To fully understand your proposed project, your application should be submitted with as much description and detail as possible for our review. Where needed, please explain professional vernacular in terms friendly to lay people who are not educators.

  When completing the application, keep the following in mind for each section.

Let’s start with a list of areas that are not appropriate for the Foundation’s grants:

• Electronic technology requests are not accepted. This includes requests for computers, tablets, printers, mobile devices, and so on. Separate technology funding is provided each year by the SEF to each campus for electronic technology needs. If a proprietary device, not ordinarily found in a campus’s compliment of standard digital and computer technology, is a required component of your project, please be sure to explain its nature and why its utilization is required.
• Incentive items designed to increase enrollment or participation only will not be approved if they do not provide detailed information describing how this idea is innovative to the advancement of the students.

Statement of Need

• Describe the area of student achievement you wish to address and provide supporting data. Specify how your project addresses district and campus goals.
• Keep the statement simple and straight forward.
• Show how the project relates to the District/Campus Improvement Plan(s).

Objectives

• Limit the number of objectives.
• Describe how evaluation will be conducted in the statement of objectives.
• Be specific.
• Include a clear description of the proposed project/activity.
• Describe the problem or issue addressed.
• Show how the project supports the purpose.
• List steps to be followed in project implementation.
• Relate the project or need to your stated objectives.

Evaluation

• Your evaluation schema should clearly relate to stated objectives.
• Indicate how you will know whether the project was successful, and that your key objectives were met or exceeded.

Partners

• Explain the role of others in your projects, such as businesses, organizations, community groups, or other foundations, that will participate in this project. Examples might include the PTO, Lions Club, City of Shallowater, UMC, and similar supportive organizations.
• Describe what their roles and contributions will be.

Points to Remember

• Please only use your name on the application in the beginning where requested. Please do not include any district employee names throughout the remaining questions.
• Recall grants are to be used to fund projects that are not otherwise funded through the school or district.
• Likewise, funds will not be awarded for budgeted items/materials available from district resources.
• Objectives and outcomes should be consistent with the goals of your school and the district.
• Choose to apply for either a small or large grant, but not both.
• Innovative Teacher Grants should not be used to fund teacher training; we have a separate grant area and application for those needs. Thus, college courses, teacher stipends, and student/teacher travel are not allowable costs or expenses in Innovative Teaching Grants. Please see our Professional Development Grants for potential support which includes these types of goals and their related expenditures.
• When creating your budget, please research carefully and be realistic.
• Small grants are just as likely to be awarded as large grants. Partial funding will be considered.
• Recall that awarded projects must be fully implemented within the designated/current school year.

See also our Grant Guidelines