PMEF announces Venture Grant application guidelines
September 17, 2014PENN MANOR EDUCATION FOUNDATION
VENTURE GRANT GUIDELINES
Funding Venture Grants to enhance the learning environment for Penn Manor students and to support the efforts of Penn Manor educators is the primary mission of the Penn Manor Education Foundation (PMEF). A substantial percentage of the contributions received by the Foundation are utilized to fund Venture Grant requests. For this reason, the Board of the Penn Manor Education Foundation desires that these grants impact as many students as possible and have significant impact on the learning environment.
The following guidelines are established to give guidance to staff members applying for Venture Grants and to give guidance to the Awards Committee of the Penn Manor Education Foundation.
Application process
- PMEF shall establish and publish on its website a Venture Grant application form that will be updated annually. All Venture Grant applications must be submitted on this application and must be signed by the applicant and his/her building principal. Venture Grant applications for technology-related items or programs must be signed by the PM Director of Technology.
- PMEF will announce to district staff members in August of each year a cut-off date for fall Venture Grant applications and in December of each year a cut-off for spring Venture Grant applications.
- Applications must be completed in full and are to be submitted to the PM Community Relations Coordinator prior to the application deadline.
- Prior to submitting a Venture Grant request, the applicant should assure that funds for the project do not already exist via the instructional budget of the Penn Manor School District.
- Prior to submitting a Venture Grant request, the applicant should assure that the intent and curricula of the grant request are in full compliance with the curricula of the Penn Manor School District.
- Applicants are advised to not make any conclusions about the outcome of the Venture Grant approval process unless informed by a member of the board following the action of the PMEF Board of Directors.
Venture Grant approval process
- The PMEF Awards Committee is responsible for the review of Venture Grants and for the selection of grants for funding. Venture Grants may receive full or partial funding.
- Venture Grants recommended for approval by the Awards Committee are submitted to the full board for approval at the earliest opportunity. Funds will be released and provided to recipients only after the Venture Grant has been approved by a majority of the full board or a quorum of the board.
Grant payment and documentation
- Payments for Venture Grant shall be made by check. Payment will be made directly to the Venture Grant recipient. By prior arrangement and under certain circumstances, grant recipients may arrange for invoices to be submitted to PMEF.
- All grant recipients are required to submit copies of all invoices justifying the full expenditure of grant funds with their written grant review.
- Grant recipients who do not spend the full amount of their grant are required to return (via check made out to the PMEF) all unexpended grant funds.
Repeat awards
- The goal of the Venture Grant program is to support and foster instructional innovation. Venture Grant funds are not intended to supplement the regularly funded programs of the Penn Manor School District. For this reason, staff members are discouraged from submitting funded grants for a second or third year.
- It is understood that some very vital and effective programs, because of their implementation process or the need to sustain an initiative, may warrant funding for a second or third year.
- PMEF will not fund any Venture Grant project for more than three years.