School Project Funding Application

  1. OVERVIEW

Project UNIFY®

Special Olympics Project UNIFY is a U.S. national program funded in part by the U.S Department of Education. Project UNIFY brings together youth with and without intellectual disabilities (ID) through education, sports and youth leadership to provide them with knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to create and sustain school communities that promote acceptance, respect and human dignity. Last year, 42 U.S. Special Olympics State Programs participated in Project UNIFY, engaging 425,000 young people in more than 2,025 schools nationwide. In Maine these fund have been used to create, implement and improve Project UNIFY at high, middle and elementary schools now entering in its sixth year. Hundreds of students of all ability levels have been touched by Project UNIFY in Maine.

Core Beliefs of Project UNIFY:

  1. There should be more opportunities in schools across the country for young people of all ages and all ability levels to make friends and work together for change.
  2. Students with intellectual disabilities should become part of the fabric of the education community and be perceived as assets in their schools and communities
  3. Students without intellectual disabilities can and should increase their knowledge, skills and comfort in forming positive social relationships with students with intellectual disabilities and should come together o address societal issues.
  4. Policymakers and education leaders should develop policies and support quality practices that encourage positive school climates characterized by safe and nurturing learning environments for all students.

Project UNIFY combines three main components:

  1. Inclusive Sports: This means two things in Project UNIFY: One, student with intellectual disabilities are provided the opportunity to participate in sports. Two, students with and without intellectual disabilities participate in sports alongside each other – inclusively. Each School must include Inclusive Sports in their Project UNIFY offerings
  2. Youth Leadership & Advocacy: Project UNIFY empowers young people with and without intellectual disabilities to take leadership roles in promoting inclusion, awareness and acceptance in their schools and communities.
  3. Whole School Engagement: When an entire school accepts and includes students and other with intellectual disabilities it becomes a powerful community of change. By offering all students – faculty and staff, too – opportunities to participate, Project UNIFY helps achieve this goal.

For more information on Project UNIFY, Special Olympics Maine and related initiatives visit:

  • Special Olympics Project UNIFY:
  • Special Olympics Maine:
  • Spread the Word to End the Word:
  • SO Get Into It:
  • SO College:
  1. Year 8Grant Opportunities

This year we have the opportunity to offer additional funding for projects that further promote the core beliefsof Project UNIFY. Applications must be completed and submitted by November 6th, 2015. Projects must be completed by May 31, 2016.

  1. Project Funding Eligibility
  1. An active Project UNIFY High School, Middle School, Elementary School or SO College program onour campus is required to apply.
  2. To be eligible for consideration for project funding you must be a
  1. Student, grades 6-12
  2. Teacher, Pre-k, elementary school, middle school or High School

OR

  1. College/University undergraduate student

Note: Students and teachers are encouraged to work together in developing proposals, with the expectation that youth will lead whenever possible.

  1. Proposal Guidelines
  1. Your project must focus on at least one, encouraged to include all, of the three main components of Project UNIFY:
  1. Inclusive Sports
  2. Youth Leadership & Advocacy
  3. Whole School Involvement
  1. The project must meet a need you have identified in your school, district or community
  2. Partnerships with local community groups, businesses and organizations are strongly encouraged
  3. Middle school & High School proposals must have a strong evidence that the proposal was developed and will be implemented by students.
  4. Application must be submitted by November 6th, 2015.
  1. The Project

Your project must include the following:

  1. Elements of Service-Learning (S-L): S-L differs from Community Service in that youth identify a need and organize service to create meaningful change. Learning – tied to academic curriculum – accompanies service. Students explore, plan, implement, reflect and modify as needed along the way.
  2. Budget: What expenses do you anticipate and how much will you spend on each? What is the total budget for your project? What expenses can be donated or shared?
  3. Goals and expected outcomes of the project: What are you trying to achieve (goal) and how will you know you have succeeded (outcome)?
  4. Timeline: What are the steps in planning, organizing, developing, implementing and evaluating your project? Projects must be complete by May 31, 2016.
  5. Project Documentation: photos, video, written updates/journal, Facebook posts, receipts
  6. Project Evaluation: Completion of National and State level surveys capturing what worked? What would you change? What improvements would you make? What challenges did you face? How did you overcome them?
  7. Final Report, including receipts, unused funds and any post-project action plan, must be submitted to SOME no more than fifteen(15)days after the event or activities conclude.
  1. Proposal Review Criteria
  1. All sections of Pages 5-11 complete
  2. Merits/quality of proposed project
  3. Concise, clear and straightforward answers to the proposal questions
  4. Written sections show attention to spelling, grammar and punctuation
  5. Strong evidence that youth have been involved in developing the proposal
  6. A clearly-defined, appropriate budget
  7. A definite project timeline
  1. Notification
  1. Allow a minimum of 5-7 days after November 6th for review of your proposal
  2. If accepted, further instructions will be provided
  3. Awards will range from $1-$3,000 based on project.

Keep pages 1-4 for you records.

Return pages 5-11; they are your application

Project UNIFY School Project Funding Application

September 1, 2015 – Mary 31, 2016

Cover Page

Project Name:

Project Location (City):

School Information

Name:

Number of Students in School:

Address:

City:

Zip Code:

School Administrator

Name:

Position/title:

E-mail:

Wok Phone:

Project UNIFY School Liaison:

Name:

Position/title:

E-mail:

Wok Phone:

Project Leader:

Name:

Position/title:

E-mail:

Telephone Number: Cell Number:

______Student ______Teacher______College/University Undergraduate student

Please e-mail completed proposal to:

Ian Frank

Special Olympics Maine

Proposal Questions

Please type directly into this form; limit responses to maximum number of words listed after each item. Use additional paper if needed for responses.

Inclusive Sports opportunities (check off all that apply, encouraged to check a min of 1)

__Unified Sports through Special Olympics Maine. List sports:

__Unified Basketball through Maine Principals Association

__Unified Sports Physical Education class

__Other:

Please describe your school’s Inclusive Sports plan. Include the Who, What, Where, When, Why and How of your schools Inclusive Sports plan (300 words)

Who will support you in the development and execution of the Inclusive Sports opportunities? (200 words)

How will you promote your Inclusive Sports opportunities to your students and faculty? (100 words)

Inclusive Youth Leadership & Advocacy (check off all that apply, encouraged to check a min of 1):

__Youth Activation Council

__Attend SOME Youth Summit

__Partners Club

__Best Buddies

__Student Council, Civil Rights Team, National Honor Society

__Other:

Please describe your school’s Inclusive Youth Leadership & Advocacy plan. Include the Who, What, Where, When, Why and How of your schools Youth Leadership & Advocacy plan (300 words)

Who will support you in the development and execution of the Inclusive Youth Leadership & Advocacy plan? (200 words)

How will you promote your Inclusive Youth Leadership & Advocacy plan to your students and faculty? (100 words)

Whole School Engagement (check off all that apply, encouraged to check a min of 1):

__Respect Campaign

__R-word Campaign

__Fans in the Stands

__Host Unified Sports event

__Other:

Please describe your school’s Whole School Engagement plan. Include the Who, What, Where, When, Why and How of your schools Youth Leadership & Advocacy plan (300 words)

Who will support you in the development and execution of the Whole School Engagement plan? (200 words)

How will you promote your Whole School Engagement plan to your students and faculty? (100 words)

Project UNIFY - Putting it all together

Which core belief(s) of Project UNIFY is (are) the focus of your project and why? (200 words)

Who will participate in and be impacted by Project UNIFY? (100 words)

Describe how you will documentProject UNIFY from beginning to end. Will you use photos, video, develop PSAs, utilize the web or any social media etc.? (100 words)

What leadership role(s) will students assume through Project UNIFY? How will leadership be shared among students with and without intellectual disabilities? (200 words)

List a minimum of three expected goals and three outcomes for your school’s Project UNIFY involvement. (200 words)

Goal1

Outcome 1:

Goal 2:

Outcome 2:

Goal 3:

Outcome 3:

Budget: Type directly into fields below

Budget Item / Purpose / Vendor / Unit Cost / Shipping / Quantity / Total Cost
Equipment / $
Facility Rental / $
Fees / $
Postage & Shipping / $
Printing / $
Provisions / $
Supplies / $
Transportation / $
Other / $
$
Total cost of Project / $

Example of Budget Lin Items:

  1. Equipment: Unified Sports equipment or uniforms
  2. Facility Rental: Are there facility fees where you plan to host an event (gym, rec center, park etc.)?
  3. Fees: guest speakers, admission to a venue (tickets), booth or display space at a conference or fair
  4. Printing: fliers, banner, invitations, posters, newsletters
  5. Provisions: Food & beverages you may need to provide for participants on the day of you project, miscellaneous or unexpected expenses that do not fit into another category
  6. Supplies: Paper, markers, poster board, meeting materials, t-shirts, R-word merchandise
  7. Transportation – Travel or transportation for Project UNIFY events/competitions
  8. Other – What else will you need to complete your project that isn’t listed above?

Will your school, district or district foundation donate money or materials to your project? Please describe.

Describe any community, parent or local business support of the project. Include signed statements or letters of support from each.

Project Timeline

Provide a step-by-step timeline of your project. For each step, include whowill be responsible and a deadline. Your final step should be submission of your final report, including receipts, to SOME.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8

9.

10.

Signature Page

By signing this application, I acknowledge that I

  1. Participate in the development of this proposal, and
  2. Accept responsibility for the accuracy of this information, and
  3. Will participate fully in the implementation of this project, including final reporting

Project Owners (Students, Other staff):

  1. Print Name & Title:

Signature:

Date:

  1. Print Name & Title:

Signature:

Date:

  1. Print Name & Title:

Signature:

Date:

  1. Print Name & Title:

Signature:

Date:

Approval (Supporting Administrator):

Print Name & Title:

Signature:

Date:

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