8th Grade Campus Visit Grants

Application due January 12, 2015

Before completing the application (found on page 3), please review the following details.

To help increase Nebraska’s college-going rate, EducationQuest is offering a competitive grant to schools with 8th grade students. The grant is to be used to fund college access activities, specifically college campus visits. Funds may be used for transportation, meals and substitute pay.

The standard grant amount is up to $500. If your school requests less than $500, you will receive the amount requested. If your school requires additional funds due to significant distance to the nearest college or because you serve a large number of students, contact EducationQuest to determine if you qualify for additional funding.

EducationQuest will notify applicants of their funding status by January 19, 2015. If selected, your school will receive grant funds within a few weeks. The source of this funding is the College Access Challenge Grant from the federal Department of Education. This requires that all expenses using grant funds be reported to EducationQuest and be accounted for with approved receipts.

What you need to know:

  1. In addition to the application, you must complete a budget report (see Appendix A) and submit it via email or fax to Carlene Fuss, Grants Coordinator. Your application is not complete until we have all budget details.

Allowable expenses:

  • Meals: up to $8/person maximum and you must show that it was a necessary expense during the visit. For example, if the visit is conducted in the morning and students can return to school by regular lunch time, no lunch will be reimbursed.
  • Transportation: gas/mileage reimbursement at the rate of $0.56/mile OR explanation of how your school calculates mileage.
  • Bus driver fees must detail the hourly wage and number of hours. In no case can the bus driver compensation exceed $15.00 per hour for standard time or $22.50 per hour for overtime.
  • Substitute pay: daily or hourly rate for your district not to exceed $150 per substitute teacher.

Refer to Procedures for Tracking 8th Grade Campus Visits Grant Expensesfor more information.

  1. Your 8th grade students must visit a Nebraska college or university.

Students may also visit a business that is on the way to the college that would provide information about careers and education required for such careers. This is an optional activity.The business must be within 30 miles of your approved campus visit location.

  1. Use EducationQuest’sKnowHow2GO Handbook as a guide for the college access activities below. Students will:
  • Explore careers that require a 2-year or 4-year college education.
  • This activity could be in conjunction with the college visit.
  • Learn that financial aid is available for college.
  • The EducationQuest College Funding Presentation will help adults who work with 8th, 9th, and 10th grade students understand options available to help pay for college. You’ll find presentations under “Resources” in the Professionals section at EducationQuest.org,
  • Understand the importance of scholarships and how to best position themselves to earn them.
  • The EducationQuest How to Earn Scholarships for College presentation is available in the Presentations section atEducationQuest.org.
  1. Report on the grant activities.
  • This includes the student survey, final program report, and budget report.
  • Your school will need to submit receipts for incurred expenses.

How to apply:

  1. Have your 8th grade students complete the Pre/Post survey (Appendix B) and then tally the results. This will provide a snapshot of your students’ perception about college and serve as baseline information for your school.
  1. Complete the online application. Information needed for the application can be found below. You can type your results in this document and then cutandpaste them into the online application.
  1. Complete the budget document (Appendix A) and email or fax it to Carlene Fuss, Grants Coordinator.

Email: mailto:

Fax: 402.479.6658

You will receive a confirmation email once the application and budget report are received.

Deadline: January 12, 2015

8th Grade Campus Visit Grant Application

Instructions:

For the first time, EducationQuest is providing an online application via SurveyMonkey. You must submit your application online.

You maywant to draft your application using the hard-copyapplicationbelow and then cut and paste the informationinto SurveyMonkey. Please note that SurveyMonkey will automatically close after a computer has been idle for 15 minutes.

You may access the application via this link: . It’s also available in the Professionals section at EducationQuest.orgunder “8th Grade Campus Visit Grants.”

Thisapplicationis due January 12, 2015.

Special instructions or tips are included in the application below and appear in red.

NOTE: you will receive an email confirmation from EducationQuest within 48 hours of submitting your application. If you do not receive a confirmation, contact Carlene Fuss to ensure your application was received.

If you have problems submitting this information or have questions, contact Carlene at 800.303.3745, extension 6906, or

EducationQuestFoundation

8thGrade Campus Visit Grants

2014-15 Application

Due:January 12, 2015

If desired, you may use this document to draft your application and then copy and paste the information into the online application at . You must submit your application via Survey Monkey.

School InformationContact Information

This section identifies the school and person submitting the application.This person should be able to answer all questions pertaining to the submitted application.

Contact Name:______

Title:______

School Name: ______

Street Address: ______

City, State, ZIP: ______

Phone:______

Email:______

Fax:______

College Visit Details

College(s) to visit:______

College campus contact(s): ______

Has your school conducted an 8th grade campus visit in the past? ☐YES ☐NO

Was the 8th grade campus visit funded by EducationQuest? ☐YES ☐NO

If either answer is yes, explain how you plan to enhance this program.

Does your plan include conducting a career visit at an area business (within 30 miles of the college you plan to visit)? ☐YES ☐NO

If yes, how will this activity enhance your school’s programming?

Demographics

Submit information as it was reported to the Nebraska Department of Education in October 2014.

_____Total number of 8th grade students in your school

_____Number of minority students in 8th grade

_____Number of students on free-or-reduced lunch in 8th grade

_____Number of students in the target audience you plan to serve

If a subset of the 8th grade class, please explain how you chose them:

The Need

Provide an overview of the school’s need for funding using the essay box.

In one or two paragraphs, describe the barriers your students face in regards to college access.

Needs Assessment Results

This survey should be given to student participants in the program at the beginning of the school year, prior to applying for the grant. Enter the number of students responding to each option.

Enter aggregate data only.

Total number of students completing the Needs Assessment: ______

  1. Total number of students who plan to attend college

_____Yes

_____No

_____Not Sure

1a. Totalnumber of students who plan to attend:

____2-Year

____Trade/Tech

____4-Year

____Not Sure

  1. Number of students who talk with their friends about college

_____Yes

_____No

_____Not Sure

  1. Number of students who talk with their parents/guardians about college

_____Yes

_____No

_____Not Sure

  1. Number of students who have an understanding of what college will cost

_____Yes

_____No

_____Not Sure

  1. Number of students who can identify ways to help pay for college

_____Yes

_____No

_____Not Sure

  1. Number of students whose family is saving money for college

_____Yes

_____No

_____Not Sure

  1. Number of students who are currently enrolled in classes that help prepare them for college

_____Yes

_____No

_____Not Sure

  1. Number of students who believe a college education will make them more successful

_____Yes

_____No

_____Not Sure

  1. Total number of students responding to what might impact their decision to attend college:

_____Friends

_____Career Interested

_____School Counselors

_____Interest in College

_____Money for College

_____Grades

_____Test Scores

_____Family Members other than parents

Application confirmation

Check the following box to confirm that the appropriate school leadership has reviewed the application, supports the purpose of the 8th Grade Campus Visit grant, and has agreed to comply with the report requirements.

☐By checking this box, I confirm that appropriate school official has reviewed and supports the 8th Grade Campus Visit Grant application and agrees to comply with the reporting requirements.

Appendix A

Budget

Receipts must be submitted for all expenses. See supporting documents for samples.

What are your anticipated expenses? Provide detail below:

Type of Expense / Rate / Per person/ mile/hour / Total
Cost / Additional Description
Transportation – vehicle mileage
Transportation – driver
Meal – lunch
Substitute Teacher
Total Cost of Activities