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Grants

Do you have an idea but need funding to make your project a reality?

The Ed. Fund assists schools in providing high quality learning experiences. Mini-Grants and School-Wide Grants provide funds to teachers and schools to develop and implement meaningful projects that support best practices in teaching, enrich the curriculum, and make learning engaging and accessible to all students.

Successful projects should aim to increase student achievement through measurable outcomes. It is our expectation to see sustainable change in classrooms and schools through our grant making program.

2012-2013 Grant Winners
Congratulations to the winners of our 2012-2013 grants! We are thrilled to announce that we awarded $35,000 to support 48 projects in 26 schools all across the West Contra Costa Unified School District. Click here for a complete list of winners.

Grant winners: if you have any questions, please contact Nicole Arenal, Program Assistant, by emailing nicole@edfundwest.org. Thank you and congratulations!

Grant Types
(one application for both)
  • Mini-grants: up to $500 to support a project in one classroom
  • School-wide Grants: up to $1000 to support a project impacting multiple classrooms
Eligible Applicants
  • All West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) teachers (including new teachers) and principals
  • Parents, students or school employees working with teachers or principals
  • Nonprofits working within WCCUSD
  • Principals or teams of at least 3 teachers may apply for school-wide grants
  • NOTE: Winners who received grants in the 2011-2012 school year and did not submit their grant evaluations by June 30, 2012 will not be eligible to apply for 2012-2013 grants
Subject Areas
  • Development of literacy, writing, and math skills
  • Music and the arts
  • STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)
  • Professional development
  • Culturally responsive instruction/building cultural understanding
  • College access
  • Linked Learning
  • Community involvement and leadership
  • Physical fitness and nutrition
  • Violence prevention
  • History/social science
  • Special education
  • Community engagement
If you are applying for a STEM grant, we encourage you to complete an application on Donors Choose. Chevron, through its Fuel Your School program, will likely fund your request this fall.

Characteristics of Successful Grants
  • Innovative, exciting projects, with high student impact
  • Clear connection to standards, integration with curriculum, and support of District educational goals
  • Increase student engagement, motivation, and exposure to new concepts and ideas
  • Bridge the “opportunity/achievement gap” to allow all students to reach their full potential through enriched learning opportunities
  • Strengthen teaching tools and strategies in core academic subjects
  • Encourage collaboration and professional development among teachers
  • Increase parent and community involvement in our schools
  • Clearly addresses student’s academic, social, or emotional needs
  • Create a sustainable change in students or the school
The Ed. Fund will be hosting multiple training sessions in September to help you understand the application. Additionally, we provide grant writing training year-round to help parents and teachers secure additional funding for their schools. If you would like to request a training, email grants@edfundwest.org. To see examples of winning grants, please view some of last year's winners.

The following are examples of winning grant applications from the 2010-2011 school year. We have strived to select grant applications from a wide variety of grant areas. Please use them as guides for your own application. To see how your grant will be judged, please review our evaluation rubric.

Grant Application
The deadline to submit a grant application is in October of every year. Please check back in August 2013 for a link to the grant application.

Notes
This is not an exhaustive list and The Ed. Fund reserves the right to modify it at any time.
  • Ed. Fund grants may not be used to pay for salaries or stipends
  • If two teachers from a school intend to apply for the same mini-grant project, the teachers must submit one application and not request more than $500
  • If 3 or more teachers work together, they may submit a School-wide Grant application for $1,000
  • One school may receive more than one grant, but not for replications of the same project
  • Requests for field trip funds must clearly indicate how the field trip is an essential and integral component of the curriculum and must show how the field trip will be woven into the curriculum
  • Grant funds may not be used to fund teachers' salaries, to purchase required materials for required curriculum, or to provide food for celebrations, parties, festivals or programs
  • The Ed. Fund tends not to fund the purchase of hi-tech equipment
  • If you have an idea which you wish to implement in multiple schools, you must submit an application for each school.
If you have any questions, contact Robert Bunce, Program Director, at grants@edfundwest.org.

The deadline to submit your application is Monday, October 1, 2012.