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Request for Proposals: 2023 Ed-Prize Grant Opportunity
Applications for the 2023 Ed-Prize Grant have closed.
As one of SPN’s signature programs, the annual Ed-Prize awards acknowledge innovative, forward-thinking project ideas from pioneering educational non-profit organizations whose missions and objectives are well aligned with SPN’s vision of promoting decentralized, entrepreneurial solutions to today’s social and economic problems.
Purpose: Ed-Prize is a grant program that inspires and accelerates new solutions to improve education outcomes across the country. State Policy Network, thanks to the generous support of the Stand Together Trust, seeks to invest in ambitious, innovative projects—ones that advance flexible learning models, drive accountability through transparency, empower education entrepreneurs, and improve performance in K-12 education programs and finances.
Eligibility: This highly competitive grant program is open to all non-profit members of the education community. Organizations must have a 501(c)(3) designation to apply for funding. A limited number of projects will be selected to receive a grant award. Amounts will range from $20,000 to $75,000.
Proposal Guidelines and Award Criteria: SPN seeks proposals that fit within two primary areas of focus: policy development and civil society.
Civil Society
Implement solutions that directly improve student outcomes:
- Create non-traditional education options or alternatives
- Create innovative educational programming and/or curriculum designed for public, charter, or private school
- Encourage a diversity of educational philosophies and approaches
- Enhance teacher creativity and autonomy
- Empower parents to take a greater role in their children’s education
- Reimagine standard teaching and learning practices
- Focus on individualized, student-centered learning
- Embrace decentralized, bottom-up approaches to K-12 education
- Leverage technology to improve learning
- Focus on expanding access to supplemental and/or enrichment educational services
SPN will not accept or consider applications for school choice initiatives unless they offer novel, transformational approaches to school choice. Our intent is for Ed-Prize to inspire pioneering K-12 education solutions that enable individual learners to reach their full human potential.
Policy Development
Create public policy solutions to:
- Increase education quality and access to traditionally underserved populations, including both urban and rural students
- Elevate a wide variety of educational assessment tools and methods
- Increase transparency in education to re-empower parents
- Enable teachers to have more freedom and flexibility
- Remove barriers to education innovation and experimentation
- Expand the supply of various education options
- Tackle student transportation challenges and related issues
- Invest in education entrepreneurship
- Unbundle education to provide for greater education customization
Application Process
The application deadline has passed. Applicants will be notified of their status by April 15, 2023. Applicants invited to the second round must submit their applications by May 12.
Proposals should be submitted through the application form below. Hard copies or proposals submitted via email will not be accepted.
Following a first round review, SPN will invite a select number of applicants to submit a more detailed application. Applicants will be notified of their status by April 8th, and the invited, detailed application will be due on May 5th.
Second round applications will go through a rigorous vetting process consisting of multiple judging sessions, and applicants will be notified of their status by late June 2023.
As part of the application project, you will be asked to provide:
- Organizational information, including confirmation that your organization is a recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit.
- An explanation of why you are applying for Ed-Prize.
Invited, full applications will require:
- An executive summary (100 words or less) of your project
- Project outline and budget, including goals and projected impact, and how requested funds will be used over the following year
- A one-minute video of team members explaining why your organization is applying for Ed-Prize
- Documentation to confirm your organization’s 501(c)(3) status
Application Contact
Please contact Jennifer Thompson with any additional questions at jthompson@spn.org.
About Our Sponsor
The Stand Together Trust invests in changemakers who are transforming education to meet the unique needs of every learner.