http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/grants.html (PC Press Internet CD, 03/1996)
Grants and Other (People's) Money
With school funding as tight as it is, it pays to look aggressively for financial support for your network outside of the usual channels. One avenue worth exploring is grant programs. Several Federal agencies have programs designed to award funds to schoo ls with good plans for putting them to use. But, you'd better have thought through the details because such grants are almost always awarded on the merit of the plan. One way to approach this process is to look closely at the winning applica tions from the previous year and see how they responded to the application criteria.
Note: Funding for many of these programs may be reduced or eliminated due to Federal funding actions.
The NASA IITA program (our sponsor) runs something called "Cooperative Agreement Notices". These are grants given out to accomplish a particular purpose. This year, for instance, the goal was to produce K-14 aeronautics-related curricula and training modules that are intended to be delivered over the Internet. Last year's CAN focused on the use of remote-sensing data for edu cation, and the winning projects are online for your inspection.
While not specifically network oriented, NASA has a number of other programs aimed at individual teachers and students.
The National Science Foundation's Education and Human Resources Directorate funds a number of varied programs relating to science and math education. Many of these have in the past looked at issues of networks and learning. Their publication list will give you a sense of what interests them..
At the Department of Commerce the Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP)
"...provides matching grants to state and local governments, health care providers, school districts, libraries, universities, social service organizations, public safety services and other non-profit entities to help them access and use new telecommunications technologies".Their web site provides a descriptions of the program requirements, a review of the 1994 TIIAP cycle, and links to the home page of some of the previous winners.
Within the Department of Education, the Office of Education Research and Improvement (OERI) has recently sponsored two grant programs:
"...the Star Schools Program is a multi-million dollar distance education program designed to improve instruction in various subjects using telecommunications.The Fund for Innovation in Education: Technology Education Program--Teacher Networking Project is designed to provide support for model projects that demonstrate compelling applications of electronic networks for teacher professional development."Before applying for any Department of Ed. grant you should read "What Should I Know About ED Grants?" . OERI also publishes a number of funding guides that describe Department of Education programs in more detail.
The National Endowment for the Humanities has joined with NSF and the Dept. of Ed. to offer grants that support the imporvement of teaching and learning in the humanities. This is an areas that has so far been neglected by most proposers, and so might be a way to make your plan stand out.
Use the network itself to help you find sources of funding you may not have though of. The Grant-Getter's Guide to the Internet can point you in the right direction, as can GrantsWeb , perhaps the most comprehensive online grant source anywhere. Note: GrantsWeb has not been updated in over a
Finally, don't overlook private groups like the
Carnegie Foundation either. The web site at the
Foundation Center is a good way to
familiarize yourself with these organizations.
This page was last updated on 2/15/96.
