State
DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) - Division of Health and Wellness
06/05/17
06/16/17
08/09/17 3:00 PM EST Receipt
Grants of up to $35,000 per school to Washington, DC public schools, public charter schools, and community-based organizations for school gardening programs. Funding is available to sustain existing programs and establish new programs. The purpose of this grant is to increase the number of teachers and students engaged in garden-based teaching and learning.
The School Garden Program recognizes that there are many successful staffing models, therefore this grant does not require that school garden programs subscribe to a particular model. More background information on school garden staffing models can be found in the HSA Farm-to-School and School Gardens Reports.
The purpose of this grant is to:
1) Increase the number of students that engage in school gardens programs.
2) Increase the number of classroom teachers that are including garden-based teaching into their teaching practice.
3) Increase the number of schools with garden programs.
4) Institutionalize school garden programs to ensure staying power.
To achieve this, the focus of the grant is to fund staff that oversees all aspects of the school garden program including instruction, program management, and garden care.
The intended population for the District of Columbia School Garden Grant is:
-Students enrolled in grades pre-K-12 attending public schools and public charter schools in the District.
-Classroom teachers in preK-12 public school and public charter schools in the District.
-CBOs that support school garden projects working in partnership with DCPS and public charter schools in the District.
Funds MAY be used for:
-Teacher stipends
-Staff salaries
-Materials and supplies
-Professional services including garden design and professional development
-Food for the following purposes only (prior approval by OSSE required):
-Snacks for students during grant-related activities.
-Food for demonstration/educational purposes (ex. cooking demo, taste tests to promote healthier food choices).
Examples of eligible food:
-Snacks for parents, teachers, or community members at grant-related trainings or community events (ex. School garden work events, garden- based trainings for teachers).
-Meals for students during grant-related activities (ex. lunches during afield trip).
-Any other food purchase requires prior authorization from OSSE.
GrantWatch ID#: 138581
$400,000
OSSE will award funds to no less than 11 applicants.
Eligible schools and organizations may apply for an award amount of up to $35,000 per school.
The grant period is two years beginning on October 1, 2017 and ending on September 30, 2019.
OSSE will accept applications from public schools (i.e., schools within the District of Columbia Public Schools), public charter schools and school CBOs that support school garden programs. Public schools and public charter schools must have completed the 2016-17 school year school health profile, required by Section 602 of the HSA (D.C. Law 18-209; D.C. Official Code § 38-826.02).
The funds MAY NOT be used for:
-Travel expenses (ex: hotels, airline tickets, and per diem).
-Student field trips to farms.
-Transportation for field trips.
All snacks/foods purchased with Healthy Schools Act funds must meet the requirements of the USDA Smart Snacks in School guidelines. Grantees should strive to purchase local and seasonal produce when available. Prior approval from OSSE must be obtained before purchasing “meals,” as defined by the HSA, for students.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to participate in one of the webinar information sessions below.
-June 5, 2017, 3:30 - 4:30 PM
-June 9, 2017, 9:30 - 10:30 AM
A recording of the information sessions will be available on OSSE's website.
To ensure an equal opportunity for all applicants, OSSE requests that applicants submit questions regarding the RFA electronically to Sam Ullery by 5:00 PM on July 19, 2017. To ensure a fair process, questions submitted after July 19, 2017 will not receive responses. Responses to questions will be published on the FAQ page by July 21, 2017.
Applying Public schools and public charter schools
Public schools and public charter schools may submit one application for each school campus. DCPS schools must apply through its Office of Federal Programs and Grants. For more information, please contact the Grant Administration Team directly at the email listed below with your intent to apply by June 16, 2017.
Public schools and pubic charter schools must partner with a CBO that supports school garden programs focuses on school garden projects. A Service Provider List is available. This list includes organizations that have partnered with schools to support garden programs. Applying schools may choose to collaborate with any organization however, evidence supporting that the organization has the experience and capacity to support the project must be provided. A letter of commitment regarding the partnership is required from each organization.
Applying CBOs
A CBO may submit up to three applications, each application must encompass a minimum of one and a maximum of four school campuses. Applying CBOs must have experience supporting school garden programs. A letter of commitment regarding the partnership is required from each school.
Applications for the 2017-18 School Garden Grant must be received no later than 3:00 PM EST on August 9, 2017 and will be awarded on October 1, 2017.
Before starting your grant application, please review the funding source's website listed below for updates/changes/addendums/conferences/LOIs.
Apply online through EGMS:
http://egmsfe.osse.dc.gov
Register for the June 5, 2017 webinar:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/4793463158365483521
Register for the June 9, 2017 webinar:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/4793463158365483521
For more information or questions, please contact:
Sam Ullery, School Garden Specialist
(202) 741-6485
Sam.Ullery@dc.gov
For more information about the school heath profile, please contact:
Aimee McLaughlin
Aimee.McLaughlin@dc.gov
Grant Administration Team:
ofpg.grants@dc.gov
Division of Health and Wellness
Office of the State Superintendent of Education
810 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
USA: Washington, DC
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