Applying for a Grant

The Avon Education Foundation (“AEF” or “Foundation”) shall fund only those projects, which augment and enrich the curriculum, and do not supplant programs traditionally funded by the Town of Avon, any State of Connecticut educational districts, the State of Connecticut and/or the Federal Government. The primary criterion for dispensing grants shall be high-quality educational content and the impact on students and/or community members. Projects must promote advancement of skills or knowledge, offer educational innovation for students and community members and add depth to the curriculum and educational activities offered in the Town of Avon.

In addition, the Foundation shall give preference to projects which will benefit the largest number of individuals and encourages collaboration among grades, disciplines, schools and/or the community. Funding for a project may include financial sponsorship from other Avon based organizations , such as PTOs, civic organizations, etc. Applications and project evaluations will be reviewed based on an annual or semi-annual schedule to be established by the AEF Grant Review Committee.

Foundation awards shall not fund books, supplies, honoraria, equipment, professional development, etc., as isolated items unless these items are essential to the project. In addition, awards shall not typically fund local transportation costs, compensation for substitute teachers, and salaries or stipends for additional staffing as part of an approved project. Finally, awards shall be given only to projects which the Foundation determines meets the letter as well as the spirit of its guidelines.

The grant application and award process will be under the auspices of the AEF Grant Review Committee. The AEF Grant Review Committee shall include at least one member of the Board of Directors of AEF and shall not include any individual employed by the Avon Public Schools or Avon municipal departments that has a preferential interest in any grant application, or any elected or appointed member of the Avon Town Council, Board of Education or Board of Finance. The Board of Directors, at its discretion, shall have sole authority to appoint community volunteers to serve on the AEF Grant Review Committee. The AEF Grant Review Committee shall maintain confidentiality of all grant applications to ensure fairness and alleviate potential bias.

Grant applicants and qualified educators include teachers, administrators and other school professionals in the Avon Public Schools and other educational providers from municipal departments. The Project Director must be a qualified educator and be involved in all stages of project development from planning through evaluation. The Project Director must complete and return an Evaluation Report at the conclusion of the project.

Projects should coincide with the goals and curriculum objectives of the Avon Public Schools and the educational goals of the municipal departments of the Project Director; as well as be consistent with the educational values of the community. In addition, projects should demonstrate sustainability, where applicable and must have clear and well-defined goals and clearly delineated educational value.

The grant application must include the project’s implementation timetable and a detailed budget. The Avon Public Schools Superintendent (or designee) and the principal of the grant applicant’s school or the department head of the grant applicant’s municipal agency must approve all grant proposals.

Grant applications must be submitted by published deadlines.

The AEF Grant Review Committee will have the sole responsibility to evaluate and select the grants that will be awarded funds. The selected grants for award of funds will be presented to the Board of Directors for their concurrence and acceptance.

A grant application that is not awarded funding by the AEF Grant Review Committee may be resubmitted in a subsequent grant period.

Grant recipients must agree to acknowledge the support of the AEF in any printed material or presentations. The Foundation’s Board (or Executive Board) must approve all amendments to the original grant project and/or budget. If, for any reason, a grant recipient is unable to administer the approved project, the grant recipient will return all allocated funds to the Foundation.