Application Questions
When are applications due?
The Ed Fund has only one application cycle per year. Applications for the 2008-2009 school year are due on March 12, 2008. Application templates may be downloaded from this website.
Who is eligible to apply for an Ed Fund grant?
Ed Fund grants are open to all San Francisco Unified School District teachers (including librarians and technology specialists) as well as school counselors and children’s center site supervisors. While principals, parents, paraprofessionals, and members of community-based organizations are encouraged to participate in grant projects, to qualify for funding the requisite number of teacher participants must be met.
What kinds of grants does the Ed Fund offer?
There are four types of LPD Grants:
Classroom Project Grants of up to $1,500 are available for teams of two or more teachers to support innovative projects that inspire and engage both students and teachers to improve student outcomes in a particular academic area.
Teacher Learning Grants of $6,000-$9,000 are available for teams of six or more teachers and provide for ongoing site-based professional learning communities aimed at improving student outcomes by way of enhancing teacher learning. These networks are opportunities for teachers to share their best practices, look at student work, gain professional support, build community, and reflect on their work. Teachers may create new or employ existing models of this form of professional development.
Community Partner Grants of $6,000-$9,000 are for teams of six or more teachers who initiate and implement a large-scale project in conjunction with a community-based organization, a small local business, or a team of parents or community members. These grants give opportunities for teachers to build capacity by learning how to best sustain community relationships as well as how to bring new community resources to the school. The project must provide students access to places, people, ideas, or opportunities that they wouldn’t otherwise have, and support student learning objectives. The project is integrated into academic subjects through teacher learning and collaboration.
Sustainability Grants are for existing grant teams who want continued support from the Ed Fund to sustain their successful grant projects. Previous General Grant ($2,000) recipients can apply for up to $500, Team Grants ($5,000) for up to $1,200, and Expanded Team Grants ($7,000) for up to $1500.
How do I get started?
The following step-by-step guide may be helpful to first-time grantwriters:
1. Gather a group of teachers to discuss your innovative ideas.
2. Brainstorm grant project topics according to the Ed Fund guidelines.
3. Solidify ideas with teacher and student outcomes.
4. Discuss project with principal and get his/her support. Tell him/her the principal's role.
5. Contact potential partners for collaboration.
6. Select two or three teachers to write the grant.
7. Select one grant facilitator.
8. Attend a grant writing workshop.
9. Email your copy and send a hardcopy to the Ed Fund by March 12, 2008.
Can I write a grant with someone from another school?
Yes! Cross-school collaboration and partnerships are encouraged. For example, a recent project set up a teacher learning network between an elementary school and a middle school. If you are designing a cross-school collaboration, be sure your proposal delineates how the teachers from both schools will interact and how the project will fit into the overall program of both schools.
Do grants have to address certain subject areas?
LPD Grants may support activities in any subject area as long as the other criteria are met.
How does the Ed Fund choose which proposals to fund?
For Teacher Learning and Community Partner Grants:
A committee of readers composed of educators, Ed Fund staff and board members, community members, and parents selects which grant proposals will receive funding. The selection process also includes a 15 minute phone conversation between grant facilitators and Ed Fund staff. The San Francisco Education Fund Board of Directors and the San Francisco Board of Education approve funding decisions.
For Classroom Learning and Sustainability Grants:
These smaller grants are reviewed by Ed Fund staff.
Click here for a sample scoring rubric.
Because available money for grant funding and for the number of grant proposals awarded varies from year to year, the Ed Fund does not guarantee that all projects that meet funding guidelines will be funded, or that projects will be funded for the entire requested amount.
Can I apply to renew an existing project?
Existing projects that submit a new proposal must show a significant increase in the breadth or depth of their work. For example, a general grant of two teachers may request funding to expand their work to a Teacher Learning or Community Partner Grant (increase in breadth) or, a team grant project that created an interdisciplinary unit of study may apply for funding to expand their work so that it is used throughout the entire school year (increase in depth). The Ed Fund will also offer smaller, sustainability grants for excellent LPD projects from 2006-2007 and 2007-2008. Previous General Grant recipients ($1,200) will be eligible for sustainability grants of up to $500. Team Grant recipients ($5,000) may apply for sustainability grants of up to $1,200. Expanded Team Grant recipients ($7,000) will be eligible for sustainability grants of up to $1,500. These grants are limited in scope and focus on the cost of continued operation of a successful program. Please note that recipients will be eligible for sustainability grants twice.
Budget and Financial Questions
What kinds of items/services may I purchase with grant funds?
All grant funds must be spent as outlined in the project proposal and aligned with project goals and activities. These expenditures may include: payments to consultants, honoraria for guest lecturers/artists, teacher stipends, substitute teachers providing release time for teachers, school supplies, hospitality items, books, software, camera equipment, videos, teacher professional development workshops, photocopying, and postage. For complete budgetary information, please read the Grant Administration Guidelines.
Can I use grant funds to attend a conference?
Yes! Grant funds may be used for attendance at teacher professional development workshops and conferences. The topics of such events should directly relate to the subject area or goals of the grant project.
Can we use funds to pay for teachers’ salaries?
No. The Ed Fund will not pay for school staff salaries. Budgets may include stipends for teachers’ participation in project events, grant-related meetings, trips, or training events that take place outside of normal school hours. In accordance with SFUSD guidelines, the extended hour pay rate is $26.15/hour. Teachers who provide training for other teachers may receive compensation for their planning time.
How will I receive the grant funds?
The Ed Fund disburses grant funds directly to the grant facilitator, a member of the grant team. Grant funds are disbursed in two installments. Facilitators will receive the first check in September and the second check in January upon approval of their midyear report.
Can I use the entire grant to purchase materials for a project?
The Ed Fund supports action and ideas, not solely the acquisition of materials. Materials and supplies must support project objectives and the budget should be more than just a request for materials. For complete budgetary information, please read the Grant Administration Guidelines.
What is an in-kind donation?
In-kind donations are contributions from the school, parents, community, or other groups working with the teachers to advance the project goals. In-kind donations often demonstrate the school’s support for the project and may indicate an increased likelihood of project sustainability. Examples include materials, volunteer time, fundraised money, etc.
Implementation Questions
What happens if I change schools after I receive a grant?
The Ed Fund will work with the facilitator, other teachers, and the principals involved to come up with a solution on a case by case basis. In some cases, the grant may stay at the original school. In certain other cases, it may be possible to move the grant to the new school site.
What is the role of the grant facilitator?
Each grant project team must select one teacher to serve as the grant facilitator. Grant facilitators act as the project liaison to the Ed Fund and are responsible for receiving checks, submitting mid-year and final reports, and evaluating and documenting the project. Grant facilitators receive and disburse materials and updates regarding Ed Fund professional development opportunities to participating teachers. Grant facilitators will be expected to participate in all Ed Fund-sponsored programs designed to assist grant recipients in the collection of assessment data, reporting, and general grant facilitation. The first meeting of grant facilitators will be in August 2008. Please read the Grant Administration Guidelines for further details.
Can our project have more than one facilitator?
For our administrative purposes, the Ed Fund requires one teacher to serve as the grant project’s contact person. However, grant recipients may choose to assign roles and responsibilities at the school site in any way that makes sense for the project.
What reporting is required of grant recipients?
Midyear and final reports must be submitted for each grant project. These reports consist of an easy online survey (including descriptions of project activities, outcomes, and assessment information) and expense reports. Reports are due in January and June. For more information about evaluation, please read the Grant Administration Guidelines.
Do the project activities have to take place during school hours?
No. Grants may be funded to support after school programs, extracurricular clubs, and other activities that take place outside of the regular school day. In addition, summer activities for teachers, such as conferences and collaborative meetings, may also be funded. However, the grant proposal must demonstrate that the project will address specific student learning objectives and support the professional development goals of the participating teachers.
What support for project implementation does the Ed Fund offer?
The Ed Fund provides ongoing support to teachers implementing grants. Staff members are available for phone consultations or meetings throughout the year. Additionally, the Ed Fund will work to link teachers to appropriate resources that will strengthen their projects. Ed Fund staff will work with grantees to schedule two formal site visits throughout the year. During the first half of the year, Ed Fund staff will meet with the grant team outside of the classrooms or via phone to discuss the project and offer assistance. In the second half of the year, Ed Fund staff will observe the project’s work more formally in the classroom or wherever the work takes place (e.g., field trips, performances, etc.) The Ed Fund also seeks to provide opportunities for our donors to visit grant projects and witness firsthand the exciting teaching and learning taking place in San Francisco’s public schools. Grant facilitators are asked to inform the Ed Fund of appropriate site visit opportunities and to coordinate donor site visits with Ed Fund staff.
View the 2008-2009 LPD Grant Guidelines
For more information, contact Program Associate Paul Kuzmickas at 415.912.2238 or paul@sfedfund.org