Back to School Grant Application

Back-to-School Grants

Important Dates:

Applications Open: April 14, 2025

Application Deadline: June 6, 2025

2025 Award Date: TBD

Questions about your application? Please contact Program Director, Lori Finke, at lfinke@spsmail.org

Grant Guidelines:

Read the following guidelines before applying.

Only certified employees of the Springfield Public Schools district may apply for a Back-to-School Grant.
Applicants need to think through and itemize the total budget needed to carry out the project they’re requesting funds to complete. This budget will be needed to answer some of the questions on the application.
There is no dollar limit on Back-to-School Grant applications. We will accept and review applications for any amount.
Grant recipients must follow SPS district purchasing guidelines. No exceptions. Guidelines for district purchasing can be found at this LINK, as well as contact information for the Purchasing Team.
Applications WILL NOT be accepted for stipends, salaries, the cost of substitute teachers, or capital improvements.
Once your application is complete, print a copy for your records and submit it. A confirmation message will be displayed once your application has been successfully submitted.

TIP: We recommend typing your answers in a Word document first, then copying & pasting them into the application for the following reasons: 1) If the form “times out” before you’ve finished, you will lose your answers when you attempt to submit. 2) The form must be completed in a single session, as the system does not save your responses for later. 3) Grant recipients often need to review their applications, and this ensures that all your information is already saved for easy access.

If your grant is for an outdoor classroom, garden project, or anything using the grounds outside, please make sure to get approval from the SPS Grounds Management Department before submitting the application. Email Brittany Taylor (brittanydtaylor@spsmail.org), Director of Custodial & Grounds, and cc: Andrew Hay (athay@spsmail.org), Assistant Director of Custodial & Grounds; or call them at 417-523-0468.
If your grant is for technology, it must be approved by the district’s Information Technology & Systems department and District Administration. Grant applications submitted for technology will not be accepted without IT approval. Please complete the IT Request Form for approval. If you have questions concerning IT or about approval, contact Bruce Douglas, Chief of IT, at bdouglas@spsmail.org or call him at 417-523-0156. If you have any issues with submitting the IT Request Form (from your SPS account), please contact the SPS IT Help Desk by phone at: 417-523-HELP or phone extension: 33333
We consider the classroom to be anywhere learning occurs, whether that be on a field trip, in the classroom, on the ball field, in the counseling center, library or nurses’ office.

Grant Categories:

Applications can be submitted for projects in any of the following categories.

Classroom Projects: Any project that supports needs in a classroom or school setting. This can also include support for athletic needs, extra-curricular needs and support for other student activities.
Literacy: Any project that supports literacy needs.
Student Attendance & Mental Health: Any project aimed at supporting student attendance and/or mental health education, programming, and awareness.
Student Behavior Supports: Any project aimed at supporting a positive classroom environment conducive to teaching and learning.
Access to Real-world Learning Opportunities: Any project aimed at reducing barriers and maximizing access to real-world educational opportunities.
Community & Family Engagement: Any project that promotes and supports family and/or community outreach to enhance the success of students.
Student Experience: Any project that includes field trip experiences aimed at increasing academic success of students.

Grant Criteria:

Grants to be awarded are selected based on how well the applicant addresses the following criteria in their application.

Need: How well does this grant meet the academic and/or social emotional needs (for mental health category) of students and/or schools? How does this project help eliminate barriers to student success?
Impact: Will it have a great impact on the students being served and how many students will it serve (take into consideration the longevity of use, potential for more years)?
District Goals: How well does this grant align with the SPS mission and the district strategic plan.
Well-written: Was this grant well-written, creative and well thought-out?
Sustainability: Is the project sustainable? If so, how will the project continue to operate after the grant funding is exhausted? What plans, if any, does the applicant have for ensuring long-term success and for securing future funding, if needed?