Ohio Collaborative for Educating Remotely and Transforming Schools

Request for Proposals
Ohio Collaborative for Educating Remotely and Transforming Schools

Ohio schools may apply for grants up to $125,000 to help improve remote learning practices and outcomes. Project proposals must demonstrate readiness for success and have a focus on equitably supporting learning, not just access. The deadline to apply is Friday, September 4, 2020. 

Click here to download the full RFP.

Purpose

The Ohio Collaborative for Educating Remotely and Transforming Education fund (OCER) will support schools in improving remote learning practices and outcomes, presenting a coordinated, strategic approach among schools, the State of Ohio, business, community partners and philanthropy. It will support project-focused work directly taking place in districts, networks and consortiums of schools working with external partners to implement effective remote learning to address immediate educational needs of students related to this crisis. Concurrently, it will support learning to inform long-term solutions to transform education. 

Background

The closure of schools due to COVID-19 highlighted the challenges many of our schools, teachers and students face in educating remotely, with equity issues especially evident. Funds will be awarded on a competitive basis across five regions: Central, North East, North West, South West, and South East. Educational needs are identified in Each Child, Our Future, Ohio’s five-year strategic plan for education, and span its four equal domains: Foundational Knowledge & Skills; Well Rounded Content; Leadership & Reasoning; and Social Emotional Learning. Each Child, Our Future, Ohio’s strategic plan for education, also identifies equity as its top priority. This public-private partnership complements a larger effort the Ohio Department of Education is undertaking (using CARES Act funds) to coordinate and boost remote education opportunities and reengineer education models in alignment with the goals outlined in Each Child, Our Future. Through RemotEDx – an exchange, network and suite of innovative field-initiated student learning and remote education examples and supports -- the Ohio Department of Education will support more students with high-quality, personalized remote education opportunities and educators with job-embedded professional learning. This Fund is a major component of the department’s efforts to expand remote education with CARES Act funds. 

Funding priorities

The priority is to support immediate and effective work that addresses inequitable circumstances related to delivering quality education remotely during the COVID-19 crisis. All funded projects will be evaluated and contribute to a body of work that will be analyzed and used to transform education to better address inequities and barriers to Ohio’s “whole child” vision for student success. Resources will first be directed to projects in communities where students are most adversely affected. Indicators include high numbers of:

• Minority students/students of color
• Low-income students
• Medically fragile students and those with low-incidence special needs
• Limited English language proficiency students
• Transient students
• Incarcerated youth
• Homeless students, foster care students, and students in residential treatment programs
• Other populations emerging with needs as the crisis unfolds 

Eligible applicants

Only public districts, community schools, networks, consortiums of schools and ESCs are eligible. Nonprofit/tax exempt organizations working to support the work in PK-12 schools should be included within proposals where they provide partnership rather than as applicants. All projects must be co-designed by a local team that includes administrators, teachers and partners, caregivers and students.  Applicants are strongly encouraged to partner as consortiums in their region and/or across regions to address similar contexts/needs, work together seamlessly to expand reach and impact, and help to leverage each other's strengths. 

Proposal requirements / Required Respondent Information

Project proposals must demonstrate readiness for success and have a focus on equitably supporting learning, not just access. A narrative section must describe the following:

Ensuring all students:

1. are able to access equitable learning experiences;
2. participate and effectively use materials, devices and platforms; and
3. are engaged in meaningful learning.

Additionally, the narrative should explain how the project work:

1. engages families, students, and teachers in all aspects from crafting to implementing
2. complements other partnerships and funding efforts
3. contributes to meeting the educational needs of all students beyond this crisis
4. addresses long-term needs that have been magnified, such as inequities, targeted supports, a whole child approach, learning for mastery, developing voice & agency, etc.

Lastly, applicants must include:

5. a budget detailing how funds will be used using a template provided in the application
6. pertinent demographics and data demonstrating need
7. project lead name and contact information 

Grant Awards

We expect to make a minimum of two grants in each region, with the typical grant awards anticipated to range from $50,000 to $125,000.

Timing

The deadline for proposals is midnight on September 4 with awards announced by September 30, 2020. 

Questions

A webinar Q & A is scheduled for August 12, 2020 at 1 p.m. to answer questions related to the RFP. Please email eanderson@philanthropyohio.org to obtain the call-in information. The session will be recorded and available online after this date. 

Submission

Submit proposals using the online portal at the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation https://www.mhjf.org/grantprograms