Grant 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? Do the students who will benefit from this project represent a population that is typically under represented?
• 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. Improvements to the basic physical plant
5. Ongoing operating support for what has been a pilot project
6. Individual scholarships
7. Food or beverage for an event/activity

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
• 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?