Grants

Grant Making Procedures and Policies

2025 - 2026

Grants are requested by application located HERE. Grants will be allocated three times during the school year. Please make sure you follow the schedule to assure consideration of your grant application.

Procedures for Consideration

Staff considering submitting an application for a grant must review the proposal with the principal of their school. The principal reviews to make certain the request supports standard goals for the district, supports student achievement, and is not already funded in the school budget.

After the principal approves the proposal, the grant is submitted electronically for district review and approval. The application will be submitted to the District's Teaching & Learning Department. The request will be reviewed to ensure the request meets district standards, supports district goals, and that it cannot be funded by a source within the district budget. If the application is approved, it will be submitted to the RLAS-116 Education Foundation Grants Committee and the Education Foundation Board of Trustees for consideration.

Grant Ranking Criteria

The Grants Committee uses the following ranking criteria method to evaluate grants. There are a possible 10 total points received under the following criteria:

10 possible points for unique and innovative
10 possible points for individual student impact
10 possible points for sustainability, durability, and continuity
10 possible points for collective impact of the program
5 possible points for business and/or community partnerships
10 possible points for alignment with Foundation goals and mission

Awards must have a minimum average of 39 or better to be considered.

Grant Discussion Procedures

Each member of the Grants Committee reviews and evaluates each application with possible pros and cons of each request; each written report is tallied for total points awarded, and an average score is established. The time frame for discussion is 15 minutes for pros and cons, then an additional 5 minutes to share scores and determine the averages. This time limit may be amended by a vote of the committee. If meeting in person is not possible, scores are shared with the Grant Committee Chair and tallied; if there are large disparities in scores, the Chair will ask for score explanations from each member of the Grant Committee. If a grant applicant is recommended by the Grants review committee, it goes to the board for confirmation.

Procedures for Approved Grants

When approved, the Grants Chairman notifies the teacher receiving the award (copying the principal) and the Deputy Superintendent within 72 hours. The grant awardee submits a purchase order through the building principal to the District; the District pays the invoice, and the purchase order is submitted to the Foundation Treasurer for reimbursement.

The Deputy Superintendent sets up a formal presentation at the school's earliest staff meeting. The Foundation President awards a certificate printed by the Grants Chairman to the grant recipient, explains Foundation Grants to staff, and encourages others to apply — reminding them of the mission of the Foundation.

Grant Application Schedule

Grant Period	Staff Submission	District Approval	Foundation Approval
September/October	Sept 29, 2025	Oct 3, 2025	Oct 18, 2025
March	Mar 2, 2026	Mar 6, 2026	Mar 19, 2026