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Teacher & Staff Grants

PURPOSE

The purpose of the Thunder Vista  PTO Grant Program is to provide access to PTO funds for proposals that will further the mission of Thunder Vista P-8 School and the Thunder Vista PTO.

 

Our mission, as set forth in our bylaws, is as follows:

The purpose of the Thunder Vista PTO is to create a closer relationship between Thunder Vista parents and teachers so they may collaborate in the education and enrichment of Thunder Vista students. We aim to raise and distribute funds for the enhancement of the Thunder Vista student learning environment and hope to strengthen the Thunder Vista community through annual events.

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In creating the grant program, it was the intent of the PTO to encourage teachers to pursue innovative ideas to improve the learning experience of students at Thunder Vista. We invite creativity in proposals for grant projects. Grant requests may be submitted by individual teachers, administrators, counselors, groups of faculty members, or departments. 

 

APPLICATION PROCESS

The grant committee will consider grant applications twice a year, in the Fall and Spring. For the 2019-2020 school year, the committee will accept Fall applications on or before August 31, 2019 and will vote during the September General PTO Meeting. Spring applications will be reviewed and considered by February 28, 2019 and will be voted on at the March General PTO Meeting.  

 

Please note: For the 2021-2022 school year, the committee will accept Fall applications on or before November 1, 2021, and will vote during the November 2021 General PTO Meeting. The committee will accept Spring applications on or before February 28, 2022 and will be voted on at the March 2022 General PTO Meeting. 

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The grant proposal should be submitted via the PTO Grant Application Form (with attachments as needed). Receipt of your application will be sent to you via email so you are aware for which application window (Fall or Spring) your grant request will be considered). 

Depending on the amount of the grant requested, the committee may, at its discretion, refer the application to the full PTO board for consideration at the next scheduled board meeting. Additionally, the Grants Committee may request additional information from grant applicant(s) and/or request an in-person meeting to clarify application materials.  Applicants will be notified of determinations made concerning their grant requests following the decision of the entire PTO after the PTO General Meeting.

 

GRANT CRITERIA

While we welcome all grant proposals, please review the following criteria in order to ensure your proposed project or activity supports the school’s mission in one or more of the following areas:

  • Classroom support

  • Performing/visual arts

  • Extracurricula activities (i.e. after-school clubs)

  • Individual student sponsorships

  • Educational field trips. 

 

  1. Proposals will be considered in totality to allow decisions based on equity among grades, and classrooms

  2. The goal of the Grant Program is to benefit as many students as possible. Therefore, preference will be given to proposals that benefit students in multiple classrooms or students in the same classrooms over multiple year 

  3. Preference will be given to grants that support in-house programs over grants that pay for talent or experience outside of th

  4.  school staff and the school 

  5. Proposals that are denied solely because of insufficient Grant Funds are encouraged to be resubmitted the following year, and will receive preferential consideration at that time

 

GRANT TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1.    All grant requests must be pre-approved by the Thunder Vista P-8 principal, Teresa Benallo. 

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2.    All items purchased through the PTO Grant Program (“Program”) become the property of Thunder Vista P-8. The PTO is awarding you this grant to carry out the project described in the PTO Grant Program application (collectively, "Project") in order to further the stated purpose. The PTO, in its discretion, may approve in writing any request by you to make non-material changes to the application's proposed details.  You may not use funds provided under this Program for any purpose other than the project which was described and granted.

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3.    Grant recipients will be supplied with the PTO's tax ID number, as appropriate, so that sales tax will not be applied to the purchase.

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4.    Grants will be paid out in one of two ways:

a.    Grant recipients may provide invoices to the PTO Treasurer, who will write the checks or pay electronically and notify you that payment has been made. We prefer that recipients use this method, particularly for larger expenses. Any grant funds that have not been used for, expended or committed to the project by completion or end of project must be returned promptly to the PTO in order to be applied to another PTO-funded grant (current or under consideration).

b.    Grant recipients may pay for expenses directly, and then request reimbursement from the PTO Treasurer. Recipients will be required to fill out a reimbursement form to request reimbursement and to attach receipts totaling the amount of reimbursement. Requests for reimbursement must be submitted within two weeks of the date the recipient pays the expense, and in no event later than December 31, 2019 for Fall grants and May 31, 2019 for Spring grants. Receipts must be dated after the grant is awarded as the grant is not intended for expenses incurred prior to receiving an award. Any expenses incurred above the amount of the approved grant amount will be the responsibility of the grant recipient. Additionally, if the amount of the reimbursement request is less than the approved grant amount, only the dollar amount in the reimbursement request will be reimbursed.

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5.    After students have benefited from the grant (or begun to benefit in the case of an ongoing program), grant recipients agree to submit a brief (one page) report to the PTO, and to present that report at a PTO General Meeting. The report will describe the project or activity and explain how students have benefited from the grant. The PTO looks forward to celebrating, promoting, and publicizing the efforts of the grant recipients and their accomplishments. Grant recipients are invited to submit materials that could help showcase their projects, if appropriate. Information from the reports and any other submitted materials may be used in the monthly PTO newsletters, the PTO website, and during appropriate school events. The more that parents and teachers are made aware of the benefits of the Program, the greater support it will have in years to come. If meaningful progress has not been made on a grant, the report should explain why not and what adjustments you are making to get back on track. Please notify the PTO Grants Committee if you need to add or modify any targets or milestones. The PTO Grants Committee and PTO Board must approve any such changes in writing. In addition, you agree to submit other reports the PTO may reasonably request.

 

6.  Grants are subject to your compliance with this Program, including your achievement, and the PTO’s approval, of any applicable targets, milestones, and reporting deliverables required under this Program. The PTO may, in its reasonable discretion, modify payment dates or amounts and will notify you of any such changes in writing.  At the PTO’s request, you will repay any portion of the grant used or committed in material breach of this Program, as determined by the PTO in its discretion.

 

7.  Work product consists of the deliverables and other materials, including drafts thereof, prepared by you to carry out the project funded under this Program. You represent and warrant that the work product is your original work product and that it does not infringe, misappropriate or violate any third party's intellectual property, privacy or publicity rights. You hereby grant to the PTO a nonexclusive, irrevocable, perpetual, royalty-free and transferable license for noncommercial purposes to use, display, perform, reproduce, publish, copy, archive, excerpt, distribute, create derivative works from, and otherwise disseminate, in whole or in part,

any or all of the work product.

 

8.    In carrying out the program, you will comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and rules.

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If you have any questions about the grant application process, please contact us at: thundervistapto@gmail.com

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