Running Head: FUNDING PAPER 1

Funding Paper

Sarah Jacobs & Amanda Kazin

Loyola University Maryland

ET 680

Spring 2018
FUNDING PAPER 2

Needs

Our schools are Title 1 schools located in Southeast Baltimore County,

Maryland. Families living in this area are in the low socio-economic bracket. Our schools have

a high range of free and reduced lunch. The two schools are also Title I funded. The funds

provided by Title I are typically used for general supplies, books, and after school clubs. Both

schools currently have such technologies as one-to-one devices and Promethean boards.

However, when these technologies become outdated, it is difficult to get the funding needed to

replace or update them.

One such need is updated Promethean boards and programs. Promethean boards were

installed over eight years ago and have not been updated since. The bulbs are dim and hard to

see with the lights on, and they burn out quickly. Replacing the bulbs can take some time,

causing the daily routine to be altered and teaching to become difficult, as the boards take up a

large space in the front of each classroom. About 5 years ago, our entire curriculum was

digitized and the bulk of teaching takes place through the use of the Promethean board. On top

of the bulbs burning out, the projectors have started to malfunction, leaving teachers without use

of their board for days, or even weeks. Another feature of the boards that hasn’t been updated is

the program ActivInspire. This program acts like a digital whiteboard and is how most teachers

display their lessons. ActivInspire has been asking to update for over 8 years now, and we are

unable to update it.

Another need is the purchase of Virtual Reality equipment and programs. Being in a low

socioeconomic area, a lot of our students come to school lacking the schema to make

connections to their learning or to help them build background knowledge. Many students

haven’t had opportunities to explore the world around them, past their immediate community.
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Virtual Reality would allow students to take part in new experiences that they wouldn’t have

previously had. Participating in these experiences will help students explore their world and gain

cultural and social capital. Using Virtual Reality would allow teachers to plan and implement

field trip experiences quickly and efficiently. Oftentimes, it is difficult to receive funding,

transportation, or approval for field trips, but with Virtual Reality, students could explore the

world from the comfort of the classroom.

One grant that would help us to fund these two deficits is from Target. Target gives field

trip grants yearly to help promote learning opportunities outside of the classroom. This grant is

awarded yearly to applicants who apply between August 1st and September 30th, and the

application must be completed and submitted online. The grant is valued for up to $700 and is

awarded in mid-December. The money must be used for field trips between January and May of

that school year. Target started this grant fund in 2007 as a way to help schools fund field trips,

and has since funded millions of field trips. Several hundred schools across the country are

awarded yearly. As part of the application, schools need to list their annual budget and

demographic information (such as the percentage of the population served).

On their FAQ’s page, several restrictions are listed as to what is not funded through the

program. These restrictions include: individuals, programs outside of the United States, U.S.

protectorates, or Canada, educational institutions for regular instructional programs, religious

organizations for religious purposes, treatment programs such as substance or alcohol abuse,

athletic teams or events, fundraiser or gala events, advocacy or research groups, capital or

building construction projects, endowment campaigns, elected officials, and organizations that

do not comply with Target’s non-discrimination policy. In order to be eligible for this grant, the

organization applying must be federally tax-exempt, an accredited school, or a public agency

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located in the U.S. or one of its protectorates. The organization must also be within 100 miles of

a Target store to be considered in the Target community. At the end of the program (in this case,

in May or June), an evaluation survey needs to be submitted to Target that reviews the number of

people served and marketing activities.

Applying for this grant would be beneficial to our schools because it directly links to our

need of Virtual Reality materials. This grant would allow teachers at our schools to take students

outside of the classroom virtually to experience the world around them. Another pro of this

grant is that it is accessible and awarded to schools nationwide that are accredited and federally

tax-exempt. Our schools meet both of these criteria. In searching on the website, one of our

schools (Sandy Plains Elementary) was awarded this grant for the 2016-2017 school year, which

shows that we qualify for this grant. Contact with the principal at Sandy Plains was made in

order to receive feedback on the grant (Image 1). In response, the principal connected me with a

Kindergarten teacher who applies to this grant every year. The teacher said that she found this

grant through the program Arts on Stage. From the information she gave me, it seems as if it is

possible to be awarded this grant each year, which could be beneficial (Image 3). The teacher

was also able to provide me with a copy of the application she completed online. This year, the

Kindergarten team is using the Target grant money to attend a field trip at Oregon Ridge Dinner

Theater. Contact was also made with Target via Twitter to request more information about the

grant (Image 2). However, Target has yet to reply. Unfortunately, there are limited ways to

contact Target about these grants through their website, which directs you to their FAQ’s page.

One downfall to applying to this grant is that we are uncertain if Target would consider

Virtual Reality field trips in the same category as “outside of the classroom

experiences”. Another downfall is that the grant only awards up to $700, and Virtual Reality can
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be pricey. This means that although the grant would be a huge help, it would most likely not

cover the cost of the Virtual Reality equipment or programs that the schools would need to

implement it in the classroom efficiently. If we were awarded this grant, we would need to come

up with other funding to complete the purchases needed to successfully implement Virtual

Reality at our schools.

A second organization that we found is called Digital Wish. This website gives houses

links and applications for various types of grants. On this site, people can give to a school, start

a fundraiser, or apply for grants. Teachers can apply to many grants at once by signing up and

submitting a technology-based lesson plan. The lesson plan acts as your application and

automatically enters you to win one of 50 different grants. The grants are awarded on the 15th of

every month, so there are multiple opportunities to win. However, you can also go on and apply

for specific grants. The grants range in price depending on the organization funding them.

One such grant that we found on this site was given by American Honda Foundation. To

date, the American Honda Foundation has awarded over $37 million to organizations serving

117 million people across the nation. The foundation was established out of appreciation of the

support Honda received by the American people, but also to commemorate the company’s 25th

anniversary in the United States. This grant ranges from $20,000 - $75,000and is focused on

STEM subjects and the environment. Honda wants grant recipients to embody values of Honda

companies, such as: imaginative, creative, youthful, forward-thinking, scientific, humanistic, and

innovative. Their mission statement is to “help meet the needs of American society in the areas

of youth and scientific education...while assisting communities in obtaining long-term benefits.”

To be eligible, your organization must be a non-profit charitable organization, or a public school

district. Applicants must also have two years of audited financial statements examined by an
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independent CPA to determine if gross revenue is $500,000 or more. Applicants may only

submit one request within a 12 month period, and forms are submitted online. To get started,

you must complete an eligibility quiz, which then leads you into the online application. The

application itself is an in-depth online process. Applications are taken three times per year:

February 1st, August 1st, or May 1st. The latter of the three is reserved for returning

organizations. There are three phases of the application process, and the total cycle can take

approximately 90 days. Phase 1 is when the applications are submitted. Next, the top 8-10% of

applicants are selected for site evaluations. All others are declined and notified. Lastly, the

board meets to make final funding decisions and the grant awards are

announced. Approximately 27 grants are awarded annually due to limited funds.

Organizations that are not eligible for this grant are individuals and/or individual

scholarships, private foundations, organizations operating for profit or loans for small businesses,

veterans or fraternal organizations, and labor groups. This is due to their policy, budget

limitations and State and Federal law. There are also several focus areas that do not qualify for

this grant, as listed on the FAQ’s page. Areas include: the arts (unless it’s integrated with

STEM), health and welfare issues, medical and/or educational research, programs outside of the

U.S., direct support of churches, fundraising, capital campaigns, propaganda statements, gifts or

donations, and youth recreation activities/playground equipment. Types of projects that have

been funded are projects that are: innovative and creative that propose untried methods which

ultimately may result in providing solutions to the complex educational concerns currently facing

the American society, broad in scope, intent, impact, and outreach, possesses a high potential for

success with a relatively low incidence of duplication of effort, dedicated to improving the

human condition of all mankind, operate from a position of financial and administrative
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soundness, and in urgent need of funding from a priority basis. The foundation funds projects

with a focus on STEM, the environment, job training and literacy.

A pro to applying to this grant is that it definitely fits the needs of both new Promethean

boards and Virtual Reality equipment. Both of these technologies help our school integrate

STEM programs into the classroom by allowing educators in our school to make learning more

interactive and engaging. Also, signing up for the Digital Wish website could help us to fund

our needs through other grants as well. Uploading one lesson plan could enter our school in

drawings for multiple grants. Another pro of this grant is that the amount given would definitely

cover the costs of the new equipment and programs we would need to implement these

technologies successfully. It is beneficial to apply to this grant because with new Promethean

boards and Virtual Reality goggles, we can help students to be creative, forward-thinking

citizens by helping them better connect to learning and understand their world.

Due to the nature of this grant and the Digital Wish community, the only downfall is that

the educator has to create and submit a technology-based lesson in order to apply. However, on

the American Honda Foundation website, it warns of email and text scams. Apparently, there

are imposters targeting individuals claiming they are from the foundation and that the individual

has won the grant and requesting administrative or handling fees in order to receive the

grant. This could be a potential turn-off in applying for the grant because it reads as though a

third party could potentially get your contact information through the foundation.

A third funding opportunity is a grant from the NEA Foundation. The NEA Foundation

was organized in 1969, has provided funding for educators, and focuses on helping students

become global citizens in the 21st century. Their website notes that there are two levels of

funding available: a $2,000 grant and $5,000 grant. They have three grant deadlines each year.
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The first deadline is February 1, with applicants being notified of their status by April 15th. The

second deadline is June 1, with applicants being notified of their status by September 15. The

third deadline is October 15, with applicants being notified of their status by January 15. The

foundation mentions that typically awards 120 grants each year. In terms of eligibility of these

grants, applicants must be members of the National Education Association and they also mention

that they do give preferences to applications that involve STEM and/or global learning into their

projects. Virtual Reality would fall into the global learning category because it provides students

with access to learn about different places and cultures all over the world.

The NEA Foundation Grant can be used for the physical materials needed and can be

used for professional development, although the majority of their funds must be spent on the

actual materials or educational experience for children. Preferably, we would like to have some

of the money spent on professional development for Virtual Reality for each school’s technology

liaison and an administrator or STAT teacher. This way, those key staff members can bring back

the key knowledge they learn at the professional development meetings to our schools and staff

members.

On the NEA Foundation Grant Application they specify that the lead applicant is the

main contact person who will be notified if they receive the award, they are also in charge of

reporting, publicity, and other related activities. There are two stipulations for the lead applicant.

They are not allowed to be the administrator of a school and they must be a member of the NEA.

The next criteria of the application is that the proposal must include partner information. This

would be someone willing to take over as lead applicant if that person is unable to complete the

work. This position can also not be fulfilled by an administrator. An optional member of the

application team is the fiscal sponsor. If the lead applicant were to fill in their information for
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this, then they would be the ones receiving the grant funds and would have to report it to the

Internal Revenue Service, since it is considered taxable income. For our school purpose, we

would make the Fiscal Sponsor our schools.

The main part of the application is the narrative. This includes the summary, goals, need,

activities, sustainability, and budget for the proposal. The summary of the project is a brief, 100

words or less description that would be shared on the NEA website. The goals section describes

the project and the goals for student learning, how their learning will be measured, and should

include the standards that would be applicable. Need focuses on how the project can help

students academically, sociologically, economically, emotionally, and/or culturally. Activities

would depict how students would be engaged and reach the specified goals. In this case, we

would describe how Virtual Reality would provide opportunities for virtual field trips which

would engage students in their learning. The next criteria of the narrative is sustainability. We

would describe how we plan on sustaining this project beyond the grant period. Our focus would

be on getting more teachers involved in the following years. Finally, the last criteria is budget.

We would specify which level of grant we request and what it would be used for. The $5,000

grant would help provide Virtual Reality headsets.

A final note within the application describe the selection criteria. The NEA Foundation

aims to find proposals that have goals related to student achievement and are challenging and

rigorous. The seek to find projects that engage students in critical thinking and problem solving,

that aligns the goals, assessment, activities, and budget, and a project that is not only

collaborative, but can be sustained for many years.

Applying for this grant would be beneficial for our schools because it focuses on STEM

and helping students become global learners. Another pro is that we are both already members of
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the NEA and are therefore eligible to apply. This grant would help our students gain knowledge

through Virtual Reality. If we were the recipients of the $5,000 grant we could provide more

than one class set of headsets. Each Virtual Reality headset is about $178. This would mean that

about 28 headsets would be able to be purchased using this grant. Ideally, we would like each of

our schools to have two full class sets, equally 50 headsets total. With this grant we can be able

to at least have 28 headsets available for teachers to check out and use in their classrooms. This

grant would be worth applying for because they award about 120 grants throughout the year.

This means that there are more opportunities to receive this grant than some of the other grants

that only award one recipient or do not allow applications throughout the year. Contact with the

NEA Foundation was made through a Tweet to discuss some questions on their grant process

(Image 4). The only con to this grant is that although Promethean Boards are involved in STEM,

the grant would not be enough for multiple boards. It would be more worthwhile to use the grant

money for the use of the Virtual Reality headsets.

Another grant opportunity we found is from the Educators of America. Educators of

America firmly believes in educating not only students, but teachers as well. They understand

that teaching can be difficult without necessary educational technology. They mention how

technology is a tool that can enhance the skills of students and sees technology as an asset to

students’ learning. This foundation also emphasizes that it is not only important to supply

teachers with the technology they are in need of, but to also train them on how to use it in the

classroom. They do not mention grant values, but noted that they review grant applications on a

quarterly basis, with the next review being sometime in April. Contact was made through their

website to gain further information (Image 5).

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I believe our schools would benefit from this grant because it focuses on technology and

training. Not only do our schools have a need for Virtual Reality headsets and Promethean but

we want to attend extensive training on how to implement them in the classroom. Our schools

should apply for this grant because this organization strives to empower teachers and inspire

students, Virtual Reality and the new Promethean Boards are an innovative tool that will engage,

inspire, and encourage students to learn about new topics, cultures, and experiences.

The application for the grant requires applicants to describe how they plan on using

potential grant funds. They also ask that those interested in applying attach information to help

provide more detailed information on how the funds would be utilized. For this particular grant

we would note that the funds would be used towards either the Virtual Reality headsets or the

purchase of Promethean Boards.

We believe this grant would be beneficial to our needs because of the focus of the

Educators of America’s agenda and mission. According to their website they have professional

development training services that enables education professionals and teachers to become learn

about new classroom technology including interactive whiteboards, touch screen tablets, 3D

STEM labs, and cloud computing. This organization understands the need for training and for the

necessary technological materials we need in our schools. We believe that not only would a grant

from them help us acquire the technology we desire, but to also help deliver meaningful

professional development to our staff as well. The grant money would help us bring Virtual

Reality and the new Promethean Boards to our students. It would help us engage our students in

a deeper understanding of their learning and provide them with opportunities to learn about

various places and concepts they would not have previously had access to.
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Some of the downfalls of this grant are that there isn’t much information on their website

about previous grant recipients or the monetary value of the grants available. The website has its

general description of the grant and why they want educators to receive funding, but does not

mention previous winners. Additionally, the website does not mention how much the grant

would be worth or how many grants would be given throughout the year. This can be

problematic if the grant value is not enough for the vision we have for our schools. We also

would hope that there are more than one recipient each year to increase our chances of receiving

this funding.

The final grant that we found was from The Education Foundation: Baltimore County

Public Schools. This foundation was organized in 1992 and was formed to help fund and attract

money for programs and activities within this school system. Their donations are received

through individuals, corporations, and other foundations. The goals of the Education Foundation

are to help support and provide school-based grants for students in regards to 21st century

themes including STEM, arts and culture, environmental literacy, and global awareness.

Based on the list previous recipients, anywhere from 20-40 grants are awarded. Grants

are awarded based on how the project can contribute to the knowledge and skill students must

have in order to be successful in life and gain employment in the 21st century. Each school that

applies for the 21st Century Instructional Initiative Grant receives $2,000. The application

process for the current year took place from June 2017-October 2017. Grant recipients were

notified by November 2017. Other criteria for the grant include projects being supervised by a

BCPS professional personnel who works directly with students, projects must address a need

aligned with BCPS Blueprint 2.0 and have measurable objectives, impacting its potential to be
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successful. Additionally, they should describe an evaluation process that is quantitative or

qualitative.

Goal 1 of the BCPS Blueprint 2.0 is academics. Goal 1.B is about giving students an

equal opportunity to access resources and world-class first instruction as well as educational

programs. Being from Title I schools, our schools do not have some of the equitable

opportunities that this document outlines. By utilizing Virtual Reality, our students can go on

virtual field trips to an infinite number of places and topics, gaining the world-class first

instruction that our county aims to provide. The Blueprint 2.0 also mentions in Goal 1.C that

students are ensured a learner-centered, personalized, blended learning environment. This

learning environment is done through digital learning. In the second key action of this goal is

specifically mentions that Baltimore County expands opportunities for e-learning, virtual

learning, and blended learning to ensure that students have access to the curriculum. Virtual

Reality headsets and the new Promethean Boards will provide these opportunities to our

students.

The application for this grant requires an initiative summary, where applicants provide a

project summary and a one page “storyboard” PowerPoint presentation. The application also

require an anticipated date of implementation and completion. For the purposes of our needs, this

would be one school year with the note that it will be something to be used in future school

years. The written response portion of the application asks for the action plan and timeline of

implementation, including lesson plans, communication tools and techniques for community

outreach, multimedia presentations, classroom implementation, and evaluation tools. We would

prefer to submit two lesson plans where the Virtual Reality headsets are used in a primary and

intermediate lesson. It would include all objectives, standards, ActivInspire flipcharts, materials,
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and assessment tools. Then, there is to be a brief description of the project and how it addresses

the themes of 21st century learning. We have noted that the Virtual Reality headsets will provide

students with the technology necessary to explore various places and concepts. The application

prompts for which grade levels and subjects will be addresses in this project, including the

number of students who would benefit and the potential impact. The grade levels we aim to

address are grades kindergarten through fifth, at approximately 500 students in each school.

Next, there is a question on the evaluation of objectives, how it meets the goals and key actions

of the Blueprint 2.0, any research based instructional techniques that would be implemented, the

clear educational outcomes, and a detailed budget request.

This grant would be beneficial to our schools because it focuses on 21st century skills

that our requested technology can provide. Virtual Reality gives students the opportunity to

expand their horizons and learn about other places and topics. Being in Title I funded schools,

we often lack the necessary means to go on multiple field trips throughout the school year. VR

would give our students the chance to learn more about these topics in school. Another reason

this grant opportunity would benefit us is because it is from Baltimore County Public Schools,

giving us a greater chance of being awarded this grant than grants open nationwide. Mars Estates

Elementary was one of the recipients for this grant during the 2014-2015 school year. Contact

was made with a former teammate to learn more about the process of applying for this grant,

how she was able to spend materials, and overall experience (Image 6). It is also important to

note that some schools who won for the 2016-2017 school year won more than once based on the

projects they sent in applications for. Due to the nature of this grant and how it is directly from

our county, it is difficult to find any downfalls. The only true downfall might be the extensive
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application process, but it is worth investing the time in because this is a need that our students

deserve to have fulfilled.

After reviewing the grants and their requirements, we would most likely apply for the

American Honda Foundation grant, but would also sign our schools up for the Digital Wish

website. We feel that the American Honda Foundation would best fit our schools’ technology

needs because both the Promethean board and the Virtual Reality technologies can fit under the

requirements of STEM teaching and learning. Also, this grant ranges from $20,000 - $75,000

which would help to cover both technology enhancements. Signing our schools up for the

Digital Wish website would allow teachers the opportunity to explore other grant opportunities

to enhance teaching, as well as share lesson plans with a broader community of teachers.
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References

Target

https://corporate.target.com/corporate-responsibility/community/philanthropy/grants-faqs

https://corporate.target.com/corporate-responsibility/community/philanthropy

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jwNhcoJX6U9Ur1rBzgDYtXKy7iDHS0Rx/view?usp=sharing

NEA

https://www.neafoundation.org/for-educators/student-achievement-grants

https://www.neafoundation.org/for-educators/student-achievement-grants/application-

instructions/

Educators of America

https://www.educatorsusa.org/educator-and-technology-grants

http://media.wix.com/ugd/65bb77_ca37554ab71b49529db39bf84fa114c1.pdf

https://www.educatorsusa.org/classroom-technology

BCPS Education Foundation

http://educationfoundationbcps.org/grants/

http://educationfoundationbcps.org/21st-century-instructional-initiatives-grant-application/

https://www.bcps.org/blueprint/bcpsbrochure_final3.pdf (BCPS Blueprint 2.0)

Digital Wish

http://www.digitalwish.com/dw/digitalwish/grants

http://www.digitalwish.com/dw/digitalwish/about

http://www.digitalwish.com/dw/digitalwish/faq

https://www.honda.com/community/applying-for-a-grant
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http://www.cybergrants.com/pls/cybergrants/quiz.display_question?x_gm_id=2587&x_quiz_id=

1338&x_order_by=1

https://www.honda.com/community/grant-application-faqs

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HcbUlZCxgpITexVt0G0sjUYFJCNYs1jS/view?usp=sharing

Attachments

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PomgpBlZcGcjWNjtNjlpzhzLf4D_SEkOkBhrOzs7UgU/e

dit?usp=sharing