Welcome to School Safety Grants.info!

FY 2008 Awards: Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative Grants

FY 2008 Awards: Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Grants

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This site will provide you with information, tips, and updates to help make you more successful at obtaining funds for your school through the 2008 Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Grants  and Safe Schools-Healthy Students Grants.

The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools grant program is designed to provide funds to schools to enhance and improve their school crisis plans. Grantees are required to address all four phases of crisis planning: Prevention and Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. In addition, schools are required to form partnerships and collaborate with community organizations, local law enforcement agencies, heads of local governments, and offices of public safety, health, and mental health as they review and revise school crisis plans.

Likewise, the Safe Schools - Healthy Students grants support schools in the development of community-wide approaches to creating safe and drug-free schools and promoting healthy childhood development. Programs are intended to prevent violence and the illegal use of drugs and to promote safety and discipline. Again, coordination with other community-based organizations is required.

This Web site is dedicated to providing you with information, tools, and tips to help make you more successful at obtaining funds from the School Preparedness grant programs.

This is not the official School Preparedness grant program website. Please refer to U.S. Department of Education’s website to complete the application process.

How to Use This Site

Be sure to register for e-mail updates, then take a few moments to familiarize yourself with the site. It will provide you with information, tips, and guidance to help enhance your ability to develop high quality proposals for the program.

Please note that this site is not intended to replace official guidance for this program, but rather to provide grantseekers with valuable know-how based on our years of experience with grants development. In any case, the official guidance provided by the grantmaking agency supercedes any information provided in this site.

School Safety Grants Workshop

This section will provide you with information and guidance to help make you more successful at obtaining School Preparedness funds.

Funds are administered each year by the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS) of the US Department of Education. These programs provide grants that support the education, healthcare, and economic development of students learning in schools.

Feel free to browse through the information available here and throughout the remainder of the site, and don't forget to register for e-mail updates!

Application Forms

Application Forms

Grants

1) Safe Schools Healthy Students

Grants support LEAs in the development of community-wide approaches to creating safe and drug-free schools and promoting healthy childhood development. Programs are intended to prevent violence and the illegal use of drugs and to promote safety and discipline. Coordination with other community-based organizations is required. This program is jointly funded and administered by the Departments of Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services.

Link to the Depatment of Education's Safe Schools - Healthy Students Website

2) Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools

The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools grant program is designed to provide funds to LEAs to enhance and improve their school crisis plans. Grantees are required to address all four phases of crisis planning: Prevention and Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. In addition, LEAs are required to form partnerships and collaborate with community organizations, local law enforcement agencies, heads of local governments, and offices of public safety, health, and mental health as they review and revise school crisis plans.

Link to the Department of Education's REMS Website

Rules and Instructions

Approved Uses

Deadline

Award Amounts and Procedures

Decision Time Frames

Eligible Applicants

FAQ

Approved Uses

A REMS grant will enable school districts to improve and strengthen emergency management plans to include:

1) All four phases of emergency management: Prevention-Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery;

2) Agreements to coordinate among education, local government, law enforcement, public safety, public health, and mental   health in the strengthening and improving of the plan;

3) Coordination with the State or local Homeland Security Plan;

4) Support of the National Incident Management System;

5) A comprehensive plan that is based on an all-hazards approach;

6) Support from top leadership;

7) Pre-established roles for faculty, staff, parents, students and first responders;

8) Training programs for staff, teachers, and crisis response team members;

9) Drills and exercises for staff and students;

10) Review and revision of emergency management plans to reflect what works, what does not, and address emerging crises;

11) A district plan and a plan for each individual school building within the district;

12) A plan that does not leave any child (or adult) behind—addressing the needs of all populations, including students with disabilities and special needs;

13) A plan that addresses infectious diseases, including pandemic flu; and

14) Emergency equipment and technology (but not as a majority of the requested funding).

The Safe Schools - Healthy Students - To be funded, local comprehensive strategies must address the following six elements but may address other elements as well, as determined by the needs of the community:

• Must provide a safe school environment
• Must offer alcohol-, other drug-, and violence-prevention activities and early intervention for troubled students
• Must offer school and community mental health preventive and treatment intervention programs
• Must offer early childhood psychosocial and emotional developmental programs
• Must support and connect schools and communities
• Must support safe school policies

Deadline

(As of January 17th, 2008)

The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools grant program has a 2008 deadline of February 19, 2008. It is anticipated to have a similar deadline in 2009. For further information on the program, please click here

The Safe Schools - Healthy Students FY2008 grant deadline is anticipated to be 3/14/2008. Forecasted date of FY2008 announcement is 01/24/2008.  For further information on the program please click here

Award Amount

Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools:

Estimated Available Funds:  $24,000,000

Number of Awards Anticipated: 96

Range of Awards: $1,000,000 - $3,000,000

Anticipated award amounts:

• small-size school district (with 1-20 school facilities) will need up to $100,000

• medium-size school district (with between 21 and 75 school facilities) will need a maximum of $250,000

• large-size school district (with 76 or more school facilities) will need a maximum of $500,000.

Period of funding: 18 Months

Safe Schools Healthy Students Grant Program

Other Information

Time Frame

Although the time varies from program to program, it takes approximately four to six months from the time the Department receives a new application to the time the award is made.

Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools;

Applications Available:  January 8, 2008

Deadline for Applications:  February 19, 2008

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review:  April 18, 2008

School Safety Grants 2008 - Forecasted

Applications Available: January 24, 2008

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 14, 2008

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: To be announced 

Notice of award: To be announced

Eligible Applicants

Local Education Agencies (LEA)

A local education agency (LEA) is:

(a) As used in this part, the term local educational agency means a public board of education or other public authority legally constituted within a State for either administrative control or direction of, or to perform a service function for, public elementary or secondary schools in a city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision of a State, or for a combination of school districts or counties as are recognized in a State as an administrative agency for its public elementary or secondary schools.

(b) The term includes-

• (1) An educational service agency, as defined in §300.10
• (2) Any other public institution or agency having administrative control and direction of a public elementary or secondary school, including a public charter school that is established as an LEA under State law; and
• (3) An elementary or secondary school funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and not subject to the jurisdiction of any SEA other than the Bureau of Indian Affairs, but only to the extent that the inclusion makes the school eligible for programs for which specific eligibility is not provided to the school in another provision of law and the school does not have a student population that is smaller than the student population of the LEA receiving assistance under this Act with the smallest student population.

FAQ

Commonly Asked Questions & Definitions

Definitions

click here for Ed.gov grant definitions

Questions

click here for commonly asked questions

Further Questions

Overview

The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools grant program   - Funds will be available to local education agencies to strengthen and improve emergency response and crisis management plans.

Components of the Grant:

A completed application for assistance under this competition consists of two parts: a detailed narrative description of the proposed project and budget, and all forms and assurances that must be submitted in order to receive a grant.

The time required to complete the information collection is estimate to average 25 hours per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather and maintain the data needed, and complete and review the information collection.

A panel of non-federal readers with experience in school emergency management will review each eligible application submitted by the deadline.  The panel will award points ranging from 0 to 100 to each application depending on how well the following criteria are addressed:

• Need for project.  (10 points)

• Quality of the project design. (40 points)

• Significance (15 points)

• Quality of the management plan. (20 points)

• Quality of the project evaluation. (15 points)

Requirements that must be addressed:

• To be considered for a grant award, applications must include an agreement that details the participation of the LEA and the following five community-based partners:  law enforcement, public safety, public health, mental health, and the head of the local government (for example the mayor, city manager, or county executive.) 

• Applications must be coordinated with their State Homeland Security Plan.

• Applicants must agree to support the implementation of the National Incident Management System (NIMS). 

• The plan must also take into consideration the communication, transportation, and medical needs of individuals with disabilities and special needs within their school district.

• Applicants must agree to develop a written plan designed to prepare the LEA for a possible infectious disease outbreak, such as influenza pandemic.

• LEAs are required to provide for the equitable participation of private school children, their teachers, and other educational personnel in private schools located in areas served by the grant recipient.

Submission

• Choice of online submission at http://www.Grants.gov or paper submission via mail or hand delivery

• For paper and hand delivered submissions, the original and two copies of your application must be received on or before the application deadline date.

The Safe Schools - Healthy Students - To be funded, local comprehensive strategies must address six elements but may address other elements as well, as determined by the needs of the community.

• No more than 40 pages
• A "page" is 8.5" by 11", on one side only, with 1" margins
• Double spaced
• Text must be 12-point Courier New font
• Numbered using the style 1 of 40, 2 of 40, etc

The page limit does not apply to the cover sheet, project abstract, budget forms and worksheets, or the required attachments.

Reviewers will not read any pages of application that exceed the page limit

Components of the Grant:

• Community Assessment (15 points)
• Goals, objectives & performance indicators (10 points)
• Project design (25 points)
• Partnership and community readiness (25 points)
• Evaluation (10 points)
• Program management (10 points)
• Budget (5 points)

6 Requirements that need to be addressed:

• #1 Safe school environment
• #2 Alcohol and other drugs and violence prevention and early intervention programs
• #3 School and community mental health preventive and treatment intervention services
• #4 Early childhood psychosocial and emotional development programs
• #5 Supporting and connecting schools and communities
• #6 Safe school policies

Coordination with other Community Based Organizations is required:

The applicant must include in its application 2 memoranda of agreement demonstrating the commitment of the required SS/ HS partners.

Must Identify

• Local Law Enforcement Partner
• Juvenile Justice Partner
• Local Mental Health Authority

Current SS/HS grantees have strong partnerships with:

• Government agencies
• Law enforcement
• Courts and corrections
• Social services agencies
• Businesses
• Civic organizations
• The Faith community
• Private citizens

Submission

• Applications must be submitted in paper format
• By mail or hand delivery
• Mail the original and 2 copies of your application
• Before the application deadline date
• The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m

Building a Budget

Safe Schools Healthy Students

Budget Notes

• No more than 10 % for each year may be used to support costs associated with…

1. Security equipment and personnel
2. Minor remodeling of school facilities

Also

• No less than 7 % for evaluation activities
• Program will reject any application that exceeds the maximum amount established for its defined urbanicity

Reference Material

Grantees attribute their success to:

• Assessing a community's needs
• Identifying and reaching populations in need
• Increasing communication and information sharing
• Developing community strategic plan w/ measurable goals & objectives
• Coordinating & Strengthening existing effective programs & policies
• Implementing evidence-based activities, curriculums & programs
• Monitoring and evaluating the implementation and impact of the SS/HS strategy
• Creating institutionalized changes that will sustain activities

Case Studies

1. In upstate NY, the school district of Auburn developed and implemented a system for sharing information and documents among the school, local law enforcement, and mental health communities.
   
2. In Redmond, Oregon, 35 schools participated to create the Family Access Network (FAN). The FAN provides children and their families with a single point of access for health and mental health services, parent and family training, positive youth development, connections to the community, and alternative learning opportunities beyond the school day.

For further case studies, please visit the SSHS Initiative website here

Tips for Writing Proposals

Be specific in your budget

Most funders have no restrictions or very broad allowances for budget narratives, because they want to see specifically what you plan to buy with grant funds. Be as specific as you can, with some justification for estimates you will inevitably have to make.

Be judicious in involving others in your project

It may seem like a good idea to include as many officials and partners as possible in your project, but be sure each partner you have contributes to the project in a meaningful way.

Make sure your letters of support for the project demonstrate real commitment

Like pieces to a puzzle, your support letters should document the commitment of the project collaborators toward meeting all the objectives and milestones of the project.

Be sure your narrative and budget are consistent

Everything in the budget should be justified in the narrative. Generally, you'll also want to explain, either in the project narrative or budget narrative, why you chose to use one approach, solution, or technology over another.

Customize each proposal

Although certain funding sources may have similar guidelines and your project plan may be the same for the sources you're applying to, build each proposal based on what you know (and what you can learn) about the funder or program.

Specify Who will do What by When and Why

Include a detailed workplan in your narrative that identifies responsibilities and timelines for each activity and that connects each activity to one or more of the objectives you have articulated in the proposal.

Use statistics to document need

Statistics are available from a variety of sources, and they help justify the need you will use to build a case for support. The statistics you use may be general, as in census data, or specific to your field, such as fire metrics.

Make your objectives measurable and realistic

If at all possible, avoid broad, unfocused objectives. Instead, try to focus on specific, realistic outcomes that will result from implementing the project you propose. The objectives should be measurable within a certain time frame, so you will know whether you have been successful at meeting certain objectives by a certain date.

Learn all you can about the funder before you submit a proposal

Attend bidders' conferences and call the funder program staff to make sure you understand what the program is all about. Most funding programs have personalities, aspects common to all funded projects. Get to know the personalities of the grant programs to which you intend to apply.

Submit good reports on time

Funders at all levels spend a great deal of time tracking down reports from their awardees. Even if the results of your project are not great, submit your reports on time. In doing so, you'll begin to build a good working relationship with the funder. Most funders understand that many issues can influence the successful achievement of your project objectives, but they all frown on failing to file complete reports on time.

Help Desk

Department of Education Forecast
click here

Department of Education Current Grants
click here

Safe Schools Healthy Students Initiative
click here

SSHS Assessment Tool Quiz
click here

Department of Education Contact Information for Safe Schools Healthy Students
Name: Karen Dorsey or Jane Hodgdon

E-mail Address: karen.dorsey@ed.gov or jane.hodgdon@ed.gov

Mailing Address:
U.S. Department of Education, OSDFS
400 Maryland Ave., S.W., Rm. 3E347, FB-6
Washington, DC 20202-6450

Telephone:
Karen: (202) 260-3954
Jane: (202) 205-3731
Fax: (202) 260-7767

Department of Education Contact Information for Emergency Response & Crisis Management
Name: Sara Strizzi
E-mail Address: sara.strizzi@ed.gov

Mailing Address:
U.S. Department of Education, OSDFS
400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Room 3E320, FB-6
Washington, DC 20202-8450

Telephone: (202) 708-4850
Fax: (202) 260-7767

EMERGENCY CRISIS MANAGEMENT CENTER
The U.S. Department of Education has announced the funding of the Emergency Response and Crisis Management (ERCM) Technical Assistance Center. The Center will support 243 grantees funded under the Emergency Response and Crisis Management Program in managing and implementing their projects, and in sustaining their efforts over time. The Center also will help non-grantee local educational districts (LEAs) improve and strengthen crisis management plans. Caliber Associates of Fairfax, Virginia will manage the Center, in partnership with the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University. For additional information, please contact Sara.Strizzi@ed.gov at (202) 708-4850.

Cisco Systems Education Packages

Cisco is a word leader in providing the infrastructure that enables cutting edge educational and healthcare applications to transmit voice, video, and data over robust networks and the Internet.

Security has become a key issue for schools, parents and students. Administrative resources and data, such as student records, must be protected from individuals trying to modify or destroy information. Physical campus security is also critical to ensure safety of teachers and students. A comprehensive security solution such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems can protect information resources; while a campus-wide video surveillance system can help with physical security.

Schools were once viewed a safe and secure environment for teachers and students. Unfortunately, high profile events have brought the realization that schools are not immune to acts of violence or vandalism. Ensuring physical security can be difficult and expensive. Identifying potential problems and dispatching campus security in time for prevention can be a challenge. Physically patrolling the campus with limited security personnel leaves most of the campus vulnerable much of the time. In addition, telephones must be available in every classroom, and other areas frequented by teachers and students, for emergency use. Schools must turn to a comprehensive campus-wide video surveillance system and IP phone system to provide for teacher and student safety.

Why Cisco?

Sign Up Now to Receive School Safety Email Updates!

Maintaining a high level of security requires establishing security policies, implementing a comprehensive network security solution, ensuring that the policy is being enforced, and modifying the security policy and technology implementation as needed.

Video over IP allows security cameras to be placed across the campus and be monitored via an IP network. A video surveillance system not only helps to identify potential security problems, but it can also act as a deterrent. The video surveillance system allows schools to provide maximum-security coverage from a single monitoring site. Campus security officers can be quickly dispatched to potential trouble areas. With security cameras, officers know what they are walking into, rather than blindly and unknowingly approaching a situation as part of their usual rounds.

Installing IP phones in all the classrooms is necessary to ensure quick notification of problems and a timely response by security personnel. IP phones provide an on-line directory and the ability to send messages to multiple phones such as broadcasting emergency response requirements simultaneously alerting all appropriate staff and security personnel.

An effective integrated security solution must provide secure connectivity, threat defense, and trust and identity management. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) provide secure connectivity solutions, such as IPSec, SSL VPN and MPLS VPN. VPNs protect both data and VOIP applications, over multiple wired and wireless media. A threat defense system protects against attacks such as worms, DOS, Man-in-the-Middle and Trojans. The threat defense system comprises many technologies including firewalls, network intrusion detection systems, network services in the router and switches, network admission control, and security management. Trust and identity management focuses on network admission control, based upon device and user credentials and policies, to control user access to applications.

Below are some real life examples of schools and their uses of Cisco solutions:

Capistrano Saves with IP

The Capistrano Unified School District saves as much as $700per month per school.

• Capistrano Unified School District Business Case Study (PDF - 52.6 KB)

Better Communications

Learn how the Frederick County Public Schools are improving communications while cutting costs.

• Frederick County Public Schools Business Case Study (PDF - 66.0 KB)

State-of-the-Art Network Upgrade

Watch the Liberty-Elau Independent School District story, to learn how this rural district upgraded their network.

• CCPS/Liberty-Elau Video Spotlight (WMV - 15 MB)
• Liberty-Elau Independent School District Profile (PDF - 420 KB)
• Liberty-Elau Independent School District Business Case Study (PDF - 64.6 KB)

If you're interested in further information about this or any other network-based solution, contact your Cisco Account Manager or call (800)553-NETS right away. Detailed solution information, white papers, and articles education are available at the Cisco Web Site. Of course, the best person to contact for detailed information on a safety solution that's right for your school is your Cisco Representative.

Cisco Solution Descriptions

Cisco Systems and Grants Office have developed a series of solution descriptions designed to jump-start your School Preparedness application. These documents contain content and ideas that could provide a framework for your request. Further, tips for each section help you brainstorm the local needs and priorities with which a successful request will align.

Click on a link to download the solution descriptions you would like:

• IP Video Surveillance
• IP Telephony
• E-Learning Public Safety
• Cisco Direct Line
• IP Video Conferencing

Introduction to Cisco Solutions

The solution descriptions below are intended to assist you in preparing a grant application for a project that includes a Cisco solution. Feel free to use the narrative wording either as it is or edited to reflect your personal or organizational style. The information in this document is broken down into small modules so that you can use it in as wide a variety of contexts as possible.

Unlike a “grant template,” this description provides basic information about the solution, segmented into headings that align with the types of information generally required in proposal narratives, including Need, Approach, Outcomes, Activities, and Future Funding. Based on the information required by the funder, you should easily find project-specific wording that will enhance your narrative, while still leaving room for you to articulate local needs, policies and strategies that will ultimately make the proposal narrative a relevant roadmap for administering your funded project. Tips for filling out these sections are included under each heading.

Unless the funder specifically states that the structure of the proposal is entirely at the applicant’s discretion (as is sometimes the case with foundation grants), it is important to understand and follow the narrative format required by the funder. Use the headings from your solution description as guidance in position certain types of information. For example, a funder’s section entitled, “Need for project” clearly associates with the solution description heading, “Need.” A more ambiguous narrative section like, “Significance” may require some thought and further reading to determine which solution description headings ought to be included in that section.

Over the course of preparing a grant application, though, you’re likely to use all, or nearly all, of the headings in the solution description, in addition to substantial documentation of your own local needs, objectives, and capacity.

Here are a few additional strategies to help you maximize your proposal and put your solution description to the best possible use:

- Follow all directions provided by the funder
- Include all documentation and other materials the funder requires. If the proposal guidance contains a checklist, be sure to refer to it. Otherwise, make your own checklist based on a careful reading of the guidance. By the same token, avoid adding documentation that is not specifically mentioned in the guidance document. Just as insufficient information may result in your proposal not being read, unwanted materials may not be considered at all or, in some cases, may disqualify your proposal entirely.

Contact Cisco Rep for Pricing & Configuration

If you don't have a Cisco contact, Cisco maintains a detailed contact page on its Web site. For more information on how to engage Cisco for your project, or for information on how to reach a local Cisco representative, contact Cisco. To locate address, phone, fax and email information for Cisco offices worldwide, click on: Office Locations.

Use the Partners & Resellers Locator to find Cisco partners and resellers that are closest to your geographical location.

The Cisco K-12 Direct Line Solution

Improved Classroom Communications and District Productivity

The Cisco Direct Line Solution helps school districts consolidate their networks to provide a phone in every classroom, enable voice-mail and homework hotlines, and make the district more safe and secure. It's an end-to-end IP solution that reduces the costs of running schools, improves communication capabilities and allows educators more time to spend focusing on their students.

Program Description

• School Direct Line Solutions for IP Communications (EXE - 6.12 MB)
• Is Your Old Phone System Hanging Up Your District? (PDF - 1.16 MB)

Program Offer

• Scalable IP Telephony
• Call manager or call manager express
• Voice gateway
• IP Phones
• Unity Servers
• XML application servers
• Third party XML applications (AAC: PhoneTop; Berbee: Informacast; Litescape: KIDS)
• Free Cisco Learning Credits with the IP Freedom Program

Work With Your Cisco Representative

To get started on your Cisco School Direct Line Solution for IP Communications, locate a Cisco representative near you.

IP Video Conferencing

Coming soon

Grants Office Resource Guide

Grants Office has services to meet the grants development needs of any organization or municipality. For more information, click on:

Grants Office

Grants Office Publications

Founded in 2000, Grants Office, LLC provides innovative grants development services that enable corporations, municipalities and nonprofit organizations to maximize their grant initiatives. We provide research and advisory services to nonprofits and municipalities looking for grant funding, as well as for industry partners that provide products and solutions to the public sector. Our consultants leverage years of experience in developing integrated grant seeking programs.

Based in Rochester, NY, Grants Office has a unique business model that incorporates the company's strong record of grant consulting and approach to grant funding. This enables us to build a truly credible bridge between public sector business needs, vendor solutions and the funding necessary for program and solution success. Grants Office's growing satisfied customer base is a testament to the quality of its services.

The services we offer have grown to include: grantwriting, grant research support, grantseeking plan development, UPstream database access and UPstream customized web portals.

Click here to read some of our recent publications: http://www.grantsoffice.com/aboutus/articles.aspx

Grants Office Services

Grants Office, LLC provides innovative grants development services that enable corporations, municipalities and non-profit organizations to maximize their grant initiatives and develop more strategic and integrated processes for seeking, managing and administering grants. We provide research and advisory services to organizations looking for grant funding directly and to for-profit enterprises that provide products and solutions to the public sector. Our consultants focus on proven ways of developing integrated grant programs by leveraging our years of experience in creating long-term grantseeking strategies.

Based in Rochester, NY Grants Office has a unique business model that incorporates the company’s strong history of grant consulting and unique approach to grant funding, enabling it to build a truly credible bridge between public sector business needs, vendor solutions and the funding necessary for program and solution success. Grants Office’s growing customer base is a testament to the business and the quality of its services.

Grants Office focuses on providing both for-profit and nonprofit clients with the solutions necessary to manage and grow their specific grant development programs. Our solutions allow our clients to execute their grant strategies efficiently by reducing cost, lowering their risk and shrinking the typical investment of time and resources needed.

Based on the idea that grants development is an integrated system made up of four key areas; Intelligence (research), Training, Support, and Proposal development; Grants Office offers our clients a systematic approach to securing grant funding. Leveraging a proven, systematic approach allows our clients to build upon an existing grants development infrastructure or embark on implementation of a completely new grants development program.

Grants Office provides a wide range of services encompassing all facets of successful grants development programs. In combination with one another or leveraged unto themselves each of our solutions plays a pivotal role in building and executing a robust grants development program.

Some of our solutions:

Intelligence (research) – custom grant program research, online grants database, grants development portal, program solution alignment, and annual grant planning.

Training – general grant process training, specific grant program training and national speaking engagements.

Support – web and phone based grants development help desk, grant program website development, and grant application review and editing.

Proposal Development – grant writing, program solution narratives, and grant application development

General Grants Development – outsourced grants development infrastructure, organizational needs assessment, grant strategy development, and organizational process implementation.

Other Grants Office Web Sites

Grants Office's Home Page

click here

Grants Office .Info Sites

DLTGrants.info -Help with Distance Learning/Telemedicine Grants

ITSGrants.info -Ideas for securing earmark funds for Intelligent Transportation Systems

PortGrants.info -Help with the TSA Port Security Grants Program

CybersecurityGrants.info -Help with various Cybersecurity Grants

SchoolSafetyGrants.info -Assistance with Education and School Security Grants Programs

SchoolSafetyGrants.info -Help with with funding for safe schools, healthy students

HomelandSecurityFunding.info -Help for a wide range of homeland security funding programs

Federal and State Grants Resources

Grants.gov, the Federal source for grants information:

click here

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance:

click here

State Government Home Pages:

click here

Contact Grants Office

Grants Office provides grants development support to municipalities, non-profit organizations, and industry partners through a variety of customized services.

To find out how Grants Office can help you, contact Grants Office:

Web: www.grantsoffice.com
Phone: 585-473-1430
Fax: 585-473-1436
E-mail: info@grantsoffice.com

Snail Mail:
Grants Office, LLC
69 Cascade Drive, Suite 102
Rochester, NY 14614

5 Easy Steps for Grant Submission

Step 1: Pre-Season Training – Planning for your submission.

Step 2: The Warm-up – Application preparation activities that can be completed ahead of time.

Step 3: An Application Specific Game Plan.

Step 4: The Competition – Producing your Application.

Step 5: The Finish Line.

Step 1: Pre-Season Training – Planning for your submission 

•  As far in advance as possible, decide which projects you're going to seek funding for and start looking for the appropriate funding sources that appear be a good match.

•  Subscribe to the appropriate opportunity notification mailing lists so that you remain aware of current opportunities and their corresponding submission schedules. Obtain application guidelines and any other necessary application materials.

•  Make sure your organization and/or municipality are eligible to receive funds from the programs and sources you've identified. If you are unsure, contact the funder directly, explain your status and confirm your eligibility.

•  Make a calendar of anticipated grant submission deadlines that is highly visible to you and your staff.

Step 2: The Warm-up – Application preparation activities that can be completed ahead of time

One of the primary steps for executing a successful grant submission is maintaining a library of support materials designed to aid in grant submission. Remember to continually work on compiling and preparing required documents and programmatic support materials so that you don't come up short at deadline time.

•  Put together packets of critical documents you'll need for grant applications, and make sure to update them regularly (2-3 times a year). Examples, depending on the type of organization, may include a copy of the most recent audit for your organization, your IRS letter of Determination (501c3 status), current government contracts confirming your role as a service provider, a complete listing of Staff and the Board of Directors, or pertinent certification requirements.

•  Maintain electronic and hard copy document files of cover letters, proposals, budgets and other standard documents that can be modified for various opportunities.

•  Compose letters of support in advance so you can provide a sample letter with your request.

•  Research statistics and obtain evidence to support your claims in advance of your scheduled proposal deadlines. Maintain a newspaper-clipping file and keep extra program brochures to include with your submission.

•  Develop and maintain programmatic partnerships on a long-term basis. Effective partnerships that demonstrate sustainability and efficient program design are attractive to funders.

Step 3: An Application Specific Game Plan

•  Using your application guidelines as your template, spend valuable time to develop a checklist of all application related tasks.

•  Break down the tasks into a proposal outline that reflects the organization of the application itself and apply a timeline for proposed completion for each task, as well as outline the procedure for completion (i.e. “submit to project manager in hard copy and electronic format”).

•  You may also want to include an area that identifies each task's status (in progress, complete, not yet started).

•  Then, for each task or group of tasks, assign a person and/or department responsible for completing them.

•  Distribute the checklist to everyone on it, as well as to supervisors and program managers.

When developing your schedule for completion, you should carefully consider practical programmatic realities, such as the time it might take to obtain notarized or certified documents and whether the task can be completed internally or will require outside consultation, etc. Remember also that many applications now require electronic submission. Subsequently, you will have to allow time for the electronic submission process.

Include editing and proofreading as part of your Game Plan task checklist and provide time during the Finish Line period for re-writes, programmatic corrections and budget review. The editing/proofreading portion should also include rectifying the narrative with the budget, ensuring that all programmatic claims are adequately delineated in the budget.

Your Game Plan may be modified as you proceed, but should always serve as your primary organizational document and should include everything that must be completed for a successful submission. A well-designed Game Plan will help ensure the successful development of your proposal and will make all the difference.

Step 4: The Competition – Producing your Application

Fully review the program and application guidelines. Make notes and develop your application with the same organizational structure that is provided in the guidelines, making sure to carefully coordinate your proposed project design and budget request together. It is important to remember that any expenditure you propose must be utilized for an approved use and you will have to demonstrate its potential impact upon project design and implementation, as well as upon anticipated project outcomes.

•  Respond to the specific request for funds first and develop your application from there.

•  Don't be afraid to edit and omit in order to remain pertinent to the funder's information request.

•  Remember to answer open-ended questions as specifically as possible within the context of your proposed project and organization.

•  Provide statistics in relation to the project's objectives.

•  Don't modify your entire program or its objectives to make yourself eligible for a funding opportunity. Your lack of infrastructure and program planning will be obvious to the funder and your application will not be successful.

•  Enlist assistance with editing. Your application should be clearly presented and make sense to anyone who reads it, not just your professional peers.

Step 5: The Finish Line – Editing, review, collation and submission

Your Game Plan should be designed with a built-in “buffer”, a little extra time so that any mishaps that may inevitably arise can be absorbed without impacting the overall submission. Utilizing your Game Plan Checklist, determine which tasks and/or required documents remain to be completed and begin managing the final details for your submission.

Additionally, in the case of the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program, early submission of completed grant applications to determine whether all items required in §1703.125 are in the proper form, identifiable, and complete is encouraged. This process can be particularly helpful for a first-time applicant.

For FY 2003, the deadline for receiving applications for preliminary review was April 2, 2003 approximately one month prior to the final filing deadline which was May 2, 2003 . Applications received by the preliminary review deadline for FY 2004 will be reviewed for completeness. RUS will provide comments and return applications that are incomplete or that include items that would disqualify them from further consideration. The applicant may then modify the application and resubmit by the yet to be determined FY 2004 filing deadline.

Know who and where your signatories are. Plan ahead to make sure they will be available to approve and/or sign your application.

Check and re-check. Go through your complete application with your submission checklist at least twice. If possible, have a second set of eyes review your application as well to confirm that all required materials are present and in the proper order.

Know procedures for submission in advance. Be sure to consider when, where and how you will be submitting your application. How many hard copies are required or will you be submitting your application electronically? Is it a receipt deadline or a postmark deadline? If submitting electronically, have back-up support so that you are prepared for any technological problems.

Success Stories

This section features stories about SS/HS grantees that have been successful during the course of their grant. To view some of the Safe Schools Healthy Students success stories:

click here

Status

The status of the funding opportunity detailed in this site corresponds to where the funding is in the process of making its way to the ultimate recipients of the funding.

Definitions of Grant Status

Grants Office defines grant status using five terms- pending, appropriated, open, closed, and special. We define these terms as follows:

Pending

Pending programs are those that we expect to be offered in the coming year, based on:

* Past years' program history,

* Political support for the program, and/or

* News from Capitol Hill that funding for the program will be appropriated.

However, if a program is identified as "Pending," no funds have yet been appropriated for it. To learn more about the status of a particular Federal appropriation, visit the Library of Congress's Thomas Web Site.

Note that when a grant's status is listed as "Pending," the deadline we list, though based on our best information, is subject to change until it is "Open," and an official deadline is published by the administering agency.

Appropriated

Once funding for a program has been appropriated by Congress and signed into law by the President, its status changes to "Appropriated." Appropriated programs have a budget but have not yet been officially announced by the administring agency.

Official announcement (generally in grants.gov, the federal grants information portal) defines what is required of funding applicants, including narrative, budget, and submission guidelines.

Open

Official announcement of a grant program by the administering agency creates an "open" grant program...and the clock really begins ticking!

The official Request for Proposals (or RFP, which may also be called a NOFA, "Notice of Funds Availability," or RFA, "Request for Applications," among other things) provides the first public glimpse into the current application requirements and fixed deadline.

Closed

Once a program's application deadline has passed, it is "closed," meaning the administering agency is no longer accepting applications.

Since many grant programs are offered each fiscal year, the status could well shift back to "Pending" as the program undergoes consideration for inclusion in the next federal budget.

Special

"Special" status is currently used to describe earmark funding programs, because they have loose, informal time frames and do not follow many of the rules that govern traditional grant programs.

The deadlines we provide for grants in "Special" status are intended to communicate when we believe, based on our experiences, are the best times to submit requests for these types of funding. They are not based on official guidance or published opportunities.

For earmarks, it is most important to follow the advise of your Representative with respect to timing and organizing your request.