Grant Writing Workshop

Oxford Area School DistrictFebruary 12, 2009

Susan Melrath and Etha McDowell

OEF

Oxford Educational FoundationPO Box 142Oxford, PA 19363620-932-7200

Agenda

OEF Professional Grants• Checklist• Deadline

How to Write Grant Requests

Where to look for Grants

What OEF can Offer

OEF Professional GrantsOEF

Oxford Educational Foundation PO Box 142 Oxford, PA 19363 610-932-7200

To: Professional Staff in Oxford Area School District (OASD)

From: Oxford Educational Foundation (OEF), Jim McLeod, President

RE: OEF Grants for the Calendar Year 2009

This is the 9th year that the OEF is soliciting proposals for Grants developed by professional staff in the OASD. Requests for funding should be consistent with the mission statement of the OASD. The requests must be reviewed, endorsed and approved by the building administrator, must be outside the budget established by the Oxford Board of School Directors, and must reach the desk of Dr. Raymond A. Fischer, OASD Superintendent and member of the OEF, no later than 4 o’clock PM, Friday February 27, 2009. Electronic (or email) submissions are preferred. The OEF plans to make decisions on the grant applications no later than March 31, 2009. Preference will be given to proposals in the range of $250-$1,500. Pilot programs that have the potential for being replicated and incorporated into future school budgets are encouraged. No grants will be given for professional stipends. All requests must include a provision for evaluation and assessment, and a budget that would expend the entire grant by June 30, 2010. The grant recipient shall forward an assessment and evaluation report that measures the success of the project to the OEF and the building administrator no later than April 30, 2010. Checklist requirements for funding:

Sponsor (professional participants) Duration of the program or project Number of students and name of building involved Provision for evaluation and assessment Amount of funding requested Disbursement schedule Approval by building administrator Delivered to Dr. Fischer by February 27, 2009

(Date Received ____________________) ANY PROPOSAL THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE ALL CHECKLIST ITEMS WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY REJECTED!!! A Grant writing session will be offered January 7, 2009 at 2:30 and 3:45 to offer tips on successful applications for OEF and other grants. More information will be provided later. If more information is needed, please contact Dr. Fischer at 610-932-6666 or rfischer@oxford.k12.pa.us.

OEF Professional Grants

,

Request for OEF Grant for the Calendar Year 2008

Sponsors:

Gail Roberts (Penn's Grove Reading Specialist), Kathleen Wagoner (Penn's Grove Librarian), Angela Wilbanks (Penn's Grove 7th Grade Language Arts teacher)

Proposal:

We are requesting money to purchase books for Literature Circles activities for 7th grade students. The students will be reading novels and nonfiction on the theme of immigration. This theme ties in with the 7th grade Social Studies curriculum. Seventh graders study Geography. One of the five main themes of Geography is Movement - how and why people move. Of course, immigration is a current issue and one that is important to some of our students. Our students will be reading about immigration during different time periods in history and will be able to discover that issues being discussed today are similar to concerns of the past.

The use of Literature Circles is considered to be a "Best Practice" in education. Our Language Arts Department has been reading and discussing a book Literature Circles in Middle School with the goal of implementing some Literature Circles activities in Penn's Grove. During Literature Circles, students discuss books in small groups and complete assignments with the guidance of the teacher. Students have the opportunity to practice their reading skills in a format that also allows them to interact with their peers, something that is important to middle school students. Conversations during Literature Circles allow students to practice responding to each other in respectful, thoughtful ways and can allow students to see each other in a different light.

Mrs. Roberts will use the Literature Circles activities with students in her remedial classes. Her seventh grade students spend their Language Arts and Social Studies blocks with her. These materials will help reinforce reading strategies and Social Studies concepts for these students. Mrs. Roberts and Mrs. Wilbanks will also work together to pilot these materials and develop activities for one of the seventh grade teams. This will take place during the 2008-09 school year. In the future, these materials will be used by all 7 grade Language Arts teachers. In addition, after implementing the Literature Circles with the 7th graders, we plan to look for materials for 8th graders on a different theme. During the 2008-09 school year approximately 100 students will be reading these books.

All students involved will be reading the nonfiction selection. We want our students to have more experience reading nonfiction because the ability to read this genre helps with future success in school, and much of real-life reading involves nonfiction materials. The students will have some choice in deciding which novels they will read. The novels we selected are all by highly regarded, well-known authors. In addition, there are Accelerated Reader (AR) tests available for these books, so that students will be able to earn points for their AR goals by reading these materials.

Under Mr. Hamburg's direction, the Penn's Grove faculty will be moving in the direction of more co-teaching. This project would encourage-co-teaching because Mrs. Roberts and Mrs. Wilbanks will be helping other teachers implement the Literature Circles activities in the future.

OEF Professional Grants

, . .-

A committee of teachers has been and will be involved in the 'selection of materials for Literature Circles. In addition to Gail Roberts, Kathleen Wagoner, and Angela Wilbanks, three other teachers are on the committee: Joyce Sutton (Special Education teacher), Wynne Milner (ATP teacher), and Chris Grouzes (8th grade Language Arts teacher).

D u ra t io n o f p ro je c t : Five classes will each spend approximately three weeks using the books during the 08-

09 schoolyear. In the future, 13 seventh grade classes will be using the materials.

N u m b e r o f s tu d e n ts in v o lv e d : Approximately 100 Penn's Grove students will be involved during the 08-09 school

year. If the project is as successful as we expect it to be, eventually all Penn's Grove students will participate in Literature Circles activities.

P ro v is io n fo r e v a lu a tio n a n d a s se s s m e n t : Mr. Hamburg will observe some of the activities. Students will be evaluated on their

participation in the discussion groups and -comprehension of the materials through the use of rubrics which will be shared with the students before the activities begin. Mrs. Roberts and Mrs. Wilbanks will evaluate the activities and make changes accordingly in how the materials will be used in the future. Students' reactions to the activities will be taken into account. A report will be submitted to OEF at the end of the 08-09 School year.

M a te r ia ls R e q u e s te d :

35 copies - Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan ($11.56 each Follett Bound) 35 copies - Letters From Rifka by Karen Hesse ($11.56 each F ollett Bound) 35 copies - Maggie's Door by Patricia Reilly Giff ($4.22 each Follett paperback) 35 copies - Immigrant Kids by Russell Freedman ($12.55 each-Perma-Bound)

Follett Bound and Perma-Bound editions are covered paperbacks that last longer than - regular paperbacks but are less expensive than hardcover books. We would prefer getting the Follett Bound or Perma-Bound editions, but have requested Maggie's Door paperback to stay within the $1,500 OEF grant limit.

A m o u n t o f fu n d in g re q u e s te d : Ms. Wagoner has done research to find competitive prices for the materials. All of the

money will be used to purchase books. Neither company charges for shipping. The total amount requested is $1,396.15. This amount is based on current prices as of March 25, 2008.

D isb u rse m e n t s c h e d u le :

Penn's Grove School will order these materials with a 'school-district purchase order as soon as the g ra n t is approved so that the materials will be available for the 08-09 school year.

How to Write Grants

General Format

Common Grant Application Form

Specific Grantor Forms

On-line Form

Grantor Instruction

How to Write Grants

General Format1. Executive Summary:

• umbrella statement of your case and summaryof the entire proposal (1 page)

2. Statement of Need:• why this project is necessary (2 pages)

3. Project Description:• nuts and bolts of how the project will be implemented

and evaluated (3 pages)

How to Write Grants

General Format (Continued)4. Budget:

• financial description of the project plus explanatory notes (1 page)

5. Organization Information:• history and governing structure of the nonprofit; its

primary activities, audiences, and services (1 page)

6. Conclusion:• summary of the proposal‘s main points (2 paragraphs)

How to Write GrantsCommon Grant Application Form

– Found at http://www.dvg.org/ Delaware Valley Grantmakers– Checklist

A completed Grant Application Cover Summary with contact information? A copy of the IRS letter confirming your organization’s 501(c )(3) status? A completed Grant Proposal Narrative not exceeding five (5) typed pages (excluding

attachments)? An itemized annual budget for your organization’s current fiscal year, with actual figures for

the previous fiscal year? An itemized budget, listing income and expenses, for this specific grant? Your organization’s most recent AUDITED financial statement or IRS Form 990? List of three largest funders in the last fiscal year and type of grant? Your organization’s latest annual report or summary of the prior year’s activities? Current Board list and affiliations? One-paragraph descriptions of key staff and their relevant qualifications? Grantee report (if previously funded)? Letters of agreement from any collaborating agencies (if applicable), and letters of support

and/or recent reviews or articles (if available)?

How to Write Grants• Common Grant Application Form

– Used by the following FoundationsWebsite

1675 Foundation drowe@1675foundation.org No www.1675foundation.orgARAMARK irvin-donna@aramark.com Yes www.aramark.com The Bennett Family Foundation tchapin@millcreekcap.com No www.bennettfoundation.org Brandyw ine Health Foundation info@brandywinefoundation.org Yes www.brandywinefoundation.org Chester County Community Foundation info@chescocf.org Yes www.chescocf.org Connelly Foundation vkflaville@connellyfdn.org Yes www.connellyfdn.org Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation renz@duanemorris.com Yes n/a

Farber Family Foundation ekurtzman@aol.com No n/a

Samuel S. Fels Fund helenc@samfels.org Yes www.samfels.org Fourjay Foundation info@fourjay.org No www.fourjay.org Foundations Community Partnership rbernstein@fcpartnership.org No http://www.fcpartnership.org/Green Tree Community Health Foundation susanhansen@chhcfoundation.org No http://www.chhcfoundation.org/The Grundy Foundation ejw@grundyfoundation.com Yes www.grundyfoundation.com/ Frank & Marie Hamilton Charitable Trust jkaplan@E-ALB.com n/a

The HBE Foundation Bmbrown9999@aol.com Yes n/a

Stew art Huston Charitable Trust admin@stewarthouston.org Yes www.stewarthuston.org/ IBM Corporation dmelley@us.ibm.com No www.ibm.com/ibm/ibmgives/ Lancaster Osteopathic Health Foundation scody@lohfoundation.org No http://www.lancasterosteopathichealthfoundation.org/The Lenfest Foundation lenfestfoundation@lenfestfoundation.org Yes www.lenfestfoundation.org The Lida Foundation discern@bellatlantic.net No n/a

McLean Contributionship SandraLMcL@aol.com Yes www.fdncenter.org/grantmaker/mclean The New Century Trust newcenturytrust@verizon.net No

Oxford Area Foundation jware234@aol.com No n/a

PNC Foundation Rebecca.Quinn-Wolf@pnc.com Yes www.pnc.com Prudential 215/784-8147 Yes http://www.prudential.com/community/Quaker Chemical Fdn 610/832-4301 No http://www.quakerchem.com/St. Christopher's Foundation for Children 267/568-1126 Yes http://www.scfchildren.orgTD Bank 888/751-9000 No http://w w w .tdbank.com/communityrelations/

Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health Fdn. 215/831-3000 Yes www.scattergoodfoundation.org Subaru of America Foundation, Inc. foundation@subaru.com Yes www.subaru.com Rosenlund Family Foundation n/a Yes n/a

Union Benevolent Association info@uba1831.org Yes www.uba1831.orgThe Vanguard Group Foundation tami_wise@vanguard.com Yes n/a

Waste Management Inc. grush@wm.com Yes www.wm.com Woosnam Family Foundation rwoosnam@innovestgrp.com Yes n/a

610/669-6331

215/428-3255

215/545-5505

cdelgado@scattergoodfoundation.org 856/488-5099

Unlisted

215/763-7670

paula.wengerd@yesbank.com

610/932-4627

215/585-5152

weston.somerville@prudential.com patricia_green@quakerchem.com jss@scfchildren.org

610/828-4510

215/247-5578

610/527-6330x1

215/735-7593

215/788-5460

215/587-0818

610/688-0143

610/384-2666

610/578-2258

717/397-8722

267/895-1740

215/248-4243

610/696-8211

610/834-3222

215/979-1768

215/569-9900

215/731-9455

215-830-1438

610/983-9114

610/380-9080

Grantmaker Phone Email

AcceptCRF?

610/896-3868

215/238-3271

How to Write GrantsSpecific Grantor Forms

• Online Forms– Go to the Grantor Website and download or Copy and Paste

• Specific Grantor Instructions– Follow all of the rules exactly! This is the number two reason that a

grant application is denied. – Do not miss a deadline - even by one hour. – Use the terminology that they request. Speak their language. – Use a dispassionate proofreader - if you are sloppy with grammar, you

indicate that you will not be a careful steward of the foundation's money.

– Provide all of the forms requested. Do not exceed the length they specify.

Where to look for Grants

• Professional Organizations– Networking Leads– Organization grants

• Ex: PDE grants

• Web– Delaware Valley Grantmakers (http://www.dvg.org/)– Chester County Community Foundation (

http://www.chescocf.org/Index.htm)– Web search with <Grants Public Education>

What OEF can Offer

• Partnering if you need a 501(1)(c)(3) organization– Required by some Grantors

• PA Foundations Online– Extensive list of all Pennsylvania Foundations– $250 annual fee

• EITC– the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC), provides companies

with a 75% tax credit for donations to a non-profit scholarship or educational improvement organization

– OEF initial efforts with Brian Urig, HS chemistry