2015 – 2016 Empowered to Excel Grant Application Tutorial

HEB ISD Education Foundation Mission Statement The mission of the HEB ISD Education Foundation is to raise and award private funds and community resources to support the HEB ISD’s commitment to excellence in education. The Foundation, established in 1995, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, guided by a volunteer board of directors who have a sincere interest in the success of our students and staff. Thank you for supporting our mission!

2015 – 2016 Empowered to Excel Grant Program Purpose The Empowered to Excel grants are designed to encourage, facilitate, and reward innovative programs and activities that support district goals Empowered to Excel Grant Program Eligibility Any individuals or teams of individuals employed by HEB ISD are eligible to apply for grants. Grants will be announced in May 2015 for the school year.

2015 – 2016 Empowered to Excel Grant Program Grant Applications Please carefully review the Guidelines for Grant Applications Guidelines for Grant Applications Applications can be downloaded here or from thehere HEB ISD Education Foundation webpage at Applications can be filled out electronically and ed, typed and printed, or printed and neatly handwritten. A signature from your principal/administrator is required. Applications should be concise and must not exceed three (3) pages or they will be disqualified.

Applications can be downloaded here or from thehere HEB ISD Education Foundation webpage at When filling out the application electronically, make sure to save (download) the file to your computer from the Foundation’s webpage. Then open the file from your computer’s files and begin entering the information into the entry fields. When your application is complete, save the file to you computer to ensure your entries are captured. Once completed, the saved file to your Principal or Campus Administrator for approval and signature. Signature can be handwritten or signed electronically using the EchoSign tool. Once the application has been signed by the campus administrator or principal, please submit the application to the Foundation via to campus mail, or hand delivered to Rosa Kari at the administration building by 4:00pm Monday, April 6, Tips for Using the Electronic Application 2015 – 2016 Empowered to Excel Grant Program

Signature Required It is the responsibility of the grant requester to obtain the campus principal’s or district administrator’s signature on the grant application before it is submitted. If submitting the form electronically, once completed the PDF application can be ed to the principal/administrator for electronic signature using the EchoSign tool and returned to the Foundation by to Grants submitted without the required signature will not be considered.

2015 – 2016 Empowered to Excel Grant Program Award of Funds Grants of up to $1000 will be awarded for programs or projects initiated by a single individual. Grants of up to $5000 will be awarded for campus-initiated or district-initiated programs or projects. Grant funds may not be used for teacher stipends or refreshments. ** Note regarding technology requests: Now that the bond program expenditures are almost complete, innovative use of technology over and above what is already provided by the district will be considered for funding. The number of awards for the school year will depend on the amount of funds available from the HEB ISD Education Foundation.

2015 – 2016 Empowered to Excel Grant Program Due Date Applications must be received no later than 4:00 pm on Monday, April 5, Applications can be sent to the Foundation via to campus mail, or be hand-delivered to the receptionist, Rosa Kari, at the Central Administration building. No late applications will be considered.

2015 – 2016 Grant Selection Process HEB District Cabinet Review Once received, eligible grant applications will be reviewed by appropriate cabinet-level district personnel including: Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education, Assistant Superintendent for Technology, Deputy Superintendent for Educational Operations, and Content Area Coordinator. Foundation’s Grant Application Review Committee After review by district administrators, the remaining grant applications will be evaluated by the Foundation's Grant Application Review Committee composed of volunteers selected by the HEB ISD Education Foundation. Click here to see a sample scoring sheet to be used by the Foundation’s evaluators – 2016 Empowered to Excel Grant Program

Grant Awards Awards will be determined by the Board of Directors of the HEB ISD Education Foundation, based on the recommendations of the Grant Application Review Committee. Primary point of contact on applications will be notified by of the grant award decisions by Tuesday, May 19, – 2016 Empowered to Excel Grant Program

Responsibilities of Recipients Use grant funds for the stated purpose. File receipts for expenses related to the grant with campus principal/district administrator. Capture 3 iconic photos of your grant “in action” and send by to by Friday, June 10, Complete Grant Evaluation Form and return to the Foundation by to by Friday, June 10, Click here to view a sample Grant Evaluation form. here to view a sample Grant Evaluation form 2015 – 2016 Grant Award Recipients will be honored through a check presentation ceremony during Convocation Please plan on taking part in the following: Attending Convocation Sitting with your grant application team in the Foundation’s Grant Recipient seating area Formally accepting the grant on stage Having a photo taken with your grant award 2015 – 2016 Grant Recipients 2015 – 2016 Empowered to Excel Grant Program

Tips for Grant Applicants Remember, the grant review committee is made up of corporate and community leaders – not educators. Try not to use “lingo” specific to education or your field of study but rather write to this audience of readers. All departments, disciplines, and educational initiatives that forward district goals are encouraged to apply. Before the review process, any information that is specific to a particular campus or program will be redacted from the application. The Foundation evaluates all applications based on the criteria as outlined in the Sample Score Sheet. The applications are reviewed and awarded based solely on the final review scores.Sample Score Sheet Technology requests will only be considered if they demonstrate an innovative use of technology over and above what is already provided by the district – 2016 Empowered to Excel Grant Program

Tips for Grant Applicants If handwriting your responses, please make sure they are neat and orderly. Presentation of the grant application is considered during the scoring process. Writing beyond the margins and applications that carry onto the back of the page will lose presentation points. ( Sample of bad presentation style below.) 2015 – 2016 Empowered to Excel Grant Program

THANK YOU for your commitment to excellence in education. The HEB ISD Education Foundation salutes you. Questions? Suggestions? Contact Staci Kirpach – 2016 Empowered to Excel Grant Program