Please read below for guidance to clearly create the financial aspect of your grant request.
What does a clear Classroom-focused budget table look like?
On all grant applications for the Education Minnesota Foundation, applicants will find questions relating to how the potential grant funds will be spent. This means the board members who review the budget look for a clear list of the materials or services you need to purchase for the grant which includes prices, quantities, and when applicable, brief descriptions. Links and images proving costs are not required when applying.
Let’s imagine you are a family and consumer science teacher who wants to do a small cooking unit in your classroom, but your school doesn’t have the funds available to cover costs for it. After developing a project-based component surrounding the cooking unit, you have decided you only need around $1,000 to pay for the unit. The budget table above clearly indicates items needed to complete the project, and it also includes descriptions for broad categories that may not be clear to anyone reading the application. Whenever applicable, the budget table also highlights when multiples of items need to be purchased to help reviewers understand how the roughly $1,000 price tag was met.
Educators across the state often need some critical equipment to successfully carry out their projects. Whether that equipment spans across a project like GPS devices for a geocache assignment, or helps explain a concept like making history with Legos, if you plan your project correctly, the Education Minnesota Foundation board is likely to see the merit in your need and fund your project. In the sample budget table above, you can see the educator is requesting equipment that well exceeds the $3,000 maximum funding request; however, you can also see the educator has accounted for the other outreach that will fund the rest of the costs. If you have reached out to alternate sources with no luck in securing additional funding, be sure to note that in your application. Please remember the equipment requested must be an item that’s used in the project, not just something you’d like to have in your classroom.
What does a clear Professional Development budget table look like?
Aside from exploring innovative classroom ideas, the Education Minnesota Foundation also offers grants for professional development opportunities. In the tables above, you can see the description, quantity, cost, and total for each charge. If the applicants were requesting materials separate from what’s listed, they could list the materials as coming from their own pocket to ensure the board understands how all desired purchases will be funded.
How do you calculate mileage or payment for gas for your budget?
*Estimate of price spent on gas using a school vehicle/rental car roundtrip from
St. Paul, MN to Grand Rapids, MI.
When calculating mileage for your budget, please use the current IRS rate that can be found here. You will have to list the number of miles traveled round trip.
Gas receipts are only to be used if you are using a school vehicle/rental car, you cannot budget for mileage because you are not using your own vehicle. However, you can estimate how much will be paid in gas to fill up the tank and list that cost with a descriptive that you’re using a vehicle provided by the school and your to/from information. For licensed educator and ESP Professional Development Grants, photocopies of the original gas receipts will need to be submitted with your Final Financial Report. The original receipts stay with your local treasurer. For higher education faculty Professional Development Grants, please submit the original gas receipts with the reimbursement form.
If your school has a gas repayment policy for using a school vehicle, please indicate it in the budget sheet and include it with the grant application.