Grants available for community partnerships through the Next Step Fund for High Schools

The purpose of the Next Step Fund for High Schools is to allow high schools and small learning communities to collaborate with community, business and higher education partners to address the problem of student alienation.

The Next Step Fund is the result of a five-year, $8 million grant awarded to the Boston Public Schools by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The grant is designed to support urban school districts and their community partners in fundamentally rethinking their capacity to create, reform, and support secondary schools that are effective for all students.

In the first year, the fund will distribute $75,000 from the Carnegie grant for the purpose of supporting three to five new partnership strategies for implementation beginning no later than September of 2002. Smaller grants to existing partnerships for new activities will be considered as well.

The purpose of the fund is to support high schools or small learning communities to engage business, higher education and other community partners for the purpose of addressing the student alienation issue, particularly for those students who attend school sporadically, and are not engaged in school. Proposals will present strategies that facilitate the effective use of outside partners to reduce alienation through activities such as: one-on-one tutoring and mentoring, peer study groups, developing project-based curricula, and through creating and/or supporting existing student leadership forums and programs.

The fund will support creativity and innovation in the school-based planning process (instructional leadership teams, site councils, etc.) by rewarding schools with the funding necessary to make change happen immediately, rather than waiting for the next school budget cycle.

The selection of applicants will primarily reflect the goal of reducing student alienation. In addition, proposals must 1) leverage the Whole School Improvement Plan, 2) make the case that immediate funding would accelerate the reform process, 3) demonstrate the depth of faculty support and involvement, and 4) provide evidence of meaningful community partnership and engagement.

A committee representing the four core partners for the Carnegie grant (BPS, the Boston Plan for Excellence, Jobs for the Future, and the Boston Private Industry Council) will select proposals for funding, subject to the approval of the Superintendent. The Boston Private Industry Council will organize the application solicitation and decision-making process for the sub-committee.

Grant Proposal Guidelines

I.    Proposal Narrative (3 pages total)

1. Situation
   
   1. What need will be addressed and which students will be affected?
   2. How was the need determined and who was involved in that decision-making process (students, teachers, parents)? Include specific data to support your claim if available.

II.   Evaluation (1 page)

1. Please describe your criteria for success.
2. Identify measures of success.
3. Who will be involved in evaluating this work (staff, board, constituents, community, consultants)?
4. What will you do with your evaluation results?

III.   Attachments

1. Finances
   Project budget, which includes income and expenses.
   Budget narrative (if necessary to explain budget items)
2. Brief description of key staff, including qualifications relevant to the specific request. Include resumes if available.
3. IRS determination letter (if partnering with a community based organization)

IV.   Information on submitting proposals:

Letters of Intent

Please submit a letter of intent, describing your proposed project and grant application cover sheet. Letters of intent may be postmarked on the deadline date of April 26th.

Submission of materials, and deadlines:
Submit all materials to:
David Brant
Boston Private Industry Council
2 Oliver Street
Boston, MA 02109

Information session:    April 12, 2002
Letter of intent deadline:    April 26, 2002
Grant proposal deadline:    May 24, 2002
Funding begins:    September, 2002

Grantee Information Session

Applicants will have an opportunity to learn more about the Next Step Fund, and the process through which grants are awarded. The Information Session will be held on April 12, 2002, from 3 - 5pm at the Boston Private Industry Council, located at 2201 Washington Street, Roxbury.

Inquiries

For further information and inquiries, please contact David Brant at (617) 488-1382. E-mail: dbrant@bostonpic.org

Proposal Checklist

• Cover sheet (electronic format available upon request)
• Proposal narrative and evaluation
• Project Budget
• Budget Narrative
• Brief description and resumes of key staff
• IRS determination letter.