Innovation Grant Application 2022-23

General Instructions:

1. All applications must be submitted via this online system. No paper grants will be accepted.

2. Do not include identifying information in your narrative sections of the grant (campus name, newsletter, proper names of staff)

3. Adhere to the deadline for submission of applications, which is 11:59 PM on MAY 20, 2023. LATE PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

4. You must attach the Innovation Grant Budget Template to your application. This has been created to provide more detail for the budget area. Applicants may access the budget template within the budget section for download.

5. Attachments to your application can be accepted (i.e. artwork, book), but they must not exceed size limits. All funding requests must utilize the district-approved vendor list.

6. The minimum funding level is $500 per proposal.

7. Funds awarded for this program will be available during the 2022-2023 school year.

8. You must receive approval from your supervisor prior to submitting this request. A letter on their professional letterhead or a PDF of the email you received from them stating their approval.

Allowable Costs/ Activities:

1. The Foundation’s focus for funding is for materials, supplies, and equipment. The Foundation does not fund salaries and stipends through this fund. Applications requesting funds for salaries or stipends will be disqualified prior to review.

2. The Foundation will consider requests for field trip and equipment purchases, but not when these are an end to themselves. Such expenditures should be just one component of a well-planned project, integrated with curriculum materials and activities.

3. The Foundation will consider requests for staff development activities (registration fees to attend workshops, training, conferences, or bringing in a consultant) but, only when these activities represent one component of a well-planned project, integrated with other activities that directly impact students. The HISD Foundation Innovation Fund will NOT fund tuition towards degrees or certification programs.

4. The HISD Foundation Innovation Fund will not fund travel-related costs such as lodging, per diem, airfare, or mileage reimbursement.

5. The HISD Foundation will not award money to be used for gift cards or other cash equivalents for any reason. Applications that include requests for gift cards or other cash equivalents will be disqualified prior to review.

6. Be sure to include shipping and handling costs - use actual costs or estimates.

7. Additional funds will not be awarded after the fact due to budget errors or price increases.

Technology Request Instructions

1. If your project involves adding technology through the purchase of hardware or software, you are strongly encouraged to talk with Purchasing to see if the technology has been approved.

2. If the software being requested has not been approved, then you must contact your supervisor or the HISD Technology Department to begin this approval process.

3. If the technology is not approved by HISD's Technology Department, the money will be returned to the Foundation.

4. Additionally, if the request is for networked software, there will be a district testing and acceptance process before it can be implemented.

Campus and Department Information

First Name *

Last Name *

Email Address *

Houston ISD School Campus Name
Enter the full name of your Houston ISD school campus (EX. Lamar High School)
*

Non-school applicants
Type the name of your department. Type NA if this does not apply*
*

Non-School Applicant Location
Type the name of your location of your department, if applicable* *

Principal or Department Director's First and Last Name
Type in the first name of your campus principal
(not an assistant principal) or department director *

Principal or Department Director's Email Address *

Principal or Department Director Approval
A copy of your application will be shared with your Principal/Supervisor prior to advancing to the next step. Please make time to visit with your Principal/Supervisor about this proposed project before you submit it and then answer the question below.

I have met with my Principal/Supervisor to discuss this proposed project. My Principal/Supervisor is in support of this project and agree that any funding received will be implemented as proposed. *

Yes

No (If no, please explain why not) No (If no, please explain why not)

Please upload evidence of your principal's or department director's approval (letterhead or PDF of email) *

Name of Bookkeeper/Budget Manager (Campus or Dept)
Provide us with the name of your campus/department bookkeeper where funds will be loaded
*

Additional Project Contributors/Grant Writers
Share the names of other contributors to this project. Be sure to number and include each contributor's first
name, last name, and title. (Ex: 1. Jane Doe, 5th Grade Teacher; 2. John Doe, Coach, etc...)

*

0/500 characters

Collaborating Campus
Will this application include collaboration from multiple campuses or departments? *

Yes

No

Which geographic area of the district will this project primarily benefit? *

North

South

East

West

What % of students at your school or in your proposed program are economically disadvantaged? *

Is your project targeted to assist students classified as SPED, ELL, 504 or Homeless/Refugee? If so, explain how each target population will benefit. *

List the Collaborating Campus names, contact, contact's job title and contact's email address

	Full Campus Name (e.g. Booker T Washington High School)	Campus partner's/contact's name	Campus partner's/contact's job title	Campus partner's/contact's email address
1	Full Campus Name (e.g. Booker T Washington High School)	Campus partner's/contact's name	Campus partner's/contact's job title	Campus partner's/contact's email address
2	Full Campus Name (e.g. Booker T Washington High School)	Campus partner's/contact's name	Campus partner's/contact's job title	Campus partner's/contact's email address
3	Full Campus Name (e.g. Booker T Washington High School)	Campus partner's/contact's name	Campus partner's/contact's job title	Campus partner's/contact's email address
4	Full Campus Name (e.g. Booker T Washington High School)	Campus partner's/contact's name	Campus partner's/contact's job title	Campus partner's/contact's email address
5	Full Campus Name (e.g. Booker T Washington High School)	Campus partner's/contact's name	Campus partner's/contact's job title	Campus partner's/contact's email address
6	Full Campus Name (e.g. Booker T Washington High School)	Campus partner's/contact's name	Campus partner's/contact's job title	Campus partner's/contact's email address
7	Full Campus Name (e.g. Booker T Washington High School)	Campus partner's/contact's name	Campus partner's/contact's job title	Campus partner's/contact's email address
8	Full Campus Name (e.g. Booker T Washington High School)	Campus partner's/contact's name	Campus partner's/contact's job title	Campus partner's/contact's email address
9	Full Campus Name (e.g. Booker T Washington High School)	Campus partner's/contact's name	Campus partner's/contact's job title	Campus partner's/contact's email address
10	Full Campus Name (e.g. Booker T Washington High School)	Campus partner's/contact's name	Campus partner's/contact's job title	Campus partner's/contact's email address

Project Information

Project Title
Think of a creative title that will grab the reader's attention
*

Amount Requested
Type in the number of funds being requested. Whole numbers only. Do not include cents. Do not request amounts in excess of $20,000
*

Technology Request
Does any part of this project request technology that, per the instructions, must be cleared through the approval process? *

Yes

No

Supplemental Curriculum Request
Does any part of this project involve the purchase of additional instructional materials that would be used in place of district preferred materials? If the answer to this is "yes" you must include an approval from the academic officer over the subject area in question *

Yes

No

Project Campus Level
What is (are) the campus level(s) where the project will take place?
*

Elementary

Middle

High

Grades Impacted
Check off the grade levels that will be impacted by this project *

Activity Type
Select the activity type that best describes this project
*

Staff Development

Student Development

Summer Project
Is this project to be implemented in the summer (2023)?
*

Yes

No

The Estimate of Student Impact
What is the estimated number of students this project will impact during the project period? *

The Estimate of Staff Impact
What is the estimated number of staff this project will impact during the project period? *

Primary Academic/Program Area
What is the primary content area that most accurately defines your project? *

Secondary Content Area
What is the secondary content area that most accurately defines your project? *

Previously Funded Project
Has this project been funded and implemented by the Houston ISD Foundation before?
*

Yes

No

What is the most important outcome you hope to achieve for students in implementing this project? *

Previously Funded Project Summary
If you checked "yes, this project has been funded and implemented before," briefly explain the project's impact and year it was funded below.

Project Summary
Describe your new project in 3 to 4 sentences. If your grant request is funded, this brief description will be placed on the foundation's website and be used in press releases to the media.

0/500 words

Project Description

Statement of Need
Provide a thorough description of the needs this project will address. Be sure to use any demographic, academic, survey, or historical data to support the issue at hand and why it needs to be addressed at this time. Also, include the target population, number of beneficiaries, and a clear picture of how things at the present state are in need of change.
*

0/3000 words

Project Design
Now that you have identified the need, tell us how you plan to solve the need using specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound (SMART) objectives.

Describe your project in thorough detail. The following questions are included to spark your thinking but should be addressed in narrative format and not answered directly as listed.

- What will your project do to impact student learning?
- What activities do you plan to implement with grant funds?
- Where will activities happen? How many students?
- Specifically, how will your project improve, advance, or enrich student learning?
- How does this project support the district’s mission of personalizing learning and/or your campus plan?
- Include research as support for why you want to implement this project.

*

0/5000 words

Alignment to Board Goals
Explain which Board Goals your project would address and describe how your project will support said goal(s)
Goals can be found at https://www.houstonisd.org/Page/32469 and are as follows:

GOAL 1

The percentage of 3rd grade students performing at or above grade level in reading as measured by the Meets Grade Level Standard on STAAR will increase 8 percentage points from 42% in spring 2019 to 50% in spring 2024.

GOAL 2

The percentage of 3rd grade students performing at or above grade level in math as measured by the Meets Grade Level Standard on STAAR will increase 8 percentage points from 46% in spring 2019 to 54% in spring 2024.

GOAL 3

The percentage of graduates that meet the criteria for CCMR as measured in Domain 1 of the state accountability system will increase 8 percentage points from 63% for 2017–18 graduates to 71% for 2022–2023 graduates reported in 2024.

GOAL 4

The percentage of students receiving special education services reading at or above grade level as measured by the Meets Grade Level Standard on the STAAR 3–8 Reading and STAAR EOC English I and II assessments will increase 8 percentage points from 21% in spring 2019 to 29% in spring 2024.

*

0/1000 words

Communication Plan
In this section, the applicant must explain how they will communicate the project activities to the campus, district, foundation, and other constituents regarding events, progress, etc. The applicant must address how, if funded, they will communicate how the Houston ISD Foundation supported the project. This may include the use of the foundation logo, stewardship, invitations to student showcases, social media, etc. *

0/3000 words

Management Plan
The section explains the flow of activities, when/where activities will take place, etc. This should provide a connection for the activities included in the Project Design. Include project-specific activities/tasks that will define your project and showcase well-planned implementation strategies. Also, include who is responsible for carrying out each activity, listing a person's title, and not their specific name. *

0/3000 words

Budget Information

Budget Narrative
Explain any amounts listed in the Innovation Grant Budget Template that you attached that is not clearly itemized (large amount) or obvious as an expense to a reviewer reading the other portions of the grant application.

Explain how the project can be adapted if partially funded. If this grant will serve multiple collaborating campuses, how much funding will each campus receive if awarded the full funding amount?

(Remember, do not include campus names! Be sure to check your math.)

*

0/2500 words

Innovation Grant Budget Template
1. Access the budget template HERE, then go to File and download it as an Excel document. Next, save to your computer, and begin working.
2. In row 2 of the Excel worksheet type in the name of your project in the space for the title.
3. Review your grant and add in items for purchase under Column B within the appropriate category (Professional/Contracted Services, Supplies & Materials, Other Operating Costs, & Capital Outlay).
4. Include detail/calculations for multiple item costs under Column C within the appropriate category.
5. Column D will calculate your input in the blue areas. Do nothing within the gray areas.
6. Column E will calculate a grant total at the end of the budget. This is your total grant request costs.
7. Also use Column E totals per each category included in the budget information areas. If you are not including costs in a category leave the zeros in so that the form can calculate properly.
8. When finished, save your budget as a PDF and upload the budget into your grant application. * *

Amount Requested
Type in the number of funds being requested. Whole numbers only. Do not include cents. *

Partial Amount Requested
If a partial award can be accepted, what is this amount? Whole numbers only. Do not include cents. *

Check off the budget area(s) where funding for your request will be utilized. Areas checked in this question must correspond with the budget questions following. *

Contract Services

Supplies & Materials

Other Operating Costs

Capital Outlay

Contracted Services
Please explain your contracted services and how each service will be used for your project *

Supplies & Materials
Please explain your supplies & materials and how each service will be used for your project *

Other Operating Cost
Please explain your other operating cost and how each service will be used for your project *

Capital Outlay
Include the dollar amount of your request that will be utilized for capital outlay. You must at least put in 0 if you are not allocating costs to this category. *

Supporting Documents (Optional)

Attachment Upload
Include other attachments that support your project. Be sure to explain the relationship of the attachment to the project.

Explain the relationship of the attachment to the project

Consent & Submission

In submitting this application to the Houston ISD Education Foundation, I certify that all of the information provided is complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge. I understand that the contents of this application may be shared with district stakeholders and educators upon request. Please type your full name below as a digital signature. *