Small School In Iowa Wins BIG And Brings In Over $1 Million Of Grant Money With Just A Few Teachers

I am often amused when I speak with school administrators across the nation who mistakenly believe that in order for one to raise lots of money for their school district requires some magical formula. Yes, there is a category of grants and one of them is known as a formula grant, but there is no magic involved in it.

The two types of grants that most educators routinely apply for from the Department of Education typically falls into a category of grants known as formula grants or project grants. 

Formula grants are simply noncompetitive awards based on a predetermined formula. Project grants are competitive and are awarded based on merit. 

Yes, YOU are competing against other school districts for the same pool of money and let’s face it…the pool isn’t getting much bigger but the competition is fiercer!

Since we both know this is the case it becomes imperative that your school district does everything it can to give itself a competitive advantage. One small school in Kalona, Iowa with a city population of just 2,293 gave itself a boost by using a few secrets that many of the mid-size and larger districts are oftentimes overlooking. 

The Nation Education Association reported that this handful of teachers were able to raise over $1 million for their school. 

• What are they doing that many other schools and districts are not doing?
• How could such a small band of teachers pull together and raise that amount for such a small school?
• Why were they able to do what others were not able to do with fewer resources?
• What secret strings did they pull to unlock the Grant Money Vault?
• Whom did these teachers say were most responsible for helping them to achieve this feat?

But more on this later… 

Sometimes GRANTS can get overlooked by school administrators when faced with a sea of challenges… but should it… especially when it has the potential of bringing in millions of dollars to your district?

As a school administrator, you oftentimes don’t get the thanks that you deserve. It can be a lonely and thankless position. Yet, you receive a boatload of blame when things go wrong. It’s just part of the territory of being at the top! However, it really is your responsibility to give the proper attention to the things that matter most.

We would both think it was rather odd if a parent delegated the responsibilities of preparing the taxes to a five-year-old and asked them to map out the travel plans for next summer's family vacation. Nevertheless, some school administrators have taken a hands-off approach to secure grants and delegated this task to the assistant and deputy superintendents along with the hired grant writer.

What Is The SECRET of the Teachers From Iowa Who Won $1 Million In Grants For Their School?

It’s not rocket science…in fact, it is really quite simple and boils down to just a few things.

1. The teachers were empowered to pursue grants by their principal. This means that grant writing was not just being done at the top level at the district by one person.
2. These teachers were supported by their school administrators to go find the money and write grants to help bring in funds for their school.
3. The grant develop process was decentralized which allowed the schools to pursue grants they qualified for which would have most likely been overlooked at the district level for their school. 

If more school districts will adopt this approach it will help more grants to flow throughout your districts!

This is a BIG mistake…and hopefully is one your district is not doing! The Superintendent should set the tone for the entire district and take the lead and set the course of action for pursuing grants. 

This doesn’t mean you have to write grant proposals…but you definitely should be setting the tone. Nothing can hurt district chances of getting funded more than having a tone-deaf Superintendent who is removed from the grant process.

?YOU must lead the charge!

Remember to be brave, be bold, and be brilliant... and TAKE CHARGE!

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