Sustainable Jersey for Schools Small Grants Program Funded by the New Jersey Department of Health, Maternal and Child Health Services Title V Block Grant 2015 Application Information Package Announcement Date: Thursday, May 7, 2015 Application Due Date: Friday, June 26, 2015 Link to Application: On the Grants and Resources section of sustainablejerseyschools.com Questions All questions regarding the Small Grants Program should be directed to grants@sustainablejersey.com or 609-771-3427. Contents Contents... 1 A. Background... 2 B. Eligibility Requirements... 2 C. Use of Grant Funding... 3 D. Health and Wellness Grant Proposal... 3 E. Online Application Portal... 6 F. Selection Process... 6 G. Grant Awards and Additional Terms... 7 Additional Terms... 7 H. Grant Recipient Reporting Requirements... 7 I. Budget Template... 9 Attachment I Innovative Health and Wellness Action Options... 10 1
A. Background We are pleased to announce that the New Jersey Department of Health (NJ DOH) through its Maternal and Child Health Services Title V Block Grant is providing $120,000 for a cycle of the Sustainable Jersey Small Grants Program to fund health and wellness actions in schools. The Sustainable Jersey Small Grants Program is an important benefit for New Jersey public schools participating in the Sustainable Jersey for Schools program. This cycle will fund thirty $4,000 awards to implement specific health and wellness actions in schools serving students in Grade 6 or above. See Section B. Eligibility Requirements for more information on the types of actions that are eligible for funding and other requirements. ONLINE applications are due on Friday, June 26, 2015. Email submission of grant proposals will NOT be accepted. All applications must be submitted online using the link below: https://app.wizehive.com/appform/login/sjsnjdoh2015 Notification of grant awards will be made by Friday, August 21, 2015. B. Eligibility Requirements To be eligible to apply for a grant in this cycle the following requirements must be met: The applicant must be a New Jersey public school district or an individual school that serves students in Grade 6 or above. Please note that the school population need only include students in Grade 6 or above. Hence, a K-6 or K-8 district or school would be eligible to apply and the younger students may participate in the action. For example, students in all grades at a K-6 school could participate in a school garden project funded by this grant. The applicant must be registered with Sustainable Jersey for Schools program AND have appointed a Green Team that meets the Green Team Action Standard. Each Sustainable Jersey for Schools registered school district can submit one $4,000 grant proposal and each Sustainable Jersey for Schools registered school can submit one $4,000 grant proposal. Therefore, for each Sustainable Jersey for Schools registered school district, the district, as well as each registered school serving Grade 6 or above students, could submit a grant proposal. District proposals should address actions that would impact more than one school in the district. Proposals focused on implementation in only one school should be submitted by the specific school. School districts that were awarded a $10,000 grant from the prior PSEG funded cycle are not eligible to apply. However, individual schools in the district can apply for this grant. Schools awarded a $2,000 capacity building grant in the previous are eligible to apply for this grant. Applicants must agree to comply with the grant reporting requirements outlined in Section H of this document. 2
C. Use of Grant Funding Grant funds must be used to implement one of the following Sustainable Jersey for Schools actions. For more information on these actions click here and type in the action name in the Search Action box at the top of the page. Access to Healthy Water Asthma Friendly School Breakfast After the Bell Healthy Food Choices Policies to Promote Physical Activity Programs to Promote Physical Activity School Gardens School Wellness Council School Health Assessment Staff Wellness Program OR Implement one of the following actions (these efforts would also earn Sustainable Jersey for Schools points under the Innovative Project action). See Attachment 1 for more information on these actions. Social-Emotional Climate and Culture Survey COPE TEEN A Protocol for Students with a Chronic Health Condition Matching or in-kind contributions are encouraged, but not required. Eligible grant expenses include staff stipends, consultant or contractor service fees (for content expertise, marketing, and/or technology), equipment, programmatic or promotional items such as meeting supplies, incentives or awards; and, educational materials. Facilities and administrative (overhead) costs may NOT be charged to the grant. All funds must be fully expended, the health and wellness action completed, and a final report submitted by no later than June 17, 2016. See Section H in this document for more detail. D. Health and Wellness Grant Proposal The Sustainable Jersey for Schools Health and Wellness Grants are intended to help schools make progress toward Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification and, in the long term, a sustainable future. The grant application process is designed to be as simple and easy as possible. The grant performance period coincides with the 2015-2016 school year. Online grant applications are due by midnight on Friday June 26, 2015. Notification of grant awards will be made by Friday August 21, 2015. 3
Access the online application using the link below: https://app.wizehive.com/appform/login/sjsnjdoh2015 The following sections outline the information needed to complete the online application. Eligibility Inquiry The applicant must confirm the following: Its student population includes students in Grade 6 or above. It is registered in the Sustainable Jersey for School program It has established a Green Team in accordance with Sustainable Jersey program requirements 1. Applicant Information Applicant Name and Address (applicant can be a school district or individual school) NJ Department of Education School District Code NJ Depart of Education School Code (if project proposed is at a specific school) School District Employer Identification Number (EIN)- Please contact your school Business Administrator to obtain the district s Federal EIN number % of students on free or reduced lunch 2. Grant Proposal Health and Wellness Action: Select from drop down menu which of the eligible actions you plan to pursue. Project Name and Brief Description: Please provide a personalized name for the proposed project and a 2-3 sentence description of what you plan to accomplish with the grant. Action Plan and Timeline: List the specific steps of what you plan to do and by when. Consider the steps that are needed for planning, implementing and evaluating the health and wellness action. Identify the timeline for each step to ensure the action is accomplished by the end of the school year. Be sure to describe how students will be engaged with planning, implementing and/or evaluating the health and wellness action. Grant Funding Impact: Would this health and wellness action be implemented without these funds? Why or why not? Is the district or school leveraging funding or in-kind contributions from other sources to accomplish this action or in working to address school health in general? Impact of Action on School Community: How does this action augment existing efforts and/or how can it be a catalyst to advance health and wellness efforts in the district or at the school building level? What district and/or school resources can be utilized to sustain a commitment for improving school health? Budget Narrative: Describe how the grant funds will be spent. Eligible expenses include: staff stipends, consultant or contractor service fees (for content expertise, marketing, and/or technology), equipment, programmatic or promotional items such as meeting supplies, incentives or awards; and, educational materials. Evaluation: This grant does not require a rigorous or formal evaluation process. However, the district or school is expected to report on specific and/or measurable results or outcomes by answering these questions in grant reports. Please describe the results you expect to achieve including: 4
o Who will benefit from the completion of this action (school staff, students and/or family)? o How many school staff, students and/or family will be impacted by the effort? o What change should occur as a result of implementing the health and wellness action? For example, school healthy policy changes, increased knowledge, more positive attitudes, enhanced skills, changes in behavior, etc. 3. Application Contacts: Contact information including name, title or affiliation, email and phone numbers will be requested for the following people: o Primary Contact for Health and Wellness Grant application o District Superintendent o Principal (if the grant project will take place at one school) o Fiscal Contact o Contact o Health and Wellness Project Team Members Research shows that creating a team is an effective approach for organizing and strengthening efforts to improve school health. Depending on the action the project team could include many of the following: district/school administration and staff, students, the PTO/PTA, food service staff, parents and the community. Community members include individuals not paid by the school representing a hospital, local health department or other health or social service agency; youth-serving, civic or community-based organization, faith-based organization, voluntary health and/or professional organization or local businesses. When community members and their resources are engaged, the likelihood of sustaining school health activities is increased. 4. Required Attachments and Information: Authorization to Submit Grant Application: Please submit documentation that your district and/or school is authorized to apply for this grant in accordance with the district s policies and procedures. This can include a School Board Resolution supporting the application or a letter from the Superintendent, Business Administrator, or School Principal. Click here for a sample School Board Resolution Itemized Budget: See Section D, Budget for details. A sample budget template is available here and is shown in Section I. 5
E. Online Application Portal The application can be accessed using the links below: https://app.wizehive.com/appform/login/sjsnjdoh2015 Applications must be submitted using the online application portal by Friday, June 26, 2015 (application portal will close at 11:59 pm). Only online application submissions will be considered for funding. F. Selection Process A Blue Ribbon Selection Committee will evaluate each application based on the selection criteria below. The committee is composed of health and wellness experts from the public and private sectors. It does not include current school consultants, staff or Board of Education members. Grants proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria: Impact of proposed project: Expected project outcomes including who and how many will benefit and the anticipated changes in the school community. Influence on future activities: The proposed project either augments existing health and wellness efforts and/or will serve as a catalyst for future action including potential resources that can be utilized to sustain a commitment to improving school health. Likelihood of success: The action plan: 1) clearly lists the steps needed to accomplish the health and wellness action; 2) identifies accurate estimates of the timelines needed to complete each step; 3) is realistic and likely to be successfully accomplished. The budget is realistic, included only eligible costs and these costs are justified. District/school capacity: The district/school has demonstrated commitment to sustainable practices by maintaining an active green team that includes or works very closely with a team focused on school health and wellness. Partnerships and leveraging: The proposed effort has effectively leveraged additional external resources that may be available for project implementation. The Health and Wellness project team includes a wider array of stakeholders from the school community (i.e. administration, teachers, school nurse, support staff, facilities staff, union representatives, students, parents, municipal green team members, local non-profits, etc.). The team may vary based on the nature of the project, but at a minimum it should include those groups that will be directly affected and/or would add significant value based on their knowledge and experience. Innovativeness and uniqueness: The proposed action could lead to a new best practice and/or is being implemented in new or unique way in order to effectively meet the challenges facing the district/school. 6
Sustainable Jersey reserves the right to reallocate the funding based on the quality and quantity of grant applications received in a given funding cycle. The review process will also consider the regional distribution of grants throughout the state. G. Grant Awards and Additional Terms Funding decisions will be announced by Friday, August 21, 2015. Districts and schools selected to receive a grant will be notified through their designated contacts. Checks will be made payable to the applicant and sent to the designated fiscal agent. An initial grant award of $2,500 will be disbursed by Friday September 11, 2015. The remaining $1,500 balance of the grant award will be paid contingent upon satisfactory completion of the health and wellness action by Friday May 13, 2016. The final grant report is due no later than Friday, June 17, 2016. Additional Terms All grant recipients are required to: 1) Notify Sustainable Jersey for Schools of any grant project related event so that media outreach can be coordinated with Sustainable Jersey for Schools and the appropriate NJ DOH regional grantee agency. The purpose of these events is to celebrate the district's or school s accomplishment in completing the health and wellness action project and to highlight the benefits of the Sustainable Jersey for Schools Health and Wellness Grants Program. H. Grant Recipient Reporting Requirements Grantees will be required to complete an interim and final report using an online reporting template. Reminders will be emailed to the primary project contact in advance of the reporting submission deadline. The following information is required for each report: Interim Report Due Friday January 15, 2016: Progress on health and wellness action to date Expenditures to date Modifications to the original action plan or budget presented in the grant proposal (if needed). All substantial modifications to the action plan or budget must be preapproved by Sustainable Jersey for Schools. Final Report Due Friday June 17, 2016: The specific and/or measurable results or outcomes of implementing the health and wellness action by answering: Who is the population (school staff, students and/or family) that actually benefit? How many school staff, students and/or family were impacted by the action?; What change occurred as a result of implementing the health and wellness action? 7
A success story (template to be provided) and the methods used to share the success story with the media and the public via a press release, newsletter, website, Facebook, printed parent communication, or other (describe). Challenges faced and if/how they were addressed. Recommended improvements to this health and wellness action for future planning, implementation or evaluation efforts. Grantee s Certification and Declaration signed by school business administrator or other authorized representative. Photographs of the implemented health and wellness action. Optional - Sample of press releases or copies of printed news coverage about the grant. Failure to submit the required documentation will make your school district ineligible to apply for future Sustainable Jersey for Schools grants. 8
I. Budget Template 9
Attachment I Innovative Health and Wellness Action Options 1. Social-Emotional Climate and Culture Survey Conduct a school climate survey with all school staff and students and at least 30% of families to assess the social and emotional culture of the school. OR Having conducted a school climate survey within the past 12 months, contract with a consultant to interpret survey results (if needed) and provide technical guidance and support in action planning and implementation of an evidence-based strategy responsive to the survey results that addresses the social/emotional needs of students. 2. COPE TEEN The COPE (Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment) TEEN (Thinking, Emotions, Exercise, Nutrition) is a 15-session evidence-based, healthy lifestyle intervention program that incorporates cognitive-behavioral skills-building (coping techniques, social functioning skills and problem solving). Students completing the COPE TEEN curriculum scored higher on social skills scales, received better grades in the health course integrating COPE TEEN, and reported lower use of alcohol and higher levels of physical activity (measured by pedometers). In addition, students with high depression scores showed significantly lower scores after participating in COPE TEEN. This grant would support training and materials for at least two members of a school health team (i.e. health education staff, School Based Youth Service Program (SBYSP) staff, school nurse, or other individual with approval) on the program in the Fall 2015 in order to implement the COPE TEEN program with at least 30 high school students in Spring of 2016. Grant recipients would be required to the COPE TEEN evaluation tools and submit a summary of pre- and post-test results as part of their final grant report. For more information on the COPE TEEN program contact Dr. Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, RN, Ohio State University, Melnyk.15@osu.edu. 3. A Protocol for Students with a Chronic Health Condition Create a School Health Team led by the school nurse and including a health care representative with expertise in the chronic health condition to be addressed to develop a protocol for meeting the care management needs of students with a chronic health condition such as asthma, food allergies, diabetes, overweight/obesity, or other identified chronic condition. The protocol should include: a) Identifying and tracking an identified group of students with a chronic health condition b) Collecting baseline data: # students identified # total days of absence during one (1) school year, pre- protocol implementation # students without insurance that were subsequently enrolled # students having had a health physical in the past 12 months 10
c) Ensuring that students without insurance are subsequently enrolled for health insurance coverage d) Assessing and providing counseling and/or referrals to medical home providers and/or health and social service agency providers as appropriately indicated e) Creating a communication feedback loop between the school nurse and the medical home provider and/or health and social service agencies for continuity of care management. f) Consulting with or otherwise engaging the school physician. g) Creating a plan to pilot the protocol in the subsequent school year. 11