Grants and Funding Services

    Our school funding team can provide:
  • Sample grant narrative
  • Grant reviews free-of-charge
  • Answers to your school funding questions
savvasgrantsandfundingheader945x746.png

Funding Strategy for Implementing High-Quality Instructional Materials

Multiple Funding Sources for K-12

School districts receive funding from multiple sources including state and local funding, federal programs, and grants. Each K12 funding program has unique restrictions, procurement and reporting requirements, and important deadlines.       

Braiding Funds

When investing in high-quality instructional materials, savvy district administrators often coordinate multiple funds from multiple district departments to create a larger impact and avoid duplication of effort. This strategy is called “braiding funds”, when two or more funds are spent to accomplish a unified purpose, but are still tracked separately to follow their unique procurement requirements.

The “braid” of funds used can vary by district, but the example below models how multiple funding sources can be woven together to achieve a unified goal.

Download PDF
fundingbraidexamplewhitebox.png

Federal Funding Alignment

Download PDF
   

Federal Funding Review


  • Title I, Part A

  • 1003a School Improvement

  • Title II

  • Title III

  • Title IV-SSAE

  • 21st Century Community Learning Centers

  • Carl Perkins

  • Head Start

  • Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant (CLSD)

Savvas Funding Guides

When investing in high-quality instructional materials savvy district administrators often coordinate multiple funds from multiple departments to create a larger impact and avoid duplication of effort.

Savvas Alignment to Federal Funding

Savvas Alignment to Federal Funding

View the Guide

 

1003a School Improvement

1003a School Improvement

View the Guide

 
    

Title III

Title III

View the Guide

 
    

Title IV-SSAE

Title IV-SSAE

View the Guide

 
    

Braiding Funds

Braiding Funds

View the Guide

 
    

Funding For CTE

Funding For CTE

View the Guide

 
    

Funding for Dual Enrollment

Funding for Dual Enrollment

View the Guide

 
    

Grant Preparation Checklist

Grant Preparation Checklist

View the Guide

 
    

Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant

Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant

View the Guide

 
    

Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant

Guide to Career and Technical Education Funding

View the Guide

 

Funding Resource Library

insights-blog-sor-research-recap-tile-1200x704.jpg

$149M Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant (CLSD) awarded to 22 states and Washington, D.C.

Sep 24
Grace Stopani
Read
teacher-helping-adult-student-460x270.png

Six FAQs to Prepare for the Comprehensive Literacy Grant

Nov 24
Grace Stopani
Read
fresh-ideas-how-braiding-can-maximize-k12-funding-tile-460x270.png

How Braiding Funds can Maximize K-12 Funding

Jan 24
Grace Stopani
Read
fresh-ideas-how-to-get-district-funding-tile-460x270.png

Guide for Teachers: How to Get District Funding

Jan 24
Grace Stopani
Read
svs-tile-img23-blg-016-887938150_esser-funding-update.png

ESSER Funding Update: Dept of Ed clarifies ESSER can fund activities beyond Sept 30, 2024

Dec 22
Leone Eickhoff
Read
Funding-for-Summer-Learning-Blog.png

Funding for Summer Learning

Feb 22
Grace Stopani
Read

Showing 6 out of 10 Solutions

How Do I Prepare For Grants?

Most grant applications are released 4-6 weeks before submissions are due. Here are some tips to help you prepare in advance for writing a grant.

  • Step 1

  • Step 2

  • Step 3

  • Step 4

  • Step 5

  • Step 6

Determine if a Grant is the Best Way to Fund Your Project.

While the promise of a grant award is alluring, grants may not be the best way to fund your project. Writing a grant requires hard work, grant awards often take months before they are announced, and funding is not guaranteed. Before you decide to write a grant, consider if the following options might be better matches for your project:

  • Work with school and district administrators to determine if your project could be funded through existing local, state, or federal funds.
  • Consider fundraising for smaller classroom or school implementations. Ask for donations from local businesses, community organizations, service organizations, etc.
  • Post your small classroom or school project to a site such as Donors Choose or Adopt a Classroom.
           

Form a Planning Committee.

  • Invite a variety of stake-holders to participate in planning the grant-funded project.
  • Federal and state grants must usually be submitted by a district, so you will want administrative support for your project.
  • In addition to district decision-makers, include parents of targeted students, community-based organizations, and local universities.
                       

Define Your Project

While you can likely name several different changes you would like to implement in your school or district, you will have the best success with grants if you focus on a project with defined parameters and set goals. When identifying grants you would like to apply for, you will save time and effort by applying only to granting agencies that fund projects similar to yours. You should think through each of the following project aspects.

Project Goal

Answer these two key questions:
  1. What do I hope to accomplish with this project?
  2. What students will be served by the project?
For example, your goal might be to improve third-grade reading achievement, to teach technology literacy to eighth graders, or to improve math scores for English language learners.
If possible, align your project goal with existing goals outlined in school and district improvement plans, technology plans, etc.

Chosen Solutions

Once you know what your overall program goal is, you can begin to identify strategies and solutions to help your students and teachers achieve the goal. You might choose a new curriculum, a supplemental program for your existing curriculum, professional development for staff and teachers, tutors or interventionists, books and materials, etc. Be creative and choose the best solutions for your specific circumstances.

Budget

Having a general idea of what your project should cost will help you to identify which grants you should apply for. You don’t want to waste time submitting an application for $5,000 if you need $50,000 to implement your project. Remember to include costs for curriculum, supplies and materials, training, evaluation, staff salaries, benefits and stipends, etc.

Partners

Building partnerships with community organizations will strengthen your grant application and show the reviewer you have community support. Develop partnerships with agencies that can help you achieve your project goals. For example, a reading project might partner with a local library, or an afterschool program might partner with a local boys or girls club. Include partners on your project planning committee if you choose to use one.

Build Your Library of Research.

Even before a grant application is released, there are several steps you can take to ensure you are ready to write the best application possible.

Gather Data

Every grant application requires a needs statement, in which you make the case for why your school or district needs assistance. This section of the application is your first chance to grab the grant reviewer’s attention. Keep a file on hand with continually updated information such as:

  • Demographic data,
  • State assessment results,
  • School report cards,
  • Newspaper articles and reports,
  • Parent, teacher, and student surveys,
  • Focus group results,
  • Attendance reports,
  • Waiting lists for community programs that serve a similar purpose.

 

Provide Supporting Research

Well-written applications include research to strengthen their applications. Gather research citations from reputable sources that reinforce your need for the project and your choice of solutions.

Review Best Practices

If you are new to grant writing, you may wish to take some time to review best-practices of grant writing before you begin your own application.

  • Winning applications are available on ed.gov for your reference. You may wish to read through some of these to see how successful grant writers describe their project strategies and goals.
  • The Foundation Center offers several free resources to help you understand the basics of grant writing, including live trainings at select locations, online tutorials, a webinar, and an audiobook.
                       

Identify Grants

Each grant will have specific requirements about how funds can be used. Once you have the basics of your project outlined, you can begin to search for grants that match your project. Use the following resources to identify possible grants:

  • The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance lists all federal grants. Use the search feature to identify grants that align with your focus area. 
  • Grants.gov also lists available federal grants. You can search for grants by keyword, category, and more. 
  • Your state department of education website will likely list available state and federal grants. 
  • The Foundation Center provides subscribers with comprehensive information on grant-making foundations. 

Once you have identified grants you would like to apply for, make note of any upcoming application due dates. Most requests for application are released four to six weeks before the application will be due. You may also wish to look at past due dates to get an idea for when the new application might be released.

           

Evidence for Savvas Programs

   

The Every Student Success Act (ESSA) emphasizes "evidence-based" approaches that have demonstrated statistically significant positive effect on student outcomes. ESSA identifies four levels of evidence: strong, moderate, promising, and evidence that demonstrates a rationale.

At Savvas, we’re committed to ensuring that our products and services deliver positive learner outcomes. Through third-party validation research, we measure a program's impact through scientific studies and trials to evaluate how well it meets the needs of users of all abilities and achievement levels.

  

 



Read the ESSA Evidence
grantsandfundingevidenceforsavvasprograms.png

Savvas Funding Support

Explore Teacher Resources
microphone.svg

Sample Grant Narrative

For grant applicants applying for Savvas products, we provide sample narrative to help you describe the program within the grant application.

events.svg

Grant Reviews / Revisions:

A member of the Grants Team can read your application and assess it against grant requirements. Your draft will be returned with recommendations for strengthening the application.

news.svg

How to Get Grant Support:

If you are working on a grant that features Savvas products and services, contact your Savvas Account Manager to help you plan the implementation, timeline, and budget details. They will work with the Savvas Grants Team to make sure you receive sample grant narrative and a complimentary grant review.

Ask a Funding Question

The Savvas Grants Team is here to help

Ask a Funding Question

Select an Option below:

More Options: