Grants Workshop What we fund How to receive funding What we expect from you Tips for a successful grant Grant Review Process

What We Fund

Foundation Grants The Issaquah Schools Foundation funds grants and programs that support students in building academic foundations, exploring limitless opportunities, and launching successfully into the future. We provide all teachers opportunities to fund projects that enrich education, fill unmet needs, and/or serve as incubators for innovation.

Types of grants available Classroom Enrichment Grants (<$3000) enhance the learning environment of individual classrooms, libraries, computer labs, resource centers and schools. Kateri Brow Big Idea Grants (>$3001) fund programs responding to a compelling need that reflects innovation in education.

Frequently Asked Questions Q: Can I apply for more than one grant at a time? A: While you may submit as many grant applications as you have ideas, the Foundation will award no more than two grants per applicant. Q: What if my program extends over multiple years? A: You may apply for funding for 3 years for the same grant, but then you must take a one year hiatus. Be advised that multiple year funding is never a guarantee! Q: Can I ask the Foundation to pay time for program implementation? A: Yes. However, when preparing your budget for teaching time, the Foundation uses the curriculum rate not the per diem rate. Please include the cost of benefits in the personnel cost on your budget.

Frequently Asked Questions Q: Are there any types of requests the Foundation will not fund? A: We do not fund any grant the ISD Cabinet does not deem appropriate and aligned with current district goals and curriculum. Q: Will the Foundation pay for Professional Development A: Yes and no. The Foundation will pay for groups to attend professional development opportunities that are approved by the district, but not individuals. Q: Will the Foundation sponsor my conference? A: No. The Foundation does not sponsor conferences.

Frequently Asked Questions Q: If I am awarded a grant, when will I receive funding? A:  The District is given the funds for distribution in February for use THIS or NEXT year.  Recipients may choose to purchase supplies immediately, or wait until the 2020-2021 school year begins.  (note: preference is that money be used sooner vs. later) You will access your funds through your building bookkeeper. Any funds not used by June 30, 2021 will be returned to the Foundation unless an exception has been approved by the foundation. Q: How many grants will the Foundation fund this year? A:  The number varies from year to year based on the quality and dollar amounts of applications received.  This years total grants budget is $60,000.

More questions about what we fund?

How to Receive Funding

STEPS Step 1: Complete your proposal: Template at www.isfdn.org. Step 2: Submit your Proposal by Tuesday, November 26, 2019 ONLINE at: http://isfdn.org/ Step 3: Receive Notification of Funding - You will be notified via email from me Step 4: Complete Grant Agreement Step 5: Complete a Final Report Final Reports must be completed by all grantees. Reports are due January 31 of the year following the grant award. (Extensions are provided if necessary.)

The online application You can access it through our Foundation website on the grants page. http://isfdn.org/our-purpose/promoting-professional- development/grants/ The link to apply for grants will lead you to the Smarter Select software we use for this process.

All grant requests: Need to be approved and signed off by a school principal or a District administrator ONLY accepted through our on-line system- http://isfdn.org/ Must show impact through outcomes

What we expect from you

Recipient Commitments Final Report Final Reports must be completed by all grantees. Reports are due January 31 of the year following the grant award. (Extensions are provided if necessary.) These reports include: Anecdotal quotes and stories from the program. Pictures of the program ‘in action’ that can be used in Foundation social media Any specific outcomes identified in the Grant Agreement. Successes, challenges and lessons learned.

Recipient Commitments Thank You Notes You will need to facilitate thank you notes from your students to our Issaquah Schools Foundation donors. We will provide you with note cards when you receive notification that your grant has been funded.

Tips for a successful grant

Grant writing best practices Begin with the end in mind – What are you wanting to accomplish and how will you measure success? Judges have many applications to review, so be concise and compelling. Your passion should be evident. Note: judges look carefully at requests for technology. They need to be closely tied to student learning. Review the judging rubric before you begin your application – the rubric will be posted on the Foundation website. Try not to use acronyms – not everyone will understand what you mean. We uses a blind judging format that requires you to keep the body of your application free of clues as to your school – please keep an eye out for accidental mention as to your location or student population. If you are unsure of what is required, please reach out to me. c.kennedy@isfdn.org

Review Process for Grants

Grant Review Process Classroom Enrichment Grants All grant applications are vetted by the ISD Applications are evaluated by the entire panel in a blind judging process. Judges discuss the applications as a panel and then independently score each grant. The top scoring applications receive funding. Grant Review Process Classroom Enrichment Grants

Grant Review Process Kateri Brow Grants All grant applications are vetted by the ISD KB Grants have 2 levels of review. 1. Applications are evaluated by the entire panel in a blind judging process. Judges discuss the applications as a panel and then narrow the number to the applications to those that received top scores. 2. The top scoring applications are asked to present their proposal to the judges. Scheduled for January 21, 2019 Following the presentations, judges rescore the grants and choose which grants will receive funding and at what level. Grant Review Process Kateri Brow Grants

Grant Announcements Grant awards will be announced on January 31, 2020 We would love your feedback on this process. Grant Announcements

Feel free to contact me if you think of other questions Thank you for your time! Feel free to contact me if you think of other questions Carolyn Kennedy c.kennedy@isfdn.org