OVERVIEW
Not In Our Town (NIOT) a project of The Working Group, is a national movement that encourages community response to hate since 1995. NIOT has produced more than 80 films combining PBS broadcast, grassroots events, educational and online tools and activities to help communities battle hate and learn from each other. The purpose of the Not in Our School program is to help students take steps to create more tolerant, inclusive and respectful school communities. Please view our short film, “What is Not in Our School?” at NotInOurSchool.org/about. [1]
The NIOS Class Actions campaign is a network of schools and districts that are implementing NIOS initiatives on their campuses.
Would you like to carry out a Not in Our School: Class Actions campaign in your classroom or at your school? Find out about NIOS and what other schools have done [2].
This contest is closed for 2012. Read about the 2012 winners. [3]
Apply for a Teacher Mini-Grant to make your dream a reality!
- Open only to K-12 Educators
- Quick and easy reporting requirements
You can apply for one of the following:
- $600 grant to create a set of classroom lessons, or
- $3,000 grant to host a series of schoolwide events, or
- $3,000 grant for a major community event
Grant checks written directly to teachers. Recipients recognized on the NIOT.org Website. Deadline for applications is April 30, 2012.
Categories for Funding
Funding is available for Not in Our School projects that specifically address these areas:
- Bullying and cyberbullying prevention
- Integrating and welcoming immigrants into the school community
- Bridging differences of race, religion, and language
What constitutes a Not in Our School project? (View NIOS "Quick Start Guide [4]" for ideas)
Not in Our School is not a prescribed program, however to receive funding, projects need to include the following:
- Student-led and peer-to-peer action where students identify problems and come up with and implement solutions
- A message of inclusion and respect of students of all backgrounds, races, religions, and gender identities
- A clear message that says: NOT IN OUR SCHOOL
Teachers, before completing this application, please take special note of these criteria:
Teacher Mini-Grants Program Evaluation Criteria
When developing proposals, please address the following criteria, which the judges will use to review applications.
Purpose/Objectives of the Project:
Why is the grant needed? How will it affect students?
Program Description and Activities:
How do the project activities and project objectives relate to the mission of Not in Our Town and Not in Our School?
Program Evaluation:
Are the plans for evaluating the project specific, realistic and measurable?
Budget:
Is it relevant to the project, reasonable and sufficiently detailed?
Overall Assessment:
Does the project meet a special, specific need?
Is it a novel or creative approach to learning?
Will it engage the students and stimulate peer to peer learning?
Additional Guidelines
- Please also read through these procedures & considerations before starting your application:
- A signature is required from your school principal to ensure that appropriate administrative personnel are aware of your submission of the grant application.
- Project activities must take place and funds must be spent in Fall 2012 (August-December 2012). A final expense report will be required and grant evaluation will be required.
- The Not in Our School project reserves the right to publicize all grant programs.
- Funds cannot be allocated toward personal honorariums for the applicant.
- Proposals will not be funded for expansion and/or maintenance of previous grants.
- Each teacher may submit only one proposal; however, if a teacher is part of a team for one proposal, the teacher is not prohibited from submitting another proposal as part of a different team or on their own.
Please Note: We HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you compose the body of your grant application first in a document such as MS Word, before cutting and pasting it into the online application template. THE APPLICATION CANNOT BE SAVED while you are in the process of composing online, and applications have been lost in the past during this process and through technical-related interruptions, such as server disconnections.
If you need more information before you submit an application, please contact:
Becki Cohn-Vargas, Program Manager
Not in Our School
510-268-9675 ext. 305
grant [7]