Apply For Grants
The SEF grant process provides an opportunity for all Sycamore Community School District 427 teachers, administrators, and students to apply for SEF funds to enhance learning.
The SEF grant process provides an opportunity for all Sycamore Community School District 427 teachers, administrators, and students to apply for SEF funds to enhance learning.
Your grant application will be reviewed by the District Cabinet and the SEF Grants committee and added to the agenda of the next grant review night if approved. If you have any questions, please contact SEF Executive Director, Rachel Sauber at rachelsauber@sycamoresef.org or 815.899.8264.
Grant Proposal Deadlines
SEF Office Deadline:
TBA, 2025 — Please submit Google form with all grant information by this date.
Present at SEF Grant Meeting: TBA. at the Administration Building. Reminder: all grant requests exceeding $1,500 must present at the meeting, however, all applicants are invited to present.
Grant funding is available thanks to the generosity of the community. In addition to SEF fundraisers each year such as Take Root and SEF Trivia Night, grants are made possible by:
- Bernice Kendall Memorial Fund for Women’s Athletics
- Beulah and Roberta Hackett Fund
- Marion Elliot Sycamore High School Fund
- Jeri Delaney Memorial Fund
- NIU Athletics Fund for Elementary Education
Grant submission guidelines
Please note the following guidelines prior to submitting your grant:
- You must seek approval from your building administrator and the appropriate district administrator prior to submitting your grant application.
- Grants are not awarded for salaries, travel, consumables, curriculum materials, assessment items, ongoing or recurrent licenses or subscriptions.
- SEF will fund technology enhancements as long as they are tied to a new and innovative program for District 427. All technology grants must have prior approval from the Director of Instructional Technology.
- SEF will support same-subject proposals, from different parties, for up to two years. After that point in time it is at the discretion of the district to provide funding to support the initiative.
- You may only serve as the lead author for one grant proposal per year.
- Grant recipients may not repeat awarded requests.
- If your grant request exceeds $1,500, you are required to give a 5-10 minute presentation showcasing your grant opportunity during the grant review night and answer any questions from the SEF Board. If your grant is below $1,500 you are not required to attend the grant review night, but all grant applicants are welcomed and encouraged to present.
- A post-grant meeting with the SEF Executive Director must be scheduled at least 6 months after funds have been distributed.
- Materials provided by the grant become the property of the school where the grant originated and not the property of any individual or group.
- Unused project funds after one calendar year will go back to the general grant making fund of SEF.
- The Sycamore Education Foundation Board of Directors reserves the right to make amendments to these guidelines at any time.
All grant recipients are encouraged to post on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram with a photo or the grant and tag @SycamoreSEF.