GRANTWRITING WEBQUEST

Introduction

You're on a Quest. A Quest for knowledge. This WebQuest can act as a resource for you to provide definitions, answer questions, and assist with developing a fundable proposal to help your students and colleagues become more successful.

The Tasks:

You will:

Decide on a purpose for your grant
Read about tips to help you feel more confident with your proposal.
Determine a potential funding source(s) for your idea.
Explore a list of appropriate funding options for your proposal.
Draft an outline of the parts of your proposal to be submitted to your Administration and Board for consideration.

Process:

Follow the links below to help you find the answers. Good luck!!

1. DECIDE ON A PURPOSE FOR YOUR GRANT!

There are several ways to do this. First, explore this site for ideas on how you can involve your students in planning your grant! http://www.netday.org/SVRC/

Then, read the following short article: Grants: Beyond the Money from Electronic Learning, Special Edition and answer the four questions on the next page. The article relates how grant proposals can be used as a vehicle for change.

http://www.anovember.com/default.aspx?tabid=159&type=art&site=182&parentid=26

Reflect on your own situation:

a) What needs to be changed?

b) What are the critical concerns - both yours and the critical concerns of those with whom you deal?

c) In what ways might we evoke support to address the concerns?

d) In what ways might we evoke hostility to address the concerns?

Answers: (Use other side or separate sheet) For example, with your partner or team, brainstorm projects or partnerships with:

- other schools in NY, other states, or other countries),

- Colleges and Universities with famous people in our field (e.g. Dave Edyburn, Mel Levine);

- Organizations that provide technology services (e.g., CAST, ATIA.org).

- Consider tools to help teachers develop more effective lesson plans.

- Think out of the box and consider Satellite-based training or Distance Education such as RIATT or “hot” topics like Universal Design for Learning

- YOUR IDEAS HERE:

Read about tips to help you feel more confident with your proposal:

Tip of the Month: You have a great idea for a classroom project, but need to find outside funds to cover expenses. You've found a grant opportunity that seems feasible, but before you start filling out the application, run the idea past your principal. Many grantors now require a supervisor's signature to ensure there is administrator support for funded projects. Be prepared to discuss how your project supports schoolwide goals, how the budget would be managed, and who would be responsible for reporting requirements.
http://www.npguides.org/guide/index.html Preparation is vital to the grant-writing process. Solid planning and research will simplify the writing stage. A well-written proposal follows the basic steps outlined at this site. What are the first three things you need to do?

Answers:

3. HINTS< TRICKS and TIPS:
Read about tips to help you feel more confident with your proposal. http://www.k12grants.org/tips.htm Here, you will find hints that will help you begin to write your grant proposal.

Find a partner and decide which of these hints are most useful for you in your situation. Remember, you may want to write your grant as a team.

Answers:

4. MODELS: For additional inspiration and guidance, consider reviewing a sample proposal that’s already been funded. http://www.k12grants.org/samples/ At this site, several generous grant-writers have shared successful proposals they've written. Choose one proposal and decide: what is it about that proposal that resonates most with your idea of using the grant as a vehicle for change?

Answer:

5. WHO WILL FUND MY IDEA?

Now that you have an idea of what you want to change and some top ideas to get you started, it is time to find a potential source of funding for your idea. Check out:

· http://www.k12grants.org/Grants/new_england.htm to find opportunities that are available in New York. Select at least two that show promise for you.

http://www.techlearning.com/resources/grants.jhtml There are two ways to find a grant, contest, funding opportunity or recognition program for which you or your students might qualify: Browse or search this site!

· http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/find/edlite-forecast.html This document lists virtually all programs and competitions under which the Department has invited or expects to invite applications for new awards and provides actual or estimated deadline dates for the transmittal of applications under these programs.

· http://www.eschoolnews.com/tsc/index.php?t=sub_pages&cat=22 The K-20 Technology Solutions Center - your place to practice due diligence in ed-tech purchasing. You’ll identify the leading education technology providers (browse by keyword, company name, or product category), discover featured products, review relevant research briefs, case studies, and white papers, and learn how and where to get needed funding.

· http://www.assumption.edu/dept/Library/resources/grantbooks.html See here for Grants Research Pages, Library Materials and other resources.

· www.techlearning.com/resources/grants.jhtml to search through the extensive database of grants and contests.

· http://www.freedomscientific.com/LSG/resources/industry_links.asp#grant Funding resources from WYNN Software

· http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/funding/ltg0506.htm The purpose of this grant program is to improve student academic performance in relation to the New York State learning standards with a particular focus on mathematics Pre-K-12 and English Language Arts (ELA) including early literacy, through the integration of educational technology in classroom activities.

· www.fundforteachers.org The Fund for Teachers provides grants to individuals or teams of K-12 teachers to support summer-learning opportunities. Applicants must be full-time teachers with a minimum of three years' teaching experience and must spend at least 50 percent of their time in the classroom. The maximum award is $5,000 for an individual project and $7,500 for team projects.

· www.readingmadeeasy.com Premier Assistive Technology has established a grant program to help bridge the gap between education budgets special education programs. This grant program act as a catalyst to solidify special education/ assistive technology programs. Qualifying applicants will receive products and support at no cost during the grant period.

· www.att.com/foundation/offices.html If you qualify and choose to submit a proposal to AT&T, you should send a brief letter of introduction and description of your organization/project to the AT&T Foundation in accordance with their guidelines.

http://www.fundforteachers.org/how.html These grants are awarded to teachers who work with pre-K - 12. Applicants must have a minimum of 3 years’ teaching experience, be a fulltime teacher (at least 50% of the time in the classroom).

· http://www.mattel.com/about_us/Comm_Involvement/ci_mcf_philanthropy_mattelFoundation.asp Since its inception, the Mattel Children's Foundation has focused its strategic grantmaking on one major objective: Improving the lives of children in need.

· http://www.eschoolnews.com/erc/funding/opps.cfm#1137 $1 billion to develop tech skills for disadvantaged youth, adults. Grant Title: Microsoft Unlimited Potential Program, Organization: Microsoft Corp., Eligibility: U.S. nonprofit organizations, Value: Up to $1 billion over 5 years, Deadline: July 19, 2005

http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/announcements/2005-2/042905b.html This program’s purpose is to: (1) Improve results for children with disabilities by promoting the development, demonstration, and use of technology, (2) support educational media services activities designed to be of educational value in the classroom setting to children with disabilities, and (3) provide support for captioning and video description that is appropriate for use in the classroom setting.

www.fujifilm.com/JSP/fuji/epartners/Productsforlearning.jsp Fuji offers the Products for Learning program to K-12 teachers. To win a donation of Fuji products valued up to $1,000, teachers submit a lesson plan they would like to adapt and implement in their classroom, explaining why the products are critical to implementation. Teachers who receive an award must submit the final class project. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

http://www.nike.com/nikebiz/nikebiz.jhtml?page=26&item=jordan $2.5 million for software and other classroom supplies. Grant Title: Jordan Fundamentals Grant Program; Organization: Nike Inc. and the Michael Jordan Brand

· www.reacheverychild.com/feature/fundraisers.html If the time's not right to tackle a grant proposal, but you need to raise some funds, check out the Horace Mann Educational Financial Solutions Web site. This page offers a variety of both creative and tried-and-true strategies and ideas for fund raising projects. In addition to a list of ideas from Horace Mann, there are links to a number of other sites for school fund raising ideas.

· MORE GRANT SOURCES

o http://www.helenarubinsteinfdn.org/guide.html

o http://www.sdrubin.org/guidelines.htm Sharon and David Rubin

o http://www.rbf.org/programs/charles.html

o http://www.bms.com/sr/philanthropy/data/sciedu.html Bristol Myers Squibb

o http://www.fujifilm.com/JSP/fuji/epartners/ProductsForLearning.jsp

o http://communications.bestbuy.com/communityrelations/philanthropy.asp

o http://www.grantsalert.com

6. INCREASING MY CHANCES:

http://fdncenter.org/funders/wrksheet/prospect_worksheet.pdf Now that you have an idea of who might fund your idea, it is very important to read the funder's guidelines carefully before submitting an application! Make sure that your project and the grantor's initiatives go hand-in-hand with one another! This worksheet will help you to do that.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showfundStory.cfm?ArticleID=5653 On Feb. 24, new scientifically-based research regulations went into effect that allow ED program offices to give priority to grant applications that use randomized control trials in their evaluation activities. Read this summary to make sure you don’t get the cold shoulder.

Is this a useful worksheet? Is there a match? What else do you need to do to have an effective match?

Answers:

7. WRITING THE GRANT:

Now it is time to go through the steps in writing a grant. This excerpt from the Foundation Center's Guide to Proposal Writing. Offers a clearly presented summary of the components of a proposal with examples to illustrate the ideas. "It is intended for nonprofit organizations but would be helpful to others seeking funds. " http://fdncenter.org/learn/shortcourse/prop1.html

You may also want to explore

http://www.npguides.org/ for additional resources and perspectives on grant writing. Non-profit guides are free web-based grant-writing tools for non-profit organizations, charitable, educational, public organizations, and other community-minded groups.

http://www.npguides.org/guide/pre_proposal.htm At this site they have specific help on how to write a letter of inquiry. Inquiry letters are designed to convince the grantmaker to consider your request. They provide you the opportunity to give the grantmaker a snapshot of your proposed project/program. Be sure to establish a connection between your proposal's goals and the grantmaker's priorities, and focus on detail, clarity, and conciseness, while conveying the impact your proposal will make on the need or problem you are addressing.

8. FIND ANOTHER WEBSITE CONTAINING USEFUL GRANTWRITING RESOURCES.

Your site(s):

9. CONCLUSION:

In this WebQuest you’ve learned about what funding options exist for grants to support students with learning differences. You have also gained knowledge of how you can effectively write a proposal to implement your concept of positive change in your school.

10. MORE FUNDING RESOURCES AS OF 5/22/05

· These sites are for legal and general information that may assist you in procuring the funds you need. Districts may also use IDEA Part B funds when their new program becomes eligible in New York State through the recording of their students with disabilities count. They may also apply directly for IDEA Discretionary funds that deal with technology to assist their students to meet the goals of NCLB.

o http://www.nationaltechcenter.org/fundingupdate.asp

o http://www.nasdse.org/home.htm

o http://www.sammonspreston.com/

o http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml

o http://www.ataporg.org/

o http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister/index.html

o http://cs-www.cs.yale.edu/homes/tap/nsf.html

o http://www.sln.org/

· http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=3334 How to win private foundation grants.

· http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstory.cfm?ArticleID=4745 Two useful resources are a deadlines calendar and prospects worksheet.

· http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstory.cfm?ArticleID=3620 Local grant resources might be closer that you think

· http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstory.cfm?ArticleID=4860 How to cash in on others' success February 1, 2004

· http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstory.cfm?ArticleID=5206 There's more to grant writing than just 'writing.” August 1, 2004

· http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstory.cfm?ArticleID=4983 Why grants don't cover operating expenses. April 1, 2004

· http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2004/nsf04016/start.htm A Guide for Proposal Writing. Includes: Review Process; Criteria for Evaluati on; Advice To Writers

· http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=160500649 Grants, Contests & Awards By Susan Brooks-Young

· http://www.rms.net/lc_tutorial_series.htm "What Every Manager Needs to Know About Budgeting"; "Get Your IT Project Funded - 5 Steps to Improve the Odds"; and "Writing Effective Project Proposals."

· http://www.grantproposal.com/index.html

http://bridgemultimedia.com/edtechgrants/ This resource guide was developed in collaboration with the National Center for Technology Innovation (NCTI), an OSEP funded project to promote partnerships among researchers developers and vendors to enhance the development of technology tools for students with special needs.

http://www.independentliving.org/ They have a library, interactive services, feasibility studies and projects, and are experts in designing and implementing direct payment schemes for users’ self-determination and quality of life in the area of assistive technology.