Diving into Deeper Learning with Districts: FAQs

How flexible can we be with using the funds we receive?

Once your team has identified your partners and area(s) of work, grantees have considerable discretion about how to use the funds to achieve your stated goals. A program grant like the one you will receive is flexible and intended to support an established line of work within an organization. Please refer to your Grantee Agreement Letter (GAL) and/or call your program officer for any further clarifications as needed.

 

How will the different districts be working together? 

Learning is a core part of Hewlett’s grantmaking strategy. All participating districts will be convened at least three times each year to share what they are working on and lessons learned. There will, of course, be additional opportunities to meet and hear from each other, but as of now, there are only three scheduled meetings.

 

How often are we expected to report back to Hewlett and in what form?

Grantees will be required to submit a final report detailing their budget and spending, as well as programmatic performance at the conclusion of the 12-month period. The outcomes you’ll be reporting on in this document will be the same ones that you set out for yourselves in the grant application documents. Separate from the final report is an expectation that grantees and their respective partners will attend and fully participate in quarterly meetings and keep in regular touch with their program officer.

 

How and when should grantees plan to publicize the grant? Who can they connect with at Hewlett to assist with this? 

While Hewlett publicly shares the names and amounts of all the grants we make on our website, we don’t formally announce or publicize every grant with a press release or blog. If you’d like to make an announcement from the district’s end, please do so after the GAL is signed, and please consult with Neha Gohil (nsgohil@hewlett.org), who can advise as to the best timing, format and any quotes from Hewlett, should you need them. Our ultimate goal is to make sure our grantees’ voices and the perspectives of learners and educators are prominent, first and foremost.

 

Is our district guaranteed funding next year, and what form would that take?

Receipt of this grant does not guarantee subsequent support from the Hewlett Foundation, although such support is anticipated to be available. Future award decisions will be based on participation and performance during this initial grant.

 

Does the Hewlett Foundation cover overhead costs?

In short, yes. The Foundation understands that our grantees cannot achieve the results we mutually desire if they are not financially healthy. We invite grantees to engage with us in a candid conversation to honestly assess the true costs of what we and they want to do, and that includes overhead. We hope that you will take the lead in determining how best to allocate your grant dollars to direct and indirect costs, albeit in consultation with us. For further clarification, please refer to your GAL or to our foundation’s policy on indirect costs.

 

What if we need to find a new partner or want to work with someone not on the partner list? 

Each district is free to select the partner of their choice. If you want to select a partner that is not on the partner list, please provide a brief description, as requested in the application. If you need to change partners once the work has already begun, speak with your program officer about how best to identify and secure a new partner.

 

Do we need to expend all of the funds by the end date indicated on the GAL?

All of the funds needs to be expended or obligated by the end date. Please contact your program officer if you anticipate that this will present problems.

 

Who can I contact about….

(a) Our grant funds or the application process? Amanda Lanceplaine (alanceplaine@hewlett.org)

(b) Logo usage, media requests or communications strategies? Neha Singh Gohil (nsgohil@hewlett.org)