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Eagle Fund & Janet’s Fund
Grantmaking Guidelines
For Projects that Sustain Educational Excellence in the Southern Berkshire Regional School District
The Eagle Fund: The Eagle Fund was created in 1998 by the community to help promote excellence in the Southern Berkshire Regional School District through grants to students, teachers, administrators, and members of the community. The Fund is not intended to be a substitute for the public funding of the District’s core curriculum. Rather, the Fund is intended to make possible exceptional educational opportunities that are designed to take students far beyond the basics and that will distinguish the District in the quality of its educational offerings. The Fund also provides a special bridge between the District and the members of the communities it serves. It is intended to foster pride in the District and to generate the excitement and enthusiasm that comes from knowing that through innovative thinking, good ideas, and thoughtful experimentation, dreams can be realized.
Janet’s Fund: Janet Thieriot was a student in the Southern Berkshire Regional School District who pushed beyond the boundaries of the standard curriculum. She died of cancer in 1989 and her father, Bob Thieriot, established Janet’s Fund to honor and perpetuate her spirit. The goal of Janet’s Fund is to reach each and every student in the district giving an opportunity to dream, to pursue that dream, and to realize it. Janet’s Fund supports initiatives that encourage the school community to stretch, to reach beyond existing programs, and, over time, to enrich the experience of all students. Janet’s Fund supports both programs that serve a broad section of the school community and programs that benefit an individual student of exceptional promise and encourages student-initiated projects.
Eligibility
• Applicants must be students, teachers, administrators, staff, parents or members of the Southern Berkshire Regional School District community.
• Proposals must augment and enrich the educational experience of students in the school district and should not be part of core curriculum.
• Preference is given to proposals that request funds for the direct costs of initiatives rather than staff salaries.
• Preference is given to proposals that provide matching funds through in-kind, volunteer, or cash donations.
• Preference is given to projects that will serve as a catalyst to broader educational opportunities and are likely to have a lasting connection with other school offerings.
The Foundation does not support organizations which in their constitution, by-laws, or practice, discriminate against a person or group on the basis of age, race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation or religious belief.
Awards
This grant cycle, the Funds have allocated an aggregate pool of approximately $30,000 for all awards. Because we expect many worthy projects to be competing for these limited funds, we ask that all applicants make a special effort to ask only for that amount actually required and to look hard for matching funds through in-kind or other cash donations. We will continue to consider requests for multiple-year funding (up to three years).
How to Apply
Download and complete the Grant Proposal Summary (pdf) and send it to Berkshire Taconic along with:
• A narrative description of the project. Include specific information about project goals, how the goals will be reached, a project timetable, and a brief description of the qualifications of the project leader. If you have received grant funds in prior years from the Eagle Fund/Janet’s fund for this same project, explain why you believe another year of funding is necessary or appropriate. Please keep in mind that the mission of the Eagle Fund is to fund programs that stretch beyond ordinary school offerings; Eagle Fund monies are not available simply to fill budget gaps.
• A budget containing your project costs. If the budget contains a request for payment of a person’s time, indicate the hourly rate and the number of hours projected.
• If this is not a new project, please indicate how it has been funded in prior years and why support from this fund is needed.
• If you are requesting funding for equipment, please indicate why the item(s) is not covered through the school budget.
• Any additional documentation you feel would be helpful to the committee in making its decisions.
• Applications from individuals or groups who are not teachers or school administrators must be approved by a principal or administrator.
Review Criteria
The requests will be reviewed according to the following criteria:
• Excellence of the project or service,
• Its impact on the school community,
• Its existing or future connection to other district offerings, and
• The ability of the applicant to carry out the project.
Review Process & Notification
Applications will be reviewed by a committee of representatives of The Eagle Fund & Janet’s Fund. Members of this committee include SBRSD residents who are active in community affairs, as well as the Superintendent of Schools, faculty members, and students. The Eagle Fund’s awards are
approved by the Eagle Fund Board of Governors. Their recommendations will be reviewed by Berkshire Taconic’s Board of Directors. Applicants will be informed of grant decisions within one month of the deadline date.
Deadline
All applications must be received by Berkshire Taconic no later than 5:00 p.m., April 15th, 2008.
Commitment/Report Requirements
Grant recipients must demonstrate in writing by no later than April 15th, 2009, that funds have either been spent or are committed in accordance with the grant application. Absent such demonstration, awarded funds will revert to the general pool for reallocation in the next grant cycle.
In addition, grant recipients will be expected to make in-person presentations to a joint Eagle Fund/Janet’s Fund board at year end and to write a narrative grant report, demonstrating what was achieved with the grant funds.
Questions
Please contact Maeve O’Dea, Program Officer, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation at 800-969-2823 or email maeve@berkshiretaconic.org
