Teacher Mini-Grant Program

one-five Foundation Kathy Buesching Memorial Mini-Grant Application Guidelines

2022-2023 School Year

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The one-five Foundation is once again offering an annual mini-grant program open to staff members of Community Consolidated School District 15. These grants can support a wide range of opportunities for the students of the District with a focus on programs or technology.

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Mini-Grant Application Form: bit.ly/15minigrant2022-23

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Mini-Grant Timeline

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Monday, August 15, 2022
Grant application materials published on the one-five Foundation website: www.one-five.org.

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Monday, October 3, 2022

Deadline to submit grant applications

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Friday, October 21, 2022

Grant applicants are notified of the final award decision

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Friday, April 28, 2023: Deadline to submit all receipts for reimbursement

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Friday, June 30, 2023: Deadline to submit impact report for the project

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Questions regarding the mini-grant process can be directed to Joan Scovic, one-five Foundation Vice-Chair, and Mini-Grant Committee Chair, at jscovic@gmail.com or 224-400-8530.

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Application Materials
The online application form is available here: bit.ly/15minigrant2022-23
To complete the form, the following information will be requested; see the online form for additional details including the scoring system and word counts:
• Applicant’s name, school and contact information
• Name of project or program
• Principal’s name and approval for submission
• Type of project: program or technology
• Area of curriculum supported by the project
• Targeted student population
• The number of students that will benefit from the project
• The grade level(s) of students that will benefit from the project
• Project description
• Rationale/Need
• Evaluation/Impact
• Project Calendar
• Project Budget

 

Application Guidelines

• The deadline for submitting all applications is Monday, October 3, 2022.

• DO NOT include the name of your school or any staff member names anywhere in the application other than on the cover page.

• Submission of an application form does not guarantee selection for a monetary award.

• Depending on the number of grant applications and the amount of total funds requested, the Foundation may make the decision to provide partial funding for projects.

• The Foundation will not provide money for refreshments, personal time staff may use to implement the program, salaries, commercially produced programs, or student field trips.

• Acquisition of all materials required to execute awarded grants is the responsibility of the grant recipient. All receipts as approved in the awarded submission must be submitted for reimbursement prior to April 28, 2023, and will be paid out no later than June 30, 2022.

• Recipients should be prepared to provide the Foundation with an impact report no later than June 30, 2023. Failure to submit this report will make the recipient ineligible for future grant consideration.

• On the cover page, applicants will need to attest that their principal has reviewed and approved the project for submission.

• On the final page, applicants will need to attest that they have read and understand these guidelines as well as all information provided on the online application form.

 

Questions regarding the mini-grant process can be directed to Joan Scovic, one-five Foundation Vice Chair and Mini-Grant Committee Chair, at jscovic@gmail.com or 224-400-8530.

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Over its lifetime, the one-five Foundation has donated more than $2 million to District 15 to enhance classroom learning opportunities.

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Part of this funding goes to teacher mini-grants each year. In 2021-22 the following grants were awarded:

 

ACE Tool Box: These ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) tool boxes will provide a variety of tools for learners in acute stress as a result of adverse experiences. The tools can help students calm, learn resilience, learn to self-regulate and return to learn. Jen Whitman - Hunting Ridge School

 

Building a Foundation with Family Literacy Bags: This project supports literacy bags that will be sent home with children to enrich the classroom experience. Bags will include fiction and nonfiction books, along with enrichment activities that parents and students can read and complete together, thereby increasing reading comprehension. Debbie Goode - Gray M. Sanborn School

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Diversify the Music Library: This project will support the purchase of music from diverse cultures and written by diverse composers. While students learn these pieces, they will also learn about the composer's background and listen to music in the same style. The goal is for students to have a better understanding of the musical traditions of other cultures and to provide diverse representation in the band literature. Hannah Menich - Winston Campus Junior High School

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Early Childhood Special Education Core Curriculum Language Advancement and Support: The object of this project is to increase availability of books that focus on core words utilized in developing language acquisition to help pre-verbal and minimally verbal communicators. Goals include improving student performance and developing carry-over of skills from home to school. Conyers Learning Academy Team

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Inclusivity in Classroom Literature: This project will provide inclusive books that positively represent a variety of cultures, abilities and ethnicities to provide students with authentic texts that allow for engagement in positive learning experiences surrounding a variety of cultural identities through characters and story lines. Dayna Laffey - Gray M. Sanborn

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Interactive Projector for All: This projector and specialized table will allow students who use wheelchairs and have limited mobility in their arms to interact with the curriculum in more meaningful and engaging ways. Laura Wayman - Carl Sandburg Junior High School

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Keeping the Peace -- Silent Band Practicing: Many students need to practice in a space that requires them to work quietly. These devices help the loudest of the band instruments, including trumpets and trombones, to be played without sound, using a mute technology with headphones so that only the player can hear the music being played. This will allow band students to bring what they have learned back to the classroom. Julie Schupple Kurka - Carol Sandburg Junior High School, Kimball Hill School, Central Road School

 

Mirrors and Windows in the JH Classroom: One of the concepts developed in the English Language Arts curriculum is the idea that a book can be a mirror for some students to see themselves, as well as a window for some students so that they can better understand others. This grant would provide for new books that would allow students to see diversity in a variety of fiction genres. Katie Sauer - Plum Grove Junior High School

 

Pathway to Successful Learning: The goal of this program is to offer a sensory pathway in a common hallway at our school that can be used by every student, providing a controlled and guided movement break that will allow students to return to their learning environment and be successful in their classroom and work. Melissa Winters - Lake Louise School

 

Peace Place: Peace Place is a space where children can go to regulate feelings, help their brain think, and learn again. Students can visit Peace Place when their feelings are so big that they may not be safe or they have difficulty learning their brain and body down. Virginia Lake and Frank C. Whiteley Team

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Sensory Path: A sensory path includes decals that are fun and motivating, creating a path in the hallway that promotes movement such as jumping, pushing, marching and balancing. Movement provides sensory input that allows children to organize their bodies, allowing their brains to focus. Conyers Learning Academy Team

 

Sensory Supports for All: Now, more than ever, we need to support students' social emotional learning needs. This project would help create sensory bins for instructional rooms and sensory wall decals for the hallways to help students achieve success by providing them the support they need so they are ready to learn. Cynthia Friesen - Lincoln School

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Social/Emotional Academic Learning (SEAL): This grant will provide funding to equip gross motor and calming sensory rooms with the tools that students need to work on self-regulation skills. Equipment could include noise machines, tactile wall panels, special furniture and fiber optic lighting to assist students with social emotional disabilities. Elizabeth Wooden - Frank C. Whiteley School