Find & Win Grants for Distance Learning Projects: What Every Applicant Should Know UBTech PDF Free Download

Discussion Points Assumptions: This session is for beginner to intermediate grant writers You are interested in learning tips and tools to secure funding! Learning Objectives: Understand how to become grant ready and linking to common grant evaluative criteria Learn how to search for funding that supports education technology Common mistakes made in grant proposals Overview of current and upcoming funding opportunities Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 2

Need Identify and document the need or problem in your area Consider multiple levels of data to illustrate the problem Provide a national statistic Provide a state statistic Provide a local (community, county, region) statistic Are there other organizations currently providing this type of program? If so, who? How innovative is your project and what level of evidence-based practices exist to substantiate your strategy? Have you included important stakeholders in your research and planning processes? Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 5

Target Audience Clearly identify the target audience (beneficiaries) Document whether you are currently working with the target audience Has the target audience been involved in the project design? Use data to show how many people your organization serves now and will serve in the future impact statements Use demographic data (age, poverty, income, education, NSLP) Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 6

Impact Are the goals and objectives Specific Measurable Aggressive but attainable Results oriented Time bound Are the goals and objectives tied to measurable needs in the problem statement? Is there a plan in place to measure and evaluate the project s impact and progress? Logic Model and Evaluation Guidebooks W.K. Kellogg Foundation (www.wkkf.org) Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 7

Federal Data Resources Census Bureau Factfinder http://factfinder2.census.gov/ County Quick Facts Federal Data www.usa.gov government data by topic www.usa.gov/government/state_local/statistics.shtml - state and local information Library of Congress - Thomas www.thomas.loc.gov/cp110/cp110query.html - Database of Congressional Committee reports; may contain current information or provide useful quotes FedStats www.fedstats.gov statistics from more than 100 agencies USA.gov www.usa.gov statistics on jobs and education Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 8

Education Data Resources National Center for Education Statistics Institute of Education Sciences - http://nces.ed.gov Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System - http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/ National Information Center for Higher Education Policymaking and Analysis National Center for Higher Education Management Systems http://www.higheredinfo.org/ American Federation of Teachers Higher Education Data Center http://highereddata.aft.org/ UNESCO Institute for Statistics http://www.uis.unesco.org/education Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 9

Education Data Resources Association of International Educators http://www.nafsa.org/public_policy.sec/international_educ ation_1/ EdStats The World Bank http://web.worldbank.org/ Southern Regional Education Board Fact Book on Higher Education http://www.sreb.org/page/1123/fact_book_on_higher_edu cation.html Higher Education Research Institute UCLA - http://www.heri.ucla.edu/ Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 10

State Education Data Sources Utah State Office of Education http://www.schools.utah.gov/data/educational-data/accountability- Reports.aspx California Department of Education http://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/ Florida Department of Education http://www.fldoe.org/arm/ Texas Education Agency http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index.aspx?id=2147495413&menu_id=6 80&menu_id2=797&cid=2147483656 Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 11

State Education Data Sources Texas Higher Education Data http://www.txhighereddata.org/ Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education http://mcds.dese.mo.gov/quickfacts/sitepages/districtinfo.aspx Colorado Department of Education http://www.cde.state.co.us/index_stats.htm Iowa Department of Education http://educateiowa.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view &id=346 Massachusetts Department of Education http://www.doe.mass.edu/infoservices/reports/ Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 12

Timeline When is the funding needed? Can the project elements be accomplished within the time period indicated Can match funds be secured? Can equipment be bought and deployed during the grant period? Do you have adequate staffing to support operational and technical feasibility or do you need to include them or contractors in the budget? What tasks are dependent on others? Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 13

Sustainability Has a project budget been developed and are costs reasonable? Have you separated and explained ongoing costs for after the grant ends such as staff and maintenance costs? Have other potential funding sources been identified? Can the applicant bring matching funds to the project now or can you phase in match in subsequent years showing a trend toward sustainability? Have you projected potential savings? How will the applicant continue the project after the grant period has ended? Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 14

Creating Your Education Technology Plan A technology plan should: Assess the current state of the organization s technology Establish the need for specific new technologies Create a strategy for use of the new technologies Map out the execution of the plan. May also include: Information on budget items, maintenance and service agreements Methodology that will be used to assess progress against the technology plan Strategy for professional development and training to ensure that staff understands how to use new technologies Linkages to state agency or parent organization s technology plan Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 15

Creating Your Education Technology Plan Resources The National Center for Technology Planning is a clearing house for the exchange of information on instructional technology planning, and provides links to technology planning articles, podcasts and more for any industry. For libraries interested in technology planning, Tech Atlas is a free resource available through Webjunction that will walk you through the technology plan process. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction also has a useful site for library technology planning, and is designed to assist with planning for the E-rate program. In addition, the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) provides a tutorial on developing a technology plan, and provides an outline of the elements of a technology plan. Tech Soup contains a host of information on nonprofit technology planning and assessments. For K-12 education technology planning, the Texas Center for Educational Technology contains planning resources and technology planning links, and the National School Boards Association provides planning tools. Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 16

Identify Organizational Telepresence Needs Choosing the right Polycom video and telepresence solution, and finding the right funding source, involves identifying your organization's needs to ensure grant funding, rapid ROI and wide-scale adoption: Who will be using video: headquarters staff, branch office, remote workers, partners, customers? How will it be used: for group interactions, one-on-one conversations, educational/training sessions or multiple uses? What environments will video be used in: large conference rooms, small meeting rooms, lecture halls, user desktops, home office, on notebook PCs? Will content be shared and if so, what type: spreadsheets, detailed schematics, full motion graphics, or more? What applications will be supported over video: product reviews, interviewing/training? Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 17

Getting Grant Ready Grant Ready Assessment and Navigational Tool A self-assessment tool that provides organizations with an evaluation of their grant-readiness Based on the most common evaluative criteria used in grant reviews Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 18

Grant Ready Checklist Have you conducted a strategic planning process that identifies goals and measures, and an implementation plan? Have you conducted a needs assessment? Do you have a viable, fundable project idea aligned with your organizational goals? Does your proposed project have a set of outcomes with performance targets that are measurable? Do you have an evaluation plan for measuring the success of the project to be funded by the proposed grant? Have you conducted a stakeholder analysis, and do you have formal partnerships or collaborations in place? Are your board members, executives and other leaders on board and willing to participate in the grant process? Is there a plan for sustaining the project after the funding has ended? Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 19

Elements of Successful Grant Proposals for Distance Learning Elements of a Winning Proposal Clearly defines problem and needs Clearly describes what will be accomplished Has well thought-out distance learning curriculum Has a complete technology plan Presents detailed budgets that match the proposed program Presents the material in a logical manner Has formalized partnerships Written in positive terms Does not overuse jargon Gives something back Follows all the guidelines in the RFP Professional looking Not too short or long Lecture capture Sharing teachers between small and large schools Foreign Languages Virtual Classrooms Education Grant Projects Faculty and Professional Development Teacher Collaboration YOUR PROJECT HERE! Connecting to 2 or 4 year colleges for credits Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 20

Why Grant Proposals Fail Assumption that the funder knows your organization Failure to get the appropriate leadership support for the proposal Technical issues Failure to submit proposal electronically Problems with DUNS and CCR registration Did not follow application guidance Lack of innovation Failure to show a plan for sustainability, and ability to replicate project Problem statement was not well formulated not backed up by data Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 21

Why Grant Proposals Fail Weak performance metrics and evaluation plans Project goals do not match those of the funder Missing forms Budget errors or budget that doesn t align with project description Failure to secure required match Misspelled words or grammatical errors Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 22

How Funded Projects Can Fail Unexpected leadership changes or reorganizations Loss of institutional support (could be financial, administrative, facilities, or personnel) Fatigue Failure to provide required performance and financial reports Results of project disappoint expectations Misuse of funds or substitutions of budget items without prior approval Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 23

Learn the Language FOA = Funding Opportunity Announcement RFA = Request for Applications PA = Program Announcement RFP = Request for Proposals NOFA Notice of Funding Availability Grants.gov Grants Glossary: http://grants.gov/help/glossary.jsp RFP NOFA RFA FOA PA Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 25

Government Funding Resources Grants.gov (www.grants.gov) collect info from all gov t agencies portal for funding announcements and applying Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance (www.cfda.gov) The Federal Register (www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html) search or sign up to receive daily emails of grant opps Various Agency Websites NIH Guide (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html) U.S. Department of Education (http://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.html) (http://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/find/edlite-forecast.html) Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 27

Federal Education Grants Investing In Innovation Fund (i3) Rural Utilities Service Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant (RUS DLT) Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College & Career Training Grant Program (TAACCT) Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) Alaska Native-Serving and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNH) Programs Native Hawaiian Education; Alaska Native Education Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 28

Race to the Top Deadline: Expected summer 2012 Purpose Previous priorities: Turn around lowest-performing schools, adopt standards and assessments that prepare students for the workplace, recruiting and rewarding effective teachers and principals Eligibility (next competition is expected to target SEAs) SEAs LEAs (K-12 school districts) Available Funding $550 million Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 29

Federal Grant Funding Eliminated in Final FY 2012 Budget Enacted by Congress Foreign Language Assistance Program Teaching American History Grant Improving Literacy through School Libraries Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education Comprehensive Program (FIPSE) Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 30

2013 Education Proposed Federal Budget http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2013/asset s/education.pdf U.S. Department of Education budget proposed is $1.7 billion Overhauls the Department s Elementary and Secondary Act (ESEA) programs by consolidating 38 program authorities into 11 competitive grant programs Spurs comprehensive reform at the State and local level by providing $850 million for Race to the Top and $100 million for Promise Neighborhoods, two signature reform initiatives Invests $1.1 billion in a reauthorized Career and Technical Education program, that will prepare students for the future by aligning what they learn in school with the demands of 21 st Century jobs. The Budget also provides support for establishing new highly-effective career academies. Prepares America s students for the 21st Century workplace by providing $260 million in funding for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs, including a new $30 million evidence-based math education initiative to be jointly administered with a comparable program at the National Science Foundation, and $80 million to help reach the President s goal of recruiting and preparing 100,000 high-quality STEM teachers over the next 10 years. Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 31

2013 Education Proposed Federal Budget http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2013/as sets/education.pdf U.S. Department of Education budget proposed is $1.7 billion School Turnaround Grants. $534 million for School Turnaround Grants to support the Administration s commitment to helping States and districts turn around America s lowest-performing schools. Race to the Top (RTT). $850 million for RTT Teacher and Leader Innovation Fund. $400 million to transform teacher and leader evaluation and compensation to reward strong teaching and support improvement. Support for Community Colleges. $8 billion in the Departments of Education and Labor to support State and community college partnerships with businesses to build the skills of American workers. Effective Teachers and Leaders State Grants. $80 million program to expand promising and effective models of teacher preparation in STEM. Jointly administered mathematics education initiative, with $30 million from the Department of Education and $30 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 32

2013 Labor Proposed Federal Budget http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2 013/assets/labor.pdf Improves access to services for workers and job-seekers and invests $125 million in a competitive Workforce Innovation Fund in the Departments of Labor and Education to engage States and localities in identifying better ways of delivering services, breaking down program silos, and paying providers for success Includes a $12.5 billion Pathways Back to Work Fund to make it easier for workers to remain connected to the workforce and gain new skills for long-term employment Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 33

Foundations Subject Searching The Foundation Center o Foundation Directory Online comprehensive information on U.S. grantmakers Community of Science (COS) Funding Opportunities SPIN (from infoed) GrantsNet For more information Review foundation s website Read annual reports and IRS990 filings (www.foundationcenter.org/findfunders/990finder/) Talk to program officers Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 34

Examples of Foundation Funding Sources National Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Next Generation Learning Grants Wave III just passed RGK Foundation (Ronya and George Kozmetsky) Gateway Foundation Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Ford Foundation Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy Walton Family Foundation Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 35

Polycom Grant Assistance Program The mission of the Polycom Grant Assistance Program is to assist public, private and nonprofit organizations in every aspect of proposal preparation, funding selection and application for telecommunications solutions. Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 37

Polycom Grant Assistance Program Elizabeth Burton National Director ALASKA Area Grant Managers WA OR ID NV CA UT AZ HAWAII MT WY CO NM ND SD NE TX KS OK MN IA MO AR WI IL IN MI KY TN OH WV VA NC SC LA MS AL GA FL VT NH NY PA NJ DE MD DC ME MA RI CT + + Laura Lundahl: AK,WA,OR,ID,MT,WY,CA,NV,HI +Guam & Marianna Islands Laura.Lundahl@polycom.com Andrew Knox: UT,AZ,CO,NM,TX,OK,AR,LA Andrew.Knox@polycom.com Ron Graves: ND,SD,NE,MN,IA,WI,MI,IN,OH Ron.Graves@polycom.com Stephanie Steffen: ME,NH,VT,MA,RI,CT,NY,PA,NJ,DE,MD, DC,WV,VA,NC,SC,GA Stephanie.Steffen@polycom.com Jeff Barlow: KS,MO,IL,KY,TN,MS,AL,FL +Puerto Rico & US Virgin Islands Jeff.Barlow@polycom.com Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 38

Our Grant Experts Industry Experts Grant Peer Reviewers Jeff Barlow Elizabeth Burton Ron Graves Grant Administrators Grant Writers Procurement Experts Andrew Knox Laura Lundahl Stephanie Steffen Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 39

PGAP Proposal Success Factors PGAP Proposal Success Factors Access to Grant & Healthcare Industry Experts Grant Peer Reviewers and Experienced Grant Administrators Polycom 7-Step Grant Assistance Process TM Pre-Application Organizational Consulting and Project Development Grant Ready Assessment and Navigational Tool (GRANT) Proven and Successful Grant Writers Support Partial or Full Cost of Grant Fees Memorandum of Understanding Post-Award Assistance with Budget/Procurement Processes Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 40

Polycom 7-Step Grant Assistance Process TM Only trademarked grant assistance process in the telecommunications industry From engagement to project close, the PGAP Team helps you find and apply for funding to support your collaborative communications projects 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Engage Accept Source Apply Award Purchase Close Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 41

Getting Grant Ready Strategic Planning Needs assessment, technology plan, budget development, and evaluation planning Grant Ready Assessment and Navigational Tool A self-assessment tool that provides organizations with an evaluation of their grant-readiness Based on the most common evaluative criteria used in grant reviews Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 42

To Get Started Bring us project ideas that incorporate a technology solution Provide information on identified needs: Connecting to classrooms, content providers and experts around the globe Recording and streaming of content Virtual Field Trips Virtual classroom debates Faculty and Professional Development Workforce Development and Training We then match with one or more funding sources! Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 43

Polycom Grant / E-rate Tools and Resources www.polycom.com/grants or www.polycom.com/erate Grant Alerts and Customized Funding Reports Grant profiles and white papers Grant-Ready Guides Recorded Grant / E-rate Webinars Grants Navigator Newsletter Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 44

Contact Information www.polycom.com/grants grants@polycom.com Elizabeth G. Burton National Director Polycom Grant & E-rate Assistance Programs 606-802-2949 Elizabeth.Burton@polycom.com Jeff Barlow Area Grant Manager Polycom Grant Assistance Program 573-893-7109 Jeff.Barlow@polycom.com Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. 46

Find & Win Grants for Distance Learning Projects: What Every Applicant Should Know UBTech 2012