Many local and national foundations issue grants to help programs and educators purchase equipment, implement innovative ideas, attend professional development sessions and more. Grants can come from federal agencies, state departments, corporations, and non-profits. As grants are legally binding contracts, most staff are not authorized to seek grants without appropriate approval.  All grants sought by SPPS must align with the district's strategic plan.

There are many ways to approach seeking grant funding:

• Look for grants to fit a specific project or program you have in mind
• Look for grants that could cover current or already approved projects
• Look through grant opportunities for inspiration on projects that fit your school or program

If you identify a grant opportunity on your own, read the funder guidelines thoroughly and confirm that the grant meets the SPPS Grant Selection Consideration criteria before making plans to apply. The SPPS Grants Office maintains a searchable database of available educator grant opportunities. These opportunities have already been vetted and approved as meeting the SPPS goals.

For logistical and compliance reasons, the Grants Office must be aware of all SPPS grant applications and projects. Grants staff are available to help you through each step of the process.

Grants aren't the only source of funding for events, projects and programs, and there are a number of reasons why grants may not be the best fit.

• There may be no grants that fit your planned project, and changing the project to fit the available grants doesn't make sense
• Timing doesn't work (eg: need the funding sooner)
• Grants that would suit the project have too many requirements or don't fit the SPPS strategic plan
• Applied for but did not receive a grant, but the project is worth supporting

In these cases, you may be in need of other sources or forms of funding. Online fundraising or requesting financial or physical gifts may be good options for financing the need.