All grants—large or small, public or private, district-wide or school-level—must come through the SPPS Innovation Office before an application is submitted. If you plan to apply for a grant, notify the Innovation Office by filling out our Intent for Grant Application form. This allows staff to provide the required oversight and provide support when needed. Our team is available to help you navigate the entire grant process, from brainstorming to application review to award approval.

Timeline: Ongoing

1. Identify a funding source
   • Look for grants that fit a specific project or program you have in mind
   • Look for grants that could cover current or already approved projects
   • Search the SPPS grant database for inspiration on projects that fit your school or program. 
2. Determine eligibility and alignment
   
   • If you find a grant opportunity on your own, read the funder guidelines thoroughly and confirm that you and your project meet all grant requirements.
   • Grants posted in the SPPS grant database have already been vetted and approved as aligning with SPPS's strategic plan.
3. Notify the Innovation Office
   • Fill out the SPPS Intent for Grant Application Form to inform the Innovation Office of your intent to apply for a grant.
   • Innovation Office staff are available to help you at any stage in the grants process.
   • Even if you do not need assistance creating your grant proposal, the Innovation Office must be notified of all grants in order to secure authorization for submission by the Superintendent and Board of Education.

Timeline: 4-6 weeks

Note: For teacher and school-level grants, steps like budget setup, planning and evaluation are relatively simple compared to larger district-wide grants.

1. Determine who the grant owner and sponsor will be
   • The grant owner is the individual responsible for the day-to-day management of the grant. (Typically, this is the person applying for the grant, such as a supervisor, program manager or teacher.)
   • The grant sponsor assists with the budget, major issues/problems and sustainability planning. (Typically, this person is a principal, director, executive director or chief.)
2. Develop a grant proposal
   • Most funders will have a specific grant proposal form, many are online.
   • The Innovation Office team is available to assist in identifying potential strategies and partners and determining parameters, scope, goals, needs and supporting data.
3. Determine if a letter of support is needed
   • The Innovation Office Fund Development Manager will write letters of support as needed.
4. Develop additional grant materials including budget, evaluation plan, attachments, etc.
   
   • Accounting and Innovation Office staff are available to assist with creating a work plan, staffing plan and budget.
   • The Office of Research Evaluation and Assessment (REA) should help if there is a survey, student data collection or research element.

Timeline: 1 week

1. Assemble the application package
   • Review the funder’s guidelines and verify they are met.
   • Verify that all forms and attachments are included.
   • Proofread everything. Asking an additional person to review the documents can make a huge difference. If you need a second reader, send your application to Grants Assistant Abraham Teuber (abraham.teuber@spps.org).
2. Send the application to the Innovation Office for final review and Superintendent's approval
   • Send the application package to the Innovation Office at least 7 days before the application is due.
   • The Innovation Office will route the draft grant package to the Superintendent for signature and approval and submit a Board Agenda Item (BAI).
3. Submit the application
   • The application can be submitted before Board approval is finalized.

Congratulations on submitting your grant application! Refer to the Managing Grants webpage for information on award acceptance and post award management.