Award Range:

Up to $3,000 per project. The number of grants totally $30,000 will be awarded for the 2018-2019 school year.

Key Criteria & Eligible Projects: 

Review and award of project funds will be based on the project’s anticipated contribution to essential knowledge and skills students must have to be successful in life and employment in the 21^st century, clear alignment with the BCPS Blueprint 2.0:  Our Way Forward and the school progress plan, clear measurable objectives, and overall impact and potential for successful implementation. The 2018-2019 projects should address at least one of the following instructional focused 21^st century themes:

• Financial, Economic, Business, and Entrepreneurial  Literacy
• Health Literacy
• Environmental Literacy
• Civic Literacy
• Global Awareness
• Arts & Culture
• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

Projects must be conducted and supervised by BCPS professional personnel who work directly with students, including teachers, school counselors, media specialists, nurses, etc. Projects must address an identified need that is aligned with BCPS goals for academics and key actions as stated in the BCPS Blueprint 2.0:  Our Way Forward and the school progress plans. Funds may not replace normal funding from tax-based sources. The proposal should describe a quantitative and/or qualitative method to evaluate the success of the project. Funds may cover travel, participation in events/activities, consulting fees, and speaker honorariums. Funds may not cover personnel or any related expenses for BCPS staff, including gift cards and food/beverages.  If food is purchased for students, it must align with USDA health regulations.

Application Deadline:

On or before Wednesday, May 30, 2018 by 5 p.m.

Notification of Recipients: 

Recipients will receive an e-mail notification from the executive director on Friday, June 22, 2018, and a media release will be placed on our Web site (https://educationfoundationbcps.org) on Wednesday, June 27, 2018.

Awarding of Funding:

Funds will be disbursed to the school/organization for project expenses according to standard Education Foundation practice as stated on the page titled 2018-2019 Open Door Excellence in Education Grants Processing A Request To Disburse Funds From The Foundation Account, (Page 5) using the form titled Request for Reimbursement/ Disbursement from a Foundation Project Fund (Page 6).  Any unexpended funds will revert to the Education Foundation unrestricted fund at the conclusion of the project on Friday, May 24, 2019.  NOTE: Do not use personal credit cards or cash when making grant purchases.

Length of Project:

Projects should be implemented during the 2018-2019 school year with all projects to be completed on or before Friday, May 24, 2019 including the request to reimburse/disburse from the foundation project account.

Applicant Eligibility: 

Applicants must be BCPS professional personnel. In the case of team-based proposals, a project coordinator must be designated to assume overall administrative responsibility for the instructional initiative grant application, submission of disbursement requests, and any other requested information or reports. Simultaneous funding of projects from the same applicant or benefitting the same classroom, department, or team will not occur.

Proposal Review: 

Proposals will be competitively reviewed by the Scholarships and Allocations Committee of the Education Foundation. BCPS curriculum and instruction and/or business services professionals may be consulted as part of the proposal review for the purpose of compliance and alignment.

Initiative Summary:  

A project summary is due to the Education Foundation upon the conclusion of the initiative no later than Friday May 24, 2019.