Grant Guidelines

RIDLEY EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION GRANTS GUIDELINES

The Ridley Educational Foundation awards grants for projects that enrich the educational experience and foster innovative opportunities for students of the Ridley School District. Our aim is to supplement, but not replace, the regular school district funding. We look for the following criteria in making grant selections:

  • Will the project be an educational innovation and coordinate with the school curriculum?
  • Is this a pilot project that can be replicated after the grant period?
  • What is the long-term impact of the project? How many students will benefit?

The grant applicant must discuss the proposal with the building principal to ensure the grant is in keeping with the goals of the school and district. The principal must approve the submission of the grant application.

Initiatives that Ridley Educational Foundation grants do not fund include, but are not limited to the following:

  1. Individual staff professional development and/or procuring substitute teachers
  2. Items or services that are regularly part of the school’s budget
  3. Compensation to Ridley School District personnel or the proposer, for the time they may spend on a project.
  4. Stipends for any work associated with the project
  5. Providing food or beverage for any event or activity
  6. Improvements to the basic physical plant
  7. Ongoing operating support for what has been a pilot project
  8. Individual scholarships

Grant funding will be based on consideration of the following criteria—not necessarily listed in the order of importance.

  • Project excellence–Creativity, enhancement of the education experience and innovative programming that is consistent with the curriculum.
  • Project impact–Impact on students, scope of dollars spent vs. intensity of impact (Note that the number of students affected may not be as important as the significance of the project’s impact on the students who will be taking part.)
  • Ability to sustain and/or replicate—Has consideration been given to the potential for the project’s future?
  • Appropriateness of budget costs—Are costs commensurate with potential for excellence and impact? Have other funding sources been approached and committed?

Capacity to effectively implement and report on grant—Have project implementation, documentation, and reporting been adequately addressed?

REF GRANT REQUIREMENTS

If grant request is approved, the recipient(s) are expected to do the following:

  • Invite REF to the implementation of your funded project. Notify REF by sending an email to ridleyeducationalfoundation@gmail.org. If there is no specific event, let the REF know when the program is in place and when there may be an opportunity for REF to see how it has been implemented.
  • Immediately after grant implementation, prepare a letter or notification to the parents of the students who benefited from the grant.

o The communication should include a note the experience was made possible by a grant from REF.

o REF must approve the communication before being distributed.
o The communication may be distributed via electronic mail, or other approved means of notification.
o The delivery method may depend on the number of students involved and may be  determined in consultation with REF.

  • Promote as a REF grant funded (in whole or in part) program in all publicity and promotions (e.g., school websites, email, flyers, and signage). Parent Teacher Organizations or Home & Schools Associations are especially important, because their communication structures can be used to help promote the projects and lend endorsement to the REF.
  • REF will supply the logo for promotional materials or REF labels to be affixed to all equipment and property purchased with grant funds.
  • Gather documentation (e.g., photos, videos, testimonials or other documentation) of the project and send to REF.
  • Administer a survey of the program, upon completion, to the relevant parties (e.g., students, teachers, administrators, and parents) to assess the effectiveness and impact of the project. The survey and results must be included in final report.
  • Complete and submit Final Grants Summary Report upon completion of grant implementation, but no later than Dec. 31sth of grant year.
  • Submit all receipts by Dec. 31st of the year in which the grant was awarded.
  • Volunteer to assist with one REF fundraising activity during the year in which the grant is implemented.