Parent Involvement Grant

North Carolina PTA is pleased to be continuing with the Parent Involvement Grants. Grants up to the amount of $1000.00 will be awarded to local PTA units or councils which have planned innovative parent involvement programs modeled after the national standards for parent/family involvement to encourage greater parent involvement within their school and directly with their school’s individual children.

Selection criteria for the grants will be based on how well the program meets the following standards:

• Methods of communicating the program to the parents
• Methods for promoting and supporting parenting skills
• Methods for helping parents assist student learning
• Methods for including and welcoming all parents in the school environment
• Methods for incorporating parents as partners in school decision making and advocacy efforts
• Methods for including the community to strengthen schools, families, and student learning

PTA units and/or councils must be in good standing to be eligible for grant consideration. The following requirements must be met by the application deadline in order to be in good standing:

• Operate in accordance with policies and positions of National and North Carolina PTA
• Adopt and comply with local unit bylaws
• Local unit bylaws must be current and on file with NCPTA
• National and state PTA dues are submitted to the state PTA office by the 15th day of each month
• Membership information must be entered into the NCPTA database by the 15th day of each month to correspond with dues
• File all forms as required by the State of NC and the IRS on time
• Annual PTA financial review (audit) must be on file at the State Office by August 31.

To confirm that your PTA is in good standing, you may contact the NCPTA State Office at office@ncpta.org.

All PTAs at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, as well as PTA councils, are encouraged to apply. There are a wealth of ideas for possible programs on the NCPTA website (www.ncpta.org) and the national PTA website (www.pta.org). Recipients of the grant will be required to submit a narrative to NCPTA describing the results of the grant, an annotated budget statement showing how funds were disbursed, and a written evaluation of their program to the NCPTA State Office by March 15, 2009.

If you wish to apply, please complete the online application by October 15, 2008. Recipients will be notified in November.

Best Wishes and Please Remember—Involved Parents Do Make a Difference!