Guidelines for successful applications:

The Athol-Royalston Education Foundation, Inc. distributes mini-grants in the range of $250-$ 1,000 that are awarded to educators facilitating  innovative programs that:

• Involve collaboration between schools, families, and the community .

• Reflect the goals of the District or the School, as identified in its School Improvement Plan or curriculum frameworks.

• Serve the largest possible number of students . Involve enrichment or after-school activities which are outside the funding normally provided in the district budget .

• Improve the quality of education which our schools can offer our children.

• Consider the diversity and demographics of the communities

• Applications will be ranked according to these criteria, and the top-ranking programs will be funded first. The number of grants made will depend on the total amount of money the Foundation is able to raise. The Board of the Foundation has established a minimum of $5,000 in grants this year.

Also, please be aware:

The Foundation will not fund the following items:

A. Refreshments

B. Awards related to the completion of the project

C. Salaries for School District employees.

D. Items that would normally be part of the school budget.

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 If the grant application includes funding for reusable materials, those materials will become the property of the school, rather than the property of the applicant or the participant.

 

3. Award recipients will be responsible for notifying the Foundation of the exact date(s) of the funded program. They will also be required to submit publicity about the event to the Athol Daily News, giving credit to the Athol Royalston Education Foundation. A copy of the press release is to be sent to AREF. Please also send a photo directly to AREF to be used in its fundraising publicity. Recipients are also strongly encouraged to attend the annual meeting in April to make a very brief presentation about their grant and its effects.  Failure to do so may be taken into consideration in future grant awards.

 

4. Programs/activities to be considered must be carried out in partnership with the schools in the Athol-Royalston Regional School District.

 

5. All mini grant funds need to be expended by December 3l of the next school year.  For example, if an educator receives a grant in November of the 2017-18 school year, funds need to be spent by December 31, 2018.  Extentions are possible, but must be requested in writing before the spending deadline.