Marlborough Education Foundation: Grants

Grant Criteria

Marlborough Education Foundation, Inc.
2011-12 Grant Award Guidelines

The Marlborough Education Foundation, Inc. an independent, community-based, non-profit corporation is pleased to announce its fifth annual grant cycle. Its mission is to obtain funding for new programs and educational resources which complement existing curriculum goals and enhance educational opportunities for students in the Marlborough Public Schools. For the 2011/2012 grant year, up to $15,000 will be available for grants.

Grant applications are available on line at www.mefonline.org, in each school’s main office & at the District Education center.

In addition to general grant monies, the following endowed grants are now available:

$1000 for proposals which enhance or encourage instructional technology. This grant has been endowed by FishEye Software, Inc.
$500 for proposals which enhance or encourage literacy. This grant has been endowed by Dr. Roberto Carvalho, DMD, PhD & Dr. Menachem D. Roth, DMD, MMSc

Priority will be given to proposals which:

Indicate that they will significantly enhance the educational process
Have a direct and immediate impact on the largest number of students
Are not typically funded by the school budget
Employ innovative methods/techniques to inform and educate
Will yield material that can benefit future students
Are representative of various school sites, based on requests submitted

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING REGARDING CERTAIN TYPES OF REQUESTS:

Trade books:
Requests for funding to purchase trade books to begin and/or supplement a classroom library will not be considered. MEF will, however, accept grant applications requesting funds to purchase trade books in other instances. Applicants should first confirm that requested books are not available in school library. Proposals that propose purchasing trade books to be used in an innovative program are always welcome. For example, a request for funds to purchase sets of books to be used to initiate a new reading program, book club, literacy group, etc. meets MEF’s grant criteria.
Teacher services:
MEF grant monies will not be awarded to pay for staff member’s teaching time. For example, requests for funds to pay teachers to work with students in an enrichment course or to present and teach information or materials to co-workers will not be considered. Applications requesting funds to cover training classes and/or professional development courses that meet MEF grant criteria may be considered.
Consumable materials:
Consumable materials will not be funded with MEF grant monies. Please do not request funding to purchase food items, office supplies or prizes and awards. Local merchants often donate items such as these and the applicant should pursue this avenue. Proposals that can sustain themselves beyond the current grant cycle by benefiting future students are always given priority.
Field Trips:
Field trips will not be funded.

Scope:
Up to $15,000 is expected to be available for grant awards. Individual awards are expected to range from $300 to $2,000, but all requests will be considered. Two additional endowed grants of up to $500 and $1000 will also be available as described above.

Eligibility:
Any member of the Marlborough Public Schools educational or administrative staff is eligible. Individual and collaborative efforts will be considered.

Application Process:
Applications are available online at www.mefonline.org, or by contacting one of the board members listed below. A completed budget estimate must be included with each application submitted. Projects must be completed by August 31, 2012. Prior to submission of applications, grant applicants are requested to contact the Directors of Instructional Services to check availability of staff and facilities if a proposal impacts these areas.

Disbursement of Funds:
All requests should be made at least two weeks in advance of the date required. Vendor quotes (including shipping costs) should be obtained and submitted as support for disbursement requests.

Deadline for Proposals:
Completed applications need to be postmarked by Monday, October 24, 2011. TWO (2) copies of the completed application should be mailed to:

Marlborough Education Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 5824
Marlborough, MA 01752

Notification of Awards:
Grant recipients will be notified by Friday, November 18, 2011. A formal announcement of the grant awards will be made at the School Committee Meeting on November 22, 2011. Recipients of grants are asked to attend the meeting to receive their grant and be introduced.

Funded projects must submit a final report within thirty days of completion, detailing the project's activities, achievement versus project objectives, and expenditures. Future funding could be impacted if final reports are not submitted.

If you have any questions regarding the application or guidelines, please feel free to contact any one of the following board members:

Valerie Cowan 508 481-0008
Michael Brossi 508 460-1755

Grant Process

Grant applications are distributed to Marlborough Public School staff in September.

Grant applications are due back to MEF in October. MEF holds a grant review meeting where each grant is reviewed. Our selection process is "blind" in that only one member knows who has authored each grant request. We do this to avoid favoritism- all of us have children in the Marlborough Public schools. Grants are chosen based on criteria that includes the fact that the programs funded would benefit the largest number of students and that they would be self-sustaining once the initial funding was in place.

In November, grants are awarded at the School Committee meeting.

The rest of the year is dedicated to fund-raising for the next cycle.

Grant Application

The 2011-12 Grant Application is available online in Adobe PDF format, please click here to download a pdf file. The application is also available as an MS Word file.

If you need to download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, please click here.

P.O. Box 5824

Marlborough, MA 01752