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Guidelines

The Nellie Mae Education Foundation will be making new grants in 2010. If you would like to be notified when funding becomes available, please register here.
 
District Level Systems Change
 
A Three-Pronged Approach to Achieving Student Centered Education
In 2010, this initiative will provide long-term support to a small number of select communities that are ready to undertake a complex student centered strategy that will change the education system through the interplay of models of schooling, policy and community demand.  By the end of 2010, districts will be selected to receive 12-15 month DLSC planning grants of up to $200,000. The Foundation anticipates that eventually, four to six communities will ultimately be selected for long-term implementation investments (six or more years) of $800,000 - $1,500,000 per year, as indicated.
 
The remaining timeline for the planning grant selection process is as follows:
  • Mid-June – Follow-up Request for Proposals (RFP)sent to applicants selected to continue in process
  • Mid-August – Proposals due
  • September/October – Site visits
  • November – Planning Grant recipients selected

(As with all projected funding opportunities, the timeline and details are subject to change.) 
 
Opportunity Fund
Given the limited reach of the long-term, three-pronged DLSC Initiative, an Opportunity Fund will give additional stakeholders a chance to access resources to support their student-centered learning efforts and inform the Foundation’s system change efforts.  Organizations and schools from across the New England region will have the opportunity to request support for work that tests or expands any one of the DLSC components (models, policy, and community demand). These strategies do not necessarily need to be dependent on a single community’s consensus or vision. We anticipate that these will be short-term (one to three year) grants of up to $75,000 per year. The Foundation was open to receiving proposals until June 8, 2010. Decisions are anticipated in late July.
 
Projected 2010 Funding Opportunities
 
 
State Level Systems Change
In 2010, we will seek to partner with like-minded governments, funders, and non-profit organizations through financial investments, sharing of policy ideas, and support of policy recommendations that support student-centered learning at scale across our New England region. Our investments will support policy work at the state, regional, and federal levels that support student-centered learning opportunities inside of our DLSC initiative and across the region. We see assessments and standards, high school graduation requirements, accountability, human capital, and funding as high-leverage policy levers. We will support convening's of experts, policy makers and practitioners, policy research and development. For more information on possible opportunities within this initiative, please email our Director of Policy, Charlie Toulmin, at ctoulmin@nmefdn.org
 
 
Public Understanding
The application process for the Foundation’s Learning for the 21st Century Video Challenge closed on May 14th, 2010. Selected videos will be posted on NMEF’s YouTube channel and will be promoted through a NMEF-issued press release.  A public announcement of the winning schools/organizations is anticipated by the end of July.   
 
Eligibility
Pursuant to its Articles of Organization, the Foundation operates exclusively for the benefit of, and to promote the charitable and educational purposes of, educational organizations, including universities, colleges, secondary schools, elementary schools, and other educational organizations that are described in IRC Section 501(c) (3) and that are not private foundations because they are described in IRC Section 509(a)(1) or (2). The Foundation's activities include making grants to the public charities it supports and providing services to those organizations. The Foundation supports only those programs/organizations that serve students in New England or research pertaining to education issues in New England.
 
The Foundation does not fund capital campaigns, endowments, scholarships or fellowships, debt reduction or cash reserves, building construction or renovation, and certain indirect costs.
 
Funding determination may be made in one of three ways:
  • A specific organization may be invited to apply for a grant within an agreed upon timeframe and the proposal is reviewed in a noncompetitive process.
  • A limited number of organizations may be invited to apply via a Request for Proposals (RFP) or Request for Applications (RFA) before a set deadline. The submitted proposals/applications would then be reviewed in a competitive process. All or a selection of the group would be funded.
  • Funding guidelines that outline the Foundation’s requirements, goals, and funding strategy and an open RFP or RFA are distributed by the Foundation or by an intermediary hired to manage a cluster of grants and to post on appropriate websites. Organizations determine their potential eligibility and whether they should submit a proposal or application before a set deadline. All submitted proposals/applications are reviewed in a competitive process. All or a selection of the group are funded based on the predetermined criteria.