- What is an EJK Mini-Grant?
- What kind of organizations are eligible to apply for an EJK Mini-Grant?
- Do you fund institutions or programs outside the United States?
- Why don’t you fund charter schools?
- Where can I find a Mini-Grant application form?
- What is the deadline for applying for an EJK Mini-Grant?
- When will I receive notification of my application status?
- What would disqualify a proposal?
- Why don’t you fund the purchase of books and equipment?
- What kind of projects do you support?
- When is the Mini-Grant Final Report due, and what should it include?
- How should the Final Report be sent?
- Please explain the timeline for Mini-Grants. Checks are sent in May, but Final Reports are due by the first day of June!
- What happens to the materials in the Final Report?
- What happens to the information I provided in the EJK Mini-Grant application?
- What happens if I lose the award check, or if the check is not deposited before it expires?
1. What is an EJK Mini-Grant?
A Mini-Grant is an award of up to $500 that the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation gives to eligible organizations to provide creative, innovative programs that support or extend the Common Core Standards in education. Programs may serve children from preschool to grade 12.
2. What kind of organizations are eligible to apply for an EJK Mini-Grant?
Public schools, public libraries and public preschool programs such as Head Start are eligible for EJK Mini-Grants. Organizations that charge tuition or fees, such as private and parochial schools, should not apply. Charter schools are also not eligible (see 4.).
3. Do you fund institutions or programs outside the United States?
No. We fund organizations and programs within the United States and U.S. commonwealths and territories, including Puerto Rico and Guam.
4. Why don’t you fund charter schools?
The Foundation cannot fund any school that does not meet these Criteria for School Eligibility.
5. Where can I find a Mini-Grant application form?
The application form is on our website. Read the instructions on the page titled How to Apply for a Mini-Grant.
6. What is the deadline for applying for an EJK Mini-Grant?
All completed applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on March 31 of each year. Those received as of 12 a.m. on April 1 will not be considered.
7. When will I receive notification of my application status?
You will be notified of the Foundation’s decision on or about May 1. Emails will be sent to everyone who applied, and award checks will be sent a few weeks later. Make sure you have access to the email address on your application. Notify us at foundation@ezra-jack-keats.org if you have not heard from us by June 1.
8. What would disqualify a proposal?
These are some but not all of the reasons an application would be denied:
- The proposal is submitted late.
- The same proposal is submitted for multiple schools.
- More than one proposal is submitted by an institution.
- Answers are vague or incomplete.
- The program requires or has funding from other sources.
- Costs exceed $500.
- The budget is primarily for salaries, books or equipment.
- The budget covers operating or administrative costs.
9. Why don’t you fund the purchase of books and equipment?
We focus on funding innovative and exciting programs because they enhance the learning experience and because the value of the program is something we can evaluate. If the focus of the proposal is solely the purchase of books and/or equipment, or if the program described is minimal, we’re unable to evaluate the potential impact of the grant because the need for books and equipment is universal. We wish we could address these needs. But since we cannot, we have to put a premium on the creation of a special program. If such a program requires the purchase of books or equipment, we will still consider the application.
10. What kind of projects do you support?
To be approved, a proposed program must provide an enriched learning experience either supporting or extending the basic curriculum. It must cost no more than $500 and be supported solely by the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation. It must be offered free of charge and cannot buy or produce merchandise for sale. Here are some examples of approved projects:
- painting a mural
- creating a story walk
- making a quilt
- staging a theatre production
- publishing a book or newspaper
- bringing together different generations or communities in a joint activity
See a sampling of past successes in our gallery of Great Mini-Grant Programs.
11. When is the Mini-Grant Final Report due, and what should it include?
The Final Report is due by June 1, at the end of the academic year in which your Mini-Grant program took place.
Final Report requirements can be found on the bottom of How to Apply page. You can also print the Final Report Requirements.
12. How should the Final Report be sent?
Final Reports are submitted by uploading all necessary documentation and images to our online Final Report Form. Once awarded a grant, the Final Report Form will be available and activated by an additional button when you log into your EJK Mini-Grant account. See our Sample Final Report Form.
13. Please explain the timeline for Mini-Grants. Checks are sent in May, but Final Reports are due by the first day of June!
That’s June of the following year! Mini-Grants are awarded in May to fund programs that will take place during the summer or the next school year. The Final Report is due by June 1 of the school year your program was held—one year after you received your check.
14. What happens to the materials in the Final Report?
We reserve the right to display materials contained in Final Reports on our website and social media with full credit given. Outstanding Final Reports may also be sent to the Keats Archive, part of the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi, where they will be available to scholars studying Keats and his legacy.
15. What happens to the information I provided in the EJK Mini-Grant application?
Each organization will be signed up to receive the email newsletter of the EJK Foundation. We do not, under any circumstances, share or sell our email lists.
16. What happens if I lose the award check, or if the check is not deposited before it expires?
To replace a lost or expired check, we will deduct $50 from the awarded money to cover fees.