Grant Award Process

If your application is selected for funding, you will be emailed the happy news or surprised in your classroom by KCPSEF! You will be notified by the Director of the foundation when funds are available. Funding will be distributed one of two ways (depending on grant amount & type):

• ❖ PEX Grant Disbursement Card (PEX Card):
  ➢ A virtual or physical Pex Card administered by KCPSEF and given to KCPS educators to access awarded grant funds. Policies and procedures information will be sent upon card issuance.
• ❖ KCPS Business Office Payout & Bookkeeper Assistance:
  ➢ KCPSEF will issue a check for the grant amount to the KCPS Business and Finance office within 7 days of the grant award.
  ➢ KCPS educators will receive email communication from KCPS when the funding is available. You will work with your building's Administrative Assistant or bookkeeper to purchase items or access your funds.

You can start implementation as soon as you are able! We will reach out occasionally to get a progress update on your project, and we might schedule a visit to see your students benefiting from Foundation grant funds.

If you haven't spent all the grant funds by the end of the school year, we will arrange a return of the remaining funds to the Foundation.

WHO CAN APPLY

Teachers, school support staff, counselors, librarians, nurses, principals, and social workers can apply for Kansas City Public Schools Education Foundation Grants.

What can you apply for?

We are excited to fund impactful learning experiences for KCPS students! Project proposals should incorporate one or more of the following KCPS Education Foundation and KCPS priorities:

• Experiential Learning Opportunities, including outside the classroom
• Real World Learning experiences
• Project Based Learning
• Projects or experiences that help students gain skills and dispositions
• Classroom supplies or equipment
• KCPS Areas of Focus:
  • Literacy
  • Math
  • Culturally responsive teaching/practices
  • Social-emotional wellness
  • Parent & family engagement

How Much Can You Request?

The amount you can request is determined by the number of students who will benefit from the grant and the type of initiative.

See the graphic for details on levels of funding.

Important Grant Application Information

We have introduced a low-barrier and straightforward process for instructional grant awards. All grant requests must be submitted through the online application form between October 1, 2025 – January 15, 2026.

For more information on Grant Writing Tips and Tricks, please watch this Grant Info Session.

Please be thorough and detailed in your grant application responses! The information you provide will be used to determine approval. If your project idea falls outside KCPSEF Grant goals, we’ll notify you gently so you can make adjustments or submit a new proposal.

What Will Be Asked on the Application?

• General demographic and contact information
• Student population that will benefit from the grant
• Estimated number of students who will directly benefit from the project
• Description of the grant request in 200 words or less, including:
  • Details on the need for funding
  • Timeline for implementation
  • Learning outcomes
  • Relevant lesson plans
• Estimated budget for grant funds with itemized breakdown
• Plan for sharing the impact and outcomes with the KCPS community

Overview of the Instructional Grant Application & Award Process

• KCPS staff reviews the Grant Success Guide to understand criteria, timelines, and required follow-up (Congrats on completing this step!)
• KCPS staff attends a “Grant Application Workshop” (optional)
• KCPS staff completes and submits the online application form
• KCPSEF Leadership reviews applications to ensure alignment with district priorities. Follow-up may occur for clarification
• KCPSEF Grant Committee evaluates all applications for potential student impact
• Applicants receive email notifications on their application status and award timelines

2025–2026 Grant Award Schedule

Since we will be accepting grant applications on a rolling basis between October 1, 2025 and January 15, 2026, we will be reviewing and awarding applications during two award cycles. Grant funds will be distributed only after each round of awards and will be done in accordance with the foundation’s grant award process. Once our designated grant funds have been awarded, we will no longer accept or approve grant applications.

The tentative schedule for grant notifications is as follows:

• ❖ Round 1 awards notified the week of November 18, 2025
  ➢ Cutoff date for 1st round submissions: October 25, 2025
• ❖ Round 2 awards notified the week of February 25, 2026
  ➢ Cutoff date for 2nd round submissions: January 15, 2026

PEX Card KCPSEF Policy and Procedures

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for the use of Kansas City Public Schools Education Foundation (KCPSEF) grant disbursement cards for the distribution of Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS) impact grant awards. All grant funding associated with the grant disbursement cards is solely funded and administered by the KCPSEF.

If you need to request a physical card or contact the KCPSEF Director for approval, use the links below.

Helpful links

• PEX (Plex) Card - official site — for platform support and activation instructions.
• Email the KCPSEF Director — request a physical card or ask for approval.
• Activation email (from PEX) — grantees will receive account activation from this address.

Questions or edits? Use the contact links above or reply to this document request.

Grant Reporting Requirements

In return for funding your project, we kindly ask that you share with us the impact it is making! Your willingness to complete reporting requirements can impact your ability to attain future funding, so please don’t forget this important step! Getting this key data from our grant recipients allows our foundation to have the information we need to keep fundraising for these important initiatives.

At the end of the school year, we will ask you to complete a brief final report, or as soon as your project is complete. We need to know if the awarded funds were spent and if the project's outcomes met (or exceeded) expectations.

We also require photos or videos of students engaged in grant-funded learning to share with our supporters, so don’t forget to snap a few pictures during implementation!

Win-Win Sharing

We will share your grant project on social media and in newsletters to our supporters. You can email these updates to us at foundation@kcpublicschools.org or share on social media using the following handles:

• Facebook: @KCPSEF
• LinkedIn: @Kansas City Public Schools Education Foundation

Questions? Comments? Feedback?

We are here to help! You can reach out to the foundation at any time via email at foundation@kcpublicschools.org or via phone at (816) 418-7685.

Good luck!

Process

1. Register

Click on the "Register" link and complete and submit the registration form.

2. Login

Login to the award with your email and password.

3. Create

Create your online application.

4. Save

During the Call for Applications period, your application can be saved as DRAFT until all the required information is completed and attachments uploaded. As each section is complete, you will see a appear in the category tab when the application is saved. At any time, you can download and print your application by clicking on the icon in the Application Summary section.

5. Submit

On completion, save your Application as FINAL. Download and print a copy of your application for your records by clicking on the icon in the Application Summary section in the right column. Note: If an update is required prior to the Call for Applications period, you can make the update and resave as FINAL.

If you require assistance or additional information, please contact the Program Administrator.