[0:02] When it comes to finding funding for your physical education program, where do you even begin? One place to start is with grant writing.
[0:29] Today I want to share with you some tips on how to find funding for your physical education program. There are three main areas of focus I find myself formulating around when it comes to finding funding.
Tip #1: Schedule Time to Search for Physical Education Grants
[0:41] The first one is I need to take time to look so I need to schedule time to sit down and read and I do this by giving myself permission to have a cup of coffee early in the morning. For others, it might be late at night or once a month during prep time. The important part is that I schedule the time and I purposely choose to look. This process is made easier by the fact that I participate in my profession as a SHAPE America member at the national and the state level. These entities, they have great newsletters and blogs, all linked to grant list ideas and initiatives that you can take part in that provide members benefits, such as special grants or discounts from vendors.
[1:26] So I have all these that are coming into my inbox, and I might put them in a save for later reading folder. I might put that on my reminder list or my to do list, but the bottom line is as I have some key go to newsletters and blogs and websites that I like to browse and I schedule time to do this.
Tip #2: Look for Opportunities Beyond Physical Education
[1:46] Secondly, I don’t just limit myself to looking in the health and physical education profession only grants. I know that there’s more out there. There’s great grants out there for professional development and technology and all these encompass what I do as a health and physical education teacher. I’m also looking at local Healthcare Foundations through insurance carriers or regional hospitals. I’m looking at my state department of education websites, and I’m also asking around with my administrators and my district level professionals in case that they’ve come across anything that they think may apply.
Tip #3: Develop a PE Grant Tracking Sheet
[2:22] Lastly, how do you track all this? We all wear many hats and have a lot of things going on. So it does take a bit of organization. For myself, I like to put reminders on my calendar, not only just for taking the time to remind myself to read and look for grants, but also the deadlines of the grants if I have chosen to go after any specific ones. If you want to get a bit more advanced in your tracking, especially when it comes to tracking multiple grants that you have found, I recommend starting a google sheet or excel spreadsheet as a grant tracker. On this sheet you can have the status of the grant, whether you’ve applied, it’s in progress, it’s completed, or you want to apply again. A link to the grant, the grant name, the amount of the grant award itself, and then the deadline and any other notes or action items from there. This just gives you a great overview of the grant itself and then can help set you up for success from there.
[3:18] So those are some quick tips on finding funding for your physical education program through grant writing. I wish you the best of luck in your search journey and I encourage everyone to go for those grants. Thanks for listening and thanks for teaching.
Related resources for finding PE grants:
– Tips for Finding Physical Education Grants by Chad Triolet
– The 3 Phases of Grant Writing [Interactive] by Jessica Shawley
– Physical Education Grant Opportunities by Shannon Parengkuan
