Grants and External Funding
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The BPS Grants Management Process
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All grants applied to and received by the Boston Public Schools, including grants applied to by individual teachers, staff, schools, and programs, adhere to the 4-phase grant process outlined below.
Through these phases, the Office of Grants and External Funding works with grant applicants and program managers to provide constant support and training. This allows the Office of Grants and External Funding to assure that all programs are receiving support and that all grants best serve students while meeting compliance requirements.
Note: Management differs slightly for private grants housed in the Boston Educational Development Foundation (BEDF), though the Application Process remains the same. Please go through the Application Process and BPS will work with you to determine where the grant will be housed.
Phase 1: The Grant Application Process
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All grants applied to by BPS - including those applied to by individuals, schools, departments, or programs - must follow the grants application process. This process ensures that applicants have the necessary information to complete the proposal, that the proposal is aligned to district priorities, that competing proposals are not being submitted, and that the proposal is a strategic decision for the district as well as provides support to applicants.Please visit our Applying to Grants page for more information on how to apply for a grant at the Boston Public Schools.Once a grant has been submitted and the funder has granted the award, you will move into Phase 2.
Phase 2: School Committee Approval & Grant Setup
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Once a grant has been received and the funder issues an award letter, the grant moves onto the School Committee approval and Setup phase. Before any program implementation or spending may begin, the grant must obtain approval from the School Committee. Once a grant has School Committee Approval and an award letter from the funder, the grant is set up in BPS' financial systems.
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Obtaining School Committee Approval for a Grant
All grants awarded to the Boston Public Schools must first obtain approval by the School Committee before any dollars may be accepted into the district. Click for more information on the School Committee and how to obtain School Committee approval.
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Setting Up a Grant in BPS
Once an award letter has been issued from the funder and the School Committee has approved the grant, the grant is ready to be set up in BPS' financial system. A member of the Office of Grants and External Funding team will set up the grant according to the submitted budget and work with you to understand your funding and how to compliantly spend.
Phase 3. Program Implementation
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Once the awarded grant has been set up in the BAIS Financials system, the Program Manager may carry out the grant-funded program according to the funder-approved budget and narrative. The Office of Grants and External Funding provides assistance and support in grant program implementation. Please see below for some of the tools and resources for program implementation, or contact us with any questions.
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Amending Your Grant Program or Budget
Grant amendments, submitted to the funder, are necessary when there is a modification to the scope or the finances of the approved grant program or budget.
Amendments must be approved by the funder prior to being implemented. -
Tools and Resources for Managing your Grant
The Office of Grants and External Funding has many tools available to assist you in managing your grant. These tools and resources include: helpful how-to guidance documents for working with your budget, contact lists for key BPS staff, guidance for assuring compliance, key facts and figures, and detailed processes/procedures for every step of managing your grant.
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Get Connected: Sign up for our Newsletter
Sign up to receive our quarterly newsletter for important announcements, upcoming School Committee dates, changes to policies and practices, and tips for managing your grant.
Phase 4. Closeout and Reporting
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As the grant end date approaches, the Office of Grants and External Funding will work with you to determine if a final amendment is needed and the additional actions required in order to assure compliant spend-down by the grant end. There are a variety of actions that must occur after the grant has ended. Please see the below for more information on grant closeout and reporting.
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Grant Clean up in Preparation for Close Out
It is the responsibility of the Program Manager to clean up the grant in preparation for grant close out. The Office of Grants and External Funding will work with the Program Manager to assure that dollars have been compliantly and entirely spent down, that all purchases have been completed, and that necessary amendments have been submitted.
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Final Amendments
Most Federal and State grants require an amendment to be filed no later than 30 days prior to the end of the grant. Grant amendments are necessary when there is a modification to the scope or the finances of the approved grant program or budget.
The Office of Grants and External Funding will work with you to determine if an amendment is needed and to complete the amendment. -
Final Reports: Fiscal Reporting
All final fiscal reports will be completed and submitted by the BPS Accounting Coordinator. Please contact us for more information on final reports.
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Final Reports: Programmatic Reports
It is the responsibility of the grant Program Manager to complete and submit all programmatic reports. Please send the Office of Grants and External Funding a copy of the final programmatic report.
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Goal Outcome Reporting
At the conclusion of every grant, Program Managers are to report on the level of attainment of their goals. This information is used to inform the district of initiatives that are working, areas of progress, and level of attainment of greater categories of objectives.
Contact
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Charnae Garrett- ColesSr. Grants Manager617-635-9468Imani PennTitle 1 Coordinator617-635-9466