Innovative Grant

The deadline for submitting an application is 5:00 p.m. Monday, November 2, 2009.

To: All OEA Members

From: Innovative Projects/Basic Needs Grant Committee

Date: October 2, 2009

RE: Announcement of Innovative Projects/Basic Needs Grants

We are pleased to announce the availability of $25,000 for Innovative Projects/Basic Needs Grant awards for projects completed from September 1, 2008 to June 30, 2010. The purpose of the grant program is to provide individual certificated staff members, or groups, the opportunity to obtain funding for special projects in areas of need recognized by the District. Individual grant award limits are $1,200 for an individual or $2,400 for a group. Half of total available funds will be used for Basic Needs Grant awards, and half will be used for Innovative Grant awards. Brief summaries of past projects will be shared with other certificated staff to help promote ideas (see attached for the 2008-2009 grant list). Proposed projects should focus on improvement of student achievement and/or closing the achievement gap and provide direct service to students. Funds may be used for consumable supplies/materials, contracted services for speakers or programs, transportation for field studies, and/or non-consumable materials or equipment. Funds may not be used for professional development. An attempt will be made by the committee to represent different levels of district staff in the determination of awards. We would, consequently, encourage applications to focus on one need/grant per school or group.

Successful applications shall relate to one or more of the following:

OSD Strategic Plan goals for High Standards and Expectations for All Students;
School Improvement Plan goals within the individual’s or group’s building.
Individual learning goals (for students)

Grant applications will be reviewed using the following criteria listed below:

Impact on Students (number impacted, focus on Achievement/Achievement Gap, direct service, & evaluation plan) alignment with GLEs and potential for future service in the building or profession
Need (feasibility, convincing nature)
Quality of Application (neat, complete and related to school/district/individual classroom goals)

Attached is the scoring guide used in determining awards. The committee for determining grant awards will consist of the Assistant Superintendent of K-12 Teaching & Learning, 2 district administrators, and 3 district teachers. Each committee member will review the grants and score each one based on the scoring guide. The committee will then combine and average all scores. A report is generated listing the scores in descending order, and this is used as the guideline for making awards. Awards are made until the money is all assigned. Exceptions in award amounts may be made based on not meeting the criteria as listed in this letter; and in some cases, lesser amounts will be awarded in order to expand the number of awards the committee can make.

Grant applications should be submitted to the Innovative Projects/Basic Needs Committee at the District’s Teaching and Learning Office. Because the number of applications will most likely exceed the available funds, it is projected that this will be a competitive process. Heavy emphasis in review of the grants will be placed on the application’s convincing nature. The attached application is also available on the OSD Website at http://osd.wednet.edu/about_us/k-12_teaching/innovative_grant. Applications must be received in the Teaching & Learning office by no later than 5:00pm, Monday, November 2, 2009.

Upon completion of the proposed project, grant recipients will be required to write a brief report of the grant activity and assessment of intended outcomes. Verification of use of funds (e.g. receipts, purchase orders, contracts, etc.) should be included with the report.

General Information

Limit application to two (2) pages using 12-point font and one-half inch margins. Only applications that are typed or composed via word-processing will be considered.
Grants requesting the purchase of over 5 copies of materials will need to be approved by the Olympia School District Instructional Materials Committee.
Grant funds will not be awarded for personal lodging or travel, professional development or activities that do not provide direct service to students.
Supplies, equipment and materials purchased with grant funds become the property of the Olympia School District.
Grants will be accepted for consideration from the current or preceding school year. Requests for reimbursement of projects completed between September 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009 must include original receipts for any purchases to be reimbursed.
Applications received after the deadline will not be considered for the grant.
Mark on the application whether your request is a Basic Needs or Innovative grant request.
Individuals who have further questions about the application process are encouraged to call Tricia Kelley at 596-8585 or e-mail tkelley@osd.wednet.edu.

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Innovative Grant