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Application for 2012-2013
*New date - Concept Papers due 2/27/12*
Grant Applications due 3/22/12 |
How to Apply for
a Lexington Education Foundation
Program Grant 2012 - 2013
What
is a LEF Program Grant?
LEF Program Grants fund dynamic classroom and curriculum projects,
as well as professional development opportunities for educators.
Program Grants are available to teachers, staff, administrators
and community members. The grant application process requires
each applicant to detail how grant activities are expected to
benefit the students of Lexington. Grants have been awarded to
all grade levels and in all disciplines, including the arts, sciences,
literacy, physical education, teacher mentoring, and social competency.
The goal of LEF Program Grants is to enhance the learning of students
and teachers.
Who May Apply?
Grant proposals are welcome from any Lexington Public School certified
staff and any parent or town resident working with a faculty member.
LEF has awarded grants to teachers, specialists, department heads,
administrators, counselors, nurses, special education personnel,
parents and town residents. LEF also encourages collaboration
across grades, schools, or departments.
How Can You Learn More About Writing a Proposal?
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Consult with colleagues who have written proposals in previous
years. |
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Ask LEF to direct you to past grant recipients who are willing
to assist you. |
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See Copies of Successful Applications at the LEF website:
lexedfoundation.org.
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Visit the websites of other education foundations, for ideas..
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Contact your school's laison.
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What
Will Be Funded?
A listing of grants funded by LEF since 2002 is on our website:
lexedfoundation.org.
Grants may be used for educational projects that fall outside
the regular school budget:
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Consultants, guest speakers, artists, or performers
who assist the projects implementation |
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Tuition, training, and travel expenses related to
the projects goals |
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Stipends of $50/hour or $250/day for staff time
beyond contracted hours |
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Equipment, technology, materials and supplies required for carrying
out the project. All equipment and materials
purchased with LEF funds become the property of the
Lexington Public Schools. |
What Will Not Be Funded
Grant funds are not intended to replace or relieve the
existing responsibility for public funding of school
programs, nor are they intended to substitute for regular
budget growth and maintenance. Grants will not be awarded
for the following:
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Salaried positions |
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Programs, equipment or services cut from the school
budget |
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Substitute teacher stipends |
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Existing school activities and programs |
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Retroactive compensation |
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Capital acquisitions, e.g. photocopiers, furniture,
construction or building projects |
What are LEFs Funding Criteria?
Grant proposals must meet these criteria:
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Explore new and imaginative curriculum ideas and
teaching practices or build upon a previously funded
LEF grant with demonstrated success |
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Reflect the existing core values, priorities, and goals
of LPS (available on the LPS Website)
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Be capable of replication in other Lexington schools
or classrooms |
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Demonstrate an initiative that is not within the
purview of the regular school budget |
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Address all the information required by the application,
such as a detailed budget; clear, measurable goals; required
signatures; a timeline; partial funding options; and supporting
researc.
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What
Is the Process for Awarding Grants?
A sub-committee of LEF Board and Advisory Board members meets
several times to discuss each proposal. This committee consults
with school administrators, but these administrators are not members
of the committee. LEF will contact the applicant if further clarification
of the proposal is needed. LEF makes awards based on the merits
of each proposal and the ability of LEF to fund them. LEF
evaluates each application to determine whether the proposed grant
meets LEF's funding criteria and is an effective use of its limited
funds. Partial funding may be awarded when sufficient funds are
not available.
Applying for a
Grant
What are the First Steps in the
Grant Application Process?
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1. All grant proposals must have appropriate administrators'
support. Please discuss your idea with at least one, but
preferably more, of the following: school principal, department
head/chair, curriculum specialist, or Central Office administrator.
In particular, if a grant proposal includes technology purchases, a Concept Paper*
must be submitted to the LEF by February 27, 2012, and Tom Plati must approve the concept by February 27, 2012, one month before proposals are due. An additional
sign-off sheet for applicants to distribute to appropriate administrators is found in the
application and will be submitted directly to the LEF. |
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2.
Solicit comments for improving the proposal or for departmental/school
equipment recommendations.
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3.Consider submitting and optional (except for technology requests) Concept Paper to LEF if the grant is a large request (over $5,000) or to test the feasibility of an idea before you complete your application. If you have any doubts about LEF's funding policy for a particular grant, contact your LEF liason and/or submit the Concept Paper.
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4. Discuss the project with any teachers who will be affected
by your proposal for their input and agreement to participate.
These colleagues should sign a statement expressing interest
in participating; this statement must be submitted with
your application.
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5. If the proposal requires any sort of installation in
a school building, please consult with the Director of Public
Facilities, Patrick Goddard, as to the feasibility of the
installation, since a statement of his support must be submitted
with your application.
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You
may also discuss your idea with LEF at any time. Please
contact your LEF Programs Team school liaison or any other
member of the Programs Team (See below for listing).
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*What
is a Concept Paper?
A Concept Paper is a one-page description of a potential grant
proposal that is submitted via email to LEF for feedback, prior
to preparing the more comprehensive Grant Application. (See sample Concept Link)
Upon review
of any Concept Paper, LEF will provide feedback on the strengths
and weaknesses in the proposal and areas for improvement, as well
as confirming the proposal's consistency with LEF's mission, LPS
educational priorities or other aspects of LEF funding criteria.
Positive LEF feedback on a submitted Concept Paper is not a
guarantee of funding.
How Do You Submit a Concept Paper
to LEF?
Concept Papers should contain the following information:
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The names of the grant authors and their titles. |
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The name and email
address of the person(s) to whom LEF should reply. |
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A brief description of the proposed project.
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A ballpark estimate of the projects cost, including
a rough breakdown of the costs into the categories
of purchases, payroll, and consulting. |
Concept
papers must be sent to
apply@lexedfoundation.org by
February 27, 2012. Responses will be provided by
March 5, 2011.
Writing a Grant
Proposal
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Provide all information required in the application.
Read and follow the instructions in the Application carefully,
especially the descriptions of the expenses that the grants
can and cannot fund. Address all issues that are listed
in these guidelines. Be sure to separate and clearly
label each section and response called for in the application.
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Provide
a detailed budget. This means that there must be detail
on all expected expenditures, teacher stipends (including
number of teachers to be receiving the stipends and number
of days and hours), consultant fees and any equipment and
materials, including shipping and handling.
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Provide metrics to determine success. Include clear,
specific goals and measurements of success as illustrated
in the application's Appendix A.
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Identify partial funding options. Specify if and
how your project can accomplish its objective if partially
funded.
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Identify other funding sources. Specify which expenses
are or may be funded from other sources.
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Include all required sign-off statements and signatures.
Obtain or ensure the submission of the required statements
of support from administrators, teachers and staff who will
be participating in your proposal, and, if applicable, from
the Directors of Technology/Public Facilities.
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Describe the process used to determine the level of interest.
If you are offering a system-wide training, please describe
how you determined the level of interest of the intended
participants.
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Include supporting material and sources. Attach brochures,
flyers, resumes of consultants, and other descriptive materials
relevant to your grant application. Most applications will
also require two sources (citations) of support.
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Ask someone who is not in your profession to read your
application. Prior to its submission, to be sure it
can be understood by "lay" reviewers. |
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Important Dates
and Deadlines
When Are Concept Papers Due?
Concept Papers must be sent by email to
apply@lexedfoundation.org by
February 27, 2012. Responses will be provided by March 5, 2012.
When Are Applications Due?
Grant applications must be received by 4:00 P.M. Thursday,
March 22, 2012.
Please submit 2 copies of your application.
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1. One hard copy, including the application cover sheet,
with any required statements of support and background information
to this address:
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LEF,
c/o LPS Central Office, 146 Maple Street , Lexington, MA
02420
(N.B.
As indicated in the application, some administrators will
submit their sign-off sheets directly to the LEF. Applicants
are responsible for making sure this happens by deadline.)
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2. One electronic copy of the application to this e-mail
address. apply@lexedfoundation.org.
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You will
be sent confirmation that LEF has received the electronic copy.
Grant Application Notification and Timetable
All
applicants will be advised of funding decisions by May 21,
2012. Correspondence is sent to the Project Director designated
on the grant application form. All grants are awarded for a full
academic year. Account numbers and detailed instructions for accessing
funds will be provided by the LPS accounting office after July
1, 2012. Funded projects may begin no earlier than the start of
the new fiscal year on July 1, 2012, and should be completed by
June 30, 2013.
What Are the Responsibilities of a
Grant Recipient?
In addition to implementing the proposed project
effectively, all grant recipients are required to do the
following:
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Submit a mid-year and end-of-year progress report via email.
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Share
feedback with the LEF board member assigned to shepherd
the grant.
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Seek approval from LEF of any changes in the implementation
or focus of their project.
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Notify LEF if during the term of the grant or afterwards,
they commercialize (copyright, sell, or otherwise profit) the project funded by LEF.
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Notify LEF if they will be leaving the school system before
the project is completed.
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Work with the LEF to showcase the grant in the community. In particular and if appropriate, provide the LEF with digital photographs of the grant in action. |
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Publicize
the project by means of the school newsletter or the Lexington
Minuteman, The Boston Globe, Facebook or other media
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Include
the following statement when writing about an LEF grant:
"This project is supported by a grant from the Lexington
Education Foundation."
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Apply
"funded by LEF" stickers wherever appropriate
(these will be provided by LEF)
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How
Can LEF Help You?
Your LEF school liaison (see list below) and any member of the
LEF Programs Team is available to answer questions while you are
preparing your grant application and can direct you to past grant
recipients who are willing to assist you.
If you are awarded an LEF Program Grant, an LEF board member will
act as a grant shepherd and will be a personal contact
for you with LEF.
The LEF Programs Team will be available to answer questions during
the course of the grant. If your proposal is not funded, LEF will,
upon request, provide feedback and suggestions regarding your
application.
For more information
or if you have any questions, please contact your LEF Programs
Team school liaison or any other member of the Programs Team:
Sample Concept
paper
Summary
of Project Idea:
A team of grade 2, 3 and 4 classroom teachers and specialists
would collaborate to adapt the second, third and fourth grade
science curriculum to accommodate all learning styles, to develop
a Primary Guide to Differentiated Instruction in Science,
and to integrate a new technology - the Smart Board - into their
teaching methods. The primary goal is to design instruction in
science concepts that accommodate a broader range of learning
styles, thereby reducing misunderstandings of these concepts,
and to improve achievement and continuity in science. Another
important objective is the evaluation of the new technology.
The bulk of the effort would occur during the early fall, and grant funds
would support meetings for the teacher/specialist co-applicants
to meet and review units in the existing science curriculum, plan
differentiation in presentations and activities, and write The
Primary Guide. In addition, the Smart Boards would be purchased
in August and the applicants would receive training in their use
during the early fall in order to understand how to utilize this
new technology as part of the enhanced science curriculum. The
U.S. Society of Smart Board Trainers would provide a one-day seminar
to train the applicants in the use of the Smart Boards.
During the course of the year, the team would meet to review, assess and
modify the instructional ideas that have been implemented.
Number of Participants:
2 Grade 2 classroom teachers, 2 Grade 3 classroom
teachers, 2 Grade 4 classroom teachers, and 3 specialists, including
a School Counselor, an elementary Special Educator, and the Science
curriculum specialist.
Budget:
Assuming four days of team meetings over the summer, we expect $4,500 for
staff payroll (based on $250 per day per staff member for 2 days)
for meetings, an additional $2,250 for staff stipends during training
time (based on $250 per day per staff member for one day); consulting
fees of $2000 for Smart Board Training, and $7,000 for 3 Smart
Boards - one for each grade. Total: $15,750. back
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