OEF Grant Application FAQs
Who can apply for an OEF Grant?
All Olentangy District Staff may apply for an OEF Grant. Staff may apply individually, as a group, grade level, team, or school. Staff are more than welcome to work with other buildings and/or grade levels, departments, or teams. OEF would like to impact as many students and buildings as possible with educational opportunities.
Are there certain vendors I should use for price quotes?
All technology (hardware and software) quotes should be routed through the Olentangy Technology Department.
If you are making a bulk book purchase (10 or more books), please check with Barnes & Nobel or Bean Bag Books to obtain a quote. We are able to use other vendors for book purchases, but please refrain from using Amazon for bulk book purchases.
If I have been awarded a Grant in the past, may I still apply? How many grants can you apply for?
All Staff are welcome to apply for grants annually during the Grant Application period. There are no limits on how many times you can apply during a grant cycle, for example you can apply for an individual grant and also apply with a team, grade, school. If you are applying for a grant or grants, please make sure they are clear, concise and provide a unique/innovative/creative experience to the students.
May I apply for a grant that has been requested before?
You may apply for a grant that has been requested and/or granted before by OEF. If you apply for a grant that has been requested before, please specify why you think this grant would be beneficial to your students and why you feel that this is important/special/different to you or your group. We want to know why this would benefit a different group of students, you may use examples from the prior recipient, feel free to contact them to discuss as well. Please do not replicate applications.
With some grant requests, there may be times where it is appropriate to verify that there are not other funding sources that may be utilized (PTO funds, Booster organizations, Building Funds, etc.) OEF would like to make sure we are utilizing all opportunities and that OEF is able to provide funding when there are not other options, or other options can’t cover the full cost.
The application asks if you have attempted or secured other funding, why is this important?
OEF requires all staff to discuss their grant application with their supervisor. When discussing, staff may find that there may be opportunities within the building that may better serve their request, they may find that the program that they would like to utilize may not be an approved program, or they may find that their idea could be utilized by even more staff and students. We encourage this conversation to better develop your grant application.
Why does my supervisor need to sign off on my application?
Is there a dollar limit to what I can request?
There is not a limit on the grant request, but we ask that you be mindful of your request as we have many different staff applying. We understand that the more students and staff that the grant impacts, could lead to a larger financial request or that a new and different idea that is starting from scratch could also be large. Please make sure that you research all of your financial options, get the appropriate quotes and talk with your supervisors. It may be possible that OEF is only able to grant a portion of your grant.