School Community Grant Application Form (pdf, doc)

WHAT ARE LEF SCHOOL COMMUNITY GRANTS?

The LEF created the School Community Grant Program to encourage, support, and enable creative educational initiatives developed by each individual school community. Each school must generate its grant request through a collaborative process with the school faculty and may also discuss proposals with the School Council, PTA, or other relevant parties. LEF School Community Grants are intended to provide a funding source for smaller-scale proposals to be implemented during the current academic year. Applications for these grants will be considered in November to enable the quick implementation of these ideas during the school year.

A list of funded SCG grants from 2007-2008 can be found at www.lexedfoundation.org/scg_curr.htm

Each school will have the opportunity to apply for School Community Grants to support or foster the following:

• Community-building educational activities within each school in the form of a school-wide project, program, or special speaker
• Strategic programs or initiatives targeted to address a unique situation or need facing the school as a whole or some component of the school (for example, a particular grade, classroom, population, or subject area)
• The purchase of materials and equipment necessary to enable clearly defined educational initiatives, such as a software program as part of a differentiated learning initiative
• Professional development activities that will have immediate classroom applications, including conference and educational collaboration activities for faculty and staff, such as bringing seminars or experts to the school
• The replication, in the applying school, of a program previously funded by LEF in a different school

WHAT IS THE FUNDING FOR SCHOOL COMMUNITY GRANTS?

For the 2008-2009 school year, $54,000 is available for School Community Grants:

• Each Elementary School may apply for up to $3,000 in School Community Grants.
• Each Middle School may apply for up to $6,000 in School Community Grants.
• Lexington High School may apply for up to $9,000 in School Community Grants.
• The Central Office may apply for up to $15,000 in System Community Grants.

When the LEF Grant Review Committee has approved a School Community Grant proposal, the grant funds are accessed through the LPS accounting office Munis system.

WHAT IS THE APPLICATION PROCESS?

Each school submits applications for School Community Grants through a collaborative effort of the school community. The collaborative process used by the school to determine the proposed use of the grant funds, including who was involved in that process, must be described. For example, a school could use a preexisting committee or compose a new one to assess potential proposed funding requests.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

When can we submit an application and when will we hear?
 Applications must be submitted by 4:00 pm, Friday, October 31, 2008.
 Applicants will be notified of funding decisions no later than Monday, November 17, 2008.

Please send your application via email to:
jean.kurien@verizon.net

Where can we find the application?
The School Community Grant application is available at www.lexedfoundation.org/app_com.htm.
A copy of the application has also been given to each principal.

What are the funding criteria?
LEF will fund grant proposals that clearly describe the proposal’s goals and intended benefits for the school community, as opposed to an individual applicant, and identify how the School Community Grant will enable those goals and benefits to be met. It is essential that any funded proposal present a clear and detailed description of how the funds will be used.

What is not eligible for funding?
The following items or activities are not eligible for funding under the School Community Grant Program:

• Salaried positions
• Capital acquisitions, for example, photocopiers, computers, construction or building projects
• Building or equipment maintenance, for example, repairs or renovation
• Equipment, programs or services that are part of the operating budget or funds to replace equipment, programs, or services that have been cut from the operating budget
• Basic supplies, for example, paper, pens, toner
• Hospitality costs, for example, entertainment, food, or beverages

What are the responsibilities of school community grant recipients?
All recipients of School Community Grants are required to:

• Complete the activities described in their proposals before August 31, 2009
• Submit a one-page report about the School Community Grant via e-mail to LEF, by August 31, 2009, describing the outcomes of the projects funded by the SCG and containing an accounting of how the funds were used
• Share discoveries from the Grant with colleagues and school community
• Seek approval from LEF for any changes in the implementation or focus of the project
• Spend the funds for the grant by August 31, 2009. Funds to be used during the summer vacation period should be encumbered by the end of the current school year

If you have any questions about School Community Grants, please consult the LEF contacts listed below:

Central Office:     Elaine Hooper, evh3@comcast.net

LHS:                      Jill Gasperini, jgasperini@sch.ci.lexington.ma.us

Clarke:                  Mary Ellen Alessandro, alessandro@alumni.princeton.edu
                              Doug Luckerman, dluckermanlaw@aol.com

Diamond:              Vito LaMura, vl.md@verizon.net

Bowman:               Anna Afeyan, anna_afeyan@hotmail.com

Bridge:                  Mary Ellen Alessandro, alessandro@alumni.princeton.edu
                              Doug Luckerman, dluckermanlaw@aol.com

Estabrook:            Elaine Hooper, evh3@comcast.net

Fiske:                    Vito LaMura, vl.md@verizon.net

Harrington:           Vito LaMura, vl.md@verizon.net

Hastings:               Elaine Hooper, evh3@comcast.net