Whether you seek participation in a contest or a grant, we must always remember that our actions are guided by policies from local, state and federal sources, including financial, building, food service and various other interests. Please see the GRANT STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE for additional information.

EVERY contest/grant opportunity you seek must be submitted to the Grants Office via providing an MIS 538 form and a budget narrative.

SOME contest/grant opportunities require School Board approval ($5,000 or more) and require more time for approval as the Board agenda deadlines are generally 2 ½ weeks prior to the Board meeting date.

EVERY contest/grant opportunity must be filtered through regulations applied to schools and the entire district. For example, a teacher may want to have science or agriscience students study various effects on plant life and thinks a local hardware store grant would fund the building of a greenhouse. That sounds simple enough, but there are MANY building code requirements for student occupied dwellings. The regulations may not prevent that greenhouse idea, but they may make it impossible to do for the amount of the grant award. Another example is the participation in a room makeover contest. Since classroom space is student occupied, any changes to even the type of paint used in a classroom must ensure compliance with building code.

School Pursues Grants/Contests:

1. Inform your principal when you find a funding opportunity that you are interested in pursuing (ie a grant, a contest, an “enter to win a room makeover”).
2. Principal verifies that the funding opportunity is aligned with school and district goals and approves grant/contest involvement.
3. Work with the Grants Office to:
   • ensure design meets all applicable regulations
   • create an appropriate budget
   • ensure scope of involvement is feasible and sustainable as appropriate
4. Submit completed MIS 538 (including principal’s signature) and budget narrative forms to the Grants Office.

District Departments or Supervisors Pursue Grants/Contests:

1. Inform the Grants Office when you find a funding opportunity that you are interested in pursuing.
2. Inform the Grants Office immediately when you are approached by an outside entity to partner in a funding project (ie. a local university approaches your department about participating in a grant they are seeking).
3. Work with the Grants Office to:
   • create a viable design that is aligned with current district initiatives
   • meet with any other departments or schools that will be involved in the project
   • find qualified grant evaluators
   • create an appropriate budget
   • ensure scope of involvement is feasible
4. Submit completed MIS 538 (including principal’s signature) and budget narrative forms to the Grants Office.

IMPORTANT!! If you will be pursuing a grant that is over $5000, you must have your grant proposal package completed (Budget Narrative, MIS 538) and submitted to the Research and Evaluation Department two weeks and two days prior to the School Board Meetings; which occur on the first and third Tuesdays of every month. ALL grants must be reviewed by the Research and Evaluation Department AND receive approval by the Assistant Superintendent before they can be presented to the School Board for final approval for your submission to the grant agency.

Please feel free to contact grants@pasco.k12.fl.us for assistance with grant development.