Funding

Once a district determines what technologies to implement, the next concern is finding the funds to pay for everything. Effective change doesn’t come cheap. Districts have both limited resources and stringent requirements, so strategies must be cost-effective. They have to be more creative than in the past to keep their current initiatives going and add new strategies for the future. How can districts decide what to do? And how will those whose mission it is to integrate technology preserve needed funds?

According to the Consortium for School Networking, schools and districts whose leaders have a vision for technology use plus strong support from the community and parents are more likely to sustain or even expand technology initiatives – more so than schools and districts that lack this visionary leadership and support. Yes, funding remains an issue; however, these leaders tackle the problem by finding ways to raise additional funds or to re-purpose existing dollars.

Whether proposing a new bond issue for technology, trying to win a grant, or just getting community support, it is important to know what you want. Where do you start? Form a team to define the purpose, write a mission statement, define the scope of work with goals and objectives, develop a budget and timeline, and find a funding source that aligns to your program.

Strategies exist that can help schools and districts tap into the financing that will help them achieve technology integration.

  • Articles

    Grant activities are what you do to reach project goals. Well-designed projects have specific objectives that grantees interpret into the who, what, when, where, why and how of the proposal.

  • If you can write a lesson plan, you can write a grant proposal. Grants are a lot like lesson plans because they state goals and objectives, itemize materials, describe steps, incorporate assessment, and are based on the needs of students. This article will look at the heart of a grant, the part that is most like a lesson plan.

  • Writing a grant proposal can be a confusing experience. There are benefits and problems connected with getting a group of very busy people to collaborate. This article will help you and your team get organized so that your time and energy is well spent.

  • Grant offerings all seem to ask for different things. However, there are some pieces you’ll always need so this is as close to a template as possible.

  • Writing a grant is remarkably simple and can actually be a lot of fun. In this article, you will begin to see what makes up a grant proposal.

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