My Promise: I Won't Use the Tagline "Show Me the Money"
The mission of this lens is to provide classroom teachers with sample grant proposals which have actually been awarded funding. Additionally, this site will provide links to current funding sources available to classroom teachers, as well as funding resources you may find useful such as books, articles, and interviews. Check back often for updated articles and grant news.
Grant and curriculum writing assistance can also be requested on an individual basis. I can preview your proposal prior to submission, and offer feedback which may mean the difference between acceptance and rejection.
The following grant was written to support the purchase of a SMART Board interactive whiteboard. Partial funding was to be secured elsewhere. This grant was awarded in 2005.
Table of Contents
I. Title: Getting in Touch with Technology
A Project Grant Utilizing SMART Boards
The SMART Board interactive whiteboard turns any computer and projector into a powerful tool for teaching. With a computer image projected onto the whiteboard, you can simply press on its large, touch-sensitive surface to access and control any application. This means that if an interactive web site is projected, a student can simply touch the 60" screen in the same way that they would "click" on buttons or hypertext links on a computer. Using a "digital ink" pen, or even your finger, you can write notes and highlight important information on the screen as if it were an electronic whiteboard, and you can save these notes to any Windows or Mac computer application.
II. Purpose
The purpose of this grant is to increase the interactivity of computer based learning, especially in the context of group learning. Many web sites now offer open-ended explorations in Math, Science, History, and Language Arts, and these experiences truly require interaction between the teacher, student, technology, and content. III. Rationale
This technology also allows the teacher to teach the class "from" the computer, taking advantage of online video and audio clips and interactive sites. Students can come to the screen and interact with what is presented, with the ability to write in "digital ink."
The SMART board is an especially effective tool for teaching students in the lower grades to navigate the many menus and hypertext environment of the screen before ever attempting the same operations on a laptop computer. In addition to being able to right-click and write on the screen, the user can also access an onscreen keyboard, which allows students to see all keystrokes performed, something which cannot be seen using a traditional projector and computer.
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IV. Procedure/Implementation
The second step would be initial training by the product reseller. After a short trial period, the grantee would then present this technology at a faculty meeting, and at that point offer additional training for teachers interested in the use of the SMART Board.
Needed materials are listed in VI. BUDGET.
Colleagues have expressed interest in a method that would allow all students to focus on a single screen at once, while still interacting with the images, and this technology provides such a solution. Also, an increasing number of teachers have begun to utilize the mobile lab, and this product will complement that technology, as well as any other technology to be purchase in the near future (including Macs).
Books on Classroom Grants
Grant Writing for Educators: Practical Strategies for Teachers, Administrators, and Staff (Solutions)
A basic guide for those new to the process.
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 12/27/2009) 
List Price: $9.95
Grant Writing for Teachers: If You Can Write a Lesson Plan You Can Write a Grant
I have used the tips in this book to score four grants to date.
Amazon Price: (as of 12/27/2009)
List Price:
Getting the Grant: How Educators Can Write Winning Proposals And Manage Successful Projects
Your best intentions are only as good as your writing. This book really places an emphasis upon the actual writing process, and then the management of the project.
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 12/27/2009)
List Price: $9.95
The Educator's Guide to Grants
Simple and step by step.
Amazon Price: (as of 12/27/2009)
List Price: $29.99
The Grantwriter's Internet Companion: A Resource for Educators and Others Seeking Grants and Funding
The percentage of grants found online has soared! Many can be found ONLY online. This book is a must if you're serious about finding a source.
Amazon Price: $22.95 (as of 12/27/2009)
List Price: $22.95
V. Sharing the Results
* Teacher training, with credit hours awarded.
* Buddy teaching, with older students assisting younger.
* News releases through the school newspaper and district newsletter.
* Use of the SMART board at whole-school functions including parent workshops, PTA meetings, Back-to-School Night, etc.
VI. Budget
$ 1119.30 (reflects -30% SMARTER Kids Foundation grant)
Floor Stand
349.30 (reflects -30%)
Padded Cover with Handles
200. (does not qualify for 30% reduction)
TOTAL MATERIALS COST
$ 1668.60
VII. Alternatives/Options
Another alternative would be to seek some matching funds through the school budget, or through the PTA.
As stated above, the remainder of the cost would be covered by a grant through Smarter Kids Foundation, which provides 30% of the total cost of the technology, and a matching grant (up to the remaining cost) from the PTA. The Smarter Kids Foundation grants are awarded on a rolling basis, with notification in two to three weeks, and a very high percentage of acceptances.
Reader Feedback
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- Shel Shel Feb 26, 2009 @ 9:38 pm
- There is a group known as the Chariot Group which will do Seed Grants...mostly in the NW United States...they place a smart board in your room or a few in your school for a few months on fre loan...at the end of the loan they give you a tremendous discount if you buy them...ie...60" screen regularly will cost about $1600.00 at the end of the loan if you are willing to buy it then it is only $882.00/// just google Chariot Group for contacts...
by kschoch
Keith Schoch is a New Jersey educator active in the fields of education and summer camping. Contact him at KLSchoch@aol.com.
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