State
DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) - Division of Health and Wellness
06/11/18
06/17/18
07/17/18 3:00 PM EST Receipt
Grants to Washington, DC public schools, charter schools, and community-based organizations to maintain and operate educational gardens. The purpose of this grant is to support staff who will oversee all aspects of the garden, including program management, garden care, and instruction.
The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) Division of Health and Wellness is soliciting applications for the District of Columbia School Garden Grant (SGG). The purpose of this grant is to:
1) Increase the number of students that engage
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.
Background:
The Healthy Schools Act (HSA) of 2010 (D.C. Law 18-209) (D.C. Official Code § 38- 821.01 et seq.) requires OSSE to make competitive grants available to public schools, public charter schools, and community based organizations (CBO) to support school gardens in DC public schools. The OSSE School Gardens Program (SGP) oversees the District of Columbia School Garden Grant which has supported sixty-three garden programs by providing $1,890,000 in grant funds since 2012.
The school garden movement continues to experience growth, since 2012 the number of school gardens in the District has increased by 50%. During the 2016-17 school year, 128 schools across the District utilized school gardens to engage students through a wide range of topics including nutrition, environment, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) concepts, English and art. School gardens are found in all eight wards and across all grade levels. There are a variety of types of school gardens in the District, with the most common being edible gardens.
While over half of the school gardens in the District are staffed, data collected by OSSE indicates that the biggest barrier schools face in establishing and sustaining garden programs is the lack of staff to oversee the program. Staffed garden programs engage more students and teachers than gardens that depend solely on volunteers, community members and dedicated parents. These programs are also more likely to have greater staying power. This grant seeks to establish new school gardens and expand and sustain existing garden programs by supporting staff to increase the number of students and teachers that are engaged in garden-based teaching and learning. The SGP recognizes that there are many successful staffing models, therefor 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.
A student is considered engaged when exposed to 10 or more hours of garden-based education over the course of one school year. in school garden programs.
Intended Population:
The intended population for the District of Columbia’s SGG is:
-Students enrolled in grades pre-K-12 attending public schools and public charter schools in the District.
-Classroom teachers in pre-K-12 public school and public charter schools in the District.
-CBOs that support school garden projects working in partnership with DC Public Schools (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).
-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 a field trip).
-Any other food purchase requires prior authorization from OSSE.
GrantWatch ID#: 138581
$245,000
OSSE will award funds to no less than 7 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 Oct. 1, 2018 and ending on Sept. 30, 2020.
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 2017-18 school year school health profile, required by Section 602 of the HSA (D.C. Official Code §38-826.02). For more information about the school heath profile, please contact Avani Dhamsania.
Applying Public schools and public charter schools:
Public schools and pubic 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 with your intent to apply by June 17, 2018. 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.
Funding Restrictions:
Funds must be used to support activities described in the program requirements of this RFA and/or to support the program goals.
-A minimum of 80% of the project budget must be allocated to staffing. No more than 20% of the project budget can be used for items such as garden supplies and curriculum, and to support the promotion of school garden lessons.
-A maximum of 10% of the project budget may be allocated to indirect costs.
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.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to participate in one of the webinar information sessions below. A recording of the information sessions will be posted online.
-June 7, 2018 10-11 a.m.
-June 11, 2018 4-5 p.m.
Register to attend:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3144406833306827009
To ensure an equal opportunity for all applicants, OSSE requests that applicants submit questions regarding the RFA electronically to Sam Ullery by 5 p.m. on June 17. To ensure a fair process, questions submitted after June 17 will not receive responses. Responses to questions will be published on the FAQ page which will be posted online by June 25.
Applying Public Schools and Public Charter Schools:
Public schools and pubic 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 ofpg.grants@dc.gov with your intent to apply by June 17, 2018.
The deadline for application submission is July 17, 2018 at 3 p.m. EST. Applications must be received by the deadline.
Applicants must establish eligibility by submitting an application through the Enterprise Grants Management System (EGMS).
OSSE will reimburse for a maximum of 60% and a minimum of 40% of the total award between Oct. 1, 2018 - Sept. 30, 2019. It’s OSSE’s expectation that grantees submit reimbursements totaling a minimum of 40% of the total award amount between Oct. 1, 2019 - Sept. 30, 2020.
Key Dates:
-Announcement Date: May 18, 2018
-RFA Release Date: June 1, 2018
-Pre-Application Question Period Ends: June 17, 2018
-Application Submission Deadline: July 17, 2018
Application Resources:
https://osse.dc.gov/publication/2018-19-school-garden-grant-documents
Before starting your grant application, please review the funding source's website listed below for updates/changes/addendums/conferences/LOIs.
The application must be submitted electronically using the EGMS System which can be accessed here:
http://grants.osse.dc.gov.
Sam Ullery, School Garden Specialist
Division of Health and Wellness
Office of the State Superintendent of Education
1050 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002
Desk: (202) 741-6485
Email: Sam.Ullery@dc.gov
USA: Washington, DC
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