reach for success classroom grants
​program guidelines for the 2019-2020 school year

REACH FOR SUCCESS CLASSROOM GRANTS fund creative educational initiatives that enhance or expand Lake Washington School District’s curriculum. Proposed initiatives should be consistent with LWSD's priorities and school improvement goals, as well as in line with Lake Washington Schools Foundation's mission to support academic excellence and success for all students. Proposed projects may benefit an individual classroom, a specific grade-level, or an entire school. The maximum grant award is $3,000. We encourage partnering with your local PTA or business community to allow for larger projects.

GRANT REQUIREMENTS AND IMPORTANT DATES

  • The school's principal must approve and rank by priority each grant application submitted on behalf of his or her school (via the Principal's Statement of Support, included on the application).
  • Schools may submit an unlimited number of grant requests, but only one grant application may be submitted per project.
  • Anyone may complete an application on behalf of a project or program as long as the application is submitted with a completed Principal's Statement of Support.
  • The maximum grant award is $3,000.
  • Online tutorial available here.
  • Applicants will be emailed a notification of award in June.
  • Grant reimbursement requests should be turned in by May 1, 2020, and evaluation forms by June 1, 2020.
  • The completed application and all required or supplemental documents (as described on the application) must be submitted to rfs@lwsf.org no later than 5:00 PM on MARCH 15, 2019.

TIPS TO HELP GET YOUR GRANT APPROVED

  • Read all grant instructions carefully.
  • Projects must support your school’s goals, LWSD's priorities, and LWSF's spending priorities.
  • Your school's principal must be supportive. When asking your principal to complete the Principal's Statement of Support, take the opportunity to together review the project's goals and assess how they relate to the school's overall goals. Do this early, as the information will help you write a stronger application.
  • Grant applications are read and evaluated by members of the community who may not be familiar with education jargon and acronyms (such as HSPE and LEAP). Avoid using terminology that you wouldn't expect an adult without teaching experience to understand.
  • Projects should directly involve students. A film developed for classroom use, for instance, should be written and produced by students.
  • If your total project cost is greater than $3,000, we encourage co-funding with the PTSA and outside organizations to develop larger school-wide programs with more profound impacts. Include this information in your project budget detail.
  • Evaluation shouldn't be an afterthought. When you describe how you'll evaluate your project, be sure that the process is specific for the stated objectives and includes measurable outcomes using data and quantitative analysis and/or anecdotes if applicable.
  • Once it is finished, let a trusted colleague review your application to be sure that it is clearly written, complete, and requests no more than $3,000 in funding from LWSF. No one set of eyes can catch all errors.
  • Applicants must follow LWSD guidelines with regard to the purchase and use of books, supplemental curriculum, online subscriptions, and computer software and hardware. If requesting curriculum material, software with curriculum content, or online subscriptions, indicate if these materials have passed IMC approval (as required on the applicaiton. If necessary, build the approval process into your timeline. Typically, this can be done with a demonstration model.
  • If approved, LWSF will reimburse expenses related to IMC review as listed in the submitted budget even if the IMC review was done prior to the award of the foundation grant. Disbursement request can occur in two steps.

TECHNOLOGY REQUESTS

  • If requesting software for non-curricular purposes (software for production purposes only, such as a graphics program), indicate if this software has been approved by LWSD technology support. It is recommended that a demonstration copy be obtained and submitted through the Software Adoption process established by LWSD. This should be done prior to grant application submission.
  • If requesting hardware, such as a digital or video camera for specific project use, confirm that the hardware has been approved for use with LWSD computers and technical support is available for the item.

RETURNING REQUESTS

  • It is acceptable to base your application on a previously funded grant, even if you are not the original applicant. • Submittal of a replication grant does not guarantee funding. Each grant application will be considered on its own merits during each grant cycle.

NON-FUNDABLE ITEMS

  • Teacher release time or compensation for substitute teachers.
  • Non-instructional consumables (including clothing, food and incentives).
  • Individual student scholarships or awards.
  • Graduate study, conferences, or other off-site professional development that benefit only a select few teachers.
  • Technology-related projects (software or hardware) not supported by LWSD technology support.
  • Capital projects, including but not limited to furniture, display cases, and playground equipment.
  • Money spent on program activities or supplies prior to grant award. (Note: If a grant is awarded to a program, LWSF will reimburse expenses related to IMC review as listed in the submitted program budget even if the IMC review was done prior to the award of the LWSF grant.)

COMMON REASONS THAT GRANTS DO NOT GET FUNDED

  • The link between the proposed project and the school’s goals are not well-defined.
  • The proposed project is not explained in enough detail to be understood by the grant readers.
  • The proposed budget is not sufficiently detailed, or individual line items are not sufficiently justified.
  • Supporting documents are missing.
  • The application is submitted after completion of the project or the purchase of materials.
  • The application requests software, hardware, or online subscriptions that are not supported by LWSD.
  • The school did not submit an evaluation for an LWSF grant awarded in the previous grant cycle.

HAVE MORE QUESTIONS?

You may also email us anytime at rfs@lwsf.org.