Local Grant Competitions

While the last deadline of the year has now passed for the annual round of MMSD internal mini-grant competitions, there are still a few competitions out in the community for which schools are eligible applicants. These are listed, with hotlinks to grant application materials, in the "Other Grant Opportunities" section of the Grants Office website, at http://www.mad ison.k12.wi.us/grants/opportunities.htm. These include:

• Capital Times Kids Fund, especially for schools with high concentrations of low-income students — Deadline: April 15, 2006
• Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission, for arts education projects, and with a special set-aside fund this year available only to MMSD schools — Deadline: May 1, 2006 (for pre-approval submission to Julie Palkowski, MMSD Fine Arts Coordinator)
• Wisconsin State Journal Youth Services, Inc. — Deadline: sometime in July, 2006

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.

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://w ww.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.co m/pres_org/.

High School Music Programs
Deadline: Competition to Begin in September, 2006

Schools can compete for Grammy "Signature Schools" grants to either recognize an outstanding school music program, or to improve under-served school music programs at schools with great financial need. Last year, this grant program awarded one school a $20,000 grant, two schools a $15,000 grant, six schools a $5,000 grant, and 32 schools a $1,000 grant. Applications and program information can be found at http://www.grammy intheschools.com/gits_loader.html. Click on "Signature Schools."