Mini-Grant Program

The Mini-Grant Program was instituted in 2002 by the New 200 Foundation as a way to allow teachers to expand their classroom program beyond their normal budget constraints.  Since then we have funded over 80 grant applications in a wide range of curricular areas. Our primary goal is to fund projects that enrich and enhance the educational experience of District 200 students.

Application Guidelines

• The New 200 Foundation is offering mini-grants up to $1,000 for projects to be completed in the 2007-2008 school year.   Any District 200 teacher is eligible to apply for funding through this program. To submit an application:
•  A copy of the application form can be found on the program applications tab.
• Complete the application form as indicated.
• Secure the signature of the Principal or Building Administrator.
• Submit the original plus three copies of the completed application to Mary Clifford at  the district office.  Applications must be submitted to the Foundation by March 23.   The Foundation will adhere strictly to this guideline and late proposals will not be considered
• Proposals may be submitted for projects that support ANY curricular area. Any District 200 staff is eligible to submit proposals that will benefit District 200 students.
• Up to 2 mini-grants are available for each District 200 School.  An individual staff member may only receive funding for one grant per fiscal year.
• The staff member’s principal or Building Administrator must sign the completed proposal to indicate the administration’s awareness and support of the project.
• An evaluation committee appointed by the Foundation Board will review applications and make recommendations to the New 200 Foundation Board. The Board will make the final decisions.
• The evaluation committee will favor projects that show innovation and creativity. Priority will also be given to projects that address school improvement goals, assist in meeting instructional needs of targeted student groups, offer new approaches to solving problems or create opportunities for teachers to collaborate across content areas.
• The mini-grant program will only fund supplies if they are integral to the completion of an innovative project.
• The mini-grant program cannot fund teacher stipends or salaries or monies for professional development.
• Proposals that commit matching funds or community resources must show evidence of support from that agency/group.
• The Evaluation Committee may contact applicants in order to gain clarity regarding the proposal.
• Award notifications will be made by May 15. Award monies will be distributed to the principals of each school at that time.
• All purchases must go through school accounts.
• Projects must be completed by the end of the 2007-2008 school year.
• A one page written report (with pictures please for our website) summarizing the results of the project must be submitted to the Foundation Board at the address below by the end of that academic year.

Occasional Grant

The N.E.W. 200 Foundation awards occasional grants for amounts greater than the $1,000 MiniGrant limit. These awards may come about through the expansion of a prior MiniGrant award to multiple classrooms or schools, or funding requests that simply exceed the MiniGrant level. We also consider how these grants align with strategic initiatives across the District. There is no particular award limit, but are limited to the available resources of the N.E.W. 200 Foundation. Past examples of projects we have funded include:

• Microscopes for Middle Schools (Middle Schools)
• Workshops for expanding the modeling methodology for teaching Physics (WWSHS)
• Interactive White Board to engage multiple learning styles (WNHS)
  

First Steps for Occasional Grant Applications

1. Educators with grant ideas are to contact Mary Clifford (mcliffor@cusd200.org)
2. Applicants are to submit a one paragraph project description that summarizes the grant proposal as per the guidelines below.
3. Mary will submit these abstracts to the N.E.W. 200 Board twice per year, in the fall and spring.
4. If the Board is inclined to further consider the proposal, it will ask for a full proposal. The full proposal will follow the guidelines listed below, submitted through Mary Clifford.
5. Full proposals submission will be followed by a presentation to the Board at one of their regularly scheduled meetings.
6. Grant awards will be administered in the same fashion as Mini-Grants.
7. Upon grant completion, the awardee will submit a report to the N.E.W. 200 Foundation that will include a demonstration of accomplishments and budget accounting.

Full Proposal Guidelines

A Full Occasional Grant Proposal will include the following, and in general does not need to exceed 2 pages:

• A Project Description that will provide a sense of the project, define the student instructional need that is being met, and establish a project timetable.
• An Impacts section that will describe what benefits it is intended to deliver, and to whom.
• A Broader Impact section that will describe how the project is innovative and its larger impact across the District or beyond it.
• An Evaluation section that will describe how you will determine whether your project met its goals.
• A Budget section that will outline the proposed expenditures and their costs, and describe why this is not covered by District funds.
• The Signatures of the applicant, their principal, and Kathy Myers.

Bob Davis Scholarship

The Foundation has established a scholarship in the name of Bob Davis, to support individual students in our community.
Bob Davis was born in 1944 and died in 2006. He was a District 200 School Board member for nearly 10 years from 1995-2004 and President of the District 200 School Board from 1999-2001. Bob was a Wheaton North Falcon Booster member as well as a father of 3 Wheaton North graduates. He was a tireless advocate for the entire District 200 community

Distinguished Teacher Award

The N.E.W. 200 Foundation is now sponsoring the annual Distinguished Teacher Award for District 200 educators. For several years GATES-200 has recognized District 200 teachers for their excellence by presenting an annual Distinguished Teacher Award to one teacher from each school level (Elementary, Middle, and High School) who has put forth extra effort to enrich the educational experiences of District 200 students.

In order to expand this important recognition program, it is now administered by The N.E.W. 200 Foundation, as part of our commitment to supporting and rewarding innovative teaching methods in our district and funding new academic initiatives. Students and parents of students who are currently enrolled in District 200 schools may submit nominations. Any teacher is eligible for nomination if he/she is currently employed by District 200.