Navigating the Grant Process.
Winning Federal dollars.

Greenlights Grant Initiative provides tailored and free resources to assist nationwide school districts access school safety grants. Our tools include webinars, guidebooks, how-to’s, and tutorials. By providing information and support, the Greenlights Grant Initiative aims to enhance a school district’s ability to successfully apply for and receive federal grants so schools have the resources they need to keep students safe. Additional resources will be added to this page in the coming months as grant applications open.

WEBINARS

This webinar covered key concepts and resources to increase your understanding of, readiness for, and competitiveness for federal and state grant funding. This training focused on available funding for LEAs out of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), general information on how to register and apply for these federal grants, how to identify good-fit opportunities and tips for writing a competitive application. View the webinar

This presentation will review the DoED Mental Health Service Professional (MHSP) Demonstration and Safe and Supportive Schools: School-Based Mental Health Services (SBMH) grants identified for LEAs through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. These grants are intended to increase the number of credentialed school-based providers of mental health services for students or support and demonstrate innovative partnerships to train school-based mental health services providers. View the webinar | ED-MHSP and SBMH Handouts

This webinar reviewed the 21st Community Learning Centers Grant. This grant supports the creation of community learning centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools. View the webinar | 21st CCLC Handouts

This webinar covered the SAMHSA Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) and Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT) grants identified for LEAs through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. These grants are focused on providing increased mental health support to students and equipping teachers, parents, and community members with training to respond to and support individuals with mental health challenges and or disorders. View the webinar

The Department of Justice school safety grants webinar reviewed the DOJ BJA STOP School Violence, OJJDP Enhancing School capacity to Address Youth Violence, and COPS School Violence Prevention Program grants identified for LEAs through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. View the webinar

December 5, 2023 Overview: This webinar walked attendees through the requirements of a typical federal grant budget, including general budget rules and resources, budget categories, how to justify your budget, and best practices for a strong budget. View the webinar

November 15, 2023 Overview: Logic models are commonly required in federal grant applications because they quickly show reviewers what the program is proposing to do and achieve. Project teams including project directors, principal investigators, finance staff, and evaluators can also use this tool when designing their programs to ensure all the program elements logically lead to the proposed outcomes. This webinar described the most common elements and formats of a logic model.It will also described how to use a logic model as a planning tool during the design phase of a project. View the webinar | Logic Model Templates

On Monday, October 30, 2023, the Greenlights Grant Initiative hosted the How to Make Your Case with Data webinar hosted by Julie Assel of Assel Grant Services. This webinar provided an overview of the various tools available to LEAs for data collection and explained how to pull validated data for grant submissions. Attendees learned how to search for and use the data to prepare more competitive federal grant applications. View the webinar | PLACES One Page Fact Sheet | American Community Survey Data Handbook | NCES Webgateways: Hot To Guide

On October 10, 2023, the Greenlights Grant Initiative hosted the second webinar in the General Grantsmanship series entitled “Federal Grant Writing 101.” In this webinar participants were equipped with information on federal grant writing and given the resources and knowledge to start thinking like a grant writer and reviewer. View the webinar

Blog

Greenlights Grant Initiative Understanding Logic Models featured image

Understanding Logic Models

Federal grant applications will often ask you to include a logic model within your proposal to clearly demonstrate what your project intends to do and what steps will be taken to get there. Here we cover how to use a logic model even if a logic model is not explicitly asked for and learn how to start thinking in terms of logic models when crafting your proposal.
Greenlights Grant Initiative 5 Common Pitfalls for New Grant Seekers Featured Image

5 Common Pitfalls for New Grant Seekers

For new federal grant seekers, getting started can be an intimidating process. It is important to take steps to avoid these common pitfalls to set your LEA up for success. Below are the 5 most common pitfalls experienced by new grant seekers with proven strategies listed to mitigate them.

Welcome to the Greenlights Grant Initiative

The Greenlights Grant Initiative began to protect the most precious asset we have – the next generation. Camila and I are launching this project with one simple goal: to help more school districts across the country gain access to federal funds to help make their students safer, healthier, and happier.

Top 5 Tips for Putting Together a Competitive Grant Proposal

Writing a federal grant application can seem like a complicated and daunting process. Here are some key tips to help make the process easier on you and your Local Education Agency (LEA) and make your grant application as competitive as possible.

Getting Ready for Grants

Prior to applying for a federal grant opportunity, your LEA or school will need to establish both a SAM.gov and Grants.gov account. Below is summarized guidance with website links provided to assist the process. Please keep all registrations, usernames, and passwords easily accessible as these will be needed each time you submit a grant application. Please note there are no fees involved in these registration processes.

Top 5 Tips for Identifying Good Fit Grants

One of the most critical aspects of pursuing a federal grant is making sure that it is a good fit for your local education agency (LEA) prior to exerting resources on the application process. While the prospect of large funding amounts makes federal grant seeking an exciting endeavor, it is important to review the following details before your school district commits to pursuing opportunity.

Helpful links

Schoolsafety.gov

Actionable recommendations for schools and districts to create a safe and supportive learning environment.

 

 

Sam.gov 

The official U.S. Government site to find grants, search for assistance listings, and more.

Grants.gov

Grant opportunities from federal grant-making agencies, along with access to instructions and application insights.

 

www2.ed.gov 

The U.S. Department of Education’s site for various grants, resources, and application information.

https://justicegrants.usdoj.gov

The Department of Justice’s grants management system for the COPS Office, the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW).

www.samhsa.gov/grants 

Grant opportunities to support mental health services and awareness in schools.

News

AZ Central

March 2024

Matthew McConaughey and ASU are helping an Arizona school district. Here’s how

KSAT News

DEC 2023

How The School Superintendents Association is partnering with the Greenlights Grant Initiative.

Fox News

Aug 2023

How Matthew McConaughey and a GOP lawmaker are helping schools after Uvalde shooting

Education Week

Aug 2023

How Matthew McConaughey Will Make It Easier for Schools to Get Safety Grants

TheHill.com

Aug 2023

McConaughey launches new initiative to help schools get post-Uvalde safety grants

Good Morning America

Aug 2023

Matthew McConaughey details how Greenlights Grant Initiative works

 

Politico

Aug 2023

Matthew McConaughey has another demand of Washington on gun safety

TheHill.com

Aug 2023

McConaughey pledges further action to ‘make our schools and our children safer’ after Uvalde shooting