Grant Support and Review Request Form for External Agencies Writing Grants

MMSD's Strategic Framework Priority #3 is to develop and implement a strategy to align community partnerships to district goals and priorities with a focus on our areas of highest need: academic tutoring, out of school time opportunities, mental health, personalized student pathways, and early childhood. MMSD is pleased to support community-based organizations and agencies in seeking funding that aids in ensuring that these needs are met and that every student succeeds. We are happy to provide letters of support and to partner on grant applications if MMSD determines that the proposed project aligns with our priorities, practices, and capacities as well as complies with Board of Education policies if applicable.

To ensure that we have sufficient time to engage in planning conversations with you, review the proposed concept, share feedback, and process materials for review and approval by relevant departments, we have established a process and timeline for external agencies to request this support.

The first step in this process is for you to complete the Grant Support and Review Request Form for External Agencies Writing Grants. Submit the form early on in the grant development process, as soon as your agency begins thinking about applying for a particular grant. The grant narrative and associated materials don't need to be complete when you submit the form. In fact, the earlier information is shared, the better. Whenever possible, a three week lead time prior to the grant deadline is preferred.

The initial review involves assessing:

1. the proposed project's alignment with MMSD’s Strategic Framework
2. the content and scope of the proposed programming.

This may lead to a conversation(s) with an MMSD content area expert or other staff. We will collaborate with you to consider the content of proposed curricula, the implementation model, how these align with MMSD's current priorities and activities, the support that would be needed, and MMSD's capacity to provide needed support. If the project is a good fit and content area experts decide they'd like to move forward, they will reach out to invite schools to see if they are interested if applicable. Schools will need an understanding of what their participation entails in terms of staff time, space needs, etc..

The second area for consideration is evaluation and data collection. MMSD's Research and Program Evaluation Office will review the information provided about data collection on the Grant Support and Review Request Form and give guidance on next steps involving data collection, whether or not the project falls under MMSD's External Research Committee, data sharing, etc.

The third area for consideration is technical review prior to grant submission. This includes:

1. providing the budget for any funds that would come to MMSD for review by MMSD Finance to ensure accurate rates are used;
2. providing a draft letter of support not less than three weeks prior to the grant deadline when possible for review and processing;
3. communication with other departments relevant to the proposed program. Grant narratives may be requested for projects involving deep collaboration with schools or departments.

Grant narratives may be requested for projects involving deep collaboration with schools or departments.