2010 - 2011 Devon Great Idea Grants Collaborative Application Instructions

The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools and Devon Energy are pleased to present the Devon Great Idea Grants.  The Collaborative Grants, of up to $5,000 each, are for teams of teachers to implement projects that inspire students of all backgrounds and abilities to learn.

Eligibility
All Oklahoma City Public Schools teachers and staff (including Charter Schools) who have direct instructional responsibility for students in grades pre-K through 12 and who are members of a horizontal or vertical team (e.g., interdisciplinary, departmental, grade level, community teams at one or more school sites) are eligible to apply on behalf of their team.

Applicant teams may submit only one grant proposal per school year. Teachers are permitted to apply for a Devon Great Idea Grant—Individual separate from their collaborative team. However, the individual grant proposal must be completely different than the collaborative proposal.

Grant Guidelines & Requirements
A Grant Review Committee comprised of District teachers and community volunteers will read and score each proposal based on a rubric containing eight sections: 1) addresses one or more of the target areas; 2) utilizes creative ideas and teaching techniques; 3) emphasizes active student learning and participation; 4) proposed evaluation method is likely to truly measure if the project is successful; 5) application is well-written 6)budget is detailed, realistic and accurate; 7) represents a great use of donor monies; 8) overall quality of proposal.

Proposals MUST address a minimum of ONE of the following target areas:

• District curriculum and/or Oklahoma Priority Academic Student Skills (PASS)
• Student engagement (i.e., student attendance improvement, drop out reduction, graduation
  rate improvement)
• Parental engagement

Funding will NOT be provided for computers, travel, professional development, field trips, capital improvements, or salaries/stipends. If you have any questions, please feel free to call the Foundation to discuss your grant idea in advance.

Preferred proposals will:

• Utilize creative ideas and teaching techniques
• Emphasize active student learning and participation
• Not contain educational jargon
• Explain the proposal clearly and thoughtfully
  

Grant winners are required to submit and on-line evaluation at the end of the school year.

Timeline

• November 20, 2009, 4:30 p.m.: Application deadline
• December 2009-early January 2010: Selection Committees meet
• Late January 2010: Applicants will be notified of funding decisions
• March 11, 2010: Grant winners will be celebrated at the Stars of Education event
• April 2010: Grant winners will receive their checks
• August 2010-May 2011: Projects are implemented
• June 2011: Grant evaluations are due