Shorewood SEED Foundation

2013 Grant Proposal Packet

Table of Contents

Introduction......

Applicant Checklist......

Priorities and Funding Criteria......

Funding Priorities for 2013

Funding Policy and Criteria......

Procedure and Timeline......

Examples of Past Funded Projects......

Project Information Cover Sheet......

Project Budget Worksheet......

Proposal Application Outline......

Proposal Evaluation Scoring Sheet......

Project Evaluation Form......

Introduction

SEED was established in 2003 to promote excellence in Shorewood’s public education. SEED will work with the community to help provide Shorewood public schools with the financial resources needed to succeed. We believe that Shorewood is a community where each public school student receives an education responsive to his/her talent and abilities, preparing the student to meet the challenges of the future. Our vision is that Shorewood organizations and residents will work together to ensure that the School District has the support needed to continue its tradition of excellence.

Funds raised by SEED will be awarded to projects submitted to SEED using the procedure outlined in this document. Awards will be made once a year, and the application deadline for 2013 is 4:00 P.M. on Friday, April 20th, 2013. Applications MUST be received no later than this date and time.

Email your application to Kathleen Rehbein, SEED Grants Committee, or

Mail your application to:

The Shorewood SEED Foundation, P.O. Box 71235, Shorewood, WI 53211

Or deliver in person by 4:00 P.M. on Friday, April 20, 2013 to:

Kathleen Rehbein, SEED Grants Committee Chair, 3721 N. Prospect, Shorewood, WI53211

Applicant Checklist

All items on this checklist should be completed and/or reviewed before submitting proposal to SEED. Any questions, please contact Kathleen Rehbein 2013 Grants Committee Chair, at ( or 414.332.3272 (Home).

Review 2013 Priorities and Funding Criteria, Page 5

Attach the completed Project Information Cover Sheet on Page 10

Attach the completed Project Budget Worksheet on Page 11

Attach the completed grant proposal. Follow the outline and instructions on Page 12

Attach a letter of endorsement from the applicant’s principal or district administration

Proposal submitted no later than 4:00 P.M. on Friday, April 20, 2013
Mail to:
Shorewood SEED Foundation,
P.O. Box 71235, Shorewood, WI 53211
OR…. Email: or deliver in person by 4:00 P.M. on Friday, April 20, 2013, to Kathleen Rehbein, 3721 N. Prospect, Shorewood, WI 53211

New Priorities and Funding Criteria

New Priorities and Funding Criteria

Funding Priorities for the 2013-2014 School Year

The purpose of this document is to provide principals and teachers with guidance on making grant request to SEED for the 2013-2014 school year. The administrative team and a representative from SEED developed this document as a collaborative effort to support teachers, grades, departments and schools as they request funds through SEED. Our goal is to align requests with district priority areas and increase the number and quality of grant request proposals. Three of the major priority areas are building community, promoting successful learning, and transformative educational practices.

Building Community

Community building must be the basis for school reform efforts that seek to improve teaching and learning; all else will come more naturally when authentic communities flourish (Sergiovanni,Building Community in Schools).

Grant ideas:

  • Training teachers and students in restorative practices, building trust
  • Training teachers in facilitation of class meetings, conducting difficult conversations
  • Provide students and parents with “Homeside” activities (video cameras to tape short interviews at home to share at school)
  • Support and expand character education activities
  • Bullying prevention programs
  • Create unique spaces that foster community (e.g. updating the high school cafeteria)

Promoting Successful Learning: Closing Performance Gaps

The concept: The U.S. Department of Education describes the achievement gap as “the difference in academic performance between different ethnic groups.” Though this is a concise and useful definition, the achievement gap is, in fact, a multifaceted problem that requires examination from multiple perspectives.

Grant ideas:

  • Purchase of intervention programs in reading and mathematics (district approved)
  • Training for intervention teachers
  • Successful differentiation in instruction
  • Customized educational plans based on student interest and need
  • Teacher study/practice group on engaging different types of learners
  • Purchase of programs and curriculum for acceleration of advanced learners
  • Support a study group or provide differentiated training in culturally responsive instructional practices

Transformative Educational Practices

The concept: Creating learning experiences that engage students in new ways through the use of practices and tools that move well beyond traditional classroom practices and help to create skills for the 21st century.

Grant ideas:

  • Provide training and resources to launch or expand experiential, service, or project-based learning
  • Technology in the classroom that brings each instructional space to the district standard
  • Mobile lab of iPads
  • Training for teachers in the use of iPads and ePub in the classroom
  • Purchase of management tools to support project-based learning (Project Foundry)
  • Provide SMART Board training for teachers
  • Training and tools to implement flipped classrooms, blended courses, and online courses

Funding Policy and Criteria

The following policies and criteria are taken from the official SEED bylaws.

General Policies / Operating Assumptions

  1. SEED awards are made in conjunction with the school district administrative team and the Shorewood School Board.
  1. SEED awards are consistent with Shorewood School District policies and procedures.
  2. SEED awards are consistent with Shorewood School District goals and priorities.
  3. Both the SEED Board and the Shorewood School Board shall approve any stipulations associated with donations. SEED and the School Board reserve the right to disallow any donations that have unapproved stipulations.
  4. SEED awards are not made for school-based projects not otherwise supported by the Shorewood School District. Receiving a SEED award does not commit the District to maintain or continue to support a project.
  5. The SEED Board will not discriminate in the administration of awards on the basis of sex, race, religion, national origin, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, or physical, mental, emotional or learning disability or handicap.

Criteria for Awards

  1. Has an educational focus.
  2. Is consistent with funding priorities set by SEED and the School Board.
  3. There is a demonstrated need for the project.
  4. Students are positively impacted by the project.
  5. The project has the potential for long-term impact on the Shorewood School District and students.
  6. The project is reasonable, feasible, and has well-defined goals.
  7. The budget provides thorough information about the costs associated with the project.

What is NOT funded

  1. Personnel or salary costs
  2. Awards for programs that will not be supported by the District.
  3. Awards for programs that dictate curriculum changes without prior approval from appropriate levels of the District.
  4. Awards inconsistent with District priorities or policies.
  5. Awards that are already contained in and approved as part of the normal operating budget of the district.

Procedure and Timeline

Overview

  • November/December: Priorities are developed and finalized
  • January: Request for Proposals (Grant Proposal Packet) is available
  • Deadline for Proposals: April 20, 2013
  • May/June: Proposals evaluated and applicants notified of awards
  • June – Coordination of purchasing with district
  • January 1 of following year: First Project Evaluation is due
  • June 1 of following year: Second Project Evaluation is due

Details

  1. Each November, the SEED Awards Committee, consulting with appropriate parties, including liaisons from the School Board, the district administration, and the district teachers, will identify a set of priorities for funding. The Awards Committee will distribute the list of priorities to the SEED Board for approval. The priorities are submitted to the Shorewood School Board for their approval in December/January.
  1. Each January, request for proposals (Grant Proposal Packet) will be distributed to each school, placed at the Shorewood Public Library for distribution to the community, and posted on the SEED website,
  2. Those wishing to submit proposals for funding will be asked to complete a Project Information Worksheet, a Project Budget Worksheet, a letter of endorsement from the applicant’s principal or a district administrator, and a written grant proposal containing a Project Description and Project Need, Population Served, Timeline, Goals, Methods to Achieve Goals, Anticipated Outcomes, and Detailed Budget.
  3. The deadline for proposals is 4:00 P.M. on Friday, April 20, 2013. Applications submitted after this deadline will NOT be reviewed.
  4. The SEED Awards Committee will meet to review proposals, using a uniform evaluation-scoring sheet (see Proposal Evaluation Scoring Sheet, Page 13.)

  1. The SEED Awards Committee will review the proposals, consulting with appropriate parties, including liaisons from the School Board, the district administration, and the district teachers, and make recommendations to the SEED Board.
  2. The SEED Board will make recommendations for funding to the Shorewood School Board.
  3. The SEED Board President and/or grants committee chair will notify accepted applicants of their award. Accepted awards will be posted on the web site.
  4. The SEED Board President and/or grants committee chair will notify those applicants whose proposals were not funded.
  5. Grant awardees must complete a Project Evaluation Form (Page 14) as a progress report, due each January 1 and June 1. The same form may be used to evaluate the final project. The evaluation form will be distributed to the School Board as a form of accountability for the project.
  6. Each May, SEED will provide a full report to the SEED Board. Each June, the same report will be presented to the School Board. The annual report will consist of funds raised, number of proposals received, number of awards allocated, number of awards completed, and total dollars distributed.

Examples of Past Funded Projects

The following list is a representative sample of past funded projects. A complete list can be found on the SEED website, shorewoodseed.org

  • Lab Equipment for SHS and AP Physics, $6,039.00
  • Mobile Computer Lab for Lake Bluff, $15,837.50 (SEED funded 50% of the project with Lake Bluff PTO funding the other 50%)
  • Wireless Mobile Lab for SIS Social Studies, $31,054.28
  • Spanish Video Portfolios: $6,329.55 for hardware and accessories to compile Spanish Video Portfolios (AT, LB and SIS)
  • Technology for Family and Consumer Education at SHS, $2,746.46
  • Computer lab for SHS Social Studies, $19,442, for students to access real-time information and online resources
  • Technology in Art, $21,919.42, for computers, software, and digital photography equipment for all 4 schools
  • Building a Bridge to Fitness: Merging Technology with Physical Education, $18,585.96 for geocaching equipment, 2 Dance Dance Revolution systems, and 2 game bikes
  • Communicate Mathematics: $2200 for 2 opaque projectors for mathematics programs at SIS
  • Technology updates for exclusive use of Learning Disability Program (SHS) $3,011.98
  • Software updates for Lake Bluff Lab $5,363.88
  • Crosswalk safety signs for streets around Atwater School, plus storage container $885.00
  • Wireless Mobile Lab to support new science curriculum (SIS) $25,023.99

….and others….

Project Information Cover Sheet

Application Date:

Project Title:

Project Synopsis:
[PLEASE WRITE A ONE-PARAGRAPH DESCRIPTION OF YOUR PROJECT THAT IS SUITABLE FOR USE IN SEED PUBLICITY AND COMMUNICATIONS MATERIALS]

Grant Request ($):

Total Project Budget (if different from Grant Request) ($):

School(s) Impacted:

Number of Students Impacted:

Proposed Project Start Date:Expected Project Duration:

Primary Applicant:

Address:

City/Village:State/ZIP Code:

Home Phone:Business Phone:

Email:Profession:

Secondary Applicant:

Address:

City/Village:State/ZIP Code:

Home Phone:Business Phone:

Email:Profession:

Please attach separate sheet for additional applicants.

Project Endorsed By (Name of building principal(s) or district administrator(s)

Project Budget Worksheet

Item / Description / Unit Cost / Quantity / Total Cost / Vendor
TOTAL / $

Any other sources of funding not requested by this proposal but which will contribute to this project? (If so, please list here):

Notes/Comments:

Proposal Application Outline

INSTRUCTIONS: Please complete the written proposal in the following order. All proposals should be printed on 8.5x11 paper using double spacing and 12pt font. Proposals must be accompanied by a letter of endorsement from a building principal or district administrator who can speak to the need and relevance of the project and its feasibility. Please provide (4) copies of your complete grant application.

Cover Sheet with Project Synopsis
  • Please complete the provided cover sheet, including a one-paragraph project synopsis that is suitable for use in SEED communications, marketing, and publicity materials.
Project Description
  • Description: Describe the project in detail
  • Need for project: Include a general statement of how this project will enhance the educational opportunities of the Shorewood Public School students it will serve
  • Population served: Describe who will benefit, including the numbers and grade level(s) of students who will be served, both directly and indirectly by the project
  • Timeline: Include the expected beginning and ending dates for the project
Statement of Goals
  • What educational goals will be addressed by this project?
Methods to Achieve Goals
  • What will you do to achieve your goals and how will you carry out these activities? Be as specific and descriptive as possible. Length of description is not important, but clarity of description is very important.
Anticipated Outcomes
  • Impact of Project: As specifically as possible, describe the impact of the project on student learning and education
  • Future Plans: Describe how completion of this project will continue to enhance learning. If you are requesting purchase of re-usable materials, describe how these materials may be used in the future.

Budget

  • Line-Item budget. Please include the completed Budget Worksheet and any additional descriptive or supplementary materials.
  • Other funding sources: If you know of other possible or known funding sources, please describe them
  • Other needs not covered by the budget: The timeline, budget, resources needed not covered by the project budget (e.g., staff time, space needs, etc)

Proposal Evaluation Scoring Sheet

The following criteria and scoring method will be used by SEED when evaluating proposals.

Points Awarded

1.Project Description AND GOALS30 points
a.Educational focus
b.Clarity of the project
c.Clearly stated goals
d.Clearly stated methods
e.Clearly stated outcomes
2.Consistent with Priorities15 points
3.Demonstrated need for the project15 points
a.Local need cited
b.Placed within context of district/school needs
4.Number of students impacted by the project15 points
a.Number of students impacted

b.Impact district-wide

c.Students indirectly affected (after project ends)

5.Potential for long term impact10 points

a.Anticipated outcomes delineated

b.Impact is reasonable given project

6.Reasonable, feasible, and is well planned15 points

a.Reasonable time line

b.Cost is appropriate to project

c.Project staff are qualified

d.Budget is itemized

TOTAL: 100 points

Project Evaluation Form

Due January 1 and June 1 following acceptance of the prop0sal.

Name(s) ______

Date of Report______

Grant Title______

Semester Awarded______

Amount of Grant Award______

Completion date (or anticipated)

1. What activities have you undertaken in your project?

2. Have you had any unexpected barriers, problems or concerns as you have initiated your project?

3. Is your project proceeding according to the timeline you submitted with your proposal? If not, what have been the time delays?

4. Is your project proceeding according to the budget we approved for your project?
If not, please explain the differences?

5. How many students have been served or impacted by your project?

6. What do you see as the long-range effects of your project?

7. What other comments do you have to share with SEED?

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