How the LTEF Grant Process Works

The Lawrence Township Education Foundation (LTEF) strives to support innovative educational programming and other activities in the Lawrence Township Public Schools by providing grants to district teachers, students and school groups. The LTEF supports activities not provided for in the standard school budget with the intent that funded projects will have a lasting and positive impact on students. The LTEF seeks grant proposals that offer novel concepts and strategies that will affect student learning, and support positive values and healthy behavior. Proposals from all district schools, grade levels, and curriculum areas are encouraged. Proposals are evaluated, in part, based on their potential to positively impact students in the areas stated above and the ability to measure the stated goals.

Grants are considered three times each school year. Grants for projects directly affecting classroom learning and for professional development will be considered during each submission period. Professional development grants must also demonstrate the potential to have a direct positive impact on students.

The total amount of money available for each grant cycle varies. In recent years, the LTEF has awarded between $100,000 and $140,000 in grants annually.

The following is an outline of the grant process.

1. The grant writer submits a proposal.
Download the template provided to develop your proposal as a Word document. All proposals are submitted electronically to the building Principal prior to the grant deadline. If approved, the Principal will forward the proposal to the Office of Instructional Services by 4:00 pm of the deadline date. Ideally, grant writers will communicate with their Principals well in advance of submitting the proposal.

2. LTEF confirms receipt of proposal
The LTEF Executive Director sends confirmation to the primary grant writer via email.

3. The Grant Review Committee meets to review grant requests.
A subgroup of the LTEF (the Grant Review Committee) meets to evaluate grant requests. The Committee develops a recommendation for each grant proposal that will be brought to the full Board of the LTEF. For each request, the Grant Committee may recommend full funding, no funding or partial funding. The Committee will occasionally recommend that a proposal be revised and resubmitted for consideration in the next grant cycle. In evaluating each proposal, the Committee considers the level of need, the number of students impacted, length of benefits that will be realized from the project, whether the grant addresses either district or building goals, total cost of the proposal, and feasibility of implementing the project.

4. The Full Board of Trustees meets to vote on the recommendations of the Grant Committee.
The Grant Committee presents recommendations to the full Board of trustees. The trustees consider each grant and vote to approve or modify the recommendations.

5. Funded grants are assigned a Grant Buddy
Each approved grant is assigned a "Grant Buddy". An LTEF Trustee - or representative - is assigned to maintain contact with the grant recipient. Project Leaders are responsible for keeping Grant Buddies up to date with the progress of the project. At the conclusion of the Project, Grant Buddies will work with the Project Leader to complete an outcomes/lessons learned questionnaire.

6. Grant writers are notified.
All grant writers will receive a letter from the Executive Director and Grant Review Chair indicating the decision of the Board of Trustees. For projects that have been approved for funding, the letter will indicate how much money has been granted and the name of the Grant Buddy. If funding was not approved, the rationale will be included in the letter.

7. The Board of Education accepts the set of grants and grant funds are distributed.
The Lawrence Board of Education must officially accept the grants from the LTEF before public notices are made and the funds transferred. Grant money is held in an account by the building principal. Grant writers must follow all district policies regarding bids, purchase orders and documentation of expenses and must work with the District on those issues once a grant has been funded by the Foundation. Grant recipients have two years to use the funds (from the date they receive them). If extenuating circumstances arise, grant recipients can petition for additional time.

8. Grants are implemented.
While implementing an LTEF-funded project, it is important to make it known to parents, students and other constituencies that LTEF participation made the project possible. The LTEF name and logo should be used whenever possible in materials used for the project. Grant recipients may download the LTEF logo, participation certificates, and equipment labels at http://www.ltefnj.org/download.html.

9. Lessons learned are collected and outcomes evaluated.
At the end of the project, the grant writer, assisted by the LTEF Grant Buddy, completes a questionnaire describing project outcomes and lessons learned. The Foundation reserves the right to submit information collected about grant projects to news and other media for publicity.

Review Guidelines for Writing an LTEF Grant Proposal