The 2022 Innovative Grants Are Now Open Through April 8, 2022! ​

Apply Here

ELIGIBILITY
All Washington County Public Schools (Maryland) educators

GUIDELINES
Innovative Grant and Agricultural Innovative Grant Projects should be innovative, directly impact WCPS students, and should be aligned with the school system’s goals, procedures, and curriculum.  Any technology requested to meet the goals of your project must be supported, approved, and purchased through the WCPS Technology Department.  

Innovative Grant proposals should reflect specific areas of need and should include one or more of the following: Literacy, financial literacy, college & career readiness, encouragement of student participation in science/math (STEM), interdisciplinary instruction, at-risk students, support for the arts, multicultural education, and/or digital learning.  

Agricultural Innovative Grant proposals should reflect specific areas of need and should be based on projects falling into the broad category of agriculture - these grants are NOT limited to ag classrooms. Proposals under this category will include but are not limited to: horticulture, crop & soil science, animal science, farming, bio-systems, entomology, dairy science, environmental science, fisheries and forestry.

• Interdisciplinary or team teaching projects are accepted. 
• A detailed project budget is required.
• Grant funding is available up to $1000
• Occasionally major grants with a budget of up to $5000 will be considered. If you have a major project you are considering for proposal it is recommended (but not required) that you email execdirector@educationfoundationofwcps.org  to insure your project aligns with the foundation’s goals.

RESTRICTIONS

• Grant funds may not be used for salaries, childcare, snacks and/or refreshments, or county funded textbooks.
• ​All materials and equipment purchased with grant funds become the property of the school, not the individual teacher or grade level. 
• Requests for funding projects costing more than $1,000 will be rejected unless the budget includes details about how the balance will be funded, or the applicant is applying for a $5,000 major grant.

CONSIDERATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

• Each Innovative Grant application must be approved by the applicant’s principal before submitting the grant application.  This is the responsibility of the applicant.  
• Each grant application received will be evaluated by the Education Foundation of WCPS Innovative Grant Committee on the basis of the project’s creativity, its benefit to students, the efficient use of funds, and the potential to be replicated in other schools. 
• Recommendation of awards will be made by the Innovative Grant Committee and awards will be presented to applicant(s) by the end of the 2020-2021 school year.
• Grant funds are awarded to the school for the identified project on behalf of the applicant.  If for any reason the project is not implemented by the end of the 2021-2022 school year, the grant funds must be returned to the Education Foundation of WCPS.
• Innovative Grant and Agricultural Innovative Grant recipients are required to submit an After Action Report of the funded project within 60 days of the completion of the project to the Education Foundation of WCPS for their use. Grant recipients will receive a form with submission instructions and details. The required report will include:
  • ​Number of students involved and/or impacted by the project
  • Names and positions of all WCPS personnel involved
  • Budget reconciliation, including any other sources of funds used to support the project
  • A three+ paragraph narrative of how the project impacted students and the outcomes achieved 
  • A minimum of three (3) social media ready photographs

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APPLICATION QUESTIONS WILL INCLUDE:

• Description of Project
• Anticipated Outcomes
• Expected Impacts
• Budget/Cost Per Student
• Timeline
  

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QUESTIONS?
If you have a question that was not answered above, please contact Education Foundation of WCPS Executive Director, Sheila Evers, execdirector@educationfoundationofwcps.org

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Supporting Innovative Ideas in Education

Each year the Education Foundation of WCPS awards thousands of dollars in grants to Washington County Public Schools educators to implement their innovative project ideas.

Outstanding innovations from years past include: Bluetooth Basketballs, Makerspace, Band Instrument Repair, Chess Giants and the NMS Family Garden. To view these past recipients and more please click on the links below:

2020
2019
2018
2017
​2017 Success Stories
2016
​2016 Success Stories
2015
2014
2013
​2008-2012