Monthly Archives: June 2014

Current Grant Opportunities – June 2014

  1. Peace Projects from the Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF)
  2. Improving Community Education Grants from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
  3. Program Development Grant from the Society of Women Engineers
  4. School Garden Grants from the Whole Kids Foundation
  5. Foundation Grants from Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation
  6. My Macy’s District Grants from the Macy’s Foundation
  7. Pitsco/Hearlihy/FTEE Grant from the Foundation for Technology and Engineering Educators
  8. NFL Player Matching Youth & High School Football Grant Program from the National Football League Foundation
  9. Yearbook Adviser of the Year from the Journalism Education Association
  10. USGA Alliance Grants from the National Alliance for Accessible Golf

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Extra Money at the End of the Year?

This year, you have profited from the School Funding Center Database, and unbelievably, it is the end of the year.  I’m always brought up short when that realization hits. Bam! OMG how am I going to close out this year with some dignity?

One thing that often happens to grant managers, they end up with extra money at the end of the year. You may have over budgeted for supplies, one of your paid workers dropped out; you didn’t need as much equipment as you thought… extra cash. How do you prepare for this possibility?

Each year, at the beginning of the school year, I ask certain key people to make wish lists of things they need for their classroom. Obviously your principal will have such a list, but don’t forget your Library Media Specialist, the fine arts people, the physical education staff. They are often the last to receive money in a budget, and the ones with the greatest needs. Isn’t it always the way?

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Five Things You’ll Forget to Put in Your Budget (Grant writing pitfalls)

You’ve visited the School Funding Center Database, and finally, after much thought and hard work, you have written a narrative for a grant from a foundation you have identified. You really want to start a relationship with this organization, and you know you must WOW them with your first effort. Even if this attempt doesn’t light their fire, you want to make a great first impression.

You’ve worked with your stakeholders in school to identify a STEM project for after school enrichment to attack those pesky math scores you’ve been trying to raise. You have skillfully woven math instruction into a project based science experiment you know the students will love to pursue. They’ll learn in spite of themselves.

So, you’re ready to pull your budget together. I’ve given you a budget template to help you organize your thoughts as you prepare for the program. Nevertheless, there are five things you are liable to forget.

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