Application Period: September 1 – November 19, 2025

Award Notification: By December 19, 2025

Fund Disbursement/Project Start: January 2026

• Project Tracks:
  • Track A (6–12 months): Jan 2026 – Jan 2027
  • Track B (12–18 months): Jan 2026 – Jul 2027

• School leaders, staff and students (with staff advisor) may apply on behalf of their GVSU-authorized charter public school 
  • Acknowledgment of Support from the school's Board of Directors is required
  • School must be in compliance with financial and operational standards
  • Limit of two application submissions per school 

This grant is designed to support initiatives that enhance learning experiences, improve school systems, or strengthen student outcomes. Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals aligned to their community context, within the following broad priority areas:

• Content-Specific Programming
• Extracurricular Educational Initiatives
• System/Classroom Innovations
• Experiential/Cooperative Learning
• Health or Environmental Needs/Innovations
• College/Career Readiness
• Other

Preference will be given to proposals that:

• Are innovative.
• Are student-led or actively involve student leadership.
• Include partnerships with community organizations.
• Are from schools with current 5- or 7-year charter contracts with GVSU.
• Demonstrate the opportunity for legacy or open-source materials and long-term potential.

Applicants must agree:

• Grant funds will not be used as stipends to pay for, or offset costs of, school personnel or other existing school programming.
• To provide GVSU with program data and milestone reports throughout the duration of the grant. 
• To present the innovation at a GVSU-sponsored event, if selected. 
• To assist in securing any necessary photo/video release forms, if the project is highlighted in GVSU communication channels.

The Impact 30 Grant celebrates GVSU’s 30 years of charter school authorization by funding 40 innovative, student-centered projects across two tracks: Charter Public Schools and  University Partners . Below are structured FAQs resources for Charter Public School applicants and awardees.

1. What is the Impact 30 grant? A competitive grant program designed to support innovative projects that positively impact charter public school students, schools, and communities. Forty total projects will be funded over two years.

2. What are the eligibility requirements?

• School leaders, staff and students (with staff advisor) may apply on behalf of their GVSU-authorized charter public school  
  • Acknowledgment of Support from the school's Board of Directors is required
  • School must be in compliance with financial and operational standards
  • Limit of two application submissions per school 

3. What is the timeline?

• Opens: September 1, 2025
• Deadline: November 19, 2025 (11:59 PM)
• Notification: By December 19, 2025
• Funds Disbursed/Projects Begin: January 2026
• Project Duration: Up to July 2027 (depending on project track)

4. What are the project tracks?

Track A: 6-12 months (January 2026 - January 2027)
Track B: 12-18 months (January 2026 - July 2027)

5. How much funding is available? 

• $5,000 (10 awards)
• $15,000 (10 awards)
• $30,000 (10 awards)

6. How are applications evaluated? 

Applications are reviewed in two stages:

• Stage 1 (Eligibility): Completeness, required approvals, deadlines, alignment with timelines/budget.
• Stage 2 (Review): External reviewers score applications using a rubric (up to 60 points) plus bonus points (up to 15) for preferred elements such as innovation, legacy, or student leadership.

7. Will applicants receive reviewer feedback or be able to resubmit? No. All applications must be submitted by November 19, 2025. After that, the two-stage review process occurs, and final award decisions are communicated by December 19, 2025. Reviewer comments will not be shared.

8. What support is available?

Pre-Award:

• Pre-recorded informational videos (track-specific)
• Live Q&A sessions on September 19, 2025
• Templates and technical assistance 

Post-Award:

• Communities of Practice
• Storytelling coaching
• Showcase and other conference presentation opportunities

9. Must projects align with GVSU’s values? Not explicitly. However, proposals must align with the grant’s focus areas, demonstrate innovation, and reflect lasting impact consistent with GVSU’s mission as a charter public school authorizer.

10. Can I apply to both tracks? No. Applicants may only apply under one track (University Partner or Charter School). However, university departments may collaborate with GVSU-authorized schools as partners on a single proposal.

11. What happens if a project encounters challenges? Applicants should communicate with GVSU Division of K-12 Education Innovation and Scholar Success (DEISS) staff. Technical assistance and Communities of Practice will help troubleshoot and adapt projects.

12. What are the focus areas?

• Content-Specific Programming
• Extracurricular Educational Initiatives
• System/Classroom Innovations
• Experiential/Cooperative Learning
• Health or Environmental Needs/Innovations
• College/Career Readiness
• Other (as defined by applicant)

13. Which proposals are preferred?

• Innovative
• Student-led or featuring student leadership
• In partnership with community organizations
• From schools with current 5- or 7-year charter terms
•  Provide lasting outcomes and open-source resources

14. What are applicant commitments?

• Submit milestone updates and final report
• Participate in Innovation Showcase if selected
• Provide release forms if highlighted in storytelling

15. Can grant funds be used to pay stipends or off-contract wages to existing school or university faculty or staff?

Not at this time. For the initial cycle of Impact 30, grant funds may not be used to compensate existing teachers, faculty, or staff members (including through summer or off-contract stipends). This restriction applies to both K-12 and university partners.

Why not?
Because this is the first cycle of the program, GVSU is applying a consistent and conservative funding policy across all applicants to ensure equity, transparency, and clean fiscal oversight. This approach keeps the focus on direct project costs, such as materials, student programming, transportation, community partnerships, and other implementation expenses, and avoids differences in how schools and university units handle employee compensation.

What if the project includes activities like data collection, facilitation, or evaluation?
Projects that include activities like data collection, facilitation, or evaluation are eligible for support. The key distinction is how the work is completed: materials and related costs can be covered by the grant, but stipends are only allowed if the work is carried out by new vendors, external consultants, or community partners, not by existing school or university employees.

Will this policy change in the future?
Possibly. After this inaugural cycle, GVSU will review all feedback and program outcomes to determine whether flexibility can be added in future rounds to recognize off-contract or summer work that advances collaboration and impact.

16. Can funds be carried forward to the new school year? Yes, if within the approval project timeline and scope.

17. How will funds be disbursed? Funds are disbursed directly to the school’s governing board (the legal contract holder) and must appear in financial records as revenue, with expenditures aligned to the approved project budget.

18. Are there fees attached to the award? No. The full award amount supports the project. No management or processing fees are deducted.

19. Does the board need to approve applications? Yes. A Letter of Acknowledgment signed by the Board Chair on behalf of the full board is required. If a school submits two proposals, the same Letter of Acknowledgment can be used for both.

20. Can schools partner with external organizations? Yes, community partnerships are encouraged and may strengthen the application.

21. Do multi-campus networks count as one school? No. Each individual school and building code is recognized as a separate entity for application purposes.

22. Can two applications from the same school both be funded? Each proposal is judged independently. While the program aims for equitable distribution, more than one proposal from the same school may be funded if both score highly.

23. If two applications for the same school are funded, can they be for different levels? Yes. Each award is judged independently.

24. Who should I contact with questions? GVSU Division of K-12 Education Innovation and Scholar Success (DEISS) at [email protected] .

FOR AWARDEES

1. What should I do if I am unable to attend the kick-off/orientation meeting? Each grant initiative typically involves a team. Please make all attempts for as many team members to attend as possible. Those present can share information with others. If your entire team cannot attend on January 16, please contact the Impact 30 Coordination Team to make alternate arrangements.

2. What reporting is required? All awardees must submit milestone updates (schedule varies by track) and a final project report. Monthly survey and Communities of Practice participation is also required. 

3. What are the expectations for storytelling and dissemination? Awardees must provide photos, stories, or open-source tools for archiving and may be featured in GVSU communications, events, or conferences. 

4. What if my project scope or budget changes? Any significant changes must be discussed with the Impact 30 Coordination Team before implementation. Please contact them as soon as you are aware a change is needed to set up a meeting with the program director.