GRANT GUIDELINES

WHO CAN APPLY

Students, teachers, administrators and community members for projects that sustain excellence in education at Mount Everett Regional High School.

GRANT INFORMATION

Janet Thieriot was a student in the Southern Berkshire Regional School District who pushed beyond the boundaries of the standard curriculum. She died of cancer in 1989 and her father, Bob Thieriot, established Janet’s Fund to honor and perpetuate her spirit. The goal of Janet’s Fund is to reach each and every student in the district, giving them an opportunity to dream, to pursue that dream, and to realize it.

Janet’s Fund provides financial resources and goodwill to support creative activities for Mount Everett students. Grants from the fund will enhance and support Mount Everett’s capacity to be a school of excellence and a school that has the capacity to reach those with superior talents, as well as those who are challenged physically, emotionally or mentally. Grants will also help Mount Everett meet the geographic challenges of being one of the largest districts in the Commonwealth, spread across a large, rural landscape.

Janet’s Fund supports initiatives that encourage the school community to stretch, to reach beyond existing programs, and, over time, to enrich the experience of all students. Janet’s Fund supports programs that serve a broad section of the school community, as well as programs that benefit an individual student of exceptional promise. The fund encourages student-initiated projects.

ELIGIBILITY

• Applicants may be students, teachers, administrators, staff, parents or members of the community. Applicants who are not students or employees of the school district must have their applications signed off by a Mount Everett principal or superintendent.
• Proposals must augment and enrich the educational experience of students in the school and should not be part of core curriculum.
• Preference is given to proposals that request funds for the direct costs of initiatives rather than staff salaries.
• Preference is given to proposals that provide matching funds through in-kind, volunteer or cash donations.
• Preference is given to projects that will serve as a catalyst to broader educational opportunities and are likely to have a lasting connection with other school offerings.

Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation does not support organizations which in their constitution, by-laws, or practice, discriminate against a person or group on the basis of age, race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation or religious belief.

AWARDS

Grants awarded will generally range from $250 to $5,000. Because the fund expects many worthy projects to be competing for limited funding, it asks that all applicants make a special effort to ask only for that amount actually required and to be diligent in searching for matching funds through in-kind or other cash donations.

REVIEW CRITERIA

Applications will be reviewed using the following criteria:

• Excellence: Is the project or service truly of a high quality? Is it the right time for the project? Does it involve qualified individuals/groups?
• Impact: What is the potential impact of the project or service on the community? This does not mean the number of people involved, but rather the quality of the impact.
• Connection: What is the existing or future connection to other district offerings?
• Ability: Is the project well thought-out and feasible?

Applications will be reviewed by a committee of representatives. Members of this committee include SBRSD residents who are active in community affairs, as well as the Superintendent of Schools, faculty members and students. The Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation Board of Directors will review committee recommendations.

Commitment/Report Requirements
A grant report must be submitted and filled out completely by the date indicated in the grant notification email. If the report is not submitted by the indicated time, you will not be considered for future funding.

In addition, grant recipients may be asked to make in-person presentations at year end. Grant recipients are required to write a narrative grant report, demonstrating what was achieved with the grant funds. The report must be submitted online, where grant recipient originally applied for the grant.

OTHER GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

• The Eagle Fund provides funding to sustain excellence in education in the Southern Berkshire Regional School District.
• The Clayton Chrisman Memorial Fund supports projects related to environmental studies for students enrolled in the 11th or 12th grade at Mount Everett Regional High School.