Just Ask! GETTING FUNDING FOR YOUR CLASSROOM

Getting Classroom Funding Wikipage Wiki set up to give you tips and locations of grants. Contains  PowerPoint Presentation  Information contained in presentation  Examples of grants I have written Visit it, add to it, post your success stories!!

So... What’s My Point? Funding Is Out There!!!

THIS IS NOT HARD!!! Everything that I’m going to talk about today consists of: Small grants Easy to write Easy to follow up

Where to Find Funding DonorsChoose.org Target Fieldtrip Grants Community Partners Additional Resources

DonorsChoose.org Eligibility Full-time, "front-line" educators at public schools (charter schools and preschools tied to the public school system work also) (i.e. classroom teachers, librarians, guidance counselors) NO: Administrators, part-time educators, assistants, student teachers, staff developers, and volunteers

DonorsChoose: What You Need to Get Started Photo Can be any type of photo (but NO clip art). Does not have to contain students but if it does - students’ faces should not be clearly visible. Pictures of students should be taken from a distance or with their faces turned. (NEW RULE) About 15 minutes to set up account

DonorsChoose.org How It Works (straight from their website) Submit a Project It’s simple to register – tell us where you teach and confirm that you can receive our s. Then upload a photo that provides a window into your classroom. And voilà! You’re ready to submit a project! Our system allows you to find what you need online, and you choose the exact materials you need for YOUR classroom. Next, you’ll aim to inspire donors by describing what you need, why you need it, and how your project will change your students' lives for the better. Donors Choose Every day projects are funded on our site, and yours could be next! Word to the wise: projects under $400 have the best chance of being funded. Check back often – a donor may leave a personal message for you and your classroom letting you know why he or she chose to give to your project. Send thanks If (dare we say when?) your project is funded, we ship the materials straight to your school. In return, you and your students will write thank-you letters and take photographs of the project in action. We’ll share your thanks with your donors, who love to see the impact of their gifts!

Hints and Tips about Getting Funded on DC Play the Corporate Funding Game Corporations are giving a ton of money to DonorsChoose!!  Matching Grants (1/2 Funding, Almost Home)  Contests (Sonic Limeades for Learning, Yahoo Pages for Homerooms) Make sure you are aware of what Corporate funding is available and make sure that your grant matches what they want.

Hints and Tips about Getting Funded on DC Look here to see what type of corporate funding opportunities are available.

Hints and Tips about Getting Funded on DC Make sure you sign up for any affiliations that you are eligible for. This enters you into contests sponsored by the various corporations.

Hints and Tips about Getting Funded on DC Small Grants Get Funded Faster Grants under $400 get funded faster Break up your grants into parts to keep them under $400  Example  Putting on Your Listening Ears - 12 Headphones  Putting on Your Listening Ears (Part 2) – 13 Headphones

Hints and Tips about Getting Funded on DC Market Yourself Facebook – DonorsChoose can automatically connect to your Facebook account so that anytime there is activity on your grant it posts a message. – all of your contacts and let them know about your grant. Tell them to forward it on to anyone they think would be interested. In text of explain what DonorsChoose is, that donations are tax deductible and that you appreciate their help with your classroom. Word of Mouth – Tell everyone you know – you never know who might help. Contests – Get your students and parents help with any contests or spreading the word.

Hints and Tips about Writing Grants on DC BE SPECIFIC When you are writing your description of what you want – Be Specific. Say exactly what and how many items you need. Also be specific about how you are going to use the items in the classroom – student impact is huge.

Writing the Grant... Follow the Steps

Target Field Trip Grants Apply beginning August 1, 2011 for a grant for a field trip in the Spring of Awards approximately 5500 grants of up to $700.

Writing a Target Field Trip Grant Parts of Writing the Grant Name of Field Trip: Describe the field trip you would like to plan for your students. Please include the objectives of the trip and describe why the trip is needed. (2000 word max) Benefits of Proposed Field Trip* How will students benefit directly from the proposed field trip? How will the experience tie in to your curriculum? How will you measure student learning as it directly results from the field trip? (2000 word max) Cost Breakdown of Trip

Community Partnership Grants Locally-owned businesses are more likely to be able to help without going through a lot of paperwork. (Check with you local Chamber of Commerce for a list of member businesses. By joining the Chamber the business has already demonstrated that they are community minded.) ASK -- You never will get anything if you do not ask. For example: if you are out to eat at your favorite restaurant ask if they would like to donate some gift cards. They might say yes. Avoid asking at times when the management is really busy. If you can't speak with someone right then get the name and phone number of who you would need to speak with and call back later.

Writing a Letter for Community Partnerships Keep it short (no longer than one page) and put it on school letter head. Briefly describe why you are asking for help. Greetings! The staff at Graham Middle School is continually trying to improve our school and make it a better place for students to learn. This year we are trying to create a more positive atmosphere for learning by implementing a new Positive Behavior Support (PBS) program which rewards students for appropriate behavior and respectful interactions with others at school. We hope that the area businesses will help us in this endeavor by donating prizes to be used as incentives for the students. Our school budget is limited and prevents us from solely funding the PBS program. Graham Middle will be offering school-based incentives such as dance and sporting event passes, but we do need additional support from the community to make this program a success. We hope that you can help.

Writing a Letter for Community Partnerships Be specific about what you are asking for. We will happily accept any coupons, gift certificates, free passes, or merchandise that you can provide. In addition, you may make a monetary contribution to support our new program. All donations are tax- deductible. If you are able to contribute gift certificates, numerous certificates of small denominations are most useful.

Writing a Letter for Community Partnerships Include information about where to send the donation. If you have a donation that can be mailed, please forward it to: Graham Middle School c/o PBS Committee 311 East Pine Street Graham, NC If your donation can't be mailed or if you would prefer that it be picked up in person, please call the school at If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact the school and speak to one of the administrators. Thanks in advance for you support of Graham Middle School. Include your Tax ID # at the bottom of the letter so that the donation is tax deductible for the donor.

Follow Up Send a Thank You note for any items that you receive.

Additional Resources GRANT RESOURCES Grant Writing Tips  Teachers Count –Grant Search Engine  Grant Wrangler Search Engine 

Additional Resources GRANT SITES Best Buy Grants  communityrelations.com/community_grants_rfp.htm (Apply in July) communityrelations.com/community_grants_rfp.htm Lowe’s Building Grant  Jordan Fundamentals (Nike)  /guidelines.html /guidelines.html Kids in Need Grants (Elmer Glue) 