Do you have a great idea for the Northampton Schools?

Announcing the Thirteenth Annual Request for Proposals from the Northampton Education Foundation Endowment Fund

The NEF Endowment Fund has up to $50,000 available for grants for the 2019-20-academic year. Over the past twelve years, grants have financed a wide range of programs and projects in the Northampton schools, including: a multi-year project to fund the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports Program at JFK Middle School, support for a multi-disciplinary group of NHS teachers to prepare modified Biology and Math curricula, hands on robotics and gardening projects for our elementary students, and a collaboration between the Northampton Schools and the Hitchcock Center to develop an exciting new curriculum about energy. We encourage new participants and, while we welcome proposals across all spectrums, we are, once again, particularly interested in projects based on the theme of Bridging the Divide: Building an Inclusive Future. We hope this heme sparks creative ideas that will enhance our students' educational experience!

A Proposal May be Submitted by Any Group or Individual with Demonstrated Support from School Personnel. Grants may be 1-3 years in duration.

We are seeking proposals with the following attributes:

• Innovation: A proposed project should bring something new and different to current practice or curricula in Northampton schools. (Applicants may be asked to demonstrate that an approach or technique is supported by research.)
• Broad Based: We prefer programs affecting large numbers of students, such as system-wide, school-wide, multi-grade programs, or those involving multiple schools.
• Enduring and Continuing Impact: We favor programs that create lasting benefits to students, curriculum, and programming that enrich, enhance, and support the goals and priorities of the Northampton School Department and the School Councils.

Descriptions of previously funded programs are available at www.northamptoneducation.org

Your preliminary proposal of no more than five pages must be submitted by March 1, 2019 and should include the following information:

1. A succinct description of your project.
2. Identification of the group or individual making the proposal.
3. Identification of the school or schools the program will target.
4. A statement of when the program will begin and how long it will last.
5. Identification of the school personnel who support your proposal.
6. An assessment of the resources needed for the project.
7. An outline of your preliminary budget.
8. A description of your project's value to Northampton Schools.
9. A description of the continuing and lasting contribution your project will make.
10. An explanation of how you will measure and assess this program.

The NEF Endowment Fund Distribution Committee will screen preliminary proposals. If your proposal is selected for review, Committee members may work with you to refine your final submission. Finalists will present their proposals to the Distribution Committee. We will announce awards by the end of this school year.

Send proposals electronically by 3/1/2019 to: Stan Schapiro at joanandstan@gmail.com or Danielle Ramdath at dramdath8gmail.com. If you have further questions feel free to contact us.