Grants - SCSD Educational Foundation

Our purpose

Since its inception, the Syracuse City School District Educational Foundation has funded over $875,000 in education grants to schools throughout the District.

The Educational Foundation’s grants program has successfully provided funding for a wide array of educational resources ranging from educational technology, class programming aides, books, tutorial programs, supplies, instructional software programs, field trips, equipment, and the components necessary for presentations and classroom initiatives. An 11-person grants committee of the Board of Directors reviews all grants and presents their recommendations to the full board for approval.

Grant Application Schedule

The schedule for 2021-2022 grant applications and projects will be:

Applications Accepted Until Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Grant Announcements: Within two weeks of submission

Grant Project Completion Deadline: June 24, 2022

How To Apply

The SCSD Educational Foundation is pleased to announce that the 2021-2022 Grant Applications are now available. We are continuing our online application process, which makes applying for your grant much easier. The web-based application allows you to work at your own pace, save your work, and log on as many times as needed to complete and submit your materials. Only digitally submitted applications will be accepted.

The SCSD Educational Foundation accepts grant applications at any time during the year, and reviews and awards funds up to February 1st of each school year.

Instructions & Guidelines
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Instructions & Guidelines

HOW TO APPLY FOR A SCSD FOUNDATION GRANT

BRIEF:

Please review all instructions and guidelines carefully. Understanding the requirements of the grant process, how to complete the grant application, and what is expected by the Grants Committee is very important! We are always open to suggestions for improvements to make this process as easy as possible, and welcome feedback at teastman@scsdfoundation.org. We also encourage you to review our past grant projects on our website to get an idea of the wide diversity of excellent projects the Foundation Grants Committee has approved for funding, and use these as a guideline in developing your own project ideas.

Here are five important steps to follow when your are thinking of applying for an SCSD Educational Foundation Grant. Please review all 4 planning steps and the guidelines which are in Step 5.

PLEASE NOTE:

We are offering only online web-based applications for Foundation Grants. We hope this process makes it easier for applicants to review their projects, and it allows for you to save your progress and return to your application as many times as needed over any period of time to complete the work. If there are any issues or questions, please let us know….we want to hear from you so we can make improvements to this new system.

Step 1: What Is Your Project?

The most important part of submitting a grant application to the Foundation for consideration is to develop the ideas for a project that will support your efforts in educating and engaging students and encouraging them to learn and be creative. Projects must support the District’s Core Curriculum and must be approved by your school principal in order to be considered by the Foundation.

WHAT MAKES FOR A GOOD PROJECT?

Over the past 18 years the Foundation has approved over 375 incredibly creative and diverse projects including vegetable gardens, worm farms, robotic labs, murals, STEM programs, theater and music performances, reading contests, and so much more. A complete list of funded projects can be found here. This webpage offers a wonderful array of projects, videos, and examples of funded projects the Foundation was proud to support. A good project, and one that excites the members of our Grants Committee, is a project that engages the most students, encourages involvement with parents, provides creative opportunities for children to learn and develop skills, is easily replicated for future classes, or can be used in other schools and more than one grade level. If you have a project idea, and would like to discuss it with the Foundation before submitting your application, we encourage you to contact Dr. Tanya Eastman, our Interim Foundation Administrator for guidance via email at teastman@scsdfoundation.org.

WHAT NOT TO DO!

The Foundation Grants Committee understands the dramatic need for teaching materials, technology (computers, iPads, SmartBoards, etc), teaching aides, staff development, and books. However, the Foundation requires that any request for these types of materials be clearly linked and essential to the execution of the project being proposed and described in detail in the grant proposal. The Foundation also does not fund projects that are funded under the District’s annual operating budget, nor do we fund continuing education or development programs for teachers, staff, or administrators. Our role is to provided supplemental resources for projects that have the highest impact on students directly.

Please do not submit a grant application requesting funds for any type of technology (computers, ipads, software, or other hardware), without written approval from the SCSD Information Technology Department to ensure that your request is compatible with District servers, wireless systems, security, or service contracts. The Foundation does not have the authorization to approve technology requests. The Grants Committee will consult with the District IT department after receiving your application so inquiring ahead of time will save time, and avoid having your application returned to you for revisions. The contact person in the IT Department is Andrew Cramer at: acramer@scsd.us (or) 435-4281.

Step 2: Who Is On Your Team?

On your grant application, we ask you to provide the names of teachers, school leadership team members, and administrators that will be participating or directly involved with your project. Only one person will serve as the project contact for the Foundation, but the Grants Committee does take school teamwork into consideration when reviewing your application. Please give some thought to how your project will be administrated and the role that team members will play in the success of the project.

Step 3: What Is Your Project Budget?

After you’ve decided on a project and who will be on your project team, you’ll need to itemize what supplies, equipment, teaching tools, and reference materials you will need to complete the project and provide preferred vendors and estimated costs for each item. The Foundation purchases ALL materials for each funded grant, and the accuracy of your budget and “wish list” are critical to the grant approval process and the efficient purchasing of the materials you need.

BE SPECIFIC!

As part of the application review process, the Foundation Grants Committee will look carefully at your project budget and the materials that you have requested. Applications should include item descriptions, item numbers, vendors/sources, and pricing. The Grants Committee will not consider your application if the budget or “shopping list” is not specific or is incomplete.

We encourage all applicants to use the internet, SCSD purchasing and IT departments, and local vendors at your disposal to identify the specific materials, equipment, technology and supplies needed for your project. If you need assistance or are unsure of how or where to gather information regarding a specific product, you are encouraged to discuss it with Dr. Tanya Eastman, our Interim Foundation Administrator , prior to submitting your application.

FIELD TRIP NOTE:

If your project includes a field trip, please contact the destination for pricing on admission, meals, and tours. Bus transportation needs to be coordinated with the SCSD Transportation Department, and they can provide estimated pricing for buses and drivers. The Foundation makes payment arrangements directly with the destination and gets invoiced and pays the School District for your transportation services directly.

Step 4: Important Dates To Remember!

GRANT APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED THROUGH

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

GRANT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Within two weeks of submission date.

GRANT PROJECT COMPLETION DEADLINE

Project Coordinators must contact the Foundation if circumstances prevent a project from being completed by this due date.

Friday, June 24, 2022

Step 5: Important Guidelines!

Please read all of these application guidelines very carefully, then click the “Start Your Application” button at the bottom of this page which will take you to the beginning of the application form.

01.Applications and proposals must be submitted online. No hardcopy applications will be accepted. Application forms must be completely filled out and well‐organized.
02.Applicants must be employed in a full-time or part-time capacity by the Syracuse City School District. Outside contractors/sub-contractors, contract teaching assistants/educators, organizations, and businesses are not eligible to apply for or receive grant funding, unless included in a project budget and pre-approved for funding by the Foundation.
03.There is no minimum application amount, but applications will be only be considered for a maximum amount of $5,000. Project may include other sources of funding, or matches, and may have larger budgets. You will be asked in the application to identify all sources of funding and to indicate what specific support you are requesting from the Foundation. All correspondence from the SCSD Educational Foundation will be in the form of emails and telephone calls. Please make sure you provide an email address and mobile phone number that you use frequently.
04.Foundation grants cannot be used to fund items or projects that can be or are normally paid for by the Syracuse City School District. It is the responsibility of the grant applicant to research if District funds or resources are available for all or part of the project being developed.
05.Applications may include proposed purchases that require District pre‐approval. (Ex. technology, building/gardening projects, heavy equipment, dangerous or flammable substances, etc.) Instructions on securing these approvals will be provided to applicants during the committee’s review process.
06.Project purchases with a fixed value of $500 or more will be scanned and inventoried by the BOVA Supply Center. The bar code should be identified in your final written report. For equipment purchased having a value of less than $500, it is the responsibility of the school to secure and maintain this equipment and prevent loss or damage.
07.All project materials are purchased, inventoried, and assigned to the classrooms and schools for which the initial application was submitted, and may not be moved to other schools or locations, even if the applicant/teacher is assigned to a new position at a different school or department. There may be circumstances where such transfers of materials are possible, but a written request must be submitted to the Foundation Administrator for approval. This request will be reviewed with the District and the schools involved.
08.Periodic school inventory reports may be requested by the Foundation to ensure that equipment has been properly inventoried and secured.
09.The SCSD Educational Foundation will be serving as the procuring/purchasing agent for the items identified in all approved grants. Grant awards will not be processed through the District Purchasing Department. Because of COVID-19 and the limitations of in-school and remote teaching, purchases may be delivered directly to applicants homes, a neutral and safe delivery location, or the District’s BOVA Supply Center and Mailing Center, to ensure safe, accurate, and timely delivery to each applicant.
10.Funds will not be granted for food & beverage services; salaries; staff/teacher/administrative development programs; or administrative costs.Under approved circumstances, Foundation funds may be used to pay for consultant fees, guest speakers, visiting artists/musicians and guest educators, but require detailed budget information.
11.IMPORTANT: Any requests for technology must be clearly defined in the project description. Applicants must explain how the purchase and use of the technology will impact the effectiveness and impact of the project on students and the successful completion and achievement of project goals.

Technology requests must be approved by the District's Information Technology Department (315) 435-4281 prior to submitting your grant application. The Foundation is unable to approve technology (iPads, Laptops, Desktops, Printers, Scanners, Software, Apps, Etc.) without written authorization from a District IT representative.

Technology equipment may also require special programming and tagging by the School District before being shipped to your school for your use, and may take longer to receive. We work closely with vendors and with the District IT Department to minimize these delays. It is the responsibility of the grant project coordinator to respond to any IT questions or issues via email or phone in a timely matter, in order to ensure expedited processing. Also, the Foundation will keep grant recipients informed of any back-orders, delays, or issues related to out-of-stock items in their purchase requests
12.All grant applications must be reviewed and the school Principal must sign off on the submission. Instructions are provided during the application process.
13.Project and grant funds cannot be transferred or moved. If a project cannot be completed by the applying teacher at the school where the application was submitted, the project cannot be implemented by another school or team, and the project will be terminated.
14.Final written reports will be required for all projects and must be submitted to the Educational Foundation within 30 days of completion of the project. All projects must be completed no later than the end of the official school year in June. Final reports can be submitted via email to jquitzau@scsdfoundation.org or sent in the mail. There is no pre-defined template for final reports. The report does not need to be lengthy, but should reflect a summary of what the project accomplished, a review of the measurable goals of the project, and whether or not funds were sufficient to complete the project. Some teachers have had their students prepare the final report or included student comments. This is not required, but the committee does appreciate creative feedback!
15.Schools receiving grants should acknowledge receipt of the grant funds in any newsletters, press releases or promotions, and should acknowledge the Foundation in any completed work, publications, and presentations.

Grant recipients will be asked to provide an update of their grant project progress to the SCSD Educational Foundation Board of Directors at their January or February Board Meeting. In addition, grant projects will be highlighted during the Foundation’s Annual Breakfast in March, and the Foundation may use images and create videos of some projects to present during the event. Details of these requirements will be communicated directly with each grant coordinator.
16.All correspondence regarding grant applications, grant award notifications, and other correspondence will be sent to only the project coordinator listed on the application. It is the responsibility of the applicant to notify their principal and team members of any details related to their grant and associated project.

IMPORTANT:

Depending on the items to be purchased, the vendors used, and delivery times for orders… and factoring in school breaks, we will do everything possible to get you the supplies you need to begin your project as quickly as possible. We completely understand the limitations of this process, and encourage teachers to keep this in mind when planning your project schedules! We cannot have UPS or FedEx make deliveries directly to schools because of school hours and the absence of a receiving staff. We ask that project leaders have patience and we will communicate via email if there are unusual delays in shipping or issues with specific items or orders.

The SCSD Educational Foundation reserves the right to make changes or adjustments to these guidelines and to the Education Grants Program as needed at any time.

For more information, clarification, or inquiry, please contact Dr. Tanya Eastman via email at: teastman@scsdfoundation.org

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