PARENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING
GRANT APPLICATION
2011-2013
State Education Resource Center (SERC)
Connecticut Parent Information and Resource Center (CT PIRC)
Grant Applications Due: August 31, 2011 no later than 2:30 p.m.
Grants will be awarded pending the availability of all funds, public and private.
A Bidder’s Conference will be held on August 15, 2011 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in the SERC Classroom at 25 Industrial Park, Middletown, CT 06457-15206. For advance registration, please contact Martine Persico, Project Assistant, at SERC/CT PIRC (860) 632-1485 (ext. 288), or . Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend.
PARENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING GRANT APPLICATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Goals and Objectives ………………………………..……………………………………………….….1
Results Statement and Performance Indicators ……...... …………………………………………….2
Request for Grant Proposals………..………………………………………………………………..... 2
Grant Period ……….……………………………………………………………………………………. 4
Letter of Intent to Apply ………………………………………………………………………………….4
Required Format for Proposals/Preparing the Application...…………………………………………5
Part I – Grant Proposal Cover Sheet
Grant Proposal Cover Sheet…………………………………………………………………………….7
Part II – Training Program Description
Training Program Description.……….…………………………………………………………….....8-9
Part III – Budget Proposal
Budget Proposal………………………………………………………………………………………...10
Budget Worksheets…………………………………………………………………………………11-14
Part IV – Statement of Assurances
Statement of Assurances ……………………………………………………………………………...16
Submission Deadline…… …………….……………………………..……………………………….. 17
Grant Proposal Timelines………….…………………………………………………………..……... 17
Review Criteria………………………………………………………………………………………..…18
Frequently Asked Questions ……………….………………………………………………………….19
Examples of Parent Leadership Models…………………………….………...………………… 20-21
REQUEST FOR PARENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROPOSALS
PARENT TRUST FUND BACKGROUND
The Parent Trust Fund is a family civics initiative established through legislation passed in 2001. It supports parent engagement and leadership training to improve the health, safety, and education of children across Connecticut. The Parent Trust Fund provides funds to non-profit agencies and community collaboratives to train parents, grandparents, foster parents, and others to become skilled advocates and strong voices for children at the local, state, or national level. State funding received by the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) will be matched by the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund to support the Parent Trust Fund. The State Education Resource Center/CT Parent Information and Resource Center (SERC/CT PIRC) administers the Parent Trust Fund through its partnership with CSDE.
The State Education Resource Center/CT Parent Information and Resource Center (SERC/CT PIRC) is requesting grant proposals for parent leadership training. SERC, authorized under C.G.S. Section 10-76n of the Connecticut General Statutes, was established by the Connecticut State Board of Education in 1969. The CT PIRC was established at SERC through a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education in 2006. SERC provides professional development and information dissemination on the latest research and best practices to educators, service providers, and families/community members throughout the state, as well as job-embedded technical assistance and training within targeted schools, programs, and districts. CT PIRC is designed to be an educational resource to all Connecticut families. It also provides statewide technical support to families, community and faith-based organizations, and educators on school-family-community partnerships.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goals of the 2011– 2013 Parent Leadership Training Grant are:
· To encourage parents to participate in civic life and to advocate for children in urban, suburban, and rural communities;
· To promote diversity of leadership in communities throughout Connecticut so that it is more representative of the population;
· To increase awareness of the issues that matter to families and the important role they can play as advocates and change agents;
· To encourage communities to expand the range of parent leadership training opportunities in the their continuum of services;
· To expand the number of communities offering parent leadership training; and
· To enhance collaboration and linkages among parent leadership training sponsors to create an integrated system of sustainable civic involvement within communities and across the state.
RESULTS STATEMENT AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
Through parent leadership training, parents will gain and/or enhance skills needed to advocate on behalf of Connecticut’s children. The performance indicators shall include at least three of the following six measures:
· Number and diversity of parents enrolled.
· Number and percent of parents meeting program completion requirements.
· Type and number of civic skills acquired.
· Type and number of civic projects completed.
· Type and number of follow-up activities planned to sustain family engagement.
· Type and number of the long-term civic impact of parent leadership training in the community.
Other performance indicators may be considered as appropriate and should be submitted in the training description.
REQUEST FOR GRANT PROPOSALS
Applications will be considered from public and not-for-profit (501c3) organizations that demonstrate culturally responsive practices and the financial and administrative capability to implement the grant. All qualified community agencies/organizations are invited to apply. Organizations may partner with another not-for-profit organization to serve as a fiduciary agent for the grant. Organizations may submit one application for multiple training cycles during the grant period, October 2011 – June 2013. Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with other partners serving the same community to develop and/or bring to scale a full continuum of parent leadership training programs that comprehensively address the needs that have been identified. Applicants should clearly identify what parent leadership activities are available in the community and how the funding being requested will create a more integrated system of sustainable civic involvement.
Grants will be awarded pending the availability of all funds, public and private, and the funding for the second year of the grant is also dependent on the applicant’s success in the first year of the grant. Applicants should be advised that in 2010 – 2011 the range of grant awards was $7,000 to $30,000. The funders reserve the right to set aside 25% - 30% of the total resources for awards to new and/or innovative programs, dependent on the applications received. All grant proposal applications must be received by SERC/CT PIRC no later than 2:30 p.m. on August 31, 2011.
The proposals will be evaluated by a review committee and determined eligible based on such factors as actual cost of the training model, the number of training cycles planned, the range of parent leadership training available in the community, the demonstrated levels of matching funds, and the sustainability of civic engagement reflected in the proposal. See the Review Criteria on page 18. Applicants should clearly describe what parent leadership trainings they are planning to offer, when, and for whom the training will be offered and identify key partners and stakeholders in the community involved in the development of the proposal. Clearly describe how parents were included in the decision-making process. Applications may also include costs associated with the provision of continuing education programming and professional development related to the goals of this RFP for sustaining civic engagement with parent leadership training “alumni” and/or informational sessions used as a “recruiting tool”.
Grants awarded under this application will provide no more than 75% of the total training program cost. The applicant agency/organization is responsible for securing the remaining funding and in-kind support required to fully implement the parent leadership training model(s) being proposed and for any follow-up continuing education programs or alumni activities.
To be considered for funding, proposals must indicate how parent leadership training will:
· Increase and sustain the motivation, ability, and opportunity for parents to engage in the civic life of schools, communities, and/or the state.
· Increase the visibility and involvement of parents in addressing their concerns regarding children and families through the advocacy skills learned in the training.
· Demonstrate diversity among parent participants and the organization’s Board that is reflective of their community.
· Include a strong civics and advocacy skills component.
· Include plans for increased and sustained family engagement in the school and community.
· Demonstrate the ability to secure at least 25% of funding at the local level. This funding may be a cash and/or in-kind match. Priority will be given to communities demonstrating matching funds higher than the minimum 25%.
Parent leadership training models that have been evaluated and have demonstrated successful civic outcomes will be considered for funding within available appropriations. Additional information is provided on pages 20-21. Please note, if a partnership agreement or memorandum of understanding (MOU) is required, a fully executed copy of the partnership agreement or MOU covering the grant period must be submitted with the proposal. Proposals for other curriculum models may also be considered and must include a rationale, a curriculum description and outline, recruitment and selection strategies, qualifications for the trainers/facilitators, demographics of the target population to be served, the expected benchmarks to show how the success of the parent leadership training will be measured, and information from evaluations of the effectiveness of the curriculum.
FUNDING RESTRICTIONS
The Parent Trust Fund grant does not provide funding for:
· For-profit organizations;
· Individuals;
· Religious organizations for sectarian purposes;
· Capital campaigns;
· Single-issue political causes and activities;
· Parent education training or classes (e.g. how to be a better parent, how to communicate with your children, etc);
· Replication of untested new curricula;
· Translation of existing curricula into alternative languages; or
· Scholarships.
Questions and requests for technical assistance should be directed to:
David R. Grice, Consultant
State Education Resource Center (SERC)
CT PIRC/Parent Leadership Training
25 Industrial Park Rd, Middletown, CT 06457
Telephone: (860) 632-1485, ext. 343
E-mail:
Technical assistance is available to interested applicants. Taking advantage of this technical assistance does not in any way guarantee or enhance the chance of receiving funding through this application. Please note that additional technical assistance is available from the individuals noted on the attached description of parent leadership training curriculum models on pages 20-21. A Bidder’s Conference has been scheduled for August 15, 2011 in Middletown and applicants are strongly encouraged to attend. Applicants unable to participate are encouraged to monitor the information about the Parent Trust Fund on the CT PIRC, website www.ctpirc.org. Additional materials and information may be provided at the Bidder’s Conference and posted immediately thereafter.
SERC/CT PIRC will award grant funding to qualified applicants for parent leadership training pending the availability of funding, public and private. SERC/CT PIRC reserves the right to determine how funds will be distributed. The location of the training, the service area, the collaboration among community partners, the level of matching funds, the plans for sustainability, and the target population will be taken into consideration in awarding funding.
GRANT PERIOD
This is a two-year grant period: October 1, 2011 to June 30, 2013. Grants will be awarded pending the availability of all funds, public and private. It is anticipated that initial awards will be announced no later than September 16, 2011.
LETTER OF INTENT TO APPLY
Applicants intending to respond to this grant proposal are encouraged to submit a Letter of Intent no later than August 22, 2011. The Letter of Intent should include: (1) a statement that your organization/agency intends to submit a grant proposal; (2) the name of the parent leadership training model(s) being proposed; (3) the location of the proposed training; (4) the service area from which participants will be recruited; and (5) a list of key partners, including a fiduciary partner, if appropriate. Please mail, fax, or e-mail letter of intent to:
David R. Grice
SERC/CT PIRC
25 Industrial Park Road
Middletown, CT 06457
Attention: Intent to Apply
Fax: (860) 632-8870
E-mail:
REQUIRED FORMAT FOR PROPOSALS
All proposals must follow the required format and address all requirements listed in the prescribed order. Failure to follow the required format may result in disqualification of a proposal.
· Page Size: 8 ½ x 11, Portrait
· Font Size: 12 pitch
· Font Type: Times New Roman
· Double-spaced
· Margins: 1” minimum on the top, bottom, and sides of all pages
· All pages must be numbered and single-sided.
· Do not use material dependent on color distinctions, animated electronics, etc., in proposals.
· Do not place proposals in notebooks or binders. Metal clips may be used to bind pages together.
· Do not include attachments other than those requested or required by this RFP.
PREPARING THE APPLICATION
The Parent Leadership Training Grant Proposal Application for 2011-2013 consists of four parts:
I. Grant Proposal Cover Sheet;
II. Training Program Description;
III. Budget Proposal;
IV. Statement of Assurances
Review will be limited to documents that have been required. Information not requested will not be reviewed. Please follow the format provided below when developing your application. To be considered for funding, grant proposals must be received by SERC/CT PIRC no later than 2:30 p.m. on August 31, 2011.
Part I. Grant Proposal Cover Sheet
Complete the grant proposal cover sheet and include as page 1 of your proposal. See page 7.
PARENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING GRANT PROPOSAL COVER SHEET
2011-2012
Please complete and submit as the first page of your grant application. Include the information requested in the right column only if you have a fiduciary partner.
Contact Person: Grant Applicant / Contact Person : Fiduciary AgentOrganization/Agency: / Organization/Agency:
Address: / Address:
Telephone Number:
Fax Number: / Telephone Number:
Fax Number:
E-mail: / E-mail:
Signature (Authorized Official): / Signature (Authorized Official):
Printed Name/Title of Authorized Official / Printed Name/Title of Authorized Official
Proposed Training Curriculum Model(s) and Planned Start Dates:
Town(s) Served by Proposed Training:
Total Funding Request:
Have your received a parent leadership training grant in the past three years?
ð Yes
ð No
*Please Note: Additional information is included in the parent leadership models description on pages 20-21.
Part II. Training Program Description
· Describe the vision and mission of your organization and how offering parent leadership training fits within that mission.Describe the readiness factors in your community to support parent leadership training as you have proposed it in this application. (Maximum 1 Page)
· Explain why you are applying for this Parent Leadership Training Grant. (Maximum 2 Pages)
· What need does it meet in your community?
· What training model do you plan to use and why?