1
2015-2016 Michigan STEM Education Grants
Request for Proposals
1. Program Title:
2015-2016 Michigan STEM Education Grants
2. Program Description:
The 2015-2016 Michigan STEM Education Grants program provides funding for competitive
grants to conduct student-focused, project-based programs and competitions either in the
classroom or extracurricular, in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
subjects such as, but not limited to, robotics, coding, and design-build-test projects, from prekindergarten through college level. The program seeks proposals that promote learning,
opportunity, and citizenship among Michigan students, in support of the 2013-2015 mission of the
State Board of Education: “All students graduate ready for careers, college, and community.” The
program will support high-quality STEM education projects in each of the Michigan prosperity
regions, connect communities by establishing shared project repositories and promoting
collaboration among educators, and build the capacity of educators to compete for state and
federal funding.
The 2015-2016 Michigan STEM Education Grants program is funded by the Michigan legislature
through the Michigan Department of Education, General Funds from School Aid: Section 99s(4)
of P.A. 85 of 2015. The program is managed by the Central Michigan Science, Mathematics,
Technology Center (SMTC) located at Central Michigan University, and was designed based on
recommendations from National Research Council reports1.
3. Contact Information:
2015-2016 Michigan STEM Education Grants
Central Michigan Science, Mathematics, Technology Center (SMTC)
EHS 132
Central Michigan University (CMU)
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859
989-774-4387
smtc@cmich.edu
http://smtc.cmich.edu/
1
National Research Council. Strengthening Peer Review in Federal Agencies That Support Education
Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2004. doi:10.17226/11042.
National Research Council. Identifying and Supporting Productive STEM Programs in Out-of-School
Settings. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2015. doi:10.17226/21740
National Research Council. Successful K-12 STEM Education: Identifying Effective Approaches in
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press,
2011. doi:10.17226/13158.
2
2015-2016 Michigan STEM Education Grants
Request for Proposals
4. Award Information:
Anticipated Types of Awards: Grants in two award amounts
Estimated Number of Awards:
1. ≥ 3 for each of the 10 Michigan prosperity regions (≥ 30 total)
2. ≤ 4 pending availability of funds
Anticipated Funding Amount:
1. ≤ $7,500
2. >$7,500 - $21,000
5. Eligibility Information:
Who May Submit Proposals:
● Eligible entities include 501(c)(3) organizations, schools, community colleges,
universities, after-school organizations, government entities, and businesses in Michigan.
● By submitting a proposal, applicants agree to abide by the CMU non-discrimination policy
available at
https://www.cmich.edu/bot/Documents/Board%20Policy%20Manual/13-18R.pdf.
●
●
●
●
Organizations that cannot agree to abide by the CMU non-discrimination policy are not
eligible to apply.
Applicants must partner with a regional center of the Michigan Mathematics and Science
Center Network (MMSCN–http://www.mimathandscience.org), as demonstrated by a
memorandum of understanding or similar letter of support signed by a partnering math
and science center.
These funds cannot be used to support programs already funded by Section 99h funds
for FIRST Tech Challenge or FIRST Robotics Competitions.
Individuals and organizations having an affiliation with Central Michigan University (CMU)
should contact smtc@cmich.edu to determine their eligibility.
Additional information on who may submit proposals is available at http://smtc.cmich.edu.
Who May Serve as Project Director (PD): There are no restrictions or limits.
Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: There are no restrictions or limits.
Limit on Number of Proposals per PD: There are no restrictions or limits.
3
2015-2016 Michigan STEM Education Grants
Request for Proposals
6. Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions:
Submission Instructions:
● Detailed guidance on submission of proposals is provided in this document and on the
SMTC website at http://smtc.cmich.edu. Applicants are encouraged to visit the SMTC
website regularly for news and updates.
● Application documents are available at the SMTC website at http://smtc.cmich.edu,
including
○ this Request for Proposals,
○ a proposal and budget template, and
○ an example proposal.
● All applications should be submitted as Microsoft Word documents using the proposal
and budget template to smtc@cmich.edu. Other file formats will be considered only
under exceptional circumstances.
● Please contact smtc@cmich.edu if you require special accommodations. The SMTC will
make every reasonable effort to assist applicants in the preparation of proposals.
Important Dates:
● Deadline for submission of proposals: Tuesday, April 12, 2016 at 11:59 PM ET
● Announcement of awards: Tuesday, May 3, 2016
● Funded projects may begin immediately upon receipt of award funds, and must be
completed on or before May 31, 2017.
A. General Guidance
The following sections of the proposal are required:
● Cover Sheet
● Project Summary
● Contact Information
● Problem Statement or Overarching Challenge
● Project Objectives or Specific Aims
● Project Description
● Biographical Sketches
○ Professional Preparation
○ Appointments
● Budget and Budget Justification
Applicants must address the subsections that pertain to their proposed project. For
example, a STEM summer camp may involve Personnel; Equipment; Materials and
Supplies; and Publication, Documentation, and Dissemination but not the other
subsections under the Budget and Budget Justification heading.
4
2015-2016 Michigan STEM Education Grants
Request for Proposals
Applications missing these sections will be returned without review. Additionally, applicants must
address the proposal subsections that pertain to their proposed project. Other sections of the
proposal are not required, but their inclusion in the proposal will be viewed as a strength during
peer review. In short, if, due to the nature of your proposal, it doesn’t make sense to include a
section in your application, don’t. If you have any questions or concerns about this, contact
smtc@cmich.edu.
The 2015-2016 Michigan STEM Education Grants Program was designed based on
recommendations from the National Research Council (NRC), and seeks proposals aligned with
the Michigan K-12 Science and Mathematics Standards. Applicants are encouraged to
communicate how their proposed project is responsive to the NRC recommendations and/or
aligns with the Michigan K-12 Mathematics and Science standards, or other applicable
educational standards:
●
●
●
●
National Research Council. Identifying and Supporting Productive STEM Programs in
Out-of-School Settings. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2015.
http://dx.doi.org/10.17226/21740.
National Research Council. Successful K-12 STEM Education: Identifying Effective
Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Washington, DC:
The National Academies Press, 2011. http://dx.doi.org/10.17226/13158.
Michigan Department of Education. Michigan K-12 Standards Science. 2015.
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/K12_Science_Performance_Expectations_v5_496901_7.pdf.
Michigan Department of Education. Michigan K-12 Standards Mathematics. 2010.
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/K-12_MI_Math_Standards_REV_470033_7.pdf
B. Mandatory Criterion
Proposals must be student-focused, project-based programs or competitions either in the
classroom or extracurricular, in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
subjects, from pre-kindergarten through college level.
Proposal Preparation Instructions:
C. Cover Sheet
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Project Title
Project Period and Duration
Project Budget
○ dollar amount requested
○ current, pending, and previous awards
Legal name(s) of all participating organizations
○ project site primary location
Project Director
Key Personnel
Project Summary
5
2015-2016 Michigan STEM Education Grants
Request for Proposals
The letter must be signed by the authorized organizational representative on behalf of the
leadership of the organization(s) making the application.
D. Project Summary
(300 word maximum)
Provide a project summary that includes a description of the activity that would result if the
proposal were funded, with a statement of objectives and methods to be employed. Address how
the proposed activity advances learning, opportunity, and citizenship among Michigan students,
and describe the student population. Please mention service to any underserved,
underrepresented, and/or underperforming students that will be a focus of the proposal.
E. Contact Information
Project Director
●
●
●
●
●
●
Name
Title
Organization
Postal Address
Email
Telephone
Key Personnel
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Name
Project Role
Title
Organization
Postal Address
Email
Telephone
Add additional key personnel as necessary.
F. Problem Statement or Overarching Challenge
(300 word maximum)
Define the problem addressed by the project, including the student population that will be affected
by the award.
6
2015-2016 Michigan STEM Education Grants
Request for Proposals
G. Project Objectives or Specific Aims
(300 word maximum)
Please provide the following:
● objectives or specific aims for the project
● a detailed statement of work and timeline with milestones
H. Project Description
(1-page maximum)
Please describe the project and how it addresses the mandatory criterion. Briefly describe the
ideas and reasoning on which the proposed project is based. Where applicable, include
references to research or other knowledge that serves as an evidence basis for the project (see
section 6.I, References Cited, of this Request for Proposals). Describe the approach outlined in
the statement of work in sufficient detail to evaluate, including how the approach or strategy will
meet the project objectives or aims and the timeline with milestones, and any evaluation plan that
will help you know that project objectives or aims have been reached.
I. References Cited
Where applicable, please include reference information. This information is not required, but will
demonstrate that the proposed activities are evidence-based, and will be viewed as a strength of
the proposal during peer review. Each reference must include the names of all authors (in the
same sequence in which they appear in the publication), the article and journal title, book title,
volume number, page numbers, and year of publication. Proposers must be especially careful to
follow accepted scholarly practices in providing citations for source materials relied upon when
preparing any section of the proposal. While there is no established page limitation for the
references, this section must include bibliographic citations only and must not be used to provide
parenthetical information outside of the 1-page Project Description.
J. Biographical Sketches
A biographical sketch is required for the Project Director and each individual identified as Key
Personnel. Do not submit any personal information in the biographical sketch. This includes items
such as: home address; home telephone, fax, or cell phone numbers; home e-mail address;
drivers’ license numbers; marital status; personal hobbies; and the like. Such personal
information is not appropriate for the biographical sketch and is not relevant to the merits of the
proposal. SMTC is not responsible or in any way liable for the release of such material.
Professional Preparation: Please list the individual’s relevant educational background including
Institution (e.g. university), Location (e.g. campus), Subject (e.g. major), Degree, Year.
Appointments: Please list, in reverse chronological order, the individual's relevant employment,
beginning with the current employer.
7
2015-2016 Michigan STEM Education Grants
Request for Proposals
Products and Synergistic Activities: Please list up to five products produced by the individual
that are most closely related to the proposed project and demonstrate the impact of their
activities. Acceptable products must be citable and accessible including, but not limited to,
publications, presentations, data sets, software, patents, copyrights, and events. Acceptable
examples include, but are not limited to, innovations in teaching and training such as the
development of curricular materials and pedagogical methods, contributions to the science of
learning, development of databases to support education, broadening the participation of groups
underrepresented in STEM subjects, and service to the education community outside of the
individual’s immediate organization. Only the list of five will be used in the review of the proposal.
Each product must include full citation information including (where applicable and practicable)
names of all authors, date of publication or release, title, title of enclosing work such as journal or
book, volume, issue, pages, website and URL or other persistent identifier.
(2-page maximum per individual)
K. Budget and Budget Justification
(3-page maximum)
Each proposal must contain a detailed, line item budget for the entire duration of support
requested. The names of the Project Director and other Key Personnel and the estimated time for
which funding is requested must be listed. Amounts and expenses budgeted also must be
consistent with the proposing organization's policies and procedures and cost accounting
practices used in accumulating and reporting costs.
The amounts for each budget line item requested must be documented and justified. The
proposal may request funds for costs as long as the amount and item are considered necessary,
reasonable, allocable, and allowable as determined by SMTC including:
●
●
●
●
●
Personnel (i.e. wages and benefits), salaries requested must be consistent with the
proposing organization’s regular practices;
Equipment, Materials and Supplies;
Travel;
Participant support (e.g. travel, food, and registration for event participation);
Services (e.g. computer support).
Applicants are encouraged to consult with SMTC before the application deadline if there are any
questions about whether a given budgetary item is appropriate.
8
2015-2016 Michigan STEM Education Grants
Request for Proposals
Personnel can be supported as long as their roles are clearly defined and justified. The budget
justification should detail the rates of pay by individual role for all individuals receiving salary from
the award. To facilitate double-blind peer review, individual names should not be included in the
Personnel section of the Budget and Budget Justification, only roles (e.g. Project Director). List
the roles, but not the names, of the Project Director and other key personnel, the estimated time
for which funding is requested, and the total amount of compensation requested. Compensation
requested must be consistent with the organization’s regular practices.
Equipment is defined as tangible personal property (including information technology systems)
having a useful life of more than one year, and a cost exceeding $5,000. This should only be
requested if it is necessary for the completion of the project. Proposed equipment must be
adequately justified and listed individually by description and estimated cost.
Materials and Supplies: The proposal budget justification should indicate the general types of
expendable materials and supplies required. Supplies are defined as all tangible personal
property other than those described in “Equipment” above. Cost estimates must be included for
items that represent a more than 20% of the amount of the proposed line item cost.
Travel and its relation to the proposed activities must be specified, itemized and justified by
destination and cost. Funds may be requested for any travel associated with the proposed work,
including subsistence. Dependent care costs will not be supported. Proposed travel will be
administratively evaluated by SMTC for eligibility before evaluation by peer review. Applicants
considering travel are encouraged to consult with SMTC prior to submitting an application.
Publication, Documentation, and Dissemination: The proposal budget may request funds for
the costs of documenting, preparing, publishing or otherwise making available to others the
findings and products of the work conducted under the grant. This generally includes the following
types of activities: reports, reprints, page charges; necessary illustrations; cleanup,
documentation, storage and indexing of data and databases; development, documentation and
debugging of software; and storage, preservation, documentation, indexing, etc., of physical
specimens, collections or fabricated items.
Services: The proposal budget may request costs for professional and consultant services.
Professional and consultant services are services rendered by persons who are members of a
particular profession or possess a special skill, and who are not employees of the proposing
organization. Anticipated services must be justified and information furnished on each individual’s
expertise, primary organizational affiliation, normal daily compensation rate, and number of days
of expected service. Consultants’ travel costs, including subsistence, may be included. If
requested, the proposer must be able to justify that the proposed rate of pay is reasonable.
9
2015-2016 Michigan STEM Education Grants
Request for Proposals
Subawards: Except for the purchase of materials and supplies, equipment or general support
services allowable under the grant, no portion of the proposed activity may be sub-awarded,
transferred, or contracted out to another organization without written prior CMU authorization.
Applicants considering subawards are encouraged to consult with SMTC prior to submitting an
application.
Entertainment and alcohol are prohibited costs.
L. Current and Pending Support
This section of the proposal calls for required information on all current and pending support for
ongoing projects and proposals, including this project, and any subsequent funding in the case of
continuing grants. All current project support from whatever source (e.g., Federal, State, local or
foreign government agencies, public or private foundations, industrial or other commercial
organizations, or internal funds allocated toward specific projects) must be listed. The proposed
project and all other projects or activities requiring a portion of time of the Project Director and
other key personnel must be included, even if they receive no salary support from the project(s).
The total award amount for the entire award period covered must be shown as well as the time to
be devoted to the project, regardless of source of support. Similar information must be provided
for all proposals already submitted or submitted concurrently to other possible sponsors.
Concurrent submission of a proposal to other organizations will not prejudice its review. If the
project now being submitted has been funded previously, the information requested above must
be furnished for the last period of funding.
M. Facilities, Equipment, and Other Resources
This section of the proposal is used to assess the adequacy of the resources available to perform
the effort proposed to satisfy the review criteria. Proposers should describe only those resources
that are directly applicable. Proposers should include an aggregated description of the internal
and external resources (both physical and personnel roles) that the organization and its
collaborators will provide to the project, should it be funded. Such information must be provided in
this section, in lieu of other parts of the proposal (e.g., budget justification, project description).
The description should be narrative in nature and must not include any quantifiable financial
information or any information that identifies the applicant or their organization. Reviewers will
evaluate the information during the merit review process and SMTC will review it for
administrative sufficiency.
N. Supplementary Documentation
There are a variety of activities that this program may be able to support, but that will require
special consideration before and during peer review. If any of the following characteristics may
be used to describe elements of a proposal, the applicant must consult with SMTC before
submitting an application:
10
2015-2016 Michigan STEM Education Grants
Request for Proposals
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Data generation and storage
Activities away from the project site primary location
Collaborative arrangements involving more than one organization that seeks funding
International activities
Research involving human subjects
Activities involving vertebrate animals or endangered species
Projects generating intellectual property
Additional information on proposal preparation and submission is available on the SMTC website at
http://smtc.cmich.edu.
7. Proposal Review Information Criteria:
Administrative Review and Declination: After the application closes on 12 April 2016, and prior
to peer review, all proposals will undergo an administrative review by the Michigan Department of
Education to ensure that none of the proposals are for programs already receiving funding under
Section 99h for FIRST Tech Challenge or FIRST Robotics Competitions, as described in Section
5. Eligibility Information.
Merit Review Criteria: Proposals submitted in response to the program will undergo doubleblinded peer review by a panel of 10 experts selected from throughout Michigan, with one
reviewer coming from each of the 10 Michigan prosperity zones. To determine merit, all
proposals will be evaluated according to the following scored criteria, which are of equal
importance:
●
●
●
●
●
●
Concept – Is the proposed project student-focused and project-based? Is the plan for
carrying out the proposed activities well-reasoned, well-organized, and based on a sound
rationale?
Impact – To what extent will the proposal impact the stated student population? Are
underserved, underrepresented, or underperforming youth and communities included?
Will the proposed project lead to incremental improvements or breakthroughs in
education?
Personnel – How well qualified is the individual, team, or organization to conduct the
proposed activities? Are roles clearly defined for all project participants? Is the extent of
effort provided for each role appropriate?
Evaluation – What outcomes will be measured and how do they relate to the goals of the
program: “student-focused, project-based programs and competitions”? Does the
proposal describe a pre- and post-evaluation of participants?
Community – To what extent does the proposed project promote knowledge sharing
among educators? Does the proposal develop local or regional collaborations, or engage
in other community-building activities?
Standards – To what extent does the proposed project align with the Michigan K-12
Science and/or Mathematics Standards? Is the proposal responsive to recommendations
from other high profile reports on STEM education, e.g. National Research Council
reports on STEM education?
11
2015-2016 Michigan STEM Education Grants
Request for Proposals
In addition, the following unscored criteria will also contribute to the overall evaluation of the
application:
●
●
●
●
●
●
Budget – Is the budget appropriate for the proposed project and within the limits of the
funding program? Is there any overlap with existing or pending funding?
Environment – Are there adequate resources available to the project team (either at the
home organization or through collaborations) to carry out the proposed activities?
Innovation – To what extent do the proposed activities suggest and explore creative,
original, or transformative concepts? Are innovative evaluation approaches proposed?
Presentation – To what extent do the writing, clarity, and presentation of the application
influence enthusiasm for the proposal?
Scalability – Does the applicant propose a mechanism by which the project can be
scaled to include additional students if results from the preliminary project are
successful?
Sustainability – What happens to the project when the funding ends? Does the
proposal describe how organizational processes and knowledge could be sustained?
A minimum of two reviewers will review each proposal, and an overall score, average criterion
score, and accompanying criteria critiques will be completed and submitted by each reviewer.
The peer review panel will formulate funding recommendations after all proposals have been
scored. Proposals recommended for funding will be forwarded to SMTC for an administrative
review of any conflict of interest, budgetary, or other concerns raised during peer review. In the
absence of any administrative concerns, proposals recommended for funding by the peer review
panel will be awarded. Peer review panel funding decisions are final; there will be no opportunity
for appeals.
Once an award or declination decision has been made, Project Directors will be provided
feedback about their proposals. In all cases, reviews are treated as confidential documents.
Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the names of the reviewers or any reviewer-identifying
information, will be sent to the Project Director by SMTC. In addition, the Project Director will
receive an explanation of the decision to award or decline funding.
Additional information on proposal review is available on the SMTC website at http://smtc.cmich.edu.
8. Award Administration Information:
Reporting Requirements
Two project reports are required for projects longer than 14 days; projects 14 days or shorter in
duration only need to provide a final report.
12
2015-2016 Michigan STEM Education Grants
Request for Proposals
Mid-term project reports should address progress in all activities of the project. Unless
otherwise specified in the award, mid-term project reports should be submitted electronically no
later than the midpoint of the project duration, e.g. at 21 days for a 42-day project. Mid-term
reports must include:
●
a budget report that outlines expenditures to date, with reference to the original budget
and budget justification
Final project reports should also address progress in all activities of the project. This report is
cumulative and should report on activities for the full duration of the project. The final project
report is due within 30 days of the completion of the project. Final project reports must include:
●
●
a budget report that outlines all expenditures, with reference to the original budget and
budget justification
a narrative summary of the problem addressed, objectives, impact upon the population
served, and implications for future, related efforts. The narrative summary should make
reference to the original proposal as well as the results of any pre- and post-evaluation.
Report Sharing
In an effort to disseminate best practices, share knowledge, and build a community of innovative
educators that are capable of inventing and implementing creative teaching approaches, all
proposals receiving an award will be deposited into the CMU Online Digital Object Repository
(CONDOR), a public repository at Central Michigan University. Applicants have two choices with
regards to the contents of their CONDOR deposit:
1. Full Project Report, which will include
a.
b.
c.
d.
Proposal
Budget and budget justification
Mid-term project report
Final project report
2. Project Outcomes Report for the General Public, which will include
a. Narrative summary of the proposal including the problem addressed, objectives,
impact upon the population served, and a detailed budget. This report must be
written with sufficient detail that someone interested in replicating the project
could do so.
The second option requires additional effort on the part of the awardee, but allows for the
protection of intellectual property, proprietary business information, and confidential personal
details.
Additional information on award administration is available on the SMTC website at http://smtc.cmich.edu.