TEACHER AND/OR SCHOOL LEADER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Letter of Inquiry Guidelines About Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT) Established in 1953, Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT) is a public charity that administers nearly 700 separate philanthropic funds established over the years through gifts and bequests from donors in Dallas and across the State of Texas. CFT is a hub for collaboration between donors, nonprofits and other funders to stimulate creative solutions to key community challenges. CFT recently finished a six month strategic planning process to determine how to most effectively allocate its discretionary funding. One of the strategic areas designated by the Board as a critical focus for CFT going forward is improving high school graduation and retention rates in the Dallas area by focusing on atrisk middle school youth. In particular, through this line of grantmaking, CFT aims to support efforts that improve the professional skills development and quality of teachers and school leaders currently working in local high-need urban middle schools to impact that goal. In order to assist the foundation in these efforts, we invite nonprofits that provide teacher and/or school leader professional development in the Dallas area to submit letters of inquiry outlining their efforts to achieve this goal. Teacher and School Leader Professional Development Grantmaking The goals of this grantmaking program is to support the implementation of initiatives and programs that provide specific professional development programs, strategies and models that will enhance the skills and knowledge of the current teachers and school leaders within high-need urban middle school campuses, ultimately impacting overall student performance. Examples of components of the types of programs that may be funded (though not restricted to the below) are those that: Create opportunities for enhanced, on-going development of teachers and school leaders to improve their subject-matter knowledge, as well as their pedagogical skills used to impart the specialized knowledge/content of their subject area(s), including achievement of required Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits. Promote the implementation of teacher and administrator skill and competency development, including data-informed teaching and leading, and the integration of research and technology-based methods into the curriculum Provide opportunities for the enhanced, on-going development of administrators to improve and enhance competencies attributable to strong leadership, including, but not limited to supervising and motivating staff, coordination of curriculum, promoting and sustaining a positive school learning climate and evaluating student performance. -1-
Eligible Requests To be eligible to participate in CFT s letter of inquiry process, the applicant must meet the following criteria: 1. At least 50% of the population served must be residents of Dallas, Denton, or Collin Counties. Ineligible Requests Discretionary funds do not fund: 1. Individuals 2. Campaigns to elect public officials or for political or lobbying efforts 3. Projects which take place before the completion of the grant making process 4. Grants that ultimately will go wholly to another agency, other than the applicant (pass through) 5. Organizations which have the ability to levy taxes Operating Funds CFT will accept requests to fund start-up or operating expenses. Scholarships CFT s discretionary funds will not be allocated for individual scholarships for books or tuition during the 2011 grant cycle. Types of Grants Awarded Grants awarded from discretionary funds will support program needs, start-up or operating expenses. Requests that demonstrate the potential to create measurable impact will likely receive more favorable consideration. Collaborative projects that provide greater leverage for philanthropic investments are also encouraged. Request Amounts Grants of up to $300,000 may be requested. Grant Process Letters of Inquiry (LOI) must be received at the Foundation s office or by e-mail to grants@cftexas.org by September 22, 2011. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered. Failure to provide any requested supporting documentation will automatically eliminate the applicant from consideration. Applications submitted by facsimile will not be accepted. LOIs will be reviewed initially by a staff subcommittee. Applicants will be notified by e-mail if more information is needed about the funding request. The Foundation s Board of Trustees makes all final decisions regarding approval of grant recipients. Grant recipients are required to submit a written report documenting expenditure of grant funds at the end of the grant period or when use of funds has been completed, whichever comes first. -2-
Letter of Inquiry Instructions & Outline Please submit the following items in the following order. If additional information is requested, you will be notified by e-mail. Please do not call for status notification. I. Proposal Summary Form You must use the form provided. Alternative versions of the form will not be accepted. II. Narrative The Letter of Inquiry should follow the outline below. The narrative should be no more than six pages long, double-spaced, excluding the Proposal Summary Sheet, Budget Form and Constituency Forms. 11pt font is preferred please do not use smaller than 10pt. A. Describe Your Request - For start-up or operating fund requests, answer the following based on your agency as a whole, rather than in reference to a particular program. 1. Teacher / School Leader Professional Development Program Design Provide key details outlining how your program improves the professional capabilities and quality of current teachers and/or school leaders so they are better equipped to improve student achievement in local high need, urban middle schools. If your program fills an unmet need in the local landscape or expands offerings where more capacity is currently required in the community, please describe how you are uniquely positioned to meet these needs. Be sure to include information on the specific instructional areas and grade levels that you target with your professional development programs. 2. Evidence Base Provide any research or evidence that documents the effectiveness (as measured by improvement in student outcomes) of the types of practices you employ through your professional development program. 3. Track Record - If a third party evaluation of your program has been conducted, please provide an overview of the resulting findings. 4. School or District Partnerships Provide key details on any partnerships that you have developed with local high need districts or middle schools. If you are currently working in local high need urban middle schools, please describe your current efforts in these schools. If you are not currently working in local high need middle schools, provide a detailed description of how and why you are well-equipped to develop partnerships with these schools/districts. 5. Financial Sustainability Outline your plan for how the program will be financially sustainable going forward. Provide an overview of other key funding partners and explain why CFT s dollars are critical to the program s effectiveness and impact at this point in time. 6. Evaluation - Describe the goals and objectives of your program (or agency) and how you will know you have accomplished them (evaluation indicators/outcomes). Include an overview of how you will measure school- and student-based outcomes. -3-
B. Background/History: Describe your organization, including a brief description of your organization's history and major accomplishments, and a brief description of your organization's experience and expertise in conducting this type of program. III. Constituency Form for the Grant (request-specific) Note: Not Applicable for Operating Fund Requests. IV. Constituency Form for the Organization V. Program Specific Proposed Grant Budget Form Note: Not Applicable for Operating Fund Requests. VI. Checklist Please do not include any other attachments. The Letter of Inquiry must be received by e-mail or at the CFT offices by 3:00p.m. CST September 22, 2011. The mailing address for hard copy versions is: Communities Foundation of Texas 5500 Caruth Haven Lane Dallas, TX 75225 Attn: Monica Egert-Smith Please contact Monica Egert-Smith, Community Philanthropy Director, at 214-750-4135 or megert@cftexas.org if you have questions about the guidelines. -4-
Letter of Inquiry Summary Form 2011 Cycle, Due September 22, 2011 Organization: Program / Project Name (if different): Mailing Address: Site Visit Address: Name & Title of person responsible for compiling this portion of the application: Telephone(s): Fax: Email: Website: Executive Director: Board President / Chair: Amount requested: $ Type of request: Program Operating Capital Mission Statement: Please give a brief summary of the program or project for which funds are being requested: Executive Director s Signature: Date: -5-
Description of Constituency of Participants Served by the Grant Please provide the following information for the teachers and school leaders to be served by this funding (specifically, the number of people supported by the level of funding requested, with the specific program for which you are requesting funds). If you are unable to answer any of the following questions, please provide a short explanation. If you are requesting general operating funds, skip this form and fill out only the following form, Description of Constituency of Clients Served by the Organization. 1. How are program participants recruited and selected? 2. Number of all unduplicated participants annually served by this specific program: Please provide us with the grouping categories you typically use if they differ from the ones below. Age Group Number Percentage 20 29 30 49 50 64 65 and over Total Served 3. Ethnicity and gender of participants served per year. Ethnicity Number Percentage African American Anglo American Indian Asian Hispanic Other Total Served (Should match total at #2) Gender Number Percentage Male Female Total Served (Should match total at #2) 4. Geographic area(s) served Clients by County Number Percentage Collin Dallas Denton Other Total Served (Should Match Total at #6) -6-
Description of Constituency of Participants Served by the Organization Please provide the following information on the demographic breakdown of your agency as a whole (specifically, all participants served by your agency in a year, in all of the programs that your agency runs). If you are unable to answer any of the following questions, please provide a short explanation. 1. How are the participants recruited and selected? 2. Number of all unduplicated clients annually served by the agency: Please provide us with the grouping categories you typically use if they differ from the ones below. Age Group Number Percentage 20 29 30 49 50 64 65 and over Total Served 3. Ethnicity and gender of clients served per year. Ethnicity Number Percentage African American Anglo American Indian Asian Hispanic Other Total Served (Should Match Total at #6) Gender Number Percentage Male Female Total Served (Should match total at #6) 4. Geographic area(s) served Clients by County Number Percentage Collin Dallas Denton Other Total Served (Should Match Total at #6) -7-
Program Specific Proposed Grant Budget This form is to be completed for program-specific funding requests, not general operating requests. AGENCY: _ DATE: Itemized Budget of Funding Request: Direct Program Costs: Administrative / Overhead Expenses: Total Funds Requested For This Grant: Total Program Cost (If Applicable): Total Funding Secured To Date (If Any): TOTAL AGENCY BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR (If requesting funds for a program, please include the total program budget in the total agency budget.) -8-
Letter of Inquiry Checklist The following is a checklist of the items that must be included in your application in order for it to be considered for a grant. Please return it with your application to ensure that you have included everything on this list. Please number the items in your application packet to correspond with this checklist, and include all items in the order in which they are listed below. I. Proposal Summary Form II. Narrative A. Describe Your Request - For start-up or operating fund requests, answer the following based on your agency as a whole, rather than in reference to a particular program. (4-5 pages) 1.Teacher / School Leader Professional Development Program Design 2.Evidence Base 3.Track Record 4.School or District Partnerships 5.Financial Sustainability 6.Evaluation B. Background/History-Describe your organization, including a brief description of your organization's history and major accomplishments, and a brief description of your organization's experience and expertise in conducting this type of program. III. IV. V. VI. Constituency Form (request-specific) - Not Applicable for Operating Fund Requests. Constituency Form (agency as a whole) Budget Form, Program - Not Applicable for Operating Fund Requests. THIS Completed Checklist Please do not include any other attachments. Eligibility: You must meet the following requirements in order to qualify for funding. Are at least 50% of the people to be served by the grant residents of Dallas, Denton, or Collin Counties? And Finally If you have received a grant from us in the past, are you current on your final reports (due when funds are expended or at the end of the grant term as stated on your contract)? Does your packet contain all of the signature(s) requested? -9-