18 Jan You made resources available to students and teachers!
From multilingual books and mental health supports to science materials and art curriculum – your support makes an incredible range of resources available for students and educators across the district. It would not be possible without donors like you. Thank you!
This has been a challenging year, and this [funding] means so much to our whole school community. Thank you for supporting students and staff at Timbercrest Middle School. We appreciate Northshore Schools Foundation donors so incredibly much! Thank you for making an impact!” – Ashley Lovern, HC ELA, School Success, & Leadership Teacher
Today, we’re reporting back to tell you about the grants that community contributions made possible across the district during 2021.
48 classroom grants were funded at 21 Northshore schools A significant increase from 21 grants in 2020
As we described in our 2020-21 fiscal year impact report, the usual grant cycle had been temporarily interrupted by the pandemic as we pivoted to respond to urgent needs. Now, the regular schedule has resumed and grant requests have been steadily streaming in!
These 48 grants meet needs specifically described by educators which could not otherwise be funded, and they are diverse as the 23,000 students who attend Northshore Schools.
Just a few examples include:
- books for multilingual students in home and heritage languages at Canyon Park Middle School
- craft and other “maker” books for the Woodmoor Elementary library
- in-ear translators for English language learners at Moorlands elementary
- a medication cart at North Creek High School
- sensory support kits for anxious learners at Maywood Hills Elementary
- chemistry lab materials for Bothell High School
Grant applications are reviewed six times a year. The next application deadline is February 28th.
Allowing all students to access reading materials in heritage languages, even if they are not actively in the multilingual program, supports a balanced dual literacy that will be an asset throughout their lives. We are so grateful for this opportunity. My multilingual students are ecstatic and joyous!”
Kimberly Janos and Nancy Dodson, Canyon Park Middle School
37 Northshore Gives projects were directly crowd-funded
A significant increase from 19 funded projects in 2020
In addition to the regular grant application process, educators always have the option of using the Northshore Gives platform. This allows the community to respond directly to crowdfund needs. Projects are still screened as usual to be sure they adhere to district standards. (The Foundation contributed to six of these 37 projects to get them fully funded.)
To see current requests, visit the Northshore Gives page.
Funds were granted with district-wide reach, too
Funds were allocated for the third (and final) year of the district-wide Art Docent curriculum refresh. The Art Docent program is a much-loved staple in our Northshore community. Now, this curriculum has been updated and upgraded.
If you’re not familiar with the Art Docent program, here’s some background for you – check out this video on our YouTube channel:
The whole district also received access to digital magazines, through SORA app subscriptions, and additional titles were purchased for world language libraries.
I want to be sure you know that these grants are only available because of generous donors who make these things a reality. And Northshore educators around the district are deeply grateful to be able to offer resources that make a huge difference to their students.
As we evaluate grant applications in August, October, December, February, April, and June, we assess the available budget and fund as many as possible. Sometimes, requests are partially funded or unfunded. At times, an application can be considered again in the next review cycle.
Grants are funded from contributions to the annual fall campaign. This fall, anticipating a higher number of applications, we set a fundraising goal of $150,000. While we didn’t meet that number, we are grateful to have received more than $91,000 from this generous community. We will do our utmost to steward those funds for maximum impact. And of course, we appreciate donations at any time to keep replenishing the budget.
If you have any questions about the grant process, or about specific grants made at your school, please reach out to your school’s Ambassador or email us here at the Foundation office at kim@nsdfoundation.org
