IPEI Teacher Grants Information 2015-16

August 27, 2015

Teacher Grant Information Sheet

IPEI’s Teacher Grants program provides grants up to $1,500.00 to ICSD teachers interested in implementing an innovative educational project. Any proposal designed to enhance the educational experience of ICSD students will be considered provided that the described project:
 
·       Directly involves and/or benefits student learning
·       Enlists the support of a community partner with whom the project will be completed
·       Cannot be funded through existing avenues of ICSD support
Any ICSD teacher, or group of teachers, can apply for a grant. Proposals are reviewed on a competitive basis by a committee of community members and ICSD representatives using an established set of review criteria listed in the “Common Questions and Answer” section below. Notification of all awards will be made within 8 weeks from the November 1stsubmission deadline.
A grant project is not considered completed until the final grant summary report form has been submitted.

 

COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q. What criteria are used to evaluate the grant requests?
A.    Is it innovative? To what extent does the project contain innovative approaches to learning and to preparing students for a more dynamic world? To what extent is the project designed to pilot new techniques creating substantive change in approaches to learning and education?
  1. Does it have a long-term benefit/impact? Who and how many will benefit from the project? If the project is individual classroom based, to what extent would the project serve as a model (i.e., can the project be replicated and/or expanded upon) for others in the future? How will students and others be informed about the project and how will the results be communicated upon completion?
C.    Have you clearly articulated the role of the community partner?  What organizations, groups and individuals were consulted in the design of the project? How will each project “partner’ be involved? Each partner will derive what benefits?  Make sure and articulate carefully what this particular partner brings to this project and why they were chosen. If the community partner is an individual, please include a brief CV or explain why this person is uniquely qualified to be a community partner – for example, “he/she is a skilled weaver” or “he/she is a native language speaker with extensive travel background in the target country.  If the community partner is an organization, please provide a brief description of its activities or scope and its past experience with the proposed project focus.
D.    Are the goals/outcomes clearly stated? Are the goals and anticipated products or outcomes of the project clearly delineated? What is the timetable for completion? How will the project be evaluated upon completion? What is the project potential for success?  Is this project sustainable without funding?
E.    Volunteer role?  Do you use volunteer resources to leverage support for this project?
F.    Student Engagement?  How will students be actively involved in this grant?
Q.  What happens if several teachers from one school submit proposals? Will my chances of receiving a grant be diminished?
       A.  There is no limit on the number of proposals that may be submitted by teachers from any one school. However, in order that IPEI may have the broadest impact with limited dollars available, the teachers who have submitted proposals within individual schools may be asked to prioritize proposals when multiple requests have been submitted.
Q.  Who will be reviewing the proposals and making the decisions?
       A.  The Grant Review Committee consists of eight to ten members as follows:
·       1 representative appointed by the ICSD Superintendent
·       1 representative appointed by the Ithaca Teachers Association
·       4-6 representatives from area businesses, community foundations, institutions of higher education, and not-for-profit organizations
·       1 representative from the lPEl Board of Directors
Q. What does it mean if all or part of a grant is BOCES Aidable?
     A.  The BOCES Arts in Education programs provides funding for approved services that include dance, music, theatre, visual and media arts, and writing and literary arts, the environment and science. This funding comes from IPEI/ICSD and is passed on to BOCES, which then pays for those services. The following year, ICSD is reimbursed by New York State for a percentage of the costs. Using this BOCES program generates additional aid to the ICSD General Fund, the following year.
Q.  Who is a teacher coordinator?
      A.   The teacher coordinator is expected to act as project spokesperson, be responsible for the accounting of funds spent, assure that a final report on the results of the project is submitted, and serve as the contact person for the Grant Review Committee.
Q.  Who is a Community Partner
      A.    Identification of a “community partner” with whom the project will be carried out is a critical component of the community involvement in this grant program. For example, a music and arts project might include representatives from several area performing arts organizations; similarly, a science project might involve a professor from Cornell and/or someone in local industry as a community partner. The community partner(s) MUST be identified prior to the grant deadline and contact information included. If the community partner is an individual, please include a brief CV or explain why this person is uniquely qualified to be a community partner—for example, “he is a skilled weaver” or “she is a native language speaker with extensive travel background in the target country.” If the community partner is an organization, please provide a brief description of its activities or scope.
Q. What should be included in the project description?
       
·       Goals of the project – what you hope to accomplish
·       Description of specific activities
·       Role and benefits to be derived by the community partner(s)
·       Evaluation of outcomes
·       Sustainability plans
Q.  What are scholastic impact requirements?
  1. Please provide the pertinent New York State standards and performance indicators and/or Common Core Standards and explain how these will be addressed and assessed.  Please also explain how the student learning relates to the established ICSD curriculum. Proposals may be for projects outside of the classroom led by teachers or other professional staff that extend standards and curriculum-based student learning. Preference will be given to projects in which all students participate.
Q.  When are we notified of the awards?
      A.    Applicants will be notified of grant awards by December 15th and official paperwork will be sent by January 8th.  At that time, successful applicants will be asked to sign a Letter of Agreement outlining grant acceptance requirements and procedures for the accounting of all funds. In addition, grants that are BOCES aidable will have other forms attached to the Letter of Agreement that will need to be submitted.  Return dates will be included in the packets.
Q.  What supply items can we request?
If you are requesting funds for items such as books, travel for field trips, software or lab supplies, it is important to distinguish how these items augment rather than replace support that may be provided through the school district. IPEI funds project-related materials, but basic material requests should be submitted to the district through Department Chairs or building Principals.
Q.  What are additional contributions?
A.  Describe in detail all the sources of support for your project, including in-kind and/or additional funds secured to enhance the success of your project.  In-kind is defined as good, commodities, or services given instead of money.
Q.  What items/assistance are generally supported?
      A.  Necessary supplies and materials
Equipment, if it is needed for the completion of a larger project and not the sole basis of your request
            Fees/Honoraria for outside consultants providing technical assistance
            Transportation costs
            Use of voluntary resources
Q.  What items/assistance are generally not supported?
A.   Items such as food, prizes, etc.
Equipment such as VCRs, TVs, computers, etc., that are typically available through the school district
Payments to other ICSD teachers
Funding for overnight field trips
After school clubs
Summer projects
Extension of an approved grant that is not completed, into the following year
More than 3 years of funding
Acquisitions or activities that are normally funded by the school district
Q.  Where can I get help?
      A.  Direct all your grant questions to TeacherGrants@IPEI.org and put “teacher grant” in the subject line – a grant review committee member will in touch. For example, If you do not have a relationship with, or cannot find  “the right” community partner for your project, identify the type of partner you would like to work with and members of IPEI will try to help link you with an appropriate community partner.

 

Q.   What are Treman Grants?
A.  These are teacher grants that epitomize excellence in grant writing and exemplify innovative projects of high quality that are specially recognized by IPEI as outstanding.


NOTE:  ipei.org will be updated before school opens after Labor Day, but currently shows 2014-15 grants information. 

IPEI Connecting Classroom Grants 2015-16 InformationIPEI Red and Gold Grants Information 2015-16