? • How committed are you to the project's success-and will you keep the lines ofcommunication open? Jill Stephens, Corporate Outreach Director for AOL Foundation

6. Where to Begin • Ideas for innovations • Hunt for Grantors • Web sites • School District • Journals • Establish Grant Writing Teams • School or Organization Based • Get a “BOX”

7. Elements to Consider While Searching… • Required "collaboration" or "partnerships“? • Signature requirements of the grant   • “Match" amount and type (In-Kind)   • Sustainability of program after funding expires • Sufficient administrative support  • Program fit with existing others   • Surveying / testing  (evaluation measurements) • Reporting requirements   • What is your motivation • Is the application process feasible?

8. More items to Consider • Who will be responsible? • What resources are needed? • How much do they cost? • How much time will it take? • How will you know when you are successful? • Who will benefit and in what days? (Think BIG) • How can the problem stay solved after the funds are gone (SUSTAINABILITY) • Do you meet all funding requirements?

9. Cover Letter/Title Page Executive Summary/Abstract Needs Statement/Statement of Need Project Description Goal & Objectives/Plan for Improvement Timeline/Activities Designed to Meet Goals Evaluations/Measures Budget Organization Information Conclusion Appendix Common Parts of a Proposal

10. Executive Summary • Overview Statement: • “We the people of this school, district, or community, in order to do project X…” www.techlearning.com, June, 2001 • Short, clear excerpts from the grant (an abstract or sorts) • TIP: WRITE THIS PAGE LAST

11. Needs Statement/ Statement of Needs • Detail the compelling needs of school, district or community (classroom or neighborhood), why you should get funded to run this project. • TIP: The needs of your community should be compelling so that refusal is irresistible.

12. Need Statement Example #1 • Rural middle school students need to develop local and global information processing skills, including: • Accessing information across global networks • Surveying local government programs and regulation • Creating information products that can be used by “clients” in different communities

13. Need Statements Example #2 • If we expect students from remote areas to be able to be productive in both work skills and citizenship skills in the global economy, it is essential that they have excellent information processing skills. These skills will help them make more informed decisions about solving problems and seeking opportunities. As electronic communication technologies become the standard tools in decision making, we must provide our students with the skills to compete and work with people around the world.

14. Confusing Terminology? • Most of the grant is under the umbrella of the Proposal section… • Different sources use different names. Focus on the content more so than the names given to sections!

15. Develop the Proposal • The specific format of the proposal depends on the requirements of the grant. Read carefully and follow directions! Typical proposals will include sections such as these: • Narrative: • Specific Aims: • Background and Significance: • Preliminary Results: • Research Design and Methods: • Consultants/Collaborators/Contractors: • Literature Cited: • Biographical Sketches: • Appendix (where allowed by agency guidelines).

16. Develop the Proposal • Narrative: • A brief description of your organization or school so the reader knows the context in which the project will be performed. Establish the fit between the proposed project and the resources and environment. • Plan of action that leads to success: what you'll do, how you’ll do it; where and who is going to do what

17. What is and what SHOULD be • Define the NEED: • Target population • Target performance or achievement • Identify needs in terms of students, community parents, program, school, or district. • Need is justified by the data collected under Specific Aims and Background and Significance

18. Collect Data? • Review and update the statistical and demographic information you have on your student population. Make sure you have the most recent data available use data from the current year for proposals that will be submitted during next school year. Update your student aid ratios, poverty levels, graduation rates, and dropout rates. • For information: • School improvement plan • District website • State department of education documents School data at http://www.doe.firn.edu/edtech/it/tlcf/html/index.shtml • Let’s see what this page offers :) • US Census or Department of Education reports

19. Collect Data Cont… • This is also a good time to develop some material for your district, based on the data that you collect. You can write a few brief descriptive paragraphs about your district, your students and teachers, and your community that you can keep on file and use for proposals during the coming year. It will save time in the months ahead to be able to cut and paste this information into proposals! • For information: School and district annual reports

20. Develop the Proposal • Specific Aims: • What is the problem or research area to be addressed? What related work has already been done? What will you contribute? What are the anticipated outcomes? What are the possibilities for further work?

21. Develop the Proposal • Background and Significance: • What is the existing knowledge about this problem? What gaps exist? What is the significance of your proposed research? (WHO CARES?) Show how your proposal fits into a larger context. • This is often thought of as the NEEDS Statement but it can be separate.

22. Develop the Proposal • Preliminary Results: • List any work have you already done on this or a related question? • What were the results? • Why should more attention be brought to this issue?

23. Develop the Proposal • Research Design and Methods AKA Project Description: • Clearly describe procedures. • Include a timeline. • Discuss any limitations of the methods and procedures you have chosen. • Justify your choice. If you anticipate problems, acknowledge them. • Describe how you will address them if they arise. • Be reasonable and realistic in the budget and work plan.

24. Activity/Timeline Example • Objective: • Students will learn how to access the internet • Activities • September: Students will learn how to log onto the Internet. Students will learn how to navigate across the Internet to access environmental regulations in different countries such as the U.S., Canada, India, and Israel. • October: Students will be assigned to design activities that families can undertake at home to lead to an environmentally responsible lifestyle.

25. Develop the Proposal • Consultants/Collaborators/Contractor: • If you indicate that others will advise or assist with the project in any way, you should include a letter of commitment to the project and, if their involvement is key to the outcome of the project, a biographical sketch. Not always applicable

26. Develop the Proposal • Literature Cited: • Citation style should be consistent with current practice in your academic discipline. • Have others conducted similar projects? What were their results? Is there an expressed need in the literature that supports your request

27. Develop the Proposal • Biographical Sketches: • Most agencies specify the format they prefer for biographical sketches. In general, you should list appointments, publications, etc., in REVERSE chronological order (most recent first). Select publications and presentations that are most relevant to the proposed work. Don't bury the reviewer in pages of irrelevant information. Applicable where possible

28. Evaluation MeasuresSummative Vs. Formative • Summative evaluation- • Measures how well the population achieved the goals and is typically administered at the end of the project. • Nationally validated assessments • Authentic assessments that include the solutions to real problems in the community • Attained benchmarks such as attendance rates • Portfolio assessments that demonstrate information products such as multimedia presentations

29. Evaluation MeasuresSummative Vs. Formative • Formative evaluation- • Provides data during the course of the project that can be used to improve the siding of the project. • Attitude surveys about the project • Review of daily or weekly journals by staff/participants • Real time feedback data from class discussions • Review of audio and video tapes of learning

30. When creating a budget for an educational technology project, consider categories such as: Salaries for project managers Salaries for clerical assistance or student assistants Fringe benefits Stipends for professional development Rental of space for activities Refreshments Travel to conferences, schools, or events Reference material such as books and subscriptions to magazines or journals Office supplies Printing and postage costs Extra consumables: print cartridges, power cords, batteries, paper Maintenance costs Equipment, storage containers, security items Shipping and insurance Develop your Budget Dream big, but think small. In other words, create a budget that lets you do the project the way you feel it should be done, and pay special attention to detail. Some grants ask for accounting, receipts, and records. Some funding agencies frown upon frequent budget changes. Think of the grant as a contract—services must be delivered for the cost specified. Budget accurately.

31. Budget • Narrative clearly explains ALL listed items to show that every cent is required to guarantee success. • TIP: itemize expenses in an easy to read format • THIS IS THE AREA THAT IS MORE SCRUTINIZED!!! You may say one thing in your narrative but where you place the money is what you REALLY value

33. Conclusion • BRIEFLY restate your argument • Re-address the 9 questions from the beginning of this presentation

34. Develop the Proposal • Appendix • (where allowed by agency guidelines) Not always applicable

35. Before you send if off… • Review Grantor Guidelines check the RFP • Proofread! • Concise Language • Colleague Reads for Clarity and as another chance to Proofread!

36. Reasons proposals are not funded: • Did not follow application instructions. (At the top of EVERY list!!) • Lack of clarity (as seen by the reader). • Crucial letters of collaboration missing from the application. • Unrealistic and unjustified budget (whether too much or too little). • Low significance, outdated methods, uncertainty about project's future. • Failure to plan for funding beyond the grant period. • Applicant seems more interested in getting the grant than in doing the project.

37. Education World Grants http://www.education-world.com/grants/ World Bank http://www.worldbank.org/ Teacher Grants http://www.teachergrants.org/ Tech Grant News http://www.technologygrantnews.com Internet Sources • Stay informed about grants • For information on grant sources and strategies, become a regular connoisseur of grant websites. • You may need to Type Grants in the Search Box

38. 3Com http://www.3com.com/solutions/en_US/scenario.jsp?solutiontype=1000001&groupid=11014&solutionid=5873 American Association of University Women http://www.aauw.org/3000/felgrawa.html AOL Foundation http://aoltimewarnerfoundation.org/ AT&T Foundation http://www.att.com/foundation BellSouth Foundation http://www.bellsouthfoundation.org/grants/index.asp Blue Cross Blue Shield http://www.bcbsfl.com/index.cfm?section=visitors&fuseaction=BlueFoundation.home Chevron Corporate Grants http://www.chevron.com/community/ Coca Cola http://www2.coca-cola.com/citizenship/foundation_guidelines.html Compaq http://www.compaq.com/corporate/community/ Dreyer's http://www.dreyersinc.com/dreyersfoundation/ Handspring http://www.handspring.com/company/foundation/index.jhtml Inspiration http://www.inspiration.com/prodev/index.cfm?fuseaction=scholarship Internet Sources Continued

39. Internet Sources Continued • Jacksonville Community Foundation http://www.jaxcf.org/aboutus/aboutus.html • Marco Polo http://www.marcopolo-education.org/home.aspx • Microsoft http://www.microsoft.com/giving/display.asp?Channel=Apply • National Endowment for the Arts http://www.nea.gov/ • National Endowment for the Humanities http://www.neh.gov/grants/index.html • National Education Association http://www.nea.org/grants / • and http://www.nfie.org/grants.htm • National Science Teachers Association http://www.nsta.org/awardscomp • National Weather Association Education Grants http://www.nwas.org/solhirsch.html • NEC http://www.necfoundation.org/ • Prudential Foundation http://www.prudential.com/community/ • Smarter Kids Foundation http://www.smarterkids.org/k12/index.asp • Sprint http://www.sprint.com/sprint/overview/commun.html • Sunshine State TESOL http://www.sunshine-tesol.org/ • Toshiba America Foundation http://www.toshiba.com/taf/ • Verizon http://www.verizonreads.net/programs/default.asp

40. Other Resources • http://www.cpb.org/grants/grantwriting.html • http://www.fundsnetservices.com/grantwri.htm • Print this one and keep it in your classroom • http://www.firn.edu/doe/bin00014/doc/h-grant.doc