Grant Form

• To promote the welfare of children and youth in home, school, places of worship, and throughout the community

• To advocate for laws that further the education, physical and mental health, welfare, and safety of children and youth

• To promote the collaboration and engagement of families and educators in the education of children and youth

• To raise the standards of home life

• To engage the public in united efforts to secure the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social well-being of all children and youth

• To advocate for fiscal responsibility regarding public tax dollars in public education funding

Applications will be accepted either from individuals or in a collaborative effort. Projects may be a onetime event or an on-going program. Please note that if a project will be on-going you will need to re-apply for funds in the following year(s).  No funding beyond the initial approval is guaranteed or implied.

Each grant application must be submitted online for approval by GEMS PTA.  The GEMS PTA will then review all applications and decide if all, part (if partial funding information is provided), or none of the funding will be awarded.

Requests for funding should not be programs, projects, events or educational materials that are the responsibility of the school district or can be funded by the school district.  All requests should be for enhancement or augmentation of school district funding.  All PTA purchased non-consumable materials will be considered a donation to Seminole County Public School District and become property of Goldsboro Elementary School, not the individual staff member.

Grant applications will be considered during the next monthly PTA board meeting.  All grant requests for the current school year must be submitted no later than May 15th, to allow sufficient time for the GEMS PTA to review.

Purpose: To promote education, nurture creativity and enthusiasm by awarding grants to teachers and/or groups of teachers to carry out special projects in their classrooms that provide a unique learning experience to the students when funds are not otherwise available. Funds can also be awarded for special needs that benefit the majority of the students.

Funds for the Grant Program are determined after all PTA committees have been budgeted for and can be eliminated or reduced through the budget action of the PTA Executive Board at any time throughout the year as needed.  The board is under no obligation to approve any particular grant for any reason whether there remains money in the Grant Request budget line or not.  The PTA reserves the right to redirect projects that fall in areas where other funds are available, and deny any grant for any reason, especially those that are involved in politically or community sensitive areas. 

1. Do your homework!  Find the best price for what you are asking for.  Make sure it is something that cannot be funded by the school district.  Please note the purchase of gift cards, money orders, or other in-kind options are not allowed.  

2. Fill out all information on the Teacher Grant Request form. (Only the 1 page of information is needed, you do not need to print the entire packet, the accompanying pages are for your information only, if you need more space the request may span additional pages).  Sometimes the board needs more information before a decision can be reached; you may wish to include a number where you can receive a text message with a question during our meeting to speed up the decision process.  If a question is raised and we are not able to reach you the decision may be put on hold until the question is answered.  Please contact the board via email if you have any questions about the form, the process, or to schedule a presentation if desired.  If you speak to any individual member of the board about your Grant Request, please refrain from inquiring about the likelihood of approval.  The decision is made via a vote and no one member can anticipate approval until after a vote has been conducted.  

3. Give your Grant Application to Assistant Principal to review. 

4. If you would like you may come to the board meeting to present your idea.  You will be allowed 5 minutes to speak and answer any questions, and then you will be asked to leave the meeting.  A presentation is in no way required or expected, but may be arranged at your request. 

5. Check your school mailbox for news on your grant request.  It may be accepted to be paid in full, paid in part (if a lower minimum amount is listed on your form), or denied altogether.  PTA will only vote on the amounts requested, the board will not vote on any amount other than what is listed on the Grant Request.   Soon after the PTA board meeting you should receive in your school mail box a letter informing you of the board’s action on your request.

Grant Requests will be reviewed during the next regularly scheduled monthly board meeting.  Grant approval will be determined by the PTA Board in accordance to the budget voted in by our general membership.  Each submission will be reviewed based on the following criteria: 

• Individual(s) submitting the grant requests must be members in good standing of the PTA in order to apply. 

• Grant approval will be based on the objectives, anticipated benefits, number of students involved, and the GEMS PTA Board’s confidence in the success of the project, all of which will be weighed against the cost of the project.

• Grant requests will be judged on the innovative nature of the project and the extent to which the project will improve the existing methods of meeting the students’ needs.

• The Grant committee will take into consideration the longevity of the program as well as the ability to duplicate the program in other classrooms or areas of the school.

• Materials purchased with grant funds become the property of the Seminole County School District and must remain at the school should the teacher/recipient leave the school.

• All grants must be in compliance with the school district guidelines and PTA objectives.

• Please note that even if the request meets all criteria and is aligned with PTA Mission and Values, the request may still be denied.  Even if the board loves an idea it may be voted that PTA is not able to fund the project at that time.  Board members are elected to represent the PTA membership and attempt to represent the membership to the best of their abilities following guidelines as stated in GEMS PTA Bylaws and Standing Rules.  The decision of the board is considered final and no specific reasons will be stated for either approval or denial. 
  
  

The PTA Board will also consider whether other sources of funds may already exist and whether the PTA is the best source of funding. Please keep in mind that the Grant program adheres to the PTA principle that “a gift to the school should benefit the largest possible number of students.”  Decisions are considered final and grant monies must be spent in accordance with the original grant request.

If your Grant Request is approved, you have two options to receive payment.

Option 1 
  

• The Grant Recipient places the order and purchases the product. 

• The item could be paid for by either the Grant Recipient or the school if administration is willing.

• The Grant Recipient completes a Reimbursement Request form which can be found in the PTA Treasurer's mailbox in the school's mail room.  PTA mailboxes are on the far left.   All appropriate documentation (itemized receipts) must be attached to this form. 

• When purchasing the items, make sure that no other non-grant items are on the receipt.  If the receipt is a combination of personal items with PTA items, your reimbursement request will be denied.

• The PTA Treasurer will write a check payable to Grant Recipient (or the school) for reimbursement as indicated on the form.  

Option 2  

• The Grant Recipient completes a Reimbursement Request form with a “Pay To” of the vendor (attach a copy of the completed order form).  

• The PTA Treasurer will write a check to the vendor and will place the check in the requestor's school mailbox for delivery to the vendor.  

• Or, if mailing information is provided, the PTA Treasurer will write a check to the vendor and will send the check directly to the vendor. All proper documentation including invoices and receipts must be given to the PTA Treasurer for PTA records.

• This option will allow PTA to take advantage of our Tax Exempt status.  We may only use our Tax Exempt Certificate when paying by PTA check, and only on items that will not be resold.

• As in Option 1, be sure that any invoice includes items for your approved grant purpose only.  If other items are on the invoice, the reimbursement request will be denied.