Insight Grants

Grant Opportunity: Best Buy Looking for National Partners for Out-of-School-Time Program Technology Grants

Best Buy is seeking national nonprofit organizations as partners that create hands-on learning opportunities for underserved teens to engage them in learning, experimenting, and interacting with the latest technologies to build 21st century skills.

“The goal of the program is to provide youth with access to new technologies and help them become interested and fluent in digital learning while developing skills to help better prepare them for future education and career success.”

Who Can Apply: Out-of-school-time programs that have a fundamental commitment to youth, ages 13-18, are invited to apply for funding. Minimum eligibility criteria is available at the Best Buy grant page under eligibility criteria.

Programs Supported: Programs should help teens build 21st century skills by utilizing cutting-edge technology such as computers, digital cameras, video cameras and professional software in a wide range of areas. To see specifics on suggested areas see the list from Best Buy under National Partner Overview here.

Awards: Program grants typically range from $100,000 to $200,000.

Deadline: Proposals must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. EDT on Saturday November 1st, 2015.

Get Complete Information on this exciting Program at the Best Buy Foundation Page.

Grant Opportunities: Digital Wish Technology Grants and Teaching Resources

By Jen Adams

Who is offering this grant? Digital Wish is a nonprofit organization that believes that every child deserves a technology-rich education that will provide them with the skills necessary to excel in the global economy.

What is the purpose? Digital Wish is a non-profit on a mission to help teachers solve technology shortfalls in their classrooms. Apply for grants, create a wish list of technology your classroom needs, and share lesson plans and fundraising ideas with fellow educators across the country. Digital Wish also provides a searchable library of grants and a myriad of ideas for fundraising. The entire site is designed to empower teachers to find funding for technology for their classrooms.

What types of activities might be supported? Digital Wish supports specific technology initiatives each month. By submitting a lesson plan that responds to the targeted material, educators have an opportunity to receive curricula and associated materials free of cost. After registering at the Digital Wish site, you can login and submit a technology-based lesson plan for a chance to win over 50 different technology grants. In addition to serving as your grant application, every lesson plan you enter will be automatically added to your classroom’s profile, allowing you to share technology integration ideas with colleagues and fellow educators across the country! Examples of current grant opportunities are listed below.

·         Digital Citizenship and Cyber Safety – April – Digital Citizenship IT Curriculum Unit Package ($199.00 value) Deadline: Thu 04/30/2015
Submit a lesson plan on cyber safety or digital citizenship and qualify for a Digital Citizenship IT Curriculum Unit Package awards. Students will be well-prepared to use technology every day in a safe, respectful, and responsible way. Digital Citizenship Unit contains an instructor preparation checklist and four important lessons: Digital Citizens and the Internet; Cyber Safety; Safety Skits for Reinforcement; Copyright in the Classroom.
·         Autism Awareness Month – Tool Factory’s Autism Software Bundle for Interactive Devices ($249.00 value) Deadline: Thu 04/30/2015
Create and submit a unique lesson plan on inclusive teaching techniques with autistic elementary students. Lesson plans utilizing tablets and interactive devices are encouraged. Award: Tool Factory’s Autism Bundle that offers tools to: Encourage collaboration; Develop concentration and attention; Inspire imaginative play; Promote reading / early literacy; Teach emotional literacy.
·         Mobile Devices in the Classroom – April – 1 Dell Venue Pro Smartphone ($399.00 value) Deadline: Thu 04/30/2015
·         Let’s Get Podcasting – Simple Guide to Podcasting Book/Cd Set and the Adventures in Podcasting! Incredible Lesson Plans for Your Classroom Book/CD Set! Plus Tool Factory Podcasting w/Video Software ($100.00 value) Deadline: Thu 04/30/2015 11:59:59 PM
·         Collaborative Writing and Debating – April – Classroom Collaboration and Debate Curriculum Unit Package ($199.00 value) Deadline: Thu 04/30/2015
Write and submit a lesson plan on collaborative writing or debating and you may be awarded a Classroom Collaboration and Debate Curriculum Unit Package. Using the Classroom Collaboration and Debate Curriculum Unit Package students will become editors of their own classroom wiki or other collaborative website. The right wiki program will allow students to post questions, pictures for analysis, or documents for group editing. They will also be able to see their classmates’ work and give feedback digitally, creating a classroom environment that gives all students a voice and nourishes and fosters fresh ideas. Moreover, it is an excellent opportunity to practice good digital citizenship.

Who can apply? Teachers and educators from private and public schools across the nation. Find your school and register here: http://www.digitalwish.com/dw/digitalwish/grant_awards.

When is the application due? There are specific deadlines associated with technology initiatives which change on a monthly basis (see sample grants and deadlines above).

How much can I request? Grants are awarded in the form of technology and/or associated curricula and materials. See examples above.

When will the awards be made? Grants will be awarded on the 15th of every calendar month after the grant application deadline

Is there anything else I should know? Lesson plans may cover any subject area. For monthly recurring grants, you don’t have to reapply to be considered. Relevant lesson plans will be stored and reevaluated each month.

Judging Criteria

  • Guideline adherence. Lesson plans must follow the directions outlined in each grant’s description.
  • Coherency. Lesson plans must be well-organized and well-written.
  • Proper Grammar Usage, Punctuation, and Spelling. Lessons should contain no grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors.
  • Curriculum Relevance. Lesson plans must be curriculum-oriented.
  • Creativity and Fun. Lesson plans must be unique and exciting to implement.
  • Student Involvement. Lesson plans must encourage student participation.
  • Technology Integration. Lesson plans must incorporate technology.

How can I find out more? Visit the Digital Wish site at: http://www.digitalwish.com/dw/digitalwish/grants and view the full grants calendar.

2015 i3 Development Pre-Application Deadline Extended

If you are working on an Investing in Innovation (i3) Development pre-application or considering doing so, you may be glad to learn the pre-application (required) deadline was officially changed to 5/5/2015 this morning. Make good use of the extra week! We’ve noted the change in our previous post on the program.

Investing in Innovation Fund Development Grants (i3) are Now Open!

By Jen Adams

Who is offering this grant? US Department of Education (ED)

What is the purpose? The i3 grants are designed to improve the academic achievement of high-need students by promoting promising solutions to pressing challenges in K-12 education, supporting the evaluation of these solutions, and developing new approaches to scaling effective practices to serve more students.  The application period is now open for i3 Development Grants, novel projects that are nationally significant, not projects that simply implement existing common practices in additional locations. The i3 grant program includes two additional types of grants, in addition to Development Grants–Validation Grants and Scale-up Grants—which each broaden use of practices with increased amounts of evidence of effectiveness. The application period(s) for Validation and Scale-up Grants are anticipated later in the spring of 2015.

What types of activities might be supported? All grantees must implement practices that are designed to improve student achievement or student growth, close achievement gaps, decrease dropout rates, increase high school graduation rates, or increase college enrollment. Applicants must address one of the following Absolute Priorities with projects that implement practices that serve students in grades K-12.

Priority 1: Improving the Effectiveness of Principals- Under this priority, funding is provided to projects that are designed to increase the number and percentage of highly effective principals by implementing practices or strategies that support districts in hiring, evaluating, supporting, and retaining effective principals.

Priority 2: Improving Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education – This priority seeks projects that reach students beyond the boundaries of the traditional school day (i.e. during out-of-school time or extended-day programs) and provide meaningful, real-world STEM learning experiences that will inspire students’ interest in STEM and give them the tools they need to meet the demands of dynamic labor markets.

Priority 3: Leveraging Technology to Support Instructional Practice and Professional Development – Under this priority, funding is provided to projects that are designed to leverage technology use in the classroom to support student learning and inform teacher professional development. This notice seeks projects that use technological tools that enable the development, visualization, and rapid analysis of data to inform instructional practices and improve learning outcomes.

Priority 4: Influencing the Development of Non-Cognitive Factors – Under this priority, funding is provided to projects that are designed to improve students’ mastery of non-cognitive skills and behaviors (such as academic behaviors, academic mindset, perseverance, self-regulation, social and emotional skills, and approaches toward learning strategies), as well as enhance student motivation and engagement in learning.

Priority 5: Serving Rural Communities – Focus on serving rural communities. *Applicants applying under this priority must also address one of the other four absolute priorities established.

A competitive preference priority is also extended to novice applicants to the i3 program (additional 3 points scored).

Who can apply? Eligible applicants include either of the following: a) a local education agency (LEA—school districts, educational service agencies, some charter schools) OR b) A partnership between a nonprofit organization and—1) One or more LEAs; or 2) A consortium of schools. Evidence of a record of improving academic achievement must also be demonstrated. See full RFP for details.

How much is available? Estimated Available Funds for 2015 are $112,400,000. This is the total available for all three types of grants under the i3 program (Development, Validation, and Scale-up Grants).

When is the application due? Deadline for the non-mandatory Notice of Intent to Submit for Development Grants: April 20, 2015; Deadline for Pre-applications for Development grants: April 29, 2015–changed to May 5, 2015 on April 15, 2015. In order to be eligible to submit a full application, organizations MUST submit pre-applications.  Organizations with high-scoring pre-applications will be invited to submit full applications. Organizations that submitted pre-applications that were not considered “high-scoring” can still choose to submit full applications if they would like to.

How much can I request? Development Grant applicants can request up to $3,000,000 per grant application for the full project period. ED anticipates 9-11 i3 Development grant awards will be made in 2015. NOTE that applicants may submit more than one i3 application, but each applicant can win no more than 2 i3 awards of any kind in a single year. In a single two-year period, no applicant may win more than one Validation or Scale-up grant. In 2015, no grantee may be awarded more than $23 Million total in i3 funds.

Do I have to offer a match of any kind? Yes. An applicant must obtain matching funds or in-kind donations from the private sector equal to at least 15% of the grant award. Each applicant, following peer review of the applications, must submit evidence of at least 50% of the required private-sector match prior to award. Evidence of the remaining 50% match must be provided no later than three months after the project start date (or the grant will be terminated).

 How long is the project period? 3, 4, or 5 years

Is there anything else I should know? The design of i3 links the amount of funding that an applicant may receive to the quality of the evidence supporting the proposed project. In other words, applicants proposing practices that are supported by limited evidence can receive relatively small grants to further develop the practice. Applicants proposing practices supported by evidence from rigorous evaluations can receive sizable grants to support expansion across the country. Applicants must be able to demonstrate that the proposed process, product, strategy, or practice included in their applications is supported by either evidence of promise or a strong theory.

How can I find out more? Visit the official i3 program site: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/innovation/index.html. View the Notice Inviting Applications at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-03-30/pdf/2015-07213.pdf. View the FAQs at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/innovation/faq.html. Go to http://www2.ed.gov/programs/innovation/2015competition.html to sign up for ED’s question and answer webinar to be held April 9, 2015 at 2pm Eastern or to view the 2015 competition PowerPoint.

 

If you are looking for assistance with your application, Insight would be pleased to help you! For information on pricing for grant writing or editing for this program, please contact Rosalie Mangino-Crandall at 716-474-0981 or rmangino@insightgrants.com.

Featured Grant Opportunity: Captain Planet Foundation Ecotech Grant Program

The Captain Planet Foundation is offering a competitive grant program in partnership with the Ray C. Anderson Foundation. Awards are made for the purpose of engaging children in inquiry-based projects in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) that use innovation, biomimicry / nature-based design, or new uses for technology to address environmental problems in their communities.

Award: (16) $2500 grants.

Who Can Apply? Schools or non-profit organizations.

When is the Deadline? Applications opened January 15, 2014 and will be accepted through May 31st, 2014. Awards are for projects to be conducted in the Summer and/or Fall of 2014.

Something Cool or Unique About This Opportunity: Considering it is the Captain Planet Foundation, everything about this grant is cool. Check out some of the examples of Ecotech projects previously funded on the Captain Planet Foundation page.

Where Can I get More Information? Get full information at CaptainPlanetFoundation.org and grant guidelines here:

http://captainplanetfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/CPF-Guidelines-EcoTech-GrantsFINAL.pdf

Insight Grants