Presented by Ann McMullan

Executive Director, Educational TechnologyKlein Independent School District

Writing Winning

Grant Proposals

NSBA T+L2 ConferenceOctober 23, 2003

Some Food for Thought

Consider this…

Technology is any tool that expands

the mind to solve a problem.

Question?What is the most commonly used technology in schools today?

Hint:

It is used in every classroom, in every

curriculum, grades K-12.

Some Visual Clues...

The most commonly used technology (any tool that expands the mind to solve a

problem) in schools today is...

Question?

When was the last time that we organized a “Paper Committee” to write a five year paper plan?

Here’s the point!!!

Districts and schools should not be writing “technology” plans any more than they write paper, pencil or text book plans.

Districts and schools should write learning plans.

The real revolution is not about technology, it’s about...

Information

Communication

What information do we want our students to have?

How and when will information be communicated to the students?

How will students communicate their mastery of the information?

RelationshipsWhat sort of relationships do we want our students to have...

with each other, teachers, parents, community and world at large?

As we begin to think about grant writing, we should ask our teachers

these questions:

What information do you want?

•Information for teachers themselves

•Information for their students

Once the “information” questions have been answered we can move

on to the “communication” questions...

How will the information be processed?

What tools (technology) do you need?

And finally, how do we put learning in a “real life” context?

How will students work independently and together?

What connections will students make to the world outside the classroom?

What relationships do we want students to have?

Remember, technology is not about “stuff”, it’s about…

Information

Communication

Relationships

Once we have a sound “learning” plan in place we are ready to consider:

•What materials (equipment) do we need to carry out our plan?

•How do we pay for the “stuff” we need to implement our learning plan?

With a strong plan for learning in place, now focus on:

Grant Seeking Strategies

Writing Winning Grant Proposals

a.k.a.

“Digging for Dough”

Technology Grants Received by Klein ISD

Year Grant Award # of Schools

1996 TIE $716,405 1

1996 TIF $100,000 1

1998 TIE $652,546 2

1998 TIF PS4 $240,000 4

1999 TIF PS8 $800,000 14

1999 TIE $978,672 30

2000 TIF PS9 $300,000 6

2000 Ninth Grade Initiative $900,750 4

2001 TIF SP $264,000 6

2002 TIF PS10 $400,000 4

2002 TIF PS11 $100,000 2

$5,452,373

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001•Education programs as technology opportunities:

Along with targeted funding for technology, many of the education programs, such as Reading First, allow recipients to purchase technology resources to accomplish the program’s goals

•Commitment to professional development:A myriad of programs offer funds for professional development to ensure teachers understand how to integrate appropriate technology tools

effectively with their curriculum.

•Flexible uses of funds:States, for example, may use funds for interstate distance learning

partnerships, data decisions support systems, and even forming public- private partnerships that support activities such as interest free loans.

•Evidenced Based Education…a commitment to funding strategies that have been proven to work based on scientifically based research.

Pick the symbol that most appeals to you.

Intelligence

Leadership

Masochists

Masochists Idea of a perfect vacation: taking a carload

of children from Disneyland to DisneyWorld in a Honda Civic

Favorite Hobby: Filling out IRS tax forms Favorite TV show: Ron Popeil Infomercials Favorite Place to Hang Out: LA Freeway

during rush hour

MAKE EXCELLENT

GRANT PROPOSAL WRITERS

Today’s Objectives:

Identify Grant Writing Terms

Evaluate Proposal Responses

Identify Lessons Learned in Proposal Evaluations

Grant Writing Terms

GrantEvaluation CriteriaQuery LetterRFPProposal

Simulations

Important Ideas to Keep in Mind Develop a winning attitude: your ideas

deserve the money.

Write the grant and get it out the door.

Do Your Homework.

It is not your grant: the funding source owns the grant.

Find the grant that meets your needs; do not apply for simply any or every grant.

Don’t worry about being profound or original.

Safe Assumptions to Make About Your Grant Readers

They do not know who your students are.

They do not know who your are.

They probably do not know the content of the proposal.

Super Tip:

Ask for last year’s winning grants.

Inform All Major Stakeholders

Business Manager Principal& School Staff

Teacher's Union/Association Leader

Superintendent

A grant that involves the process of unifying people is “successful.”

Develop an in-house (and out of house) review process before you send the grant for official review

Warning: Up to one third of all grants do not follow the directions and end up being thrown out.

And finally...

Just Jump in and DO IT!

Good Luck