Teachers

Innovation Grant Application

Inspiring Innovation in the Classroom
Silicon Valley Education Foundation Teacher

Innovation Grants

What is an Innovation Grant?
Who do we fund?
What have we funded?
General Guidelines
Types of SVEF Innovation Grants
How Do I Apply?
Grant Cycles for 08-09 School Year
Innovation Council Members
Apply Now

What is an Innovation Grant?

SVEF Teacher Innovation Grants empower Silicon Valley Teachers to inspire tomorrows innovators. Now teachers have a new opportunity to create memorable, interactive and enhanced learning experiences for their students. Innovation Grants provide our teachers with opportunities to connect our youth to new and innovative experiences in the classroom and on field trips. These Innovation Grants will be beneficial to our youth and their families. In addition, the Innovation Grants will benefit our teachers ability to give opportunities to children.

Who do we fund?

Grants of up to $500 ($1,000 for a Collaborative Grant) will be awarded to any teacher or group of teachers who work in one of the 34 school districts or charter schools in the Silicon Valley. Teachers of any grade level can apply for professional development, purchase of technology or materials, access to field trips or other innovative ideas to be implemented in the classroom. Teachers are encouraged to try new ideas and to share the best ideas with other teachers.

What have we funded?

General Guidelines

SVEF grants supplement rather than supplant regular district funding. SVEF will support the purchase of equipment and materials which go beyond school budgets but will not support the purchase of ordinary school supplies such as paper, pencils and pens which are part of the school budget.

Applicants must submit two lesson plans to the SVEF Lessonopoly.org site as a sample of their professional work. Applications for which two lesson plans have not been submitted to the Lessonopoly.org site will not be considered.

If the costs of the project exceed $500 (or $1,000 for a Collaborative Grant), applicants should explain the source of funds beyond the amount of the SVEF grant will be secured.

All recipients of SVEF Teacher Innovation Grants are eligible to be named SVEF-KBAY Teacher of the Month.

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Types of SVEF Innovation Grants

Details about each type can be found by clicking below:

Note: Both grant types can be filed as individual teacher grants or collaborative teacher grants using the same application.

How Do I Apply?

The application process is completed online. Teachers are asked to provide some general information about themselves, their school and the class(es) they teach. Both grant types require:

• A descriptive project title
• The specific details of the project /trip
• An implementation timeline
• Budget information

Each grant type has other required information specific to that type. These requirements are detailed in the descriptions above.

When ready to apply, teachers need to complete a simple online registration form to begin. A user name and password must be created. Once this user name and password are registered, the application can be filled in online. Please note that it is possible to partially complete the application, save it and return later to complete the process.

Submission of the two required lesson plans to the Lessonopoly.org site requires creating a separate profile with that site. Applicants may use the same user name and password used on the Teacher Innovation Grant Application but need to create a profile with Lessonopoly.org.

Grant Cycles for 08-09 School Year

Innovation Council Members

Rhonda Farber
Dr. Rhonda E. Farber has spent her entire 30+ years in education with the Campbell Union High School District. She has been a high school teacher, department chair, dean, vice principal, principal, district office administrator and has served as superintendent since 1999. A dedicated public educator, she has demonstrated leadership by overseeing the reopening of Branham High School and major upgrading of all school facilities including a new alternative high school with the passage of a 95 million dollar bond in 1999. Community participation and volunteerism in the schools has increased since she took over as superintendent. In 2005 the voters passed a parcel tax, and a $90 million bond was passed in 2006. Dr. Farber has 3 children attending college, all graduated from the Campbell Union High School District. Dr. Farber earned a bachelors degree from UC Berkeley, MA from San Jose State University and PhD from Walden University.

Sam VanZandt
Sam Van Zandt is a San Jose native whose love of radio led to broadcast studies at San Jose State University, then a trip around the country as a deejay before he settled into San Francisco to raise his family. In San Francisco, Sam was Public Affairs Director for KCBS-FM, KIOI, KYA and KFRC. Sam also worked at several other radio stations in his 30+ years in San Francisco. Sam appeared on TV as a reviewer on Channel 5's "Evening Magazine", Channel 4's "Saturday Live," and as a movie critic on Channel 7's "AM San Francisco." Sam also hosted the TV 20 Ten O'clock Movie for several years, and was a regular host of Channel 2's MDA Labor Day Telethon for 20 years before moving to San Jose to become Public Affairs Director/Morning Co-host on KBAY 94.5 with longtime South Bay morning star Lissa Kreisler. Sam lives in Walnut Creek with his wife Carol and cats Elvis and Purr-cilla, and loves to support the San Jose public school system, which gave him such a wonderful start on his broadcasting career.

Jenn Holst

Scott Wolf

Bertha Ward

Carl Ward

Janet Geracie

John Tang
John Tang is the Manager of Government Relations and Corporate Communications for San Jose Water Company. His career spans 12 plus years in the areas of environmental engineering and public affairs. John is currently responsible for directing and executing the companys corporate communications, government affairs, and media relations programs. Prior to joining San Jose Water Company, John was employed by FMC Corporation as a Remediation Engineer and worked at both the corporate headquarter in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the manufacturing facility in San Jose, California. His responsibilities at FMC included managing a diverse portfolio of contaminated industrial facilities, including State and Federal Superfund sites, in the United States and Canada. John is a graduate of San Jose State University where he received a BS and MS Civil Engineering, and Columbia University where he received an MBA. He is a California registered civil engineer and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Bob Martinez
Bob Martinez is the IBM Outreach Program manager for the IBM sites in the bay area and is responsible for K-12 outreach programs. In his 33 years with IBM he has worked in every aspect of HR and held an HR manager position. As IBM's Equal Opportunity officer he had responsibility for IBM's community programs and received Santa Clara County Human Relations award. He has had a lot of experience in organizational development and worked closely with management to implement corporate programs, improve the site environment and work with managers to enhance their leadership skills and employee relations. One of his main focuses is to be involved with/and understand the local community agencies needs in order to assist them in getting supplies/funding. He enjoys working with/volunteering in community groups. He was the MESA program chairperson for 3 years. Bob is very involved in IBM's diversity programs and works to ensure that IBM stays focused on improving its minority representation through various programs like on site Technical camps for middle school girls and minority males, along with focusing on high-school and college programs that focus on diversity students.He is married has 3 children and loves traveling.

Anne Ehresman
Anne joined Project Cornerstone in January, 2008, bringing 20 years of non-profit leadership that includes fighting childhood hunger, preventing child abuse, and developing housing and programs to help low-income families achieve self-sufficiency. Anne was previously Senior Vice President of InnVision the Way Home, overseeing programs serving 15,000 homeless and low-income families and individuals throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, with responsibility for all private and in-kind resource development of the $10.3 million budget. Anne holds a Masters in Social Welfare from University of California at Berkeley and Bachelors degree from Brown University. In 2003, she received a fellowship to attend the Stanford Business School Executive Education Program for Non-Profit Leaders. Anne is Vice President of the Community Working Group Board of Directors, loves spending time with her family, and is an active volunteer in her childrens schools.

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