The Jefferson Foundation
Salazar Literacy Initiative Funding Application

About the Salazar literacy Initiative: The Salazar Literacy Initiative is funded by the Salazar Family Foundation (www.salazarfamilyfoundation.org). In 2010 and 2011, the Salazar Family Foundation will work with The Jefferson Foundation to make $100,000 total in grants to address literacy in Jeffco Public Schools.

About the Salazar Family Foundation: Founded in 1999, the Salazar Family Foundation is located in Denver and its core mission is to encourage Denver-area students to achieve their education dreams. It has been a major contributor to The Denver Public Schools Foundation, The Jefferson Foundation, and Escuela de Guadalupe. In partnership with these quality organizations, The Salazar Family Foundation provides educational opportunities through scholarships, literacy programs and classroom grants.

Deadlines: The Jefferson Foundation’s Salazar Literacy Initiative deadlines are the last business day of March 2010 and 2011. Proposals must be postmarked AND emailed by this date to be considered for funding. Late proposals or proposals submitted without all of the required components will not be considered for funding. See the application for funding for specific submission instruction.

What the Salazar Literacy Initiative will fund: The Salazar Literacy Initiative will fund programs and projects that address an identified achievement gap in literacy, including both reading and writing. Funds may be used to purchase reading materials, to pay for teaching software or curricula, to pay for teacher or staff training, or for the development and marketing of long-term school- or community-based literacy projects.

What we do not fund: The Jefferson Foundation’s Salazar Literacy Initiative will not consider proposals requesting funds for any of the following:

• Programs or projects that do not address an identified achievement gap in literacy

• School fundraising events such as fun runs, bake sales, silent auctions, etc
• Travel (The Jefferson Foundation will consider proposals for conference registration, but not airfare, hotel, per diem, etc.)
• Religious education
• Grants to individuals
• Research
• The purchase of SmartBoards, laptops or other classroom hardware (literacy curricula software and electronic reading materials may be purchased with Salazar Literacy Initiative funds)

Grant size: Most grants from The Jefferson Foundation’s Salazar Literacy Initiative will range from $2,000 to $9,000. The Jefferson Foundation will award grants totaling $50,000 in both 2010 and 2011.

How we fund: The Jefferson Foundation’s Salazar Literacy Initiative will fund seed grants, challenge grants, or program or project support grants.

Restrictions: Organizations that have current general grant funding from The Jefferson Foundation are not eligible for funds from the Salazar Literacy Initiative. If your school or community organization has received a general grant from The Jefferson Foundation, you must wait until that grant period expires before applying for Salazar Literacy Initiative funding. Schools receiving Lights On After School program funds are eligible for Salazar Literacy Initiative funds regardless or Lights On After School grant timing. Only one Salazar Literacy Initiative grant will be made per school or community organization per year. All previously-funded organizations, including those that received general grant funds, must submit a completed grant report prior to applying for additional funding (see Application and Report Downloads to view and save the report form). Incomplete proposals or proposals submitted without all required attachments will not be considered for funding. Faxed proposals will not be considered for funding.

Grantmaking process: The Jefferson Foundation will acknowledge receipt of your proposal within 14 days of receipt. Staff conduct a technical review to ensure all required grant components are included and then pass all adequate proposals to The Jefferson Foundation's Salazar Literacy Initiative Committee. This volunteer committee of community members and representatives from the Salazar Family Foundation reviews all proposals and makes funding recommendations to The Jefferson Foundation’s Board of Directors. The Board of Directors approves all grants, including Salazar Literacy Initiative grants. Grant denials or notifications are sent to all applicants within eight weeks of the grant deadline. Schools and organizations awarded a grant must complete a Jefferson Foundation grant agreement before funds will be disbursed.

All other questions about Salazar Literacy Initiative grants should be directed to Katie Tiernan, Executive Director, at 303.982.2210 or via email at katietiernan@jeffersonfoundation.org.

Need help? Sign up for a workshop!

The Jefferson Foundation knows that teachers and community organization staff are busy, and completing a grant proposal can be a challenging task. Our applications have been modeled after the Colorado Common Grant Application (CGA) form (visit the nonprofit Community Resource Center at www.crcamerica.org to learn more about the CGA). We believe that upon completing an application for funding to The Jefferson Foundation, schools and organizations can use their finished proposal to submit requests to other funders, as well.

To learn about successful grantseeking, to get the details on The Jefferson Foundation’s Salazar Literacy Initiative guidelines, and to answer questions about specific programs and proposals, register for an upcoming Jefferson Foundation Salazar Literacy Initiative grantwriting seminar. Experienced grantwriter and Foundation Executive Director Katie Tiernan lead these small-group seminars prior to the Salazar Literacy Initiative annual deadline.

2010 Salazar Literacy Initiative Grants Workshops

All workshops are held at 809 Quail St., Bldg #1. Enter the building through The Jefferson Foundation doors facing the north parking lot.

Tuesday, March 2: 8:30 a.m.

Wednesday, March 3: 4:30 p.m.

Space is limited! RSVP to Cyndee Manaugh at cyndeemanaugh@jeffersonfoundation.org or call 303-982-2210 to reserve your spot early.

Click here to download the Funding Application. (MS Word doc)
Click here to download the Budget Template. (MS Word doc)