GRANTS INFORMATION, RESEARCH & EVALUATION

Contact: Theresa Valentino Ext: 42347

tvalenti@pasco.k12.fl.us

April 2009 Volume 4, Issue 9

Welcome to the Research and Evaluation Department’s April issue of the GRANT ALERT NEWSLETTER for the 2008-2009 school year. This newsletter will inform of current Grant Opportunit ies with Deadlines now available, in addit ion to many other fundrais ing, donation, award and recognit ion opportunities. This information is made available via e-mail and may also be downloaded from the district Grant Information website at:

http://rande.pasco.k12.fl .us/Pages/grants.html The Grant Information website also provides a l isting of many funding opportunit ies that are available on an ON-GOING basis for your review. In addition, the Grant Wrangler headline widget featured on the website is a resource to find funding for projects and updated every 2 weeks by Grant Wrangler. Please check the Grant Information website for additional web resources on how to develop and write successful grant proposals and other updated potential grant sources, as well! Please do not hes itate to contact my office if I may be of ass istance with a grant project you will be working on during the year in support of your school improvement and/or profess ional development goals; and for guidance in following District guidelines when submitt ing grant applications to funding organizations. GRANT TIP OF THE MONTH: SELECTING A GRANT PROJECT

How to choose which project should be a grant topic, especially if an organization has many needs? Best advice: let your Strategic Plan be your guide. You never want to chase the money simply because it exists. Rather, the money becomes a means of fulfilling your organizational mission. Strategic planning enables you to anticipate and accommodate the future by identifying issues, opportunities and problems. It provides a starting point for allocating resources in a rational matter to address pressing issues. It makes your organization more responsive to the needs to the cause you serve. It establishes a means of coordinating and communicating action plans. A comprehensive strategic plan typically includes the following topics: mission, vision, goals, objectives, action plans, and evaluation. Read the last sentence again. Sound familiar? Those are essentially the same components one finds in most grant proposals.

"Reprinted by permission, Miner and Associates, Inc. Subscribe for free grant newsletter at www.MinerAndAssociates.com."

In This Issue: Instructional Resources Elementary Planet Science p. 2 Middle School Learning Games to Go p. 2 Middle School/High School Project Kids p. 2 PBS Teaching Dickens p. 2 Digital Citizenship p. 2 Nobelprize.org p. 3 Price of Freedom p. 3 Multilingual eGlossary p. 3 All levels Service Learning Toolkit p. 3 Artist’s Toolkit p. 3 iWASwondering.org p. 3 Teacher Institute p. 4 Disneynature-EARTH p. 4 Puzzle Center p. 4 Fuel the Future Now p. 4 Literacy All levels Dollar General Back to School & Youth Literacy Grants p. 4 Science All levels BayNews9 Project Weather p. 5 Sol Hirsh Natl. Weather Assoc.p.5 Wild Ones-Seeds for Ed. p. 5 Kids Gardening: Hooked on Hydroponics p. 5 2009 Healthy Sprouts p. 5 ASM-Living in a Material World p. 5 Physical Education/Health ING Run for Something Better p.6 Music/Arts Mockingbird Fdn. p. 6 NEA Improvisation Grants p. 6 Interdisciplinary All levels Teaching Tolerance Mix It Up Grants p. 6 Disney Minnie Grants p. 6 U.S. Green Building Council p. 7 Technology All levels Tool Factory Podcasting Grant p. 7 Samsung Focus on Learning p. 7 Professional Development Middle School/High School NSTA New Science Teacher Academy p. 7 All Levels IRA Professional Development Program p. 7

UPCOMING GRANT ASSISTANCE CLINIC DATE Wednesday, May 20, 2009 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. - Computer Lab, Bldg. 3

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FREE INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES Elementary

The aim of Planet Science is to stimulate an interest in science and investigations in children under age 11, develop the skills and attitudes of future innovators and share learning/best practices. Features illustrated collection of Nursery Rhymes with a science twist! Take the rough with the smooth with Science Friction’s new frictiony feature, movie script, activities and links. Teachers and students have free access to Planet Science resources. http://www.planet-science.com/under11s/index.html Middle School

Lure of the Labyrinth is a product of the Learning Games to Go (LG2G) project, funded by a Star Schools grant from the U.S. Department of Education, spearheaded by Maryland Public Television (MPT). Lure of the Labyrinth is a digital game for middle-school pre-algebra students. It includes a wealth of intriguing math-based puzzles wrapped into an exciting narrative game in which students work to find their lost pet - and save the world from monsters! Linked to both national and state mathematics standards, the game gives students a chance to actually think like mathematicians. http://labyrinth.thinkport.org/www/ Middle School/High School

Kids Can Make A Difference (KIDS) is an innovative educational program for middle school and high school students. It helps them understand the root causes of hunger and poverty and how they as individuals can take action. The KIDS web site is rated one of the top 20 websites for educators by Educational World. The site provides news, a hunger quiz, hunger facts, suggested books, back issues of the newsletter, the table of contents, sample lessons, program notes from the teacher guide. http://www.kidscanmakeadifference.org/

PBS’s MASTERPIECE latest resource Teaching Dickens: A Masterpiece Guide, helps middle and high school teachers engage students in their study of Dickens—in print as well as on film free of charge. The guide provides detailed and innovative before- and after-viewing questions and activities on each of the four Dickens titles (Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Little Dorrit, and The Old Curiosity Shop airing on MASTERPIECE in 2009. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/dickens/dickens_teachersguide.pdf

The Digital Citizenship and Creative Content curriculum is a turnkey instructional program made available for free through Microsoft sponsorship. It was designed to raise awareness and foster better understanding of the rights connected with creative content. The curriculum resources offer a comprehensive set of cross-curricular classroom activities that are divided into four thematic units. Each unit consists of 4 to 6 standalone yet complementary lesson plans that provide a variety of ways to engage students in the learning experience. The program was designed for grades 8–10, but easily adapts for use in grades 6–12. It aligns with the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Standards for the 21st-Century Learner and covers subject areas that include civics, computer science, debate, fine arts, economics, government, journalism, language arts, drama and video production. http://www.digitalcitizenshiped.com/

Project Idea: Kids Can Make a Difference Addressing Hunger and Poverty

Teaching Dickens: A Masterpiece Guide

Planet Science

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP AND CREATIVE CONTENT

Learning Games to Go - Lure of the Labyrinth

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Nobelprize.org introduces the Nobel Prize through educational games, experiments, and simulated environments. The productions are aimed for the 14-18 age groups, who may know about the Nobel Prizes and the Nobel Laureates, but often lack a deeper understanding about the Nobel Prize-awarded works. Activities do not require previous knowledge. A central thought or issue is explored during 10-20 minutes of activity, using a specific Nobel Prize-awarded work as a springboard for the whole exercise. The productions offer an excellent way of using the Internet for homework, or just plain, wholesome entertainment. http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/

The Price of Freedom: Americans at War, an online exhibition from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. This pivotal and complicated period of American history is divided into sections that allow students to focus on either a specific aspect of the war or the conflict as a whole. http://americanhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/

eGlossary provides definitions for mathematics terms in 13 languages. Students select a grade (6, 7, 8 or 9–12), the first letter of the alphabet, and a language from the drop-down menu. The math term and its definition will appear in the language selected. Students can also hear the word and definition spoken aloud in the chosen language. http://glencoe.com/apps/eGlossary612/mlg/mlg.php?site=1&letter=A&language=9 All Levels

Updated for the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse, this toolkit guides k-12 practitioners in all of the steps necessary to developing quality service-learning projects. As well as including the same useful information and worksheets as the previous edition, the toolkit now includes information on the K-12 Service-Learning Standard for Quality Practice and the five core components of a service-learning project: investigation, planning and preparation, the service activity, reflection, and demonstration/celebration. Download at: http://www.servicelearning.org/filemanager/download/8542_K-12_SL_Toolkit_UPDATED.pdf

The Artist’s Toolkit: Visual Elements and Principles is an online interactive that allows students to explore the tools that artists use—for example, line, color and balance—to build works of art. Students can watch professional artists using the visual elements and principles and can also use the Artist’s Toolkit Encyclopedia to learn more about these building blocks of composition. http://www.artsconnected.org/toolkit/index.html

iWASwondering.org showcases the accomplishments of contemporary women in science and highlights for young people the varied and intriguing careers of some of today's most prominent scientists. The site draws from and accompanies the publication of a ten-volume series of biographies entitled Women's Adventures in Science The project is designed to support kids, especially girls, in their scientific explorations so they learn the fundamental skills of scientific investigation and feel empowered to tackle such adventures. A teacher guide is available and suggests ways that the content of this project can be used as a teaching tool in the classroom and offers ideas for extending the content with additional questions and activities. http://www.iwaswondering.org/

National Academy of Sciences iWASwondering.org

New Resource: K-12 Service-Learning Project Planning Toolkit (Updated Edition)

Multilingual eGlossary

Nobel Prizes and the Nobel Laureates

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The U.S. Department of Education invites ALL TEACHERS to attend a FREE one-day conference in the nation's capitol on Sunday, June 21, 2009. The National Charter Schools Teacher Institute offers classroom teachers a FREE opportunity to participate in high-quality professional development designed to provide the classroom support, technical assistance, and increased collaboration needed to assure academic success for all students. Prominent teachers leaders from around the country will provide training sessions and share research-based practices they have successfully applied in their classrooms and schools. Space is limited to 500 attendees. http://www.nationalcharterconference.org/

The first film in the Disneynature series, earth, narrated by James Earl Jones tells the remarkable story of three animal families and their amazing journey across the planet we call home. An educational Activity Guide and Educator’s Guide are available resources to download on the earth website. The 8-page Activity Guide can be used to teach students about the science and geography themes presented in the Disneynature film. The 58-page Educator's Guide presents comprehensive curriculum ideas for teachers to incorporate additional elements from the movie into students' learning plans. The guide includes a wide variety of engaging activities for all age groups, organized to focus on five topics central to the film: The Great Migrations, The Earth and the Sun, Adaptations and Habitat, Predators and Prey, and Life Cycles. http://disney.go.com/disneynature/earth/

Make your own Crosswords, Word Scrambles, Anagrams and Secret Codes puzzles-- there's a brain teaser here for every stripe of puzzler. You can also send puzzles to friends and family. Site also offers free Clip Art, Photo Tips and Tips for Fundraising for School Projects. http://www.apte.com/puzzles/index.cfm?action=dsp_home&CFID=14369142&CFTOKEN=71240313

the X PRIZE Foundation, The United States Department of Energy and Discovery Education launched www.FuelOurFutureNow.com to serve as an interactive online portal offering stimulating science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) lessons and resources for all grade levels K-12. Teachers can use the online knowledge center to achieve their STEM goals that include the 21st century skills students will need to compete in the new global economy, including creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, communication and collaboration. http://www.fuelourfuturenow.com/teacher.cfm GRANTS LITERACY All Levels

The Dollar General Back-to-School Grants provide funding to assist schools in meeting some of the financial challenges they face in implementing new programs, or purchasing new equipment, materials or software for their school library or media center. Maximum grant amount is $5,000. Grant Deadline: May 22, 2009. Awards Announced: August 21, 2009. The Dollar General Youth Literacy Grants provide funding to schools to help with the implementation or expansion of literacy programs for students who are below grade level or experiencing difficulty reading. Maximum grant is $3,000. Grant Deadline: May 22, 2009. Awards Announced: August 21, 2009. http://www.dollargeneral.com/ServingOthers/Pages/GrantPrograms.aspx

National Charter Schools Teacher Institute

BACK-TO-SCHOOL & YOUTH LITERACY GRANTS

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SCIENCE All Levels

Children between the ages of five (5) and eighteen (18) years old complete and submit the entry a :30 to :60 video of child doing a weather report. There will be one (1) winner. The prize is the airing of the winning video on the Project Weather page of baynews9.com for one month, a Bay News 9 Project Weather Activity Book and four tickets to MOSI. All entries must be received by June 1, 2009. http://www.baynews9.com/ProjectWeather.html

$500 grants are available annually from the NWA for Teachers, program directors, school district supervisors and other individuals or groups proposing to improve the education of K-12 students in meteorology may submit an application. Funds may be used to take an accredited course in atmospheric sciences, attend a relevant workshop or conference, or purchase scientific materials or equipment for the classroom. Applications are due by 15 June each year. http://www.nwas.org/grants/solhirsch.php?

The Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Grant Program gives small monetary grants ($100 to $500) to schools, nature centers, or other non-profit educational organizations for the purpose of establishing outdoor learning centers. The grant recipient learning centers are those which most successfully reflect the Wild Ones mission to educate and share information about the benefits of using native plants in our landscape and to promote biodiversity and environmentally sound environmentally sound practices. To be considered for an annual award application must be received by November 15th, 2009. http://www.for-wild.org/seedmony.html

2009 Hooked on Hydroponics Awards (E,M,H) Schools and youth organizations must plan to engage in a hydroponics project with at least 15 children between the ages of 6 and 18 during the 2010 school year. Thirty-six schools will each receive hydroponic garden systems and indoor light systems and curricula and reference for their hydroponic programs. Application deadline: September 18, 2009. http://www.kidsgardening.com/grants/HOH.asp 2009 Healthy Sprouts Awards Supporting Awareness of Nutrition and Hunger (PK,E,M,H) School or organization must plan to garden in 2010 with at least 15 children between the ages of 3 and 18. The selection of winners is based on the demonstrated relationship between the garden program and nutrition and hunger issues in the United States. Twenty awards will be presented to schools or organizations and will include gift certificates towards the purchase of gardening materials from Gardener's Supply Company. The top 5 will each receive a certificate valued at $500; 15 more will each receive a $200 gift certificate. Application deadline: October 17, 2009. http://www.kidsgardening.com/healthysprouts.asp

The ASM Materials Education Foundation’s mission is to "excite young people in materials, science, and engineering careers." To help teachers bring the "real world" of materials science into their classrooms, the ASM Materials Education Foundation is awarding 10 grants of $500 each to teachers, K-12. The purpose of these grants is to enhance awareness of materials science and the role of materials scientists in society. Deadline: May 25, 2009. http://asmcommunity.asminternational.org/portal/site/www/Foundation/Educators/TeacherGrants/

“Project Weather Kids Weathercast”

Seeds for Education – Grants for School Gardens & Community Nature Areas

Sol Hirsch National Weather Association Education Fund Grants

The National Gardening Association works with sponsoring companies and organizations to provide in-kind grants to projects that actively engage kids in the garden and improve the quality of life for their communities.

"Living In a Material World" $500 Grants For K-12 Teachers

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION/HEALTH Elementary/Middle School

ING Run For Something Better (ING RFSB), in partnership with the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), seeks to increase physical activity in students and help fight childhood obesity nationwide through the creation of school-based running programs. The program will provide fifty (50) $2,000 grants to schools that desire to establish a school-based running program or expand an existing one. Awards are available to programs that target grades 5th through 8th in public elementary or middle schools. Schools must design a before, during, and/or after school program which will be offered to the best of the school’s ability to all students in eligible grades. The program must have a commitment of at least 25 students in order to apply. The application deadline is June 1, 2009. http://www.orangelaces.com/site/index/get_your_school_involved MUSIC/ARTS All Levels

• Music: Mockingbird encourages applications associated with diverse or unusual musical styles, genres, forms, and philosophies. • Education: Education may include the provision of instruments, texts, and office materials, and the support of learning space,

practice space, performance space, and instructors/instruction. Mockingbird is particularly interested in projects that foster self-esteem and free expression.

Deadlines: Letters of inquiry are considered in two annual cycles, as follows: For Letters of Inquiry submitted by:

The Funding Committee will invite proposals in:

And funding will occur by:

February 1 April August 1 August 1 October February 1

http://www.mockingbirdfoundation.org/funding/guidelines.html

The NEA Foundation, in a collaborative effort with MENC: The National Association of Music Education, is now offering Teaching Improvisation Grants, dedicated to the development and implementation of ideas, techniques, and approaches for teaching music improvisation to American public middle and high school students. Educators can apply for the Teaching Improvisation Grants through the NEA’S Student Achievement ($5,000) or Learning & Leadership Grants ($2,000 to individuals and $5,000 to teams). Applications for Teaching Improvisation Grants will be accepted on a rolling basis through the February 1, 2010. http://www.neafoundation.org/grants.htm#app INTERDISCIPLINARY All Levels

Have a great idea about how to challenge social boundaries and bring down the walls that divide your school? The Mix It Up Grants Program offers $500 grants to support youth-directed programs and projects that address social boundaries in schools or communities. Deadline: Ongoing http://www.tolerance.org/teens/grants.jsp

The Walt Disney Company and Youth Service America announce grants of up to $500 to support child-led service projects. These grants support children (ages 5-14) in planning and implementing service projects in their community. Teachers, older youth (15-25), and youth-serving organizations are also eligible to apply, if they engage younger children in planning and implementing the project. A significant part of the service must take place on Global Youth Service Day 2009, April 24-26. Deadline: June 15, 2009. http://ysa.org/AwardsGrants/tabid/58/Default.aspx

Mix It Up Grants Program

The Mockingbird Foundation, Inc. ("Mockingbird") offers competitive grants focused on music education targeting children eighteen years or younger. Grants range in size from $50.00 to $5,000.00 and are made on a one-time basis.

Disney Minnie Grant, 2nd Round 2009

NEA Foundation-MENC Teaching Improvisation Grants

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The goal of the grants program is to provide monetary support to develop innovative curricula that advance the green building education or curriculum program. The Incentive Grants are seed grants designed to support curriculum or education programs that without the early support of USGBC would not be developed. One $10,000 grant awarded in the Pre-K to 12 category. Proposals due June 25, 2009. http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=5580 TECHNOLOGY All Levels

Apply for the Podcasting Grant for a chance to win a free Tool Factory Podcasting site license plus all the digital media accessories needed to start a podcasting program in your school! To apply, simply develop and submit a lesson plan demonstrating how you would use podcasting in your curriculum. Winners receive over $2,400 in prizes. http://www.toolfactory.com/olympus_contest/olympus_podcasting.htm

Samsung wants to help teachers upgrade the quality of technology tools in American schools. Through their 2009 "Focus on Learning" Grant Program, Samsung is offering fifty 850DX document cameras to applicants based on need as determined by response to essay question: How would your classes benefit from a Samsung ultra high-resolution document camera? (100 words or less). Deadline for applications is June 15, 2009. http://www.samsunggrants.com/ PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Middle School/High School

NSTA New Science Teacher Academy is a professional development initiative created to help promote quality science teaching, enhance teacher confidence and classroom excellence, and improve teacher content knowledge. New Science Teacher Academy Fellows must be entering their second or third year of teaching and working a schedule with 51% of their classes in middle or high school science. Deadline: June 1, 2009. http://www.nsta.org/academy/default.aspx All Levels

Focus of the Gertrude Whipple Professional Development Program is to provide professional development for IRA members and the various educational agencies with which they are associated. The IRA provides support for the production of high quality materials, marketing and scheduling of meetings and workshops, and logistic support for conducting them. Projects should focus on a topic of current interest and high utility in reading. Examples include classroom assessment, children's or young adults' literature, effective community involvement in reading, integrated approaches to reading instruction, innovative classroom methods, emerging literacy, reading in the content areas (e.g., reading in science or math), adult literacy instruction, and the like. The content of the project should include specific materials for both workshop presenters and participants. Project will be funded for development at a level not to exceed $5,000. There is no deadline for this program. The process takes approximately 8 to 10 weeks. http://www.reading.org/Libraries/Awards/gw_guidelines.sflb.ashx

Tool Factory Podcasting Grant - Upcoming deadline: May 15th, 2009!

Samsung K-12 Focus on Learning Grant Program for Teachers and Schools

IRA GERTRUDE WHIPPLE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

NSTA New Science Teacher Academy

U.S. Green Building Council 2009 Excellence in Green Building Education Incentive Grants