GDEF explains Grant Review Process

February 12, 2006

Dear Editor:

Groton Dunstable Education Foundation volunteers are busy behind the scenes preparing for our sixth grant disbursement cycle (applications are due April 1st) and our upcoming Bet Your Lucky Stars! fundraiser on March 24th. What keeps our volunteers motivated? It is the overwhelming interest from GDRSD faculty & staff and Groton & Dunstable community members, demonstrating the need for supplemental funds to enhance our public schools by applying for grants.

Since its incorporation as a non-profit charitable foundation in September 2003, GDEF has received 98 grant applications.  To date we have funded 64 programs, for a total of over $107,000! Some details behind these statistics:

• Florence Roche and Prescott have each received funding for about 70% of the applications they have submitted, while Swallow Union and Boutwell have received funds for 54% and 33%, respectively, of the grants for which they have applied.
• The Groton Dunstable Regional High School has received funds for 78% of applications for which they have applied, while the Middle School’s percentage funded is 63%.

Just because a school has a lower percentage of grants funded, it doesn't mean that school gets less funding dollarwise: it's a percentage based on total grant applications submitted from that school. And, by the way, schools have not only benefited from their own grant programs, but also from programs with a broader scope.  “District-wide grants”, submitted by individuals and organizations in our communities and by school representatives, reach students across our schools in areas like Mathematics, Science, Art and Wellness.

Do you wonder why funds dispersed vary by school?  Well, grant programs take time to create and applications take time to prepare, so not every school chooses to apply for a grant at every cycle.  GDEF representatives aid applicants in the application process, even encouraging awardees to share knowledge about grant programs so that other schools can capitalize on the same creative ideas.

So how does the Grants Review Process really work?  It is a process that is designed to evaluate each grant solely on its own merits, and it ensures that we make the most effective use of the Foundation’s funds by only granting awards that will be successful once implemented.  Our Grants Review Committee is comprised of community members with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise, many of them either former educators or educators who work outside the GDRSD.  The committee’s membership changes somewhat from cycle to cycle, so they have no vested interest in allocating funding to any particular school.  They present a slate of recommendations, based on the merits of each grant and the mission, goals and objectives of the Foundation, to the Board of Directors, and we vote on that slate; our vote tends to stick quite closely to those recommendations.

Why are we sharing this information with you?  Because we are proud of the work we do.  GDEF grants have lasting impact on the schools in which they are implemented.  We acknowledge that our donors want to know how grants have impacted certain schools, but we don’t want to focus on it because our mission is to provide a boost to students in the District as a whole.  Moreover, a grant to the High School may not affect one Middle School child directly at the time it is implemented, but chances are that it will enhance that child’s educational experience down the road. 

We can always use volunteers - please come help us in our mission! Any amount of time that you have to offer will be appreciated.  Visit our website at www.gdefinc.org for information on how to volunteer, on the grants we’ve funded, and on our next event! And if you want to support GDEF and have a great time doing it, come to “Bet Your Lucky Stars!” on March 24th  - a dinner, dance and auction, featuring a great band, Jeff Pitchell and the Texas Flood.   You could also be a big winner in our “Bet Your Lucky Stars!” money raffle - buy your ticket today for the opportunity to win $5,000, $2,500, or $1,000!

Sincerely,

Kristen Stone, Bobbie Lamont, Kerri Figueroa, Lorrie Morgan, Laurie Moskow, Janet Sheffield, Kimberly Flanagan, Karen Riggert, Kate McNierney, Kim Terwilliger
Groton Dunstable Education Foundation, Inc.