Partnership Supports West Central Minnesota Grants

The Rural Schools Collaborative is pleased to announce a partnership with Minnesota's West Central Initiative that will provide targeted funding for Grants in Place projects in west central Minnesota. The West Central Initiative (WCI) is a regional community foundation that serves nine counties in west central Minnesota: Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Otter Tail, Pope, Stevens, Traverse and Wilkin. WCI's mission is "serving to improve west central Minnesota through funding, programs and technical assistance."

The Rural Schools Collaborative’s Grants in Place program is a modest grant program that encourages rural school district teachers across the country to engage their students in place-based learning. Any rural public school classroom teacher in the United States may apply for a Grants in Place award. If you are uncertain on your status as "rural," please contact us with your questions! We hope to fund four to six projects in the WCI region.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Grants in Place applications should not exceed 250 words and will include the following information:

• Applicant name and contact information
• School district name
• Building administrator name and contact information
• Project Name
• Description of project
• Simple project budget
• Please tell us how the community will be involved in your project
• Are there matching funds for your project?

Applications should be submitted via this form, and are due by April 15, 2017 for projects taking place in the 2017-18 school year. Grant making decisions will be made as quickly as possible. Selected projects will receive funding in mid-August 2017 after verification of project intent and teacher coordination. Grant awards typically do not exceed $1,000.

PLEASE NOTE:

• If you are a South Dakota teacher, you can apply for a Growing Together Better grant, which is made possible by our partner, Dakota Resources. The application deadline for this particular program is May 5, 2017. You can apply here.