Fundingpaper 1
Fundingpaper 1
Fundingpaper 1
Funding Paper
Loyola University
2
Needs:
At New Town High School and Connelly School of the Holy Child, we are currently in
the process of adopting a one to one device program. These programs will ensure that all students
will have a device available to them for instructional purposes. In addition, all teachers and staff
will have a device as well that they can use when delivering instruction. Both schools are still in
the entry stage of this transition and professional development is needed for the staff to use the
devices and the tools available appropriately, efficiently, and effectively. These professional
development sessions will give the teachers and staff at both schools the knowledge and skills
needed to implement these devices in instruction. Therefore, our schools are requesting grants to
fund the professional development needed for effectively implementing the one to one program
at our schools.
Connelly School of the Holy Child already has access to the devices and New Town High
School will be receiving their devices in two years. In addition to the professional development
needed to support the teachers and the implementation process, both schools will need a
technology leadership team. These team members will also need training on up to date practices
for technology integration and time and resources to implement different technologies so that
they can become experts in this area. Through their own professional development and growth
they will be able to support staff members with this transition. One specific aspect of technology
integration that the leadership team should explore is blended learning practices because through
blended learning there are unique opportunities for learner centered practices and flexibility with
classroom structure. It is important that both schools have a technology leadership team to help
the teachers and staff at both schools become more comfortable with the transition to the one to
one device programs and support the teachers and faculty with the integration of the devices.
3
Connelly School of the Holy Child is also interested in providing opportunities for
students to create, invent, and learn. To make these opportunities a reality, we are beginning to
create a makerspace for our students. In this space, students will use a variety of tools and
equipment to complete projects and experiments. For this makerspace to be successful, we need
equipment and supplies that our students can use to invent and create. Some equipment our
school will need includes 3D printers, electronics, hardware supplies, and tools. New Town High
School would benefit from some of these materials in their math, science, and engineering
classes. These materials would help the students complete more project based learning activities.
These needs are important for successful implementation of our one to one device
program and our new Makerspace. For our school to purchase the supplies needed and provide
effective professional development, we will need to apply for grants to help us fund these needs.
The following are grants that should be considered when looking to fund these needs.
Grants:
The American Honda Foundation (AHF) is an organization that focuses on helping the
youth and scientific education in American. This foundation looks to award grants to public
school districts and private/public elementary and secondary schools as listed by the U.S.
Department of Educations National Center for Education Statistics. The foundation is interested
in funding youth who are imaginative, creative, forward-thinking, scientific, humanistic, and
innovative. The American Honda Foundations funding priority is to focus on youth education,
students under the age of 21, in the areas of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, the
environment, job training and literacy. The AHF awards on average 27 grants annually, based on
their budget.
4
The grant range for this foundation is between $20,000 and $75,000 over a one-year
period with the average grant being $45,000 for a one year funding cycle. The American Honda
Foundation requires that the proposals be submitted online and that there is no fee associated
with this process. AHF is currently accepting applications three times per year and those who
have never received funding from this foundation can apply either February 1 or August 1. There
is no minimum or maximum page requirement for the application. However, the program/
project description should articulate how the program stands out from others doing similar work,
and details on the planned activities. Sample lessons and activities can be included. Applicants
must also include audited financial statements. If our schools applies for this grant before the
August 1 deadline, the grant will be reviewed by the board during the month of October. AHF
states that following the October board review, grants will be awarded November 1. A copy of
The American Honda Foundations restrictions include no more than one request in a 12-
month period. After taking the Eligibility Quiz, it was also noted that this grant has the following
research, conferences or seminars, trips or tours, or the purchase of a vehicle. Those who request
Connelly School of the Holy Child should apply for this grant because it would give them
the funds needed to purchase supplies for our Makerspace. A Makerspace is a place where kids
imagine, create, innovate, and learn. This follows the mission of the American Honda
Foundation. These funds could help us purchase tools and equipment needed such as a 3D
printer, filament, hand tools used for a wide range of projects, fire extinguishers, computers,
5
electronics, and eye shields. These purchases would meet the AHFs spending restrictions
The pros for applying for this grant is that there are no upfront costs associated with the
application process. This grant is also beneficial because each school can apply for the grant
once a year which would help to maintain the costs of the makerspace at Connelly School of the
Holy Child if the awarded more than once. New Town High School would also benefit from
applying for the American Honda Foundation grant because the funds could help the school
purchase technology supplies that would enhance student learning. This grant would also help to
purchase supplies for students at New Town High School to complete more project based
learning activities in their classes. A con for apply for this grant would be that the American
Honda Foundation only chooses from the top 8-10% of a field of 250 applicants per quarter. In
addition, if not chosen, any school that applies for this grant will have to wait a full calendar year
to submit another application. This grant could not be used for professional development or
individual teachers, but could be used to purchase big ticket items the whole school could benefit
from.
The First Energy STEM Classroom grant supports classroom projects and teacher
development with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Each
grant awarded is up to $1,000. This grant is for educators who teach in grades Pre-Kindergarten-
12th grade. The board considers grants for classroom projects that incorporate a clear
explanation of how the items requested for funding are vital to the project's successful
completion and how they are designed to improve and enrich student development and
networking. This grant can also be used to compensate experts who work with the students, not
6
including teachers or staff. Those who are awarded the grants are recommended to send a written
summary with samples and photos of the project's successful completion to the FirstEnergy
Education Advisory. Previous winners for the FirstEnergy STEM Classroom grant, have
completed projects such as electric safety, magnetism, computers and robotics, and the physics of
building a kite.
To apply for the grant, you must fill out the application electronically. A copy of the grant
can be found here. Once the application is complete, it needs to be printed, signed by both the
applicant and the principal, and must be mailed to the FirstEnergy Community Involvement
Department. The application must also include supporting documents and a copy of the school's
Request for Tax Identification Number and Certification Form. The deadline for this application
is September 23, 2016 and recipients will be notified by October 14, 2016. Projects requesting
the grants must be completed during the 2016-2017 school year. In addition, the application
must include a complete list of the expenditures needed to complete the project including
The restrictions for this grant include purchasing supplies including laboratory supplies,
books or equipment for general school use, media equipment and furniture, previously funded
projects, projects that require multiple academic years for completion, and fees for conferences,
workshops, transportation, or refreshments. To qualify for the grant, the organization or school
must be located in areas that FirstEnergy supplies service including Ohio, Pennsylvania, New
Connelly School of the Holy Child should apply for this grant, because it will help to
fund a project that students would complete in the new Makerspace. The lead teacher can apply
for the grant and include her lesson and materials needed when submitting the grant. A pro for
7
this grant is that the grant will be awarded during the upcoming school year and can be used to
purchase materials for a specific project the students will be working on. The grant also gives the
students the chance to reflect and summarize their experience when sending their summary to the
Advisory team. New Town High School could also apply for this grant to purchase materials for
project in one of the STEM content areas. A leader from a club including the robotics club may
also want to apply for this grant to fund a project or activity they are completing. A con for this
grant is that the project must be completed during the 2016-2017 school year. If there is low
involvement in the Makerspace or after school club, it might be difficult for the applicant to
submit the summary of the project and the required student work.
small team of teachers to fund project ideas and materials teachers need to innovate in their math
and science classrooms. This foundation grants to both public and private schools across the
United States. Public schools who apply for this grant need to submit evidence that they are
recognized by the local/state government by providing a copy of the state tax exempt certificate.
Private schools need to provide a copy of the IRS (501)(c)(3) tax-exempt determination letter.
Teachers in grades 6-12 can apply for $5,000 or less on a rolling basis throughout the calendar
year. Those who wish to apply for more than $5,000 are required to submit an application by
February 1st and August 1st each year. All applications must be submitted electronically and
To apply for the Toshiba America Grant, a teacher will have to create an account using
their email address, name, and identifying for which school they are requesting funds. The
teacher requesting the funds must include a project title and a summary of the project, amount
8
requesting, which content area the project will be completed in, how many students will benefit
from this grant, the start and end date for the proposed project, learning objectives tied to the
project, and a list of two most expensive items in the budget. The application also requires the
applicant to discuss alternatives to reaching the specific goals and learning objectives, how the
project will be managed, a timeline for each activity, a proposed budget and any other additional
information that the applicant thinks would be useful for the review committee. Teachers who
will be overseeing the project must also submit a copy of their resumes. Finally, before
submission the applicant and the school principal must sign the application. Teachers are
welcome to call the TAF at 212-596-0620 to discuss their project ideas before submitting their
completed proposal. If awarded the funds, the teacher must submit an evaluation of the project
in which the applicant will include evidence, both qualitative and quantitative (pre- and post-
tests, journals, portfolios, ect.) within 30 days of completion. To access to required form, click
here. Toshiba America Foundation provides examples from previous recipients on their website.
The Toshiba America Foundation prohibits the use of funds to solely purchase computers,
microscopes, or smart boards. TAH also prohibits more than one grant per school at a time. The
Toshiba America Foundation will not fund projects that are completed during the summer or
during an after school program. A pro for applying for this grant is that both Connelly School of
the Holy Child and New Town High school can apply for this grant. The funds from this grant
could help to purchase items needed to complete projects in the Makerspace at Connelly School
of the Holy Child as long as the projects are being completed during the school day. Again, New
Town High School would also benefit from this grant in their math, science, and engineering
classes. The teachers of these individual classes could apply for this grant to purchase materials
9
to complete specific projects in their classes. A con for this grant is that the funds can only be
used to purchase materials needed for a project, and cannot be used for purchasing technology
items that both Connelly School of the Holy Child and New Town High School both need.
Another con, very similar to FirstEnergys grant is that if the timeline is skewed and the project
cannot be completed, the participants cannot submit the required qualitative and quantitative data
Foundation is a grant directly linked to teacher professional growth and the necessity for teachers
to actively learn and grow in the pursuit of becoming highly effective educators. The foundation
believes in continuous, insightful, and innovative professional growth. With the foundation's
commitment to improving teaching with the goal of supporting student learning and
understanding this would be a perfect grant for Connelly School of the Holy Child and New
Town High School to apply for to support the development of a technology leadership team that
would lead professional development for the rest of the faculty. The grant is intended to support
small groups of teachers in investigating and implementing instructional practices that are
document their plan for innovative improvement of instruction and learning. This grant is
restricted to K-12 license teachers in private and public schools. Teachers should be qualified to
execute the proposed plan and be willing to work with the McCarthey Dressman Education
Foundation. Although small groups of teachers may implement the proposed use of the grant
finances only one educator should apply for the grant through the foundation so that the
10
application is under one name. Grant amounts of up to $10,000 are award per year with a max of
$30,000 over three years. Educators may apply for a one, two, or three year grant based on the
The application has four parts that must be submitted to apply for the Teacher
Development grant; background information, narrative, budget, and reference letters. The
narrative aspect of the application asks those applying to describe the project that will impact the
professional development of those participating and how teaching and learning will be different
than it looked previously. Applicants are asked to include background information about the
school and reference research or teaching practices associated with the work being completed. A
clear evaluation and assessment tool should be developed to establish if the development of
teachers skills and an improvement of learning is occurring throughout the project. Lastly, there
should be a clear timeline and plan for sharing what they learned with other colleagues and
administrators. The budget should indicate what money will be used for, how it applies to the
goal of the professional learning, when it will be spent, and the amount that is needed. At least
three letters of reference should be submitted referencing the applicant's leadership abilities as
well as how the project will make a difference in the school or community. Applicants are
advised to review the Teacher Development Grant application questions before attempting to
complete the application. Applicants can apply online using the foundations online application
Applications are available online from January 15 to April 15 every year and applicants
are encouraged to apply early for these grants. There is a limited number of applications that are
accepted so if that limit is met then no other applications are accepted. Notification of awards of
the grant are sent by July 15 and awards are sent August 15, which is perfect timing for a
11
yearlong project starting at the beginning of the school year. Important dates and frequently
asked questions are all addressed on the grant website and can be found here. Based on the
information and restrictions of the grant projects there are a lot of possibilities for potential
professional learning projects. The foundation does provide project summaries of past recipients
for reference in developing and applying for a grant through the foundation. Past project
recipients are in line with our desire to implement technology in an innovative and purposeful
way to meet students individual needs and explore blended learning models.
For Connelly School of the Holy Child and New Town High School the Teacher
Development grant would be ideal to prepare a team of teachers to be confident and proficient
with technology integration and blended learning models through their new one to one device
program. This small team of educators could then become a technology leadership team that
plans professional development opportunities for the rest of the faculty and supports faculty with
meaningful technology integration of technology through their one to one device programs. The
small group could spend a year attending conferences and workshops to build their own skills
and take online courses. They could also spend some time exploring the ISTE Technology
Coaches standards and addressing areas where they can each grow to be able to best support the
entire faculty. Another pro is that the application has no cost and the application is relatively easy
and not very lengthy which would make the application process worth it for those participating.
The only con of applying for this grant is that it is a nationwide foundation and based on the
previous grant winners there are only two to three winners for this particular grant each year.
Also there is a limited number of 125 applicants that are accepted each year. If the application is
not prepared before the application opens online and submitted immediately there is a chance
that the maximum number of applications would be met and the group would have to wait an
12
entire year to reapply for the grant. Lastly, based on the foundations homepage the foundation
pays particular attention to those that are at-risk or under-funded, so although there are not
particular mentions of this limitation in the grant application Connelly School of the Holy Child
might be eliminated because of its location and general demographic of students from higher
socioeconomic households.
organization that provides leadership and advocacy to advance teaching and learning through
innovative and effective technology integration. Therefore their grant for current members which
supports teachers who are focusing on personalized learning through innovative work with
technology and improving digital learning skills for students is a perfect grant for both Connelly
School of the Holy Child and New Town High School. This grant offers up to $2,000 per grant.
Applicants must be members of MSET and only one applicant per school may apply.
The requirements of this grant include a title and a brief description of the proposal as
well as clearly stated goals and objectives. The application also requires a list of items requested
and costs of each item. The budget for these items and resources should not exceed $2,000, but if
it does then there should be an explanation of where the additional funding is coming from.
There should be a clear assessment of the goals and objectives of the proposal and a discussion
of how these assessments will indicate whether the goals and objectives are met. The proposal
should be informed by standards and therefore standards being met should be identified,
especially those standards addressed from Maryland College and Career Ready Standards,
Maryland Teacher Technology Standards, and the Maryland Technology Literacy Standards for
Students. The proposal should also indicate a timeline of actions that will lead to the fulfillment
13
of the proposal including the activity, person responsible, start date, completion date, and
evidence of successful completion. The proposal should describe how the proposed plan will
Grant recipients will present their work and implementation at the Common Ground
Conference in Ocean City, MD and create an iLearn Maryland course through iTunes University
to share their work and resources with others who might be interested in implementing a similar
projects. All grants are evaluated by the MSET Grant Committee using a specific scoring scale.
This grant is offered annually and applications are due at the beginning of December and
decisions are made by the end of December. Although the number of applications submitted was
not indicated there were four winners last year which is a good number of opportunities for
receiving the award. Past winners from 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 are indicated on the website
with titles and descriptions of the winning proposals which is very helpful to know what the
committee is looking for and how the grant could be used. Applicants are asked to submit an
application online and even though this is last years application, we anticipate that the
With the implementation of the one to one device program at Connelly School of the
Holy Child and New Town High School the MSET grant is a great opportunity to support those
programs through a specific projects exploring blended learning models that focus on
personalized learning that is student centered. This grant could support a specific teacher or
group of teachers as they explore best practices of technology integration with a specific focus in
blended learning. The one to one device programs will allow more possibilities for blended
learning and digital resources that students can use both inside and outside the classroom. For
these practices to be implement school wide it would be helpful for a few teachers on a
14
technology leadership team or technology committee to explore and implement these strategies
before developing professional development and training for the rest of the faculty. The MSET
grant would allow these technology leaders to grow together and explore the various models of
The pros of apply for this grant is that it is a Maryland grant specific for Maryland
educators who are members of this specific organization so the pool of applications would not be
as big as a nationwide grant. This grant is also very specific to innovative technology integration
rather than education in general so a specific project can be implemented using the one to one
devices that students will now have at Connelly School of the Holy Child and New Town High
School. It is also closely aligned with standards specific to Maryland curriculums so the projects
and practices will align with curriculum and standards expected of Maryland teachers. The
application process does not cost any money and the application is not too extensive which is
always good for a busy teacher. Also, winners present at the Common Ground conference which
is good for networking and general professional development. The only cons of this grant is that
the website does not indicate how many applications are received each year, so there is not a
Lastly, the MSET grant meets the needs of both Connelly School of the Holy Child and
New Town High School because as they are both initiating one to one device programs there will
be much need for professional development and growth for the faculty implementing the
technology to impact and improve student learning. Similar to the last grant, the teacher or
teachers who implement the MSET project exploring blended learning models would not only
improve their own implementation of the technology, but would become a leader in the school
who would plan and implement professional development opportunities for other faculty. Also,
15
these faculty could work with administration and school leadership to implement school wide
blended learning initiatives that would support personalized learning for students.
the Holy Child and New Town High School brings about a variety of other needs that should be
met to facilitate a successful implementation of these programs. The major expense of the
devices has already been funded for both schools so the needs established focused on
professional development and other supplies. Even though the main cost of the devices is
covered there are also supplemental tech resources that are necessary for successful
implementation and grants were found to supplement those costs. Connelly School of the Holy
Childs makerspace is a place for innovation, creativity, and exploration, but to have this be a
space available for that certain resources are necessary and similar resources would be helpful
for math, science, and engineering teachers at New Town High School. Lasting professional
development for the schools would be most effective if a technology leadership team was
established. The grants chosen focused on professional development for those faculty members
with the plan to have them lead and train other teachers once their skills and knowledge were
established. There are pros and cons to each grant, but overall they are very applicable to the