Educator Grants
Lewis High School PTSA Educator Grants
Open date for 2023-2024 Grant Requests: August 15, 2023
Application due date: September 30, 2023
Notification: mid-October 2023
Educator Grants for 2022 - 2023 were awarded Dec 13, 2022
2023-2024 Educator Grant Information
Background
The Lewis HS PTSA is proud to announce funding for grant applications for Lewis High School faculty and staff members. Grant requests for $50 – $300 will be considered. Grant requests should align with the Lewis HS PTSA bylaws and objectives, which can be accessed here.
An overview of the PTSA’s objectives is provided here:
to advocate for and expand the education, physical and mental health, welfare, and safety of children and youth.
to promote the collaboration and engagement of families and educators in the educational success of children and youth.
to expand diversity and promote united efforts to secure the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social well-being of all children and youth.
Please note that grant applications do not need to align with all objectives.
Priorities
All grant requests should be for programs, projects, or materials that enhance the Lewis High School community. Priority will be given to grant applications that:
Have a clear purpose.
Address a specific need of the Lewis HS community.
Benefit a large number of Lewis HS students.
Benefit a particular subgroup or unique population.
Address closing a gap in the Lewis community.
Have no other avenue for funding (county, school, corporate, parent, etc.)
Have matching funds from other sources.
Support in-house programs over grants that pay for talent or experience outside the school staff and the school.
Qualifications and Eligibility
Any Lewis High School teacher or staff member who is a member of the Lewis HS PTSA may apply.
Late applications will not be considered.
To assess each grant request fairly, the person or persons requesting the grant may be contacted by the PTSA for clarification.
Approved grant requests may be fully or partially funded.
Proposals that are denied solely because of insufficient Grant Funds are encouraged to be resubmitted the following year
Grants Process
Submission
Grants must be submitted by the due date above. Late applications will not be considered. All grant applications that conform to the grant guidelines and submission instructions will be considered. The PTSA will confer with the school administration to determine if alternate funding sources are available.
Review
All grant applications will be reviewed by a committee of PTSA members and be scored according to an established rubric. Proposals will be considered in totality to allow decisions based on equity among grades, students, classes, departments, etc. The decision of the committee is final. Submitters will be notified of the status of their grant within one week of the PTSA approval meeting.
Financials
Items purchased with PTSA funds after the grant has been completed will remain at Lewis High School or returned to the PTSA unless the PTSA board approves other arrangements.
Grants will be paid out in one of two ways:
a. Grant recipients may provide the invoice(s) to the PTSA Treasurer, who will make the payment(s) and notify the recipient of the payment.
b. Grant recipients may pay for expenses directly and request reimbursement from the PTSA Treasurer. Recipients will be required to fill out a voucher form to request reimbursement and attach receipts totaling the reimbursement amount. Requests for reimbursement must be submitted within three (3) weeks of the date the recipient pays the expense and no later than May 19, 2024. Receipts must be dated after the award, as the grant is not intended for costs incurred before receiving an award.
After May 19, 2024, any unused money will roll into the following year’s pool of grant money unless grant recipients submit a special request to the PTSA to extend the deadline. The grant money will only be dispersed for expenses outlined on the approved grant application.
Documenting the Impact
After students have benefited from the grant (or begun to benefit in the case of an ongoing program), grant recipients agree to submit a brief (one-page) report to the PTSA and to present that report at a PTSA meeting. The PTSA will provide a report template. The report will describe the project or activity, its reach, and explain how students have benefited from the grant. The report must be submitted to the treasurer of the PTSA by May 31, 2024, and will be requested if it is not received. Failure to submit this report may affect future funding eligibility.
The PTSA looks forward to celebrating, promoting, and publicizing the efforts of the grant recipients and their accomplishments with the grant program. If appropriate, grant recipients are invited to submit materials that could help showcase their projects. Information from the reports and other submitted materials may be used in PTSA communications, on the PTSA website, and during appropriate school events (such as Lancer Launch and Back-to-School Night.) The more parents, teachers, students, and others in the community are made aware of the benefits of the PTSA grant program, the more support it will have in years to come.