Westford Education Foundation

PLEASE RETURN COMPLETED PACKAGE TO

WESTFORD EDUCTION FOUNDATION
P.O. BOX 535
WESTFORD, MA 01886
BACKGROUND

The Westford Education Foundation (WEF), is a non-profit community organization that promotes innovative educational initiatives and champions life-long learning. We do this by building a wide community of support, fostering ideas, channeling resources, and funding exceptional learning programs.

WHAT DO WEF GRANTS SUPPORT?

WEF grants

• Encourage and support innovative projects in teaching and learning that are beyond the scope of the approved school budget;

• Promote innovation and creativity on the part of teachers, students, parents and other community members by granting funds for new endeavors consistent with the Westford Public Schools and/or Nashoba Valley Technical High School curriculum;

• Impact a significant number of students and have a lasting benefit to the Westford community;

• Encourage collaboration among teachers, administrators, parents and community groups to enrich education.

WHO MAY APPLY FOR A WEF GRANT?

WEF invites all Westford Public School and/or Nashoba Valley Technical High School faculty and administrators to apply for a grant to fund professional development initiatives during the summer months. The Professional Development Grants were created to support teachers as they take the initiative to expand their content knowledge, acquire new skills, seek out intellectual renewal, and bring innovative and new ideas into the classroom.

GRANT POLICIES

Funds granted may be used to pay costs associated with attending a one-day or multi-day workshop, course, institute or special program. Costs may include tuition and materials. WEF will not fund proposals that are more appropriately funded by the school budget, e.g. course work for degree candidates, national board certification, re-certification, self-directed programs, travel related expenses, retroactive, or stipends for staff.

GRANT CRITERIA

WEF’s Grant Committee will review all proposals. In making its decision the Committee will use the following criteria:

• The applicant must be a teacher or administrator who works directly with the children

• The proposed initiative must bring innovative ideas back into the classroom

• The application must describe in detail the professional development initiative, statement of goals and objectives, and a detailed budget

EVALUATION OF GRANTS FUNDED AND PUBLICITY

Grant recipients must agree to account for and write a brief evaluation of the project at its conclusion. Also, grant recipients must attend the awards ceremony and assist WEF in publicizing their projects to other Westford Public School and/or Nashoba Valley Technical High School faculty, administrators, parents, students and the community through various press publications. When issuing oral and written statements and/ or press releases and when presenting the result of any grant, grant recipients must include the following statement

“THIS PROJECT IS MADE POSSIBLE (IN WHOLE OR PART) BY A GRANT FROM THE WESTFORD EDUCATION FOUNDATION”