Grants are a great way to get extra money for your classroom! With budget cuts on the rise, grants are what lots of teachers are turning to for supplies needed in the classroom. I know that I find myself being quite creative when it comes to materials needed when I don't have the funds to get them. Luckily, we still have a small budget for our classrooms that allows us to buy needed materials. We are also lucky enough to have a great PTO that reimburses us for $100 of our own spent money on classrooms materials. Of course, we have to provide a receipt but I'm guessing that many of you can agree that $100 is pretty easy to spend when back-to-school shopping!
I checked out some of the grant resources provided by my teacher and there were a few that I really liked. I also want to share of some other resources that I'm aware of. I have never applied for a grant before, but I've seen so many teachers who have been blessed with a grant. My coworker was recently awarded with a $1000 grant for educational resources where she purchases reading/writing/math games to be used during center time. The resources her students now have are worth way more than their price tag! When I taught Kindergarten, a coworker of mine was awarded grant money to purchase LeapFrog Letter Factory videos for all of the incoming Kindergarteners to take home, plus one for each classroom. I had a student who came into Kindergarten knowing zero letters or sounds and thirteen days later-after watching the video twice a day-he knew ALL of his letters!! I was amazed and so thankful to have the resources!
Adoptaclassroom.org was a great site for teachers to create a desired classroom need posting. People then donate toward the cause and the teachers get 100% of the donations to purchase materials discreetly. The aspect that I REALLY liked about this website is that you get to see videos/notes from the result of donations. It also looked like the the teacher gets to send feedback to the donors. I know if I were donating, I would greatly appreciate the acknowledgement of my donation, especially in this economy... I would use this resource! It seems easy to use and easy for donors to use.
Vernier.com is a website that provides you with a lists of grants and detailed requirements for the grants. I could see myself using this resource. One resource on this page that I really liked was how to write a grant. For someone who has never written a grant, but hope to someday, this is incredibly helpful! The 10 tips on the side of the page were especially helpful. Tips like being specific, factual, and realistic are practical tips that could help me when writing.
I teach in the Olathe School District, which works with the Olathe Public Schools Foundation to offer mini grants. These are the grants that I am most likely to try for. I support the Olathe Public Schools Foundation. They do amazing things for our poverty-stricken children and to support teachers.
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteOlathe Public Schools Foundation is great! They are so supportive of the teachers in the district. My teaching partner wrote a grant for reading and writing materials for our kids to use at home. I'm ready to write one for technology!
I also like Adopt-A-Classroom. I think the best part is seeing how the donations have made a difference in the lives of children. I think this resource would be a good to use. Not only could you tell parents about it, but they could pass the link on to other family members. This would allow for more donations!
Thanks for sharing about the different grants you found available to educators. We have learned so much about new technology. Now, we just have to find a way to get it in our classrooms.
Lisa
Amanda
ReplyDeleteWhat a great set of resources for grant money. I like the Adopt-A-Classroom program. It can be a great way to get needed supplies. I have written two mini-grant for the Olathe School District many years ago. The first one I received $500.00 (That was the total amount back then). My principal gave me $250.00 to buy a set of motorized Lego's. The second time I was rejected. It did not encompass enough students for the them. That made me quite writing grants for classroom technology. I should try again. You should try.
Richard
Lisa, I agree that we have learned so much about technology. I'm very seriously considering writing a grant to get either iTouch's or an iPad for my classroom. I really feel like there are enough articles out there that I could site to provide enough reasoning behind too. Richard, I have to admit that I'd be a little like you and give up when rejected, but I'm going to convince myself to keep trying! I've heard from other grant recipients that the OPSF favors ideas that are going to better meet student needs and that will last. Good luck Lisa on writing one! Collaborate with your coworker and get great tips from her. Don't give up either! If I get declined, then I'm just going to keep refining until it's accepted :-). Thanks for sharing all of your thoughts with me!
ReplyDeleteAmanda,
ReplyDeleteI am like you and have never written a grant before. After researching so many options, it is definitely more exciting to give it a try. I have heard that it can be very difficult to receive a grant and we will just have to remember not to give up if we are turned down. Rejection is never fun, but it sounds like you have researched some great options and are committed to sticking with it! My husband works for the Olathe School District and that is awesome that they have a district based grant program. The North Kansas City School District, where I work, has an Education Foundation as well and I feel like I would have more success attaining grants by applying to local providers first. It was great to hear success stories from other teachers in your blog post. That definitely inspires beginners like us to give it a try!
Thanks for sharing,
Chelsey