Example Grant Proposal
September 15, 2000
Dear parents and family members:
I am writing to ask your help in supporting the Berkeley High School Mountain Bicycle Racing Team.
Matthew Fritzinger, BHS algebra teacher and part-time volunteer coach of the school’s Mountain Bike Racing Team, will submit a funding proposal for $1,000 to the Berkeley Public Education Foundation on October 11. This is fantastic news, since the proposal, if funded, will cover the cost of a second part-time coach, as well as a heart rate monitor and associated software for the team.
Many of you know Matt and are familiar with the team’s history and accomplishments. It is only two years old and does not yet have status as an official school team. Despite this, Matt’s spirit and commitment have helped shape it into a cohesive and successful group that operates with almost no funding and very limited school support.
Team membership is expected to grow in the current school year and this means that, without outside help, Matt will have less and less time to devote to individual team members. A second part-time coach will fill this gap and will work on a regular basis with team members, both individually and collectively. The coach will serve as a guide to local bike trails for new members and as a model rider for all. A heart monitor will allow the coach to maintain important training logs and will provide the data necessary to create individualized programs.
An additional $500 is needed to fill the gap in the team’s budget. Matt’s funding proposal will be reviewed most favorably if he can demonstrate that the foundation’s limited resources are being "leveraged" to the fullest extent possible.
Please consider donating what you can to this important program. While it is difficult at this time to estimate the number of team members for this school year, we believe that contributions that average $50 per family will provide what we need to reach the $500 goal. Your contribution will allow the team to have its best year yet. I am attaching a copy of Matt’s funding proposal for your review and also urge you to learn more about the team through its website: wwwbhsracing.com.
Please send team donations by October 1, 2000 to me in the attached self-addressed, stamped envelope. Make checks payable to Ann Ostrander. I will make sure all funds are delivered to Matt or the designated team treasurer. Also, please feel free to call with questions or comments.
Thank you for your support,
Ann Ostrander
(510.849.1158)
1. Project Profile
If approved, the request of $1,000 would partially cover the cost of a coach for the Berkeley High School Mountain Bicycle Racing Team for one school year, as well as the cost of a heart rate monitor and associated software for the team. The team consists of freshmen-seniors, with an estimated team membership for 2000-2001 of between 12 and 20 students. This is a relatively new team sport and membership increases each year; we had ten active members during the last school year. We have recently begun to receive publicity, including an article in the Jacket in June, and it is hard to accurately predict how much this will increase the number of new members. Also, several students who were in middle school contacted me last semester and expressed interest in joining the team.
2. Budget:
A. Coach stipend: $1,000
B. Heart rate monitor and software: $500
C. Team jerseys, advertising, nutrition $500
Total budget $2,000
Sources of Funding:
A. Donations from individuals: $500 funding committed
B. In-kind support from sponsors: $500 fundraising underway
C. Berkeley Public Education Foundation $1,000
Total funding $2,000
3. Project description
Mountain biking is a sport only about fifteen years old. It was invented in Marin County, and combines the physical development and exhilaration of traditional road bicycling with the serene outdoors experience that makes sports such as cross-country skiing so popular. Two years ago, Berkeley High School students got together to form one of the nation’s first high school mountain biking teams and recruited me (I was one of the few faculty members with biking experience, though mine was mostly confined to road biking) to be their coach.
This proposal would support a part-time coach (6-10 hours per week) who would work with me to ensure both the continued development of the strong riders who are already on the team, as well as students who are beginner bikers but who wish to join.
Over the last year, the team has developed into an extraordinarily cohesive group. An effective coach would capitalize on this success while making sure there is room for new students to join without feeling the team has created a "sink or swim" environment. I anticipate recruiting a coach from UC Berkeley, since many students there are top-notch riders with excellent coaching skills and flexible schedules.
Team background
Berkeley students are privileged to have some of the area’s best biking trails at their doorstep. At least twice a week and once on the weekend, starting in October, students ride the trails of Tilden and other East Bay parks. Although I lead many of these training rides as a volunteer after school, the students meet and ride with or without my presence. Rides last approximately two hours and cover a variety of terrain. During these rides, team members develop both their biking skills and their team spirit. Many students in ninth and tenth grades have commented that the bike team has given them an important network of friends in the upper grades, which has made them feel more comfortable at this large urban school.
It has been an honor to be involved with this team over the last two years, but as a teacher with over 100 students to look after, I am limited as to how much specific attention I can give to each team member. A skilled coach would be able to work with students on an individual basis and develop training programs to meet specific needs. Knowing a dedicated coach was available would encourage novice bikers to join the team and eliminate any feeling that the team is some kind of elite cadre.
The team has had remarkable success since its inception and has given all its members, including me, many hours of pleasure and challenging outdoor activity.
Team accomplishments include the following
A. Representing Berkeley High School at key competitions throughout Northern California, including the Napa World Cup and the Laguna Seca Sea Otter Classic, both of which feature the world’s best riders. The team consistently has riders who finish in top positions (see our website at www.bhsracing.com for a listing of race results).
B. Producing its own website, which invites riders from throughout the area to join the sport and provides tips to other high school students interested in starting their own school team.
C. Rallying local businesses to support the team. This includes discounts on bike parts, service and jerseys (printed with the logos of BHS and a variety of sponsoring organizations), donations of energy bars and equipment, and free advertising.
A key goal for the current school year is to secure official recognition from BHS for this activity as a school sport, including having the team members receive physical education credit for participating. School administrators indicated last year that this proposal would be well-received, since the team’s activities meet the criteria for such a designation.
Methods and Activities
If approved, the grant funds would be used in the following ways to benefit BHS students:
A. Activities: A skilled coach will work on a regular basis with team members, both individually and collectively. The coach will serve as a guide to the trails for new members and as a model rider to all. Riding skills will be demonstrated for both speed and safety, and clinics will be held for those who need extra help. Each rider’s abilities and experience will be evaluated to provide an optimal training program to achieve specific goals. The very latest programs and methods, used by professionals like Lance Armstrong, will be made available. A heart monitor and required software will allow us to develop and maintain important training logs for each member so both the coach and I can track progress. Most importantly, heart monitor data will provide us with the resources needed to create individualized training programs.
B. The strengthening of this team will support student achievement in many ways, including the following:
- Leadership, since the team is entirely self-directed. Members nominate and elect officers and assign specific tasks, including securing donations and sponsorships.
- Writing and web-site design and installation. Last year, students developed the team website, learning valuable skills and even teaching me how to produce HTML files. This year, members will manage the site, acting as both photographers and journalists. They will also develop and submit a proposal to the school administration to secure physical education credits for team participation.
Duration and Plans to Continue
A. This project will last through the 2000-2001 academic year. The need for a team coach will exist as long as the team exists. However, the team, like the sport itself, is expected to grow in popularity. As the team grows, we hope that it will begin to regularly receive BHS sport funds, thereby reducing or eliminating the need for outside funding.
4. Background of Project Director
I have been teaching algebra at BHS for the last three years and have been coaching the BHS mountain bike racing team since the 1998-1999 school year. My own cycling career began in high school when I was working at a bike shop and was encouraged by some of the older employees to enter a Triathlon. Many years later I went on to win the Illinois State Champion Road Race, as well as other races around California. I gained valuable related experience when I served as vice president of the UC Berkeley cycle club; I have also been a race promoter for an amateur club in the East Bay.
Last summer, I was in Italy as a member of the Velo Veneto cycling team. I saw the tremendous value of being coached, and as my own cycling abilities increase, I am also gaining more insight each day to the ways I can benefit the high school team. But during the school year my priority has been, and must remain, to be the best math teacher that I can be. It is only with the help of a coach to assist me that I can hope to provide the mountain bike team with the kind of program that allows athletes to realize their full potential.
Finally, I am confident that through the Bay Area’s cycling community, I can help link interested students without bicycles to people who can provide the equipment necessary to ensure their participation. I am completely committed to making sure that this team is open to all motivated students; not having a bicycle will not preclude anyone from joining.