7 Things to Know Before Writing a Grant

Grant Writing Tips

Be sure to carefully read the grant rules and guidelines.

• Some grants are scored anonymously with a rubric. If this is the case, avoid including identifying information such as your name, school name, mascot, district name, or city. Including this information could disqualify your grant.
• Grants that are creative and unique stand out. Grants that are too similar to others or copied/pasted could be disqualified.
• Check to see if there is a rubric or application guide that will be used to score the grant.
• Know the process of the grant. Will the money be sent to the school? Will the devices be sent to the school?

Watch what you say.

• Don’t say disparaging things about the district, community, or the legislature in an attempt to gain sympathy for grant funds. It often backfires.
• Be accurate in what you say. 
• Don’t focus on what other people around you have. Grant readers aren’t inspired by people saying that the reason they should have something is because the teacher across the hall has something. 

Be strategic in your writing.

• Be prepared to submit your grant many, many times. If you write strategically, you can use your grant numerous times with simple modifications for several different grant pools.
• Even if it is a well-written grant, you still need to be prepared to submit it more than once.
• Your grant needs to STAND OUT. You must impress grant readers in only a few minutes. They could be reading 500 other grants in that same sitting.

Make a good plan.

• Propose a well-thought-out plan and make sure your grant matches that plan. For example, if you are proposing to improve literacy in your whole class, but you are only asking for 5 Chromebooks, you need to explain how those 5 Chromebooks will help your whole class.
• Consider how many students your grant will impact. If you would like to have the grant impact more students, consider writing it as a team. This will allow the tech to benefit more than one class of students.
• Does your grant align with Alpine’s Vision for Learning? Does it align with the goals in your building and those of your team?
• Will you be the only one on your team that will have access to the equipment being requested? Will this impact collaboration?
• Have a good, solid plan for refreshing your devices.
  • Golden Example: “I have provided a letter from my principal that states that if these devices accomplish my goals, he will find funds to refresh the devices after 3 years.”
  • Silver Example: “I will work hard to ensure my principal sees the value of these devices. If this works, I will ask my principal to find funds to refresh the devices after 3 years.”
  • Bronze Example: “I will write another grant.”
• Don’t leave responses blank or write that you don’t know. Make an actual plan. If you don’t know the answer, have a conversation with your principal, your teammates, or your Innovative Learning Coach.

Donors Choose

UPDATE: Occasionally, Alpine School District Foundation works directly with DonorsChoose to provide a match for projects in ASD. Click here for more information.

DonorsChoose.org enables teachers to request materials and resources for their classrooms and makes these project requests available to individual donors through its website.

• Video: Tips for getting your projects funded

Alpine School District Foundation Grant Opportunities

• Grant Opportunities Information

STEM Action Center Funding Opportunities

“Our funding opportunities serve as Innovation Incubators that help Utah educators and organizations make the most of learning opportunities and give STEM students valuable learning tools and otherwise unavailable resources. These Innovation Incubators provide funds to enhance everyday learning, assist students in extracurricular STEM competitions, and support access to hands-on STEM experiences and activities.”

• PreK-12 Classroom Grant 
• STEM Competition Grant 
• Computing Partnership Grant 
• K-12 Math Personalized Learning Software Grant (school administrator may apply)
• Professional Learning Grant (school administrator may apply)

100% for Kids

Mini Grants ($50-$1,000) and School and Major Project Grants ($1,000+) available. Grants are reviewed on a monthly or quarterly basis, depending on the level of grant requested.

CenturyLink Teachers and Technology Grant

UPDATE: The CenturyLink Teachers and Technology Grant Cycle has been discontinued.

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Resources

• Grant Memo from Assistant Superintendent John Patten
• Alpine School District Approved Technology Purchasing List
• Alpine School District Required Practices for Student Data Privacy
• Alpine School District Technology Purchase Approval Form