Monday, July 9, 2012

Volume 5, Issue 7 July 9

Dear Education Leaders,

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Volume 5, Issue 7
July 9, 2012

Yes, Some Schools Are More Eligible for Grants

by Don Peek

The hard truth is that some of the worst schools in the country get the most grant money. It seems like a tragedy to me, but if you have a low socio-economic population and poor test scores, it is usually easier for you to get funding. Thank goodness there is a recent trend to break up schools that consistently perform poorly. The students in this country deserve better.

If you are from a low-performing school (next time, I'll discuss higher-performing schools), I suggest that you focus on three areas to improve your school: leadership, attendance and reading. You should be able to find grant money in all three categories.

While a good superintendent is important for the overall academic performance of a district, it is the building principal that must provide strong leadership for a campus. Yes, you can have a weak principal and still have individual teachers who perform well, but you must have a strong principal for widespread success. While grants can be written to try to improve the performance of a weak principal, I feel that it is better to find someone with a proven track record.

The second problem that most low-performing must correct is poor attendance. It is impossible to teach students anything when they are not present in your classroom. Many low-performing schools have poor attendance overall and pockets of downright neglect. You should be able to write grants that help you center in on the problems that cause poor attendance and also look for incentives to help students want to attend school.

Finally, if you are ever going to turn a low-performing school around, you have to aggressively attack your reading problems. Most low-performing schools have students with reading levels two or more years below the norm. If this is the case in your school, you will make very little academic progress until you raise those reading scores.

Reading is fundamental to academic success. It is fundamental to student self-esteem. It is fundamental to all future academic growth. If your library is not well-stocked with interesting books on an appropriate level, you need to write a grant. If your school does not block out time for students to read silently every day, you need to write a grant. If students are not aware of the level on which they read and don't know how to choose appropriate books according to that level, you need to write a grant.

It is difficult enough to teach students these days when everything in your school is working well. If you have poor leadership, poor attendance or poor reading scores, it will be almost impossible for you to transform from a low-performing school into even an average school. It is imperative that you identify these problems in your school, make plans to change your current patterns, and write grants to fund these changes.

I always loved being a principal, but when I became a principal at a low-performing school, it was absolutely essential that I attacked attendance problems and revamped our overall reading program, so that every student practiced reading appropriate-level books for an hour each day. I know from firsthand experience how to turn around a campus:

  1. Improve your leadership
  2. Improve attendance
  3. Improve your reading scores
If you start with these three key components, you have a very good chance of actually improving your school.

It is easiest to find the grant money you need using the following grant databases:

http://www.schoolfundingcenter.net    (all school grants of all types)
http://www.grants.gov                       (all federal grants for schools)
http://www.foundationcenter.org        (all foundation grants for schools)
50 state education agency sites           (state grant listings for schools in that state)

Don Peek is former educator and past president of the training division of Renaissance Learning. He now runs The School Funding Center, a company that provides grant information and grant-writing services to schools. Learn more about The School Funding Center at the bottom of this newsletter.

 

Grant Name:
7-12 Math and Science Grants

Funded by:
Toshiba America Foundation

Description:
The mission of Toshiba America Foundation is to promote quality science and mathematics education in U.S. schools. Grants are made for programs and activities that improve teaching and learning in science and mathematics, grades K-12. The Foundation focuses its grant making on inquiry-based projects designed by individual teachers, and small teams of teachers, for use in their own classrooms.

Program Areas:
General Education, Math, Science/Environment, Technology

Recipients:
Public School, Private School, Other

Proposal Deadline:
8/1/12 for Grades 7-12, 10/1/12 for Grades K-6

Average Amount:
$9,500.00 - $17,000.00

Telephone:
303-449-4893

Email:
foundation@tai.toshiba.com

Website:
http://www.taf.toshiba.com

Availability:
All States

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Grant Name:
Mockingbird Foundation Educational Grants

Funded by:
The Mockingbird Foundation

Description:
Grants given to support K-12 music education on a national basis. Education may include the provision of instruments, texts, and office materials, and the support of learning space, practice space, performance space, and instructors/instruction. Mockingbird is particularly interested in projects that foster self-esteem and free expression, but does not typically fund music therapy (which is not education) or music appreciation (which does not include participation). The Foundation is interested in targeting children 18 years or younger, but will consider projects which benefit college students, teachers, instructors, or adult students. In addition, the Foundation is particularly (though not exclusively) interested in programs which benefit disenfranchised groups, including those with low skill levels, income, or education.

Program Areas:
Arts, At-Risk/Character, All Other

Recipients:
Public School, Private School

Proposal Deadline:
8/1/12

Average Amount:
$50.00 - $5,000.00

Email:
grants@mbird.org

Website:
http://www.mbird.org/funding/guidelines

Availability:
All States

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Grant Name:
Art Works Grants

Funded by:
National Endowment for the Arts

Description:
The purpose of "Art Works" grants is to support the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and the strengthening of communities through the arts. Within this category, all Arts Education projects will have Learning as their primary outcome. Innovative projects are strongly encouraged. Grants generally range from $10,000 to $100,000.

Program Areas:
Arts

Recipients:
Public School, Private School, Higher Education, Other

Proposal Deadline:
8/9/12

Average amount:
$10,000.00 - $100,000.00

Website:
http://www.arts.gov/grants/apply/GAP13/ArtsEdAW.html

Availability:
All States

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Grant Name:
Aetna Foundation Grants

Funded by:
Aetna Foundation

Description:
We focus our grant-making on issues that improve health and the health care system in the following three areas: Obesity: Addressing the rising rate of obesity among U.S. adults and children. Racial and Ethnic Health Care Equity: Promoting equity in health and health care for common chronic conditions and infant mortality. Integrated Health Care: Advancing high-quality health care by improving care coordination and communications among health care professionals; creating informed and involved patients; and promoting cost-effective, affordable care.

Program Areas:
Health/PE

Recipients:
Public School, Private School, Higher Education, Other

Proposal Deadline:
8/15/12

Average Amount:
$5,000.00 - $150,000.00

Email:
aetnafoundation@aetna.com

Website:
http://www.aetna.com/about-aetna-insurance/aetna-foundation/aetna-grants/grants-for-2010-and-beyond.html

Availability:
All States

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Grant Name:
American Honda Foundation Grants

Funded by:
The American Honda Foundation

Description:
Organizations working in the areas of youth and scientific education may be eligible for grants from the American Honda Foundation. Our policy is to seek out those programs and organizations with a well-defined sense of purpose, demonstrated commitment to making the best use of available resources and a reputation for accomplishing their objectives. The American Honda Foundation will make grants in the field of youth and scientific education to: Educational institutions, K-12. Accredited higher education institutions (colleges and universities). Community colleges and vocational or trade schools. Scholarship and fellowship programs at selected colleges and/or universities or through selected national, non-profit organizations. Other scientific and education-related non-profit, tax-exempt organizations. Gifted student programs. Youth educational or scientific programs or institutions. Educational radio and/or television stations or networks. Films, movies, film strips, slides and/or short subjects concerning youth and/or scientific education. College, university or other non-profit laboratories engaged in scientific education. Private, non-profit scientific and/or youth education projects. Other non-profit, tax-exempt institutions in the fields of youth and scientific education. Programs pertaining to academic or curriculum development that emphasize innovative educational methods and techniques.

Program Areas:
General Education, Science/Environment, TAG, Technology

Recipients:
Public School, Private School, Higher Education, Other

Proposal Deadline:
8/1/12

Average Amount:
$40,000.00 - $80,000.00

Telephone:
310-781-4090

Website:
http://corporate.honda.com/images/banners/america/AHF_brochure.pdf

Availability:
All States

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In each issue, Don Peek recommends a Web resource, book, software program, or another useful tool of interest to the grants community.

This month's pick is a Web site: Teacher Grant Websites

This site contains a good list of grant resources for teachers. It's free and easy to use. Take a look.

 

The Education World Grants Newsletter is written by Don Peek, former educator and past president of the training division of Renaissance Learning. He now runs The School Funding Center, a company that provides grant information and grant-writing services to schools. The School Funding Center Grant Database attempts to list every grant available to schools across the United States. It is updated daily and currently contains more than 110,000 grant opportunities worth more than $6.5 billion.

If you are serious about getting grant money for your school, you may want to subscribe to The School Funding Center Grant Database.
12-month subscription: $397.00
6-month subscription: $249.00
2-month subscription: $ 99.00
When you order the 12-month subscription, you get a copy of Write Successful Grants for Your School: A Step-by-Step Guide, a grant-writing manual by Don Peek, free with your subscription.

Order your subscription today!

  • Use a credit card to order your subscription online
  • Call in your credit card order to 1-877-856-7400
  • Fax your order to 1-903-856-5272 (signed purchase order required)
  • Mail your order to The School Funding Center, 449 Rusk Street, Pittsburg, TX 75686

    Don't forget that you can do limited free searches in our huge school grant database by going to http://www.schoolfundingcenter.com.

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