School Safety Funding Opportunities

5 Things to Look for When Applying for Grants

Seeking out school safety funding can seem overwhelming. With thousands of grants available, it can be difficult to discern which opportunities are the best fit. Narrowing your search based on these five features can help you find and apply for grants that have the most potential to achieve the safety and well-being goals of your school and community.

Eligibility

Eligibility requirements are listed in every grant solicitation. Always look at eligibility requirements before looking at other application requirements, to ensure you do not spend time on a solicitation for which your school or district is ineligible. Common eligibility categories include school or districts such as: government, education, nonprofit, and for-profit.

Award Dollar Amount

When reviewing a solicitation, make note of the anticipated award dollar amount. If you are looking to get an entire project grant-funded, ensure your project budget is within the scope of the award allocation.

For example, if your project has a proposed budget of $25,000 for new software or curriculum, grant solicitations for awards of $10,000 will not fund your entire project. However, you may be able to fund a portion of your project through these types of awards. Similarly, if your school or district only needs $25,000, solicitations with dollar amount of $500,000 will not consider your application. These funders are looking to implement large and comprehensive projects such as creating new programs or hiring new staff.

Number and Type of Awards

Many solicitations list the number of anticipated awards. This information can assist in your decision to move forward with the application process.  A key component of the evaluation process is determining how likely your project is to get awarded. Factors to consider include whether a grant is national or regional, competitive or formula, and how many awards are expected? For example, are there five or fifty?

Competitive/Discretionary grants are awarded based on school or district qualifications, project need, scope of the project, and alignment of your school or district/project’s mission and goals with the funder’s mission and goals. Examples of competitive/discretionary grants include STOP School Violence Program funding, School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) funding, and the Youth Violence Prevention Program.

Formula grants are most often funded by the state or federal government. These grants are pre-determined based on formulas which may consider population, poverty rates, infrastructure needs, etc. in pre-determined areas, such as counties or cities. Awards are given to local/state agencies to disburse through their own channels. School Support and Accountability (Title) funding and ESSER funding are examples of formula grants.

Deadlines

Applying for a grant can be an arduous process. Many times, grants require more documentation gathering than narrative writing. This can be time-consuming. It is important to evaluate and consider the resources you have available to complete an application and its requirements.

Most grants are published 30-60 days before the deadline. Depending on the size of the grant, you may need to consider recruiting additional resources to help with the application process to ensure timely submission.

Large grants, such as state and federal grants, publish their solicitations annually, with minor variations, so your school or district can prepare for the next cycle in advance.

Smaller grants, such as foundation grants, may publish their grants on a rolling, semi-annual, or quarterly basis.

Solicitation Requirements

Grant solicitation requirements differ depending on the grant-making agency, the type of grant, and the dollar amount awarded. Before you begin your grant-seeking process, know what you are applying for; have a detailed plan, budget, and timeline for the project. Plans and/or budgets need to be in place prior to application submission and budgets need to be accurate because funders award the exact dollar amount provided in the application.

Ensure that your school or district can complete the requirements of the solicitation. If you are unable to fulfill all the grant requirements the grant may not be the best fit.

Navigate360 Can Help You Maximize School Safety Funding

Navigate360 offers comprehensive school safety solutions that empower schools to maximize the impact of grants. With our expertise in school safety and security, we provide a range of integrated solutions designed to address the multifaceted challenges faced by educational institutions.

By partnering with Navigate360, schools can leverage our knowledge and experience to identify the most effective strategies and programs eligible for school safety funding. From threat assessment and prevention training to crisis response systems and safety technology, Navigate360 equips schools with the tools and resources needed to enhance student safety and success. By aligning our solutions with the goals and requirements outlined by the grant, Navigate360 helps schools optimize the utilization of grant funds, ensuring that every dollar invested contributes to creating a safer and more supportive learning environment.

To learn more, speak to one of our safety specialists today.