Frequently Asked Questions

What individuals or organizations are qualified to partner with MCPS on grants?

MCPS schools welcome and deeply appreciate the wide range of services that partner organizations provide to their students. A wide range of individuals and organizations have partnered with MCPS. The needs of individual schools drive all decisions to collaborate with outside organizations. Consistent with policy directives of the MCPS Board of Education, school-based administrators have the right to exercise discretion over the relationships between their schools and community-based organizations.

District level partnerships between MCPS and outside entities are formed to pursue opportunities that support the strategic plan of MCPS. District level partnerships must be authorized by MCPS leadership at the levels of Associate Superintendent or above. Relationships between MCPS and outside entities are governed by Board of Education policies and procurement regulations.

How do grantors distinguish among partner organizations, vendors, and sub-awardees?

Grantors define partners as individuals or entities that contribute to the success of a project at no cost to the grant. A local store that donates supplies or equipment essential to a project would be considered a partner. An organization providing services to be charged to the grant would be a vendor. A company specializing in academic support services that charges the grant the hourly rate at which it pays its staff is a vendor. Sub-awardees are individuals or organizations that receive grants from grants awarded. MCPS does not make sub-awards.

MCPS procurement rules that establish limits to the amount of grant funds that can be paid to vendors apply when MCPS schools and staff seek or receive grants.

What are the responsibilities of organizations that partner with MCPS to secure a grant?

Organizations that collaborate on activities that are funded through grants secured by or on behalf of MCPS must adhere to the same conditions listed in the assurances that the Superintendent of Schools signs on behalf of the Board of Education. These conditions cover rules related to fair labor standards; civil rights; access by persons with disabilities; environmental, safety, and health regulations. In addition, organizations that partner with MCPS on grants must comply with all federal and state regulations regarding the reporting and expenditure of grant funds and the conduct of research on human subjects.

My organization wants to partner with an MCPS school on the submission of a grant application. What do I do?

• Define the nature of that partnership and, in writing, describe what you offer; when and for how long you plan to provide your service; what, if anything, you would need to provide the service; the results the school can expect from the partnership, and what you or your organization would gain from the partnership.
• Complete research about the school to be certain that your services and partnership would address a critical need of the school. You can determine this by visiting the school's website, checking the school's performance statistics on Schools- At-A-Glance or the Maryland Report Card, talking to members of the PTSA, parents, and teachers.
• Find out who else is providing the same or similar services to the school or in any nearby location. Discuss your ideas with the head of that organization to determine whether there are ways in which you can work together to avoid duplicating services.
• Meet with the school's principal (or her designee) to present your ideas. Bring evidence and documentation of the effectiveness of your services.
• Be a good partner to the school. Provide the services agreed upon and under the promised conditions. Obtain the principal's permission to make any changes in your services, the target population you serve or your schedule. Follow the principal's directives with regard to record keeping and communicating with school staff. In collaboration with school administrators, periodically and carefully evaluate your services to determine whether they continue to meet the needs of the school.

To apply for a grant, I must show that MCPS officials are committed to the ideas I am proposing. How do I do this?

• At least ten working days before the letter is needed, attach a final copy of your proposal, including its budget, to a sample letter that you have drafted. Be sure that the addressee and his or her mailing address are complete.
• Advise the MCPS staff that have been involved in the development of your proposal ideas or worked with your organization on similar efforts in the past. This staff member will provide the proposal and draft letter to the grants specialist for review.
• The grants specialist will review the proposal, checking it for: consistency with MCPS policies; implied or expressed costs that will be borne by MCPS (e.g., staff time, facilities, etc.). The grants specialist also will review the proposal to ensure that its ideas do not conflict with any proposals under development by MCPS staff, and that the support or commitment requested in the letter is appropriate and feasible.
• Once the review is complete, staff from the division with oversight of the project will finalize the letter and obtain approval to request the Superintendent's signature on the letter.
• Several executive staff will review the letter before the superintendent signs it.
• The grants specialist will collect the signed letter and arrange for its delivery to you.