Grants & Awards

Overview of the MACUL Grant Program


Each project should focus on an instructional use of the computer or related equipment, which has the potential of being replicated in other educational settings.

Click here for the presentation given at MACUL 2012 on writing an effective grant application.
Purpose

To encourage and support members interested in promoting effective instructional uses of the computer or related-equipment.

Grant Goal


Each project should focus on an instructional use of the computer or related equipment, which has the potential of being replicated in other educational settings.

Deadline


Noon on June 15, 2012 - Applications process is now closed!

Details


Grant Limit per Application: $1,500.
Eligible Applicants: MACUL members who are classroom teachers, coordinators, administrators, media specialists, or higher education faculty or staff. MACUL Grant recipients from the last two years are ineligible to apply. Current Board and SIG officers and MACUL Board members from the past year are not eligible.

Requirements for Acceptance of Grant Funds:
  • Complete a MACUL-Grant Project Summary Form and Budget Report
  • Carry out plan for sharing the project with other educators and MACUL members,
  • Either present a one hour session at the MACUL Conference or submit a resource to MI Learning on iTunesU  following the established submission process.
Length: The recommended overall length of a MACUL Grant is 2000-2500 words.

GENERAL GRANT WRITING TIPS


When writing a grant, think about the following:
  • What do you want the target audience to do, to learn, to experience, to know at the end of the project?
  • Who is the target audience?Did you include all the information in the appropriate categories?
  • Does the reader know exactly what the project is, how the project is to be conducted, what the participants will accomplish, and how you are going to evaluate the project for success?
  • Is there an expression of a bias or personal opinion? The reader may not agree with you and deduct points.
  • Write a grant that describes a project that you want to do whether you get the grant or not. Have every detail planned out. If you are unsure of how the project will work, the reader will be unsure as well.
  • Grants can be obtained to purchase computers for specialized projects or applications. Rather than developing proposals to equip a school with computers, seek to build computer purchases into budgets of larger projects whenever possible.
  • Write the grant proposal in Word or other word processing software and cut and paste the proposal into the online application. This will enable you to review, edit and save your proposal. Also check your word count to see if your proposal falls within the recommended length.

BUDGET FOR THE MACUL GRANT PROGRAM


Description: The budget provides cost information (both requested funds and funds that are being provided by the district) related to the project.

Tips for writing the Project Budget:

  • Equipment and materials you are requesting must be in alignment with the rest of the grant proposal.
  • Equipment and software should be related to the instructional use of technology.Equipment and materials you are requesting must be in alignment with the rest of the grant proposal; remember that this is essentially a technology & instruction grant.
  • Use the best, currently available prices in the budget, including, the REMC $ave Bid project at www.remcbid.org
  • Include in-kind contributions as well as costs for items being requested in the budget.
  • Do not request more than the maximum limit for the grant.
  • Add explanations if you feel they are important.
  • Itemize all costs; don't lump things together.
  • Remember, the committee may award partial funding of a grant--so be prepared to negotiate.

PROJECT NARRATIVE FOR THE MACUL GRANT PROGRAM

Description: The Project Narrative is simply a brief description or overview of what you plan to do-it is almost a summary or abstract of your proposal.
Tips for writing the project narrative:

  • You may want to write the Project Narrative last so that you are sure that it accurately describes what you plan to do and is clearly aligned with the rest of the proposal.

PROJECT NEED FOR THE MACUL GRANT PROGRAM

Description: The Project Need illustrates the need for the project.

Tips for writing the Project Need:

  • Give a good explanation of why you feel your request is important.
  • Describe the problem and how your project will solve the problem.
  • Show that there is a legitimate need for your request.
  • Provide evidence/data to support the stated need (questionnaires, surveys, teacher requests, test results)
  • Show how your project will help improve the educational process.
  • Explain why the school district or school cannot support your program.

PROJECT PLAN FOR THE MACUL GRANT PROGRAM

Description: The Project Plan consists of a description of the

  • goal
  • objectives
  • activities
  • equipment and materials
  • timeline:

Tips for writing the project plan:

1. Project Goal: The purpose of the goal is to:

  • provide the framework for the project
  • help MACUL decide if they want to be a part of the project
  • provide a basis for the recruitment of financial resources for the project
  • The project goal(s):
  • should be a general statement(s) of anticipated outcomes
  • should reflect the general aim or purpose of the project
  • should be aligned with the project need
  • 2. Project Objectives: The purpose of objectives is to:
  • provide a basis for meaningful evaluation
  • provide direction for people involved

Objectives:

  • are specific statements of anticipated outcomes
  • are measurable and related directly evaluation
  • should clearly identify the desired results
  • should be concrete/precise/prioritized
  • should be based on identified needs
  • should be realistic

3. Project Activities
Activities:

  • relate specifically with stated objectives
  • should be clearly described
  • should have stated reasons for selection
  • must be reasonable in scope so that they can be conducted within the time constraints and resources of the program

4. Project Equipment and Materials
Be sure to:

  • indicate the equipment and/or materials to be used in the instructional process
  • include the equipment and/or materials that will be used in the budget
  • mention the equipment and/or materials used in specific activities

5. Timeline 2012-2013

  • May 5, 2012 MACUL Grant information, application, evaluation rubric, and tips for writing a MACUL Grant proposal available online.
  • June 15, 2012 Applications must be submitted online by noon.
  • June – July 2012 Readers evaluate and score MACUL Grant proposals.
  • August 2012 Board approves MACUL Grant winners.
  • August 2012 MACUL Grant winners are notified
  • September 2012-July 2013 Grant recipients conduct activities specified in proposals.
  • August  31, 2013 Final documentation due from grant recipients.

Be sure to:

  • outline specific dates and times event(s) will be taking place
  • describe how long it will take to accomplish each activity/event
  • describe the feasibility of accomplishing the timeline
  • note where the evaluation process falls in the timeline
  • include all activities, evaluation, sharing with MACUL members and other educators

PLAN FOR SHARING FOR THE MACUL GRANT PROGRAM

A grant winner has a choice to either do a one hour session at the MACUL Conference or submit a resource to iTunesU following the established submission process

  • Presentation choice: pay only primary speaker fee at the conference where you presented; registration will be covered;
  • Resource choice: pay only primary speaker fee at the next conference after the resource was submitted; registration will be covered.

Before Submitting Your Proposal

Check to make sure that you have included your plans to present your project at the conference or submit an MI Learning resource.
Tips for writing the Plan for Sharing:

  • Describe how the project will be shared with other educators, the district, the community, the ISD or other appropriate group.
  • Be specific about your plan for sharing.
  • Don't use words like "could" or "might".
  • Be definite about how you will disseminate the information.

EVALUATION PLAN FOR THE MACUL GRANT PROGRAM

Description: In this part of the plan applicants should describe their plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the project. The plan should include the anticipated impact on targeted group.
Tips for writing the Project Evaluation Plan:

  • Know what and how you are going to evaluate.
  • Have an evaluation form already developed.
  • Describe how the success of the project will be evaluated.
  • Make sure that the evaluation process is in alignment with the rest of the plan and activities.

BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR PROPOSAL:

  • Check to make sure that the proposal does not mention a specific teacher, school district, school building or geographic reference.
  • Check to make sure that you have included your plans to present your project at the conference or submit a resource to iTunesU.
  • Make sure that you are a current MACUL member.
  • Make sure that you have not received MACUL Grant funding within the last two years.

Contact the MACUL office at 517.882.1403 if you have questions regarding your eligibility.