Proposal Writing Resources

The maximum award is $1,000 for PK-2nd grade proposals, $1,500 for 3rd-5th grade proposals, and $2,000 for 6th-12th grade proposals.

• A teacher may only receive one grant award per fiscal year.
• Grant funds may only be used to purchase QSM Eligible items.
  • QSM Eligible items include equipment and materials directly related with instruction and student use. Grant funds may be used to cover shipping and handling costs but cannot be used to cover taxes of items.
  • Safety equipment such as goggle sanitizing cabinets and appropriate chemical storage cabinets are eligible items as long as use supports the learning of a standard. Example: if a lesson to learn specific standards requires chemicals that need to be stored safely in an acids cabinet, etc., the chemicals are ineligible, but the safety cabinet would be eligible as long as you describe how the students will be using the chemicals and the requirement for proper storage for those chemicals.
  • Ineligible items include, but are not limited to, furniture, TV/utility carts, computer desks, software subscriptions, field trips, registration fees, teacher trainings, consumables, and supply kits that are mostly consumables.
• All grant funds must be expended on items as specified in the approved budget or as approved by the QSM Grant Administrator.
• Items purchased from grant funds are considered property of the school and shall remain with the school if the teacher leaves.
• If unforeseen developments occur that make it impossible for the project to be completed as submitted, the teacher or principal shall contact the QSM Administrator to decline the award or transfer the award to a teacher at the school who can implement the project.
• Failure to adhere to any of the stated policies or guidelines may result in revocation of the grant which requires the reimbursement of the full amount of funding to the QSM Grant Program and the disqualification of the applicant or school for future funding.

A teacher is allowed to submit one proposal for each grant round per fiscal year if they have not been awarded a grant in the same fiscal year.

• Proposals must be submitted by the grant closing date and time.
• Group submissions are not allowed and will be disqualified.
• All applications must give priority to the Louisiana Student Standards for Mathematics or Science. The use of National Standards is allowed if Louisiana Student Standards are not available (e.g., upper-level subjects, STEM subjects, and Pre-K).
• The application must include an itemized budget. Shipping costs should be included in the budget when applicable. Sales tax is not fundable.
• Prior to submitting a proposal, the school principal must review and approve of the proposal. A Principal Statement of Support will be required if awarded.
• Any of following actions will result in the disqualification of a submission:
  • Missing or incomplete proposal component(s)
  • Any mention of names, schools, parishes, districts, or towns within the responses to the proposal questions or budget file
  • Failure to identify how QSM Ineligible Items required to complete the project successfully will be funded (only if necessary)
  • Eligible items including more than 10% essential consumables, consumables not related to the project, or typical classroom supplies
  • Failure to identify funding source for QSM Eligible Items budget if total exceeds award limitations (only if necessary)
  • Violations of the state’s policy regarding use of confidential student data or implication of knowledge of the content of an assessment beyond what has been provided by the governing agency. For example, including student names on reports is a violation of student confidentiality laws. The addition of information that could only have been obtained by reviewing individual items on a state assessment is a violation of state policy.
  • Evidence of plagiarism. This includes, but is not limited to the following:
    • Substituting synonyms for another individual’s words but preserving sentence structure
    • Mixing the individual’s words or phrases with the applicant’s paraphrasing
    • Using the exact text that a company uses in their product descriptions

Recipients of the grant must comply with all post-award reporting. This includes completion and submission of the Itemized Expense Report and Final Report by the stated deadline.

• The Itemized Expense Report verifies that the amount awarded is spent as specified in the proposal and approved budget.
  • The approved budget items must match an attached original receipt. Packing slips or unpaid invoices are not sufficient.
  • The total amount expended must be within $100 of the amount awarded.
  • If there is $100 or more unreconciled (this may occur due to fluctuations in prices), then a budget item adjustment must be requested for additional items or the amount remaining must be returned.
• Any budget item adjustments must be requested and approved by the QSM Administrator prior to expenditure.
• The Final Report summarizes the implementation of your project and its impact on students. 

While this list is not exhaustive, it is provided to highlight primary examples of items that cannot be funded with a QSM grant:

• One-time use items — playdough, craft items, live specimens, etc.
• Writing supplies — pencils/pens, markers, highlighters, etc.
• Paper based materials — graph paper, chart paper, paper plates, construction paper, etc.
• Batteries
• Adhesives — tape, glue, etc.
• Edible items
• Chemicals
• Plastic bags, wrap, utensils
• Subscription based software programs
• Field Trips
• Teacher trainings
• Registration fees — conferences, competitions, etc.
• Furniture — computer desks, TV/Utility carts, computer desks
• Supply Kits that are primarily consumables