Grant Details and FAQ
General FAQs
- All full or part-time educators employed by the Helena School District are eligible to apply
- Multiple educators may collaborate on projects – applications must be signed by all collaborating educators
- All applications must be signed by the building administrator
- Other partnering entities may not submit a grant proposal as the primary applicant.
- Educators may apply for both a Great Ideas Grant and a Spark Grant in the same grant cycle for different projects, but
- Educators may not apply for both types in the same cycle for the same project.
- Educators may apply for only 1 Spark Grant and 1 Great Ideas Grant per cycle
**HEF relies on strong partnerships with our local community to make our grant programs possible. We actively seek sponsorship support from Helena businesses, individuals, and organizations, recognizing that their investment directly strengthens our schools and students. Therefore we are committed to supporting businesses that employ members of our community, contribute to our local tax base, and participate in the civic life of Helena. While online retailers such as Amazon may offer lower prices we encourage you, whenever possible, to prioritize local items and vendors when sourcing materials for your grant budget. These community connections are essential to the long-term sustainability of HEF programs.**
- NEW projects only – not ongoing activities
- Projects for which funding is not available from the HSD
- Projects that are in-class or field trips
- Projects that infuse new elements of creativity
- Projects that extend learning beyond the limitations of the textbooks
- Monetary awards for students
- District- provided textbooks and materials, technology, etc.
- Workshops or professional development fees
- Stipends for District employees
- Substitute teachers during the working day unless teachers are with their class involved with the grant project
Is Your Grant Request Under $500? Check out our Spark Grants.
Is Your Grant Request Over $500? Check out our Great Idea Grants.
View our grant calendar to see current grant deadlines.
- Complete the HEF Grant Report
- Your grant begins immediately and funds must be used within the next 12 months.
- Before making purchases, please review your approved budget, which may reflect changes by the grant committee. Return the signed copy to Helena Education Foundation via inter-school mail & keep one for yourself.
- Any alterations to this budget, due to price changes or substitutions, must first be authorized by Becca at HEF!
- To purchase through Helena School District
- On-line purchases: Submit your request for items approved on your grant budget to the school’s office staff for purchasing; include vendor, website, items and cost. Office staff will work with Angie to determine coding for requisition entry and ordering. Option not available from May 15 to July 1.
- Local purchases: If vendor accepts school district purchase orders or will bill the district, follow steps for On-line purchases above. Option not available from June 1 to July 1.
- To use your own funds to make a purchase
- Submit reimbursement documentation as required by your school office including a copy of the HEF grant letter and approved budget. Do not use personal Amazon account and if items are ordered on-line, they must be shipped directly to the school. Exception: Purchases placed during the summer months when the schools are closed can be shipped to the home address.
- Both purchase methods: The business office will complete the HEF Reimbursement Form and submit to HEF (Becca Leaphart) along with documentation (receipts) for approval and payment.
- Technology requests must go through Gary Myers who will arrange purchases to obtain the best possible prices and shipping costs through HSD.
- At or before the end of the 12-month cycle, please complete the Grant Evaluation Form online so we can share your successes with our board and our supporters. Photos and video clips are welcome.
- We ask that all materials and equipment—including flyers, printed material to students, parents and the public etc.—related to this project include recognition of the Helena Education Foundation and our logo. We’re happy to assist in developing recognition materials and to provide you with HEF’s logo.
Grant Portal FAQs
Create an applicant account or sign in to the Grant Portal. Select New Spark Application or New Great Ideas Application, choose the appropriate grant cycle and principal, and begin completing the form.
Yes. Select Save Draft at the bottom of the application. You can save an incomplete draft without completing all required fields. Return to My Grant Applications and select Open when you are ready to continue.
Yes. You may create and submit multiple applications. Each application will appear separately under My Grant Applications.
The applicant and principal deadlines are listed on your Grant Portal dashboard. Make sure you submit your completed application to your principal before the applicant deadline.
Every application requires approval from a principal before it can be sent to the grant review committee. Choose the principal responsible for reviewing your application.
Your application will move to Needs Principal Review. Your selected principal can approve it, return it for changes, or reject it. Once approved, it is forwarded to the grant review committee.
Open the application from your dashboard. The principal’s comments will appear near the top of the application. Make the requested changes and select Submit to Principal to send it back for review.
You cannot edit an application while it is awaiting principal review. If your principal returns it for changes, it will become editable again through the applicable deadline.
- Draft: The application has not been submitted.
- Needs Principal Review: The application is waiting for its first principal review.
- Returned for Changes: The principal has requested revisions.
- Resubmitted: A revised application is waiting for the principal.
- Approved for Committee: The principal approved and forwarded the application.
- Rejected: The principal did not approve the application.
- Withdrawn: The applicant withdrew the application.
Funds Requested is automatically calculated from all budget items, including quantities and shipping. Update the budget rows, and the total will update automatically.
The portal accepts PDF, JPG, JPEG, and PNG files up to 10 MB. If an eligible file does not upload, verify its size and try again.
Select Forgot your password? on the Grant Portal login screen. Enter your email address or username, and WordPress will email you a secure password-reset link.
Check your spam or junk folder first. Allow a few minutes for the message to arrive and confirm that you entered the correct email address. If it still does not arrive, contact the Helena Education Foundation for assistance.
Sign in through the same Grant Portal login screen used by applicants. Your dashboard will display Needs Review and History. If an expected application is missing, contact the Helena Education Foundation to confirm your account is connected to the correct principal record.
Contact the Helena Education Foundation if you experience account problems, cannot find the correct principal or grant cycle, or need assistance with an application.