Aristos Grant Competition Deadline Is Near

Aristos is the last of the annually-recurring in-house mini-grant competitions of the 2005-06 school year. Aristos offers grants of up to $10,000 for creative, innovative programs and projects, with no matching fund requirements. Applications are due to Rita Applebaum (132D Doyle) by 4:00 PM on Wednesday, March 1, 2006. Application materials can be downloaded from the Grants Office website at http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/grants/opportunities.htm.

Lands' End Grant Competition Cancelled

In case you missed the word, Lands' End Corporation has announced the cancellation of this year's competition for "Innovations in Education" mini-grants. They also announced that they will not be offering these grants in the future. MMSD staff who've been planning to pursue a Lands' End grant this year are encouraged to consider applying for an Aristos grant. The Aristos application package is nearly identical to the one that's been used in past years for Lands' End.

National Grant Competitions

The following grant opportunities for K-12 educators are national in scope. They're very competitive, typically offering an average of less than one per state. But if you've got a great idea for a project, are short on leads for local funding sources, and have some extra time to devote to the quest, you might want to consider pursuing one or more of these opportunities. And if you don't have time to pursue them this year, there's always next year.

Arts and Literacy
Deadline: March 1, 2006 (Letter of Inquiry)

The Starbucks Foundation offers grants of $5,000-$20,000 for programs that innovatively address literacy and learning for the 21st century, provide high standards of excellence in mastering basic skills and promote youth voices through a variety of venues. Application/information can be found at http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/grantinfo.asp?cookie%5Ftest=1.

Environmental Literacy
Deadline: March 1, 2006 (Letter of Inquiry)

The Starbucks Foundation also offers grants of $5,000-$20,000 for programs that offer place-based approaches to addressing environmental literacy and empower youth to be heroes for a sustainable environment in their own communities. Applications/information can be found at http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/grantinfo.asp?cookie%5Ftest=1.

Relationships
Deadline: April 17, 2006

Principals of middle and high schools with at least 40% low-income or under-represented minority students are eligible to apply for grants of up to $5,000 from the National Association of Secondary School Principals "Bridge Builders" program for special initiatives aimed at building better relationships among adults and students. Eligible projects include mentoring initiatives; student advisories; personal adult advocate initiatives; civic engagement projects; staff development with a focus on personalization; and engaging families in school. Applications/information can be found at http://www.principals.org/s_nassp/sec.asp?CID=568&DID=48228.

Instructional Innovation
Deadline: May 1, 2006

Teachers are invited to apply for ING Unsung Heroes Awards given to K-12 educators pioneering new teaching methods and techniques that improve learning. Each project is judged on its innovative method, creativity, and ability to positively influence students. The awards program selects 100 finalists to receive a $2,000 award and at least one award is granted in each of the 50 states. Of the 100 finalists, three are selected for additional financial awards: $25,000 for first place; $10,000 for second place; and $5,000 for third place. Application/information can be found at http://www.ing.com.

Social Studies/History
Deadline: June 2, 2006

Cable TV's History Channel offers "Save Our History" grants of up to $10,000 to history organizations to fund partnerships with schools or youth groups on community preservation projects. While schools cannot apply directly, they can be part of collaborative effort led by organizations such as museums, historical societies, preservation organizations, archives, libraries, and government agencies. Application/information can be found at http://www.saveourhistory.com/pres_org/index.html.