CUE

Classroom Technology Grants

By Paul Haas and Brian Bridges

Are you looking for funds to expand technology use in your classroom? While state, federal, and district budgets continue to be stretched thin, teachers and schools can still take advantage of a variety of grant resources to fund classroom projects.


Te@ch Award Program

One excellent grant source is Best Buy’s annual “Te@ch Award Program” which began in July and concludes September 30th,, so take a look at the Web site and make your plans for submitting a proposal next year. 1200 classrooms will receive individual $2,500 grants to continue technology activities already in place. All K-12 public, private, charter, and parochial schools may participate if they are within 50 miles of a Best Buy store.

The Te@ch Award Program recognizes classrooms that use interactive technology that make learning fun and is limited to programs that have been in place for at least one year. Best Buy defines “interactive” as activities where students actively engage with or create products using technology.  

To increase your chances of being funded, the application reviewers look for stories reporting that students are using and enjoying technology, that student interest has increased, that the current program has potential for expansion, and that school, parents, or community are committed to the program.

The online application process consists of four questions, each limited to a one-page response. For more information about the Te@ach Award Program, link to: http://www.bestbuy.com/teach. Check out their Frequently Asked Questions, as well, to help you get started.

Competitive Enhancing Education Through Technology Grant

Another funding source for district, school, and classroom technology projects is Title II, Part D of the No Child Left Behind act, also known as Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT).  While half of each state’s EETT funds are awarded automatically to districts based on their Title One populations, the other half must be awarded on a competitive basis. The good news is that your district may already qualify to submit an application to receive these funds.

The fourth round of the Competitive Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT-C) will open in October and will provide eligible schools with funds totaling $300 per student. The application process, which is extensive, is best completed by district teams consisting of classroom teachers, administrators, technology specialists, and curriculum experts. If your school qualifies for funding, participating in the grant writing process will not only provide you an opportunity to shape the grant’s activities, but it will also help build your grant writing skills.

To find out if your school qualifies, check out the EETT-C eligibility list which will be posted to the CDE’s web site: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/et/ft/.

Your local CTAP region is an excellent source of EETT information, grant training, and grant grooming. To find your local region, connect to: http://www.ctap.k12.ca.us.

For complete information, contact your local regional office through the CTAP web site www.ctap.k12.ca.us. Paul Haas is chairperson of the State Coordinating Council and director of CTAP Region 2. Brian Bridges is program manager for CTAP Region 6.