Grants and Funding Services
- Sample grant narrative
- Grant reviews free-of-charge
- Answers to your school funding questions
Funding Strategy for Implementing High-Quality Instructional Materials
Multiple Funding Sources for K-12
School districts receive funding from multiple sources including state and local funding, federal programs, and grants. Each K12 funding program has unique restrictions, procurement and reporting requirements, and important deadlines.Braiding Funds
The “braid” of funds used can vary by district, but the example below models how multiple funding sources can be woven together to achieve a unified goal.
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Federal Funding Alignment
Download PDFFederal Funding Review
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ESSER
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress funded the Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief (ESSER) program. Among the allowable activities, ESSER funds can be used for:- High quality instructional materials
- Educational technology
- Differentiated instruction for diverse learning
- Professional learning
Many districts are investing in Savvas’ high-quality instructional materials in fulfillment of the ESSER requirement that at least 20% of ARP ESSER funds address the academic impact of lost instructional time through the implementation of evidence-based interventions.
Learn More About Savvas Alignment to ESSER
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Title I, Part A
Title I, Part A is a federal program to help children from low-income families meet challenging state academic standards. Title I funds can provide additional academic support and learning opportunities to help low-achieving students master challenging curricula and meet state standards in core academic subjects.
Savvas’ assessments, supplemental, and intervention programs support Title I students by providing differentiated instruction for diverse learning.
Featured programs:
- SuccessMaker
- iLit
- SIOP
- Savvas Essentials Foundational Reading
- Savvas Math Screener and Diagnostic Assessments
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1003a School Improvement
State Education Agencies set aside 7% of their Title I funding in order to serve struggling schools, referred to as "Section 1003(a)" funds. States provide 1003a funds for their lowest performing schools:
Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI): the lowest-performing 5% of Title I schools, high schools with graduation rates below 67%, and Title I schools with chronically low-performing student subgroups
Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI): schools with one or more consistently underperforming student subgroups
Interventions, strategies, and activities provided by section 1003(a) school improvement funds must be evidence-based. See Savvas’ Research and Efficacy
Featured programs:Learn More About 1003a School Improvement
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Title II
Title II funds are intended to improve teacher and leader quality and increase student success by providing evidence-based professional development activities that are sustained, intensive, collaborative, job-embedded, data-driven, and classroom-focused.
Districts implement Savvas’ professional learning using Title II funds to help teachers understand academic subjects and learn strategies to help students meet high academic standards.
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Title III
Title III helps schools supplement their language instruction programs so English learners can gain proficiency in speaking, listening to, reading, and writing English.
Savvas’ EL solutions can help districts design an outcomes-driven language instructional educational program (LIEP) that meets the unique needs of various EL subgroups including newcomers, long-term ELs, and ELs with disabilities.
Featured programs:
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Title IV-SSAE
The Title IV Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant (SSAE) has three categories of allowable activities:
- Well-rounded educational opportunities
- Safe and healthy students
- Effective use of technology
In addition to personalized learning and high-quality digital learning resources, SSAE funds can be invested in STEM, music and arts, foreign language instruction, AP/IB, American history, civics, economics, geography, social studies or government education.
Featured programs:Learn More About SSAE Funding
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21st Century Community Learning Centers
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers program provides competitive grants for before- or afterschool programs for K–12 children attending low-performing schools.
21st Century programs can provide a wide variety of enrichment activities including academic remediation, tutoring, music, art, technology, health, counseling, and recreation.
Savvas supports districts’ out-of-school programming with high-quality, differentiated instruction, including resources for staff with varied teaching experience.
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Carl Perkins
The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act provides formula funds and/or competitive grants to school districts to purchase equipment, curriculum, new technology, and professional development that support career and technical programs.
All of Savvas CTE curriculum aligns to Perkins requirements by preparing learners for industry-recognized credentials and college/career readiness.
Explore our Savvas CTE Courses
Additional Funding Options for CTE Programs
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Head Start
Head Start provides prekindergarten programs for children living in poverty. Competitive grants are awarded to local public and private non-profit and for-profit agencies.
The Three Cheers for PreK literacy curriculum can help Head Start preschoolers develop early reading skills to get ready for Kindergarten. Skills-based experiences and purposeful play initiate learning around quality children’s literature.
Featured programs: -
Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant (CLSD)
The Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant (CLSD) has been awarded to 23 states to develop high-quality, evidence-based literacy instruction for children from birth through grade 12.
Awarded States: Alaska, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Virginia
Featured programs:
Savvas Funding Guides
When investing in high-quality instructional materials savvy district administrators often coordinate multiple funds from multiple departments to create a larger impact and avoid duplication of effort.
Funding Resource Library
$149M Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant (CLSD) awarded to 22 states and Washington, D.C.
Six FAQs to Prepare for the Comprehensive Literacy Grant
How Braiding Funds can Maximize K-12 Funding
Guide for Teachers: How to Get District Funding
ESSER Funding Update: Dept of Ed clarifies ESSER can fund activities beyond Sept 30, 2024
Funding for Summer Learning
CARES, CRRSA, ESSER, Oh My!
FAQs on Stimulus Funds and Learning Loss
CARES vs Second Stimulus: What’s different for K-12?
Stimulus Funds and Non-Public Schools
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How Do I Prepare For Grants?
Most grant applications are released 4-6 weeks before submissions are due. Here are some tips to help you prepare in advance for writing a grant.
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Determine if a Grant is the Best Way to Fund Your Project.
While the promise of a grant award is alluring, grants may not be the best way to fund your project. Writing a grant requires hard work, grant awards often take months before they are announced, and funding is not guaranteed. Before you decide to write a grant, consider if the following options might be better matches for your project:
- Work with school and district administrators to determine if your project could be funded through existing local, state, or federal funds.
- Consider fundraising for smaller classroom or school implementations. Ask for donations from local businesses, community organizations, service organizations, etc.
- Post your small classroom or school project to a site such as Donors Choose or Adopt a Classroom.
Form a Planning Committee.
- Invite a variety of stake-holders to participate in planning the grant-funded project.
- Federal and state grants must usually be submitted by a district, so you will want administrative support for your project.
- In addition to district decision-makers, include parents of targeted students, community-based organizations, and local universities.
Define Your Project
While you can likely name several different changes you would like to implement in your school or district, you will have the best success with grants if you focus on a project with defined parameters and set goals. When identifying grants you would like to apply for, you will save time and effort by applying only to granting agencies that fund projects similar to yours. You should think through each of the following project aspects.
Project Goal
Answer these two key questions:- What do I hope to accomplish with this project?
- What students will be served by the project?
If possible, align your project goal with existing goals outlined in school and district improvement plans, technology plans, etc.
Chosen Solutions
Once you know what your overall program goal is, you can begin to identify strategies and solutions to help your students and teachers achieve the goal. You might choose a new curriculum, a supplemental program for your existing curriculum, professional development for staff and teachers, tutors or interventionists, books and materials, etc. Be creative and choose the best solutions for your specific circumstances.
BudgetHaving a general idea of what your project should cost will help you to identify which grants you should apply for. You don’t want to waste time submitting an application for $5,000 if you need $50,000 to implement your project. Remember to include costs for curriculum, supplies and materials, training, evaluation, staff salaries, benefits and stipends, etc.
PartnersBuilding partnerships with community organizations will strengthen your grant application and show the reviewer you have community support. Develop partnerships with agencies that can help you achieve your project goals. For example, a reading project might partner with a local library, or an afterschool program might partner with a local boys or girls club. Include partners on your project planning committee if you choose to use one.
Build Your Library of Research.
Even before a grant application is released, there are several steps you can take to ensure you are ready to write the best application possible.
Gather Data
Every grant application requires a needs statement, in which you make the case for why your school or district needs assistance. This section of the application is your first chance to grab the grant reviewer’s attention. Keep a file on hand with continually updated information such as:
- Demographic data,
- State assessment results,
- School report cards,
- Newspaper articles and reports,
- Parent, teacher, and student surveys,
- Focus group results,
- Attendance reports,
- Waiting lists for community programs that serve a similar purpose.
Provide Supporting Research
Well-written applications include research to strengthen their applications. Gather research citations from reputable sources that reinforce your need for the project and your choice of solutions.
Review Best Practices
If you are new to grant writing, you may wish to take some time to review best-practices of grant writing before you begin your own application.
- Winning applications are available on ed.gov for your reference. You may wish to read through some of these to see how successful grant writers describe their project strategies and goals.
- The Foundation Center offers several free resources to help you understand the basics of grant writing, including live trainings at select locations, online tutorials, a webinar, and an audiobook.
Identify Grants
Each grant will have specific requirements about how funds can be used. Once you have the basics of your project outlined, you can begin to search for grants that match your project. Use the following resources to identify possible grants:
- The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance lists all federal grants. Use the search feature to identify grants that align with your focus area.
- Grants.gov also lists available federal grants. You can search for grants by keyword, category, and more.
- Your state department of education website will likely list available state and federal grants.
- The Foundation Center provides subscribers with comprehensive information on grant-making foundations.
Once you have identified grants you would like to apply for, make note of any upcoming application due dates. Most requests for application are released four to six weeks before the application will be due. You may also wish to look at past due dates to get an idea for when the new application might be released.
Evidence for Savvas Programs
The Every Student Success Act (ESSA) emphasizes "evidence-based" approaches that have demonstrated statistically significant positive effect on student outcomes. ESSA identifies four levels of evidence: strong, moderate, promising, and evidence that demonstrates a rationale.
At Savvas, we’re committed to ensuring that our products and services deliver positive learner outcomes. Through third-party validation research, we measure a program's impact through scientific studies and trials to evaluate how well it meets the needs of users of all abilities and achievement levels.
Read the ESSA Evidence
Savvas Funding Support
Explore Teacher ResourcesSample Grant Narrative
For grant applicants applying for Savvas products, we provide sample narrative to help you describe the program within the grant application.
Grant Reviews / Revisions:
A member of the Grants Team can read your application and assess it against grant requirements. Your draft will be returned with recommendations for strengthening the application.
How to Get Grant Support:
If you are working on a grant that features Savvas products and services, contact your Savvas Account Manager to help you plan the implementation, timeline, and budget details. They will work with the Savvas Grants Team to make sure you receive sample grant narrative and a complimentary grant review.