PEP Update: When Will We Find Out Who Won?

Most 2009 PEP applicants are now anxiously wondering when the awards announcement will be made. Several folks have emailed in the last couple of weeks asking whether I know of schools who have learned their results yet. No, I do not know of any schools that have received their results yet, but yes, I do have some idea of when the information should be available.

About a week and a half ago I emailed the federal program contact to check to see if the originally anticipated timetable for awards (originally discussed in the RFP as June or July) was still the anticipated timetable. She confirmed that ED expected to make awards “late June/early July.” As today is June 22, awards could be made any time between now and the next month. Exciting stuff, right? )

Many folks are also asking how they would find out their results. There are a few different ways that could happen.

Prior to announcing any grant awards, ED provides Congress with the list and allows the members a brief period (anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks) to be the first to notify and congratulate any winners within their constituency. Many members take advantage of this opportunity, but others do not. If your Representative or Senator is among those who enjoys making the announcement, you might hear from him or her directly (probably via phone or possibly fax) and/or you might see a press release from his or her office in a local paper. Remember, though, not all members do this, so not hearing from a member does not necessarily mean your application was not a winner.

ED will make its public announcement via a 2009 awards list of winning schools and their contacts at http://www.ed.gov/programs/whitephysed/awards.html and/or via a press release posted at http://www.ed.gov/news/landing.jhtml?src=gu. Additionally, ED will send out letters with instructions for “next steps” to winners via mail. While these packages are technically supposed to be sent prior to the public announcement being made, winners rarely receive them before learning they won through either their Congressional members or ED’s public announcement.

Following mail notification of all winners, ED will send out mail notifications to all non-winners that include reviewer scores and comments. (You should have THREE sets of reviewer scores and comments!) With so many people to notify, sometimes it takes weeks or even months for the non-winner packages to arrive. If it’s been a couple of months and you haven’t received anything, though, you should email the PEP contact (Carlette.Huntley@ed.gov) and request that your scores and comments be resent since several do seem to get lost in the mail every year. If you weren’t fortunate enough to win in 2009, use your reviewer scores and comments to improve your application in 2010. Please note, however, that you will still need to adhere to the newest RFP and that your application will NOT be read by the same reviewers.

Insight monitors many press release channels for PEP daily, and we frequently check both the PEP and ED Press Release sites, so we often know very soon after the winners list is posted. Additionally, using press releases from Congress and information from Congressionally-notified schools with which we are in contact, we begin compiling a “tentative” winners list of our own and then compare that to the final list. We’ve been able to learn of as many as a third of the winners prior to the official announcement this way, however only the official list will concretely name all winners. Insight will send out emails to all applicants that worked with us on PEP once the official announcement is made, as well as sending out tweets from our Twitter accounts (insightgrantspe and insightgrantsed). Certainly, if you have questions in the interim, let us know. If you didn’t work with us but would like to receive an email when the PEP awards list comes out, leave your email address under comments or email us at info@insightgrants.com. (If you send an email, please be sure to note that you are requesting a PEP awards notice email and provide your full contact info.)

Take Advantage of Summer

June starts this weekend, and summer is upon us. Some school districts are already off for the summer; others will be finishing up within in the next month. If you have the benefit of summers off, or even if summers typically mean a reduced workload or less stress within your organization, use the summer to your grant-seeking advantage. There are often fewer grant applications open in the summer, so it’s a great time to organize and prepare for the major grant seasons which tend to be fall and spring for our topic areas—with spring typically offering the largest-dollar, most complex opportunities.

Here’s a quick list of some of the things you might do between the barbeques, graduation parties, weddings, beach runs, and vacations this summer.
· Talk with colleagues and administrators to develop a team-supported, concrete project concept for which you will apply for grant funding. While you will likely need to tweak the plan based on each grant you apply to, having a solid idea to start with will keep you focused on the opportunities best suited to your goals.
· Research grant opportunities, and create a list of what you’d like to apply for in the next 12 months. Include estimated application timeframes for planning purposes and web site links so you can check for program updates throughout the year.
· Begin collecting and organizing demographic information and data that illustrates your target population’s need.
· Identify and begin building or expanding relationships with community partners and leaders that could potentially enhance your project.
· Talk with colleagues and administrators to determine who can and will lead actual grant writing efforts. It’s valuable to have a team supporting you, but a single writer is usually your best bet for clarity and consistency. If your organization determines it will contract with a consultant for assistance, be sure to hire someone with successful experience pursuing and winning grant funding for the type of project you have in mind.
· Set up a system for tracking your grant applications.
· Make a list of other key “to dos,” including when in the year those actions should be taken.

Can you think of others? Feel free to share them!

Why a Grant Template is a Bad Idea

I often receive requests for and questions about creating grant templates/boilerplates for organizations about to begin the grant-seeking process. This is a service I refuse to offer because I find templates to be bad practice. While there are some common types of information most funders are looking for, and there will be some text and information you can use in multiple grant applications, the reality is each funder has its own priorities and RFP layout. Sending a template out to multiple funders suggests to the funder that you have not taken the time to review their individual goals, objectives, priorities, and RFP thoroughly, and that you may not be as focused on abiding by grant rules as they would like.

Furthermore, ignoring the RFP often means you fail to respond to the funder’s unique scoring criteria, which is likely to result in your application scoring fewer points than needed to win a grant award. It is CRITICAL the grant RFP to which you are responding is followed exactly. Your narrative should be laid out exactly as the RFP suggests to maximize potential points by ensuring reviewers know exactly where and how you attempted to respond to each of the scoring criteria.

Spotlight on Head Start Body Start

The American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (AAPAR) and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), two associations of the American Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD), were awarded $12 Million grant in late 2008 from the US Department of Health and Human Services. The grant applied to was the 2008 Head Start Innovations and Improvement Projects program, and AAPAR/NASPE applied under Priority Area 1: National Center for Physical Development and Outdoor Play for the Head Start Body Start project (www.headstartbodystart.org). NASPE and AAPAR won the only award made in the nation for this priority area, which I am extremely pleased about since the Insight Team and I generated this grant application.

This four-year grant award will allow Head Start Body Start to accomplish its three main objectives (as stated on the program website):
Administer and support sub-grants for construction or improvement of playgrounds and outdoor play spaces at Head Start Centers
Provide resources, training, and technical assistance to Head Start and Early Head Start grantees
Inform and assist the Office of Head Start in setting national priorities and developing policies
Each year, approximately 380 mini-grants of up to $5,000 each will be awarded to Head Start/Early Head Start Centers for the improvement or creation of playgrounds or outdoor play spaces. This amounts to about $2,000,000 per year and is a tremendous opportunity for these centers. In addition to grants, Head Start Body Start will offer a wide range of training and technical assistance services (including but not limited to self-assessments, professional site assessments and recommendations, online resources, web-based trainings, trainings at conferences, and regional trainings) aimed directly at increasing physical activity and healthy eating among Head Start and Early Head Start Children. Secondarily, the project will also result in data collection on a number of issues for which no data currently exists, such as how physically active Head Start children are typically and what percentage are overweight or obese.

As of 2007, there were 18,875 Head Start Centers and 50,030 Head Start classrooms. 909,201 children were enrolled in Head Start and Early Head Start. Together Head Start and Early Head Start serve children ages 0-5 from households with income levels at or below the federal poverty level. Over 60% of Head Start children are from racial or ethnic minority groups, and over 12% have disabilities. While the debate as to why continues, it is well known that children living in poverty tend to have a higher incidence of childhood obesity. NASPE and AAPAR’s project is much needed, and—due to a high-quality, well-thought-out design, very likely to be successful.

The project has three full-time, permanent staff members in addition to support from NASPE’s Executive Director, Charlene Burgeson; AAPAR’s Excutive Director, Mariah Burton Nelson; and NASPE’s Director of Communications, Paula Kun. The Head Start Body Start permanent staff members are Karin Spencer, Center Director; Katina Kearney, Training Director; and Kellie May, Program Assistant. The project team also includes five Master Trainers (www.aahperd.org/headstartbodystart/trainers.cfm), a significant Advisory Board, outside evaluation consultant Dr. Paul Wright, and hundreds of professional consultants. AAPAR and NASPE designed the project to leverage existing strengths, resources, and experiences, but did not fail to acknowledge where more help or resources would be necessary or best for the project in order to ensure the greatest possible chance of wide-ranging success. The participating staff, consultants, and board members reflect this as AAPAR and NASPE reached out (DURING the application period, which is ideal) to individuals that were not just field professionals, but recognized field EXPERTS and brought them on board. This is a great strategy that will enhance any application because it enables the writer to be more specific about what will happen and who will do it, and demonstrates the organization has already done considerable legwork and will be able to mobilize quickly if funding is awarded.

So what’s going on now with Head Start Body Start? Well, the first RFP for grants for playgrounds and outdoor play spaces for Head Start and Early Head Start Centers has been released!! Applications are due by July 1, 2009 and awards are anticipated in September. All documents and information needed to submit an application can be found on the main program page (www.headstartbodystart.org) in the red box in the center of the page. If you’re thinking, “$5,000 would be nice, but play areas are expensive. Can we really accomplish anything with $5,000?” worry no further! NASPE and AAPAR have proactively responded to this issue. Earlier this year, a vendor request for proposals was issued to generate a range of value-added packages of $5,000 or less that would empower Head Start Body Start grantees to effectively put grant funds to use in a way that is supported by the original Department of Health and Human Services grant. You can find information on selected packages and vendors in the grant applications materials posted on the site.

While you can’t apply for a grant if you are NOT a Head Start or Early Head Start Center, you CAN access some of the great technical assistance resources through the online HSBS Toolbox (www.aahperd.org/headstartbodystart/toolBox.cfm) and monthly newsletters (www.aahperd.org/headstartbodystart/news.cfm). The Toolbox resources are easy-to-implement ideas for increasing physical activity in early childhood. They can be used in the classroom, in a community-based project setting, or at home! (Parents, check out the activity calendars!) The Head Start Body Start project plan also includes two important literature reviews and the preparation of a policy guide, as well, which might also be posted online or made available for purchase in the future.

I think this is an outstanding project that is off to a great start! It will be exciting to watch it progress this year and over the next three years. I’ll try to keep you posted on its progress, but visit the project site for more details and background information. )

Grant Budget Changes Post-Award

A school contact emailed today asking about making changes to the Year 2 budget plan for their PEP grant awarded in 2008. We receive questions about the potential for budget changes a fair amount. Generally speaking, when you prepare your grant budget narrative during the application process, you should make it as complete as possible and assume few if any changes can be made. This is because while funders do understand that things can change during the grant period and/or your understanding of specific needs may become clearer during implementation, they have approved your project only for the funding plan described, and deviations from it may make a difference in terms outcomes, target population, grant focus, etc.

Most funders allow minor changes within the same major budget category, but the percentage of change allowed without approval is often very small, and it varies by funder. (The common major categories are Personnel, Fringe Benefits, Travel, Equipment, Supplies, Contractual, Other, and Indirect.) Changes beyond the allowed percentage (usually made clear during the grant award negotiation process) or from one major category to another, typically require prior funder approval.

In all cases, if something on your end changes, and you need to make a budget change as a result, the best course of action is to discuss the issue with your grant award officer/funder contact. Describe the situation fully, and explain what change you think should be made and your rationale. Be sure to note how the change fits in with the originally approved grant project concept, major activities, and anticipated goals and outcomes. Ask if you need to file a formal project amendment. You may be surprised to find how understanding and accommodating your funder can be, or your request may be declined. In the latter instance, at least you can be confident you will not be utilizing grant funds in a manner that could get you into trouble with the funder later.

Grant Writing Tip: Use Language Any Reader Can Understand

When writing your grant narrative, don’t get flowery with your words. Despite some misconception, Reviewers are rarely impressed by big words or complex writing. They want to be able to quickly and easily read through your application and understand where your target population (the group of folks you will serve with the grant) is now, where you plan to take it with grant funds, and how you’re going to get there. Reviewers (also called Readers) have many applications to read and typically relatively little time to do so. Getting tripped up by overly extravagant language or sentences that go on for days is annoying and can result in an irritated Reviewer—which you NEVER want.

Keep in mind, too, that confusion can also lead to irritation. Be sure to do all of the following to avoid Reviewer confusion.
· Avoid jargon, clichés, and most metaphors.
· Define ALL acronyms a minimum of once.
· Declare all antecedents (the nouns pronouns stand for) clearly and avoid overuse of pronouns.
· Avoid using or CLEARLY DEFINE field-specific terms. (Even if the RFP—grant guidance—tells you Reviewers will be from your field, you should assume they won’t to be on the safe side. Generally speaking, grant funders tend to define “your field” much more broadly than you do. For example, whereas you may see your field as only PE teachers, they may also include social workers, school administrators, and grant writers with no PE knowledge.)

Keep the application clear, simple, and easy to follow!