CPAs Helping Schools Grant Program
Established in 1991, the CPAs Helping Schools program encourages CPAs to become actively involved with the education of Texas youth. Dedicated to improving the quality and scope of education Pre-K through grade 12, this initiative offers Houston CPA Society members an opportunity to get actively involved in support of their local schools.
Financial contribution for educational programs will be considered for any school located within the 13-county membership area of the Houston TSCPA Foundation (d/b/a Houston CPA Society). These Texas counties include Austin, Brazoria, Colorado, Fayette, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity, Walker, and Waller.
· Funding is available to public, private and parochial campuses, with grades Pre-K through 12 eligible.
· In their review of requests, the committee will look at a number of factors such as, but not limited to, school socio-economic level, mentor program, ethnic diversity, the number of students impacted by the program (or reuse of purchased materials for future classes), and local community business support in consideration of fund allocation. The committee also looks at the notation of licensed CPA in a volunteer capacity at the school (may be a parent or community volunteer, employee, district trustee, board member, or other affiliation where the CPA can provide knowledge about the school).
· Schools should complete the application and submit to the Houston CPA Society as described.
· The application and requested information should explain the need for the funds and exactly how the school plans to use the funds, if provided.
· Funding requests should be for the educational benefit of the students. This may include, but is not limited to, books, educational materials and equipment, supplies, and school uniforms. Other previously funded programs include Smart Boards and accessories, math manipulatives, established reading courses, music instruments, transportation for special activities, after-school activities, science labs, and much more. The committee focus will be how many students are touched by this program and how many, if any, of the purchased materials can be reused by future classes.
· A funding limit of $5,000 per school year is currently allowed per campus. Committee will award funds to impact the greatest number of students; funds are seldom awarded for instructor salaries or training.
· Schools receiving funding awards must submit follow-up correspondence, including copies of applicable receipts of items purchased within 30 days of spending the funds for the designated program and permit committee volunteers to visit the school to view the ongoing progress. Adherence to this requirement will be considered in all future grant applications by school.
· Thank you letters and photos of the project's ongoing progress are appreciated for newsletter publication. Photos should include the name and title/school position of any photo subject. Photos of students will not be used in publication unless school acknowledges they have required documents on file. Student photos may be included in CPAs Helping Schools’ display, at the discretion of the Houston CPA Society, for sponsored membership or continuing education events, or in weekly e-Bulletin to membership.
For consideration in the next review, please complete the following three-page application
and submit electronically, retaining all formatting.
2013 - 2014 Schedule of application deadlines
September 26, 2013 (approved funds delivered by January 31)
March 31, 2014 (approved funds delivered by September 12)
CPAs Helping Schools will review requests within six weeks of the above submission dates;
notify grant writer with results within a month of review date; distribute approved funds as noted above.
Electronic submission of application & documentation is preferred to
Houston CPA Society, CPAs Helping Schools
Attn: Carol Spencer
777 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 500, Houston, TX 77056-3212
Email: Fax: 713.622.0522
Please call (713) 622.7733 ext. 320 if you have any questions.
Grade Level(s): Application Date: Amount: $
Project Title:School Name: / District:
Campus Address: / City, Zip:
Applicant Name/ School Position: / School Phone:
Applicant email: / Applicant Phone:
Applicant mailing address (if request is not from a school employee) / Best time to call:
Estimated Expenditure Date of funds/
Deadline to receive funds
What is lowest amount needed at this time to initiate the program if the application can be reviewed at our next scheduled meeting?
If this amount is funded, follow-up from school is required for additional review (review is not automatic)
Number of students enrolled on campus in current school year.
Number of students eligible for Free/Reduced Meal program (number receiving scholarship if a private or parochial school) / %
Number of students involved in this requested program / %
Will your purchases be available for students in future years?
If yes, what amount of the grant request is for re-usable materials? / $
Other financial support for this requested project.
Is this request for a continuing program at the campus?
If yes, how many years has the program been in place?
How did you learn of this financial opportunity?
Is your school Title I? / Yes No
What is the best day of the week if one of our committee members wants to visit your school prior to the application review?
Names of any known CPA volunteers on campus or school board
This application is:
¨ First Time (this program) ¨ Revision of prior application ¨ Resubmission for balance of initial request
Category (refer to list below): Number(s)
Category (place number of applicable category in space above)
1. After-school program
2. Books
3. Career
4. Environmental
5. Fine Arts
6. Health/ Wellness
7. Math
8. Personal Development
9. Reading Program
10. Science
11. Special Needs
12. Technology
13. Transportation
14. Tutoring/ Mentoring program
15. Uniforms
16. Other
SCHOOL NAME:
PROGRAM TITLE:
Please provide a short and concise summary covering the Who, What, When, Why, and How of your proposal. Imagine this is the only information you can provide to the committee in a two-minute speech to garner their approval. The summary should include a description of the project, the current need for the project, why the students will benefit, and the educational goals of the project (what this project will accomplish):
List or describe the methods the school will use to achieve the project goals, including the plan of action, and any justification needed for this approach.
If applicable to your request, describe your plans for:
1) the campus security of any Technological purchases
2) Parental involvement:
List or describe your project timeline:
List or describe your future plans for the program and any anticipated barriers to achieving your projected goals, plus the strategy to negotiate these challenges:
Budget: present a detailed listing of the estimated cost of the project (using similar chart as below, or Excel worksheet data. The list of items must agree with the total amount on your grant application.
List your items in order of priority for the program’s success/implementation (if minimum funds are considered, it is anticipated the top item(s) will be purchased first).
Include where pricing/estimate was obtained (vendor, Web site, catalogue, etc.)
Explain the need for items that are not contained in your above narrative.
Item / Quantity / Unit Cost / Total / Notes