Educator Grants
Our Educator Grant program provides an opportunity for our teachers and staff to fund opportunities for students and their classrooms. The intent of this grant is to support innovative approaches and creative ideas by funding supplies, equipment and projects that are not typically supported by the school’s budget. Approaches and ideas can include enrichment of the curriculum and/or provide students with additional learning experiences. Grant proposals should be used to supplement, but not replace, other funding sources. It is assumed that the requests will fall within the normal school guidelines regarding alignment and purchasing of all items relating to curriculum and teaching.
Eligibility
All teachers and staff who are PTA members are eligible to apply for a grant. In order to maximize the impact of grant funding, if an individual teacher or department is awarded a grant for that year, they will be ranked a lower priority for additional funding request(s) until all grants are approved.
Grant Amounts
The typical grant awards will be between $50 ‐ $200. Exceptions will be reviewed and approved by the President and general PTA membership. In addition to the criteria listed below, approval depends heavily on yearly budget and other financial obligations.
Criteria
PTA members will not know the identity of the individual submitting the grant requests (although it is often easy to guess). Applications will be judged on the following criteria:
Potential to improve student achievement
Number of students who will benefit
Creativity of project or innovative approach
Potential for continuation and/or replication
Cost effectiveness and realistic budget/bids/pricing research
Potential to enhance instructional skills
Expected impact
Projects must be endorsed by the principal
Timeline
Applications for the Fall 2021 round of grants are due by [DAY], [MONTH] [DD] at 12:00 pm. The review process and awarding will take place at the PTA meeting on [DAY], [MONTH] [DD]. Applications submitted after the due date or unfunded will be tabled to a future round.
Grantees must provide a written report to the PTA at the conclusion of their project. This report must include a financial statement; narrative describing the project; and how it benefited students and/or the teacher. Unused funds must be returned to WJMS PTA by the end of the school year in which the grant was awarded.