Naperville Education Foundation
2012-2013 Grant Application
Instructions
The Naperville Education Foundation’s mission is “to encourage creativity, innovation, and excellence in our
students.” Since its founding in 1992, NEF has helped to give students the edge that’s vital to compete and
succeed in a fast-paced global world. We believe that helping children, enriching student learning and funding
creative programs ensures that the quality of each child’s education is the best it can possibly be. NEF is
inspired by the potential inherent in all children to thrive and be enriched by their experiences in school.
The Naperville Education Foundation has granted community-raised funds to seed innovative and creative
projects that improve the quality of education for District 203 students. Proposals are reviewed by teams
made up of NEF Trustees, District 203 faculty, staff and administration, community members and District
retirees. Grants are awarded to projects initiated by students, faculty, staff, parents and community members
in District 203.
The NEF supports projects that correlate to District 203 curriculum including but not limited to the following
areas:
 Literacy
 Cultural Studies
 Math/Science
 General (nonspecific to content area but
 Fine Arts
aligned to District 203’s mission and vision)
 Health/Physical Development
Grants are not awarded to support specific building organizations or clubs or for fundraising efforts. All grant
applications must be signed by the Building Principal, Sponsoring Teacher (if applicable), and the Project
Lead—the person primarily responsible for ensuring that the objectives are met and for submitting the report
at the end of the project year. Student grants must be originated by students and sponsored by an
appropriate teacher or administrator and, like all proposals, have the endorsement of the principal. For
awarded grants, it is the responsibility of the student applicants to fully meet the objectives of the funded
project under the supervision of the sponsoring teacher or administrator.
The grant review teams evaluate proposals on the following criteria, weighted equally:
(1) Relevance to district programs
(2) Actively engages students and effects
student learning
(3) Level of innovation and creativity
(4) Number of students affected
(5) Quality and detail of the evaluation
(6) Clarity of the budget
Please be very specific and provide as many details as possible to aid in the thorough evaluation of your
application.
The Foundation anticipates distributing $50,000 in grants this year. Grant amounts vary; however, the average
grant amount is $1,500. Applicants must submit the complete application packet: Cover Page, Project
Description, and Budget. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applications are available on our
website at www.nef203.org.
Applications will be accepted from January 2, 2013 until February 1, 2013 by 4:00 p.m.
Please submit electronically to NEF at nef@naperville203.org.
Only electronically submitted proposals will be accepted. Questions? Call Ann or Andi at (630) 420-3086.
2012-13 Grant Application
Cover Page
(1) Project Title:
(2) Project Summary (no more than 3 sentences).
If you are a grant winner, this summary may be used for publicity purposes:
(3) Total requested from the Naperville Education Foundation: $ ______________
(4) Please check the category that best fits your project:
___
___
___
___
___
___
Literacy
Math/Science
Fine Arts
Health/Physical Development
Cultural Studies
General (nonspecific to content area but aligned to District 203’s mission and vision)
(5) Grade(s) proposed project serves:
(6) Name(s) of School(s):
(7) Total number of students affected:
(8) Is this a pilot project?
(9) Technology
NEF may fund the purchase of technology only if it will be used for a creative or innovative project.
** If your project includes technology—hardware and software—it must be approved by the Department
of Technology. There are two ways to get your project’s technology needs approved by John David Son,
Director of Instructional Technology.
1. Email your project description to Jon David at jdson@naperville203.org. Attach his approval response
to your application.
2. Meet with Jon David (630)420-4340 to discuss your project. Attach his approval response to your
application.
(8) Authorizing Signatures (a and b are required)
(a) Project Lead
Name
__________________________________________________
Date: ____________
Signature
__________________________________________________
You are: (Check one, please)
___
Parent
___
Staff (includes teachers, administration and support staff)
___
Community Member
(b) Building Principal
Name
__________________________________________________
Signature
__________________________________________________
(c) Sponsoring Teacher, if applicable
Name
__________________________________________________
Signature
Date: ____________
Date: ____________
__________________________________________________
Important: Signatures indicate that the project fits with the
curriculum of the school(s) identified above. Also, that if you are a
grant winner, your name may be used for publicity purposes.
2012-13 Grant Application
Project Description
Define your project.
Consider the following questions: What is your project? What is its purpose—the “problem” it is solving? What
is the project’s relationship to existing programs? What is the duration of the project?
Describe your project’s innovation.
Consider the following questions: How is it different than anything else that might be available? How could it
be “scaled up” to be implemented district-wide?
Describe the project leaders’ expertise, talents or skills as they relate to the project.
This includes but is not limited to direct experience with a project like this one, volunteer service in classrooms,
or previous professional experience.
Project Evaluation
Consider the following: How will you know your project is successful? You are not required to have a formal
evaluation, unless it is part of your project, but you should be able to determine that you have accomplished
what you’ve proposed.
2012-13 Grant Application
Budget
Title of Project:
Detail your items in these categories. BE SPECIFIC. Additional
categories may be added at the end if needed to make your
budget as detailed and clear as possible.
Instructional Supplies: Books, preparation materials, etc. You must
be specific, listing titles and individual cost.
Project materials: Crafts, etc. You must specify types and quantity.
Technology:
Transportation:
Copying/Printing:
Consultants: Artists in residence, writer, etc.
Other: (Detail)
Totals
Total Requested from NEF: $________________
Total
Requested from
NEF