S T E M Classroom Grants
Sponsored by TVA and BVI
Classroom Funding
TVA Service Areas
Public & Private Schools
The TSIN STEM Classroom Grant Program, sponsored by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in partnership with Bicentennial Volunteers Incorporated (BVI, a TVA retiree organization), is designed to fund STEM learning projects in classrooms and schools in the TVA service area across the Tennessee Valley. The application seeks classroom or school level STEM projects - designed to support initiatives that advance STEM activities in the classroom, and to develop a talent pipeline for TVA and its customers.
Applications should highlight STEM projects that are unique, innovative, and creative ideas that incorporate design thinking and promote 21st century skills. Points are awarded for projects that enhance college and career readiness and that are both collaborative and interdisciplinary across subjects and/or grades. Applicants are encouraged to involve community partners in their projects and to expose students to real-world careers and in-demand skills.
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power companies serving nearly 10 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. TVA provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system, and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.
All project proposals should support one of the following TVA priority areas: Environment, Energy, Economic and Career Development, or Community Problem Solving. Grants may be requested in the amounts of $1,000, $1,500, $2,500, $3,500, or $5,000.
Find helpful STEM resources on our website at https://www.tsin.org/curriculum-and-lesson-plans
Applications for the 2024/2025 program closed on September 15, 2024.
We will notify all grant applicants regarding the status of their application by November 30, 2024.
Grant Eligibility
- School must be a public or private school serving one or more of grades K-12.
- Non-profit organizations, homeschools, homeschool pods, and pre-k organizations are not eligible.
- A religious affiliated school must meet the following qualifications to be eligible:
- The school does not restrict attendance or any of its activities based on a particular religious view;
- The school does not restrict any membership or employment to a specific religion; and
- The school operates independently from the church as a separate 501c3 with a separate EIN/IRS number.
- School must be located in the TVA service area.
- School must receive their electricity from a TVA local power company.
- Grants may be requested in the amounts of $1,000, $1,500, $2,500, $3,500, or $5,000.
Resources and Supports
Application Processes
Applying
Upon Application, you must have the following information:
- Applicant and school full contact and mailing information.
- District (or private school) EIN/TIN number as registered with the IRS.
- The name and email address of the grant manager or financial officer responsible for your school at the district office.
- The name of the company your school receives power from. (Please contact your school to verify this information.)
Please download and read the complete application package before applying.
Submissions
1. All grants must be written and submitted by the educator who will be performing the project. Submissions must be the unique work of the teacher who will be instituting the grant. The teacher may collaborate with others in writing the grant, but the grant may not be written on their behalf by someone else.
2. A teacher may only submit ONE application. If multiple applications are submitted by the same teacher, only the first one will be considered.
3. A school may submit more than one application from different teachers.
***Please note that it is unlikely a school will have more than one grant funded, so multiple applications from the same school will be in competition with each other.
4. AI may be used to help inform grant question responses. However, all submissions should be your own, unique work and not copied verbatim from an AI response. Submissions that are suspected to be pasted from AI will be disqualified.
Payments and Spending
1. Grant payments will only be made to an organization via ACH and cannot be made to an individual.
a. A W9 for the organization and ACH form will be required.
b. Organizations unable to accept ACH payments are not eligible.
c. We no longer issue paper checks for grant funds.
d. Awards in a district will be combined and 1 payment will be made to the district.
e. An email will be sent to the district office explaining the breakout of the awards.
f. Payments are made to districts; and not to individual schools.
2. Funds may NOT be used for: furniture, cash, gift cards, travel, salary, food, professional development, construction projects, renovation projects, general office supplies not related to STEM activities, or sports.
3. Grants may be requested in the amounts of $1,000, $1,500, $2,500, $3,500, or $5,000.
Tips for Your Application
A high scoring application will:
- Be a unique, innovative, and/or creative idea
- Align to one or more of the TVA areas of focus
- Incorporate design thinking
- Promote 21st century skills
- Enhance college and career readiness
- Be collaborative or interdisciplinary across subjects and/or grades
- Involve a community partner
- Impact a high percentage of students
- Expose traditionally underserved students to STEM learning
A well written application will:
- Clearly communicate the project and anticipated results
- Explain the anticipated student learning outcomes and how the project will deepen students’ understanding of STEM
- Contain a description of how intended outcomes will be assessed
All applications should:
- Contain a budget outline (using the provided template) for the full amount of funding requested
- Not contain furniture, cash, gift cards, travel, salary, food, general office supplies not related to STEM activities, or sports
- Be from a school that receives power from a TVA distributor
- Be your own, unique work
- Agree to all of the terms and conditions at the end of the application
Examples of Previously Funded Projects for Each Focus Group
Project: No Dirt, No Problem! School-wide STEM Vertical Gardening
School: Spring Hill Elementary
For this project, students research, design, and launch a plan to grow crops without soil. Students help develop an edible school garden and utilize an automatic vertical hydroponic system. They work together to investigate, create, and communicate ideas related to the topic of food security for our community and state. Through an outdoor classroom, students learn about innovations and agricultural concepts that span across math, science, art, health, social studies, and technology. Throughout the project, students monitor, compare, measure, test, and alter the conditions to best support the plants. These new outdoor skills can be taken home to their families and they strengthen the relationship between the school and community.
Project: Sequatchie River Water Study
School: Bledsoe County High School
This project provides the tools for the Bledsoe County High School’s Ecology class to conduct a semester-long study of the water quality in the Sequatchie River. Four sites are utilized along the river in Bledsoe County: two upstream and two downstream of the sewage treatment plant. Students test for nitrates, phosphates, silica and pH. Carbon dioxide, water hardness and dissolved oxygen are also studied, in addition to a test for bacterial (coliform) pollution.
The students also collect and identify micro and macro invertebrates in the river. This project allows students to discover the value of macro invertebrates as living indicators of water quality. The data collected is then analyzed by the students at the end of the semester, and the students create videos and presentations to showcase their testing and findings.
Project: Pedal Power!
School: Lookout Valley Middle School
This project is designed to motivate students to exercise while teaching them concepts in STEM. The project allows students to collaboratively build bicycles that can create and capture electricity into a usable power source. Lessons include electricity, sustainable energy sources, technology, engineering, design and various math concepts. The students are able to take a battery pack that is empty and, by riding the bicycles they built, produce electricity to recharge the battery. The project collaborates with teachers in subjects across the curriculum including P.E., science, math and physics.
Project: K-4 STEM @ Home Career Certification Kits
School: Prescott South Elementary
In an effort to provide motivated students additional learning opportunities regarding STEM Careers at home, Prescott South Elementary will develop STEM @ Home Career Kits. Each grade level supports one STEM Career area. Activities within the pack includes developmentally-appropriate literacy related to the career, information regarding education required for the career, information regarding potential geographic locations for employment, and engaging activities to develop an understanding of skills necessary for the career. Each grade level has five different packs. If all five projects are completed to a level of mastery, the student becomes Prescott-certified for that career strand. An evaluation rubric is included in each pack to promote goal setting and an understanding of the expectation for mastery.
Each grade level has developmentally-appropriate materials to research and gain a deeper understanding of the STEM Career grade-level focus area. The completed materials returned from home serves as evidence of learning. An evaluation rubric is included in each STEM at Home Project Pack. Students are verbally praised for effort regardless of mastery level.
FAQs
Do you have questions? We have answers.
Application FAQ:
Do I have to have the exact pricing for each item on my budget?
No. We understand prices can change over time and vary by store. Just estimate as closely as possible.
Where can I get help with my EIN and/or my W9?
You can read about and download a blank W9 form on the IRS website: https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-w-9 If you need help filling out the form or finding your EIN/TIN, please contact your school bookkeeper or district financial office. Battelle Education and TVA employees are unable to assist with the W9.
Can my school apply for more than one grant? Can I apply for more than one grant?
A teacher may only submit one application. If multiple applications are submitted by the same teacher, only the first one will be considered. A school MAY submit more than one application from different teachers. Please note that it is unlikely a school will have more than one grant funded, so multiple applications from the same school will be in competition with each other.
Can I access my previous grant applications?
Due to issues beyond our control, we are no longer using Submittable for our application process. You can still access your previous submissions in your Submittable account. A copy of your application for this year will be emailed to you once you have submitted it. Please keep this copy for your records.
I can’t get the online form to work. Can I apply by email?
We're sorry but all applications must come through the online form. If your school internet or computer blocks our form, please try applying with a different computer or on a Wi-Fi connection from home or a public place outside of your school building.
How do I know if my school is in a TVA service area and receives power from a TVA distributor?
Grants are open to all teachers or school administrators in public schools, grades K through 12. Schools must be located in the TVA service area and receive power from a TVA distributor. To check to see if your school is in a TVA service area and receives power, please check the TVA website.
What projects are NOT eligible for a grant?
Funds may not be used for furniture, cash, gift cards, travel, salary, food, professional development, construction projects, renovation projects, general office supplies not related to STEM activities, or sports.
Will I be notified if I receive a grant or not?
Yes, we will notify all grant applicants regarding the status of their application by November 30, 2024.
After Award FAQ:
Can I substitute a similar item if my item goes out of stock?
Yes, absolutely! You do not need to email asking permission to substitute a similar item for one you listed in your budget, nor do you need to ask permission to substitute a distributor or vendor.
Can I change the scope of my project?
You may submit a change request via our grant change request form if you need to make some changes to the scope of your project. However, please keep in mind that this is a competitive grant so it is unlikely that we will be able to approve a complete change in project scope.
What if I don’t spend it all?
If your items go on sale or something else happens and your budget changes, please use the grant change request form on our website to send us a quick note outlining how you would like to spend the difference on STEM related activities. We don’t want you to have to return any funds, so we’re happy to work with you to spend any surplus you may encounter!
Is there a required format for the statement of finance due by June 30?
There is a very simple final report form available on our website.
What if I cannot meet the spend or report deadline?
If you are having issues with the timeline, a deadline extension may be possible. Please utilize the grant change request form on our website to send us a quick note with details on the issues you have encountered. Please be sure to include the date you would like to extend to. Please note: Grants not completed by October 1 will cause the school to be ineligible for the next round of funding.
When and where will I receive my funds?
Grant payments are only made to an organization via ACH and will not be made to an individual. A W9 for the organization and ACH form is required and must be updated annually. Organizations unable to accept ACH payments are not eligible. We no longer issue paper checks for grant funds. Awards in a district will be combined and 1 payment will be made to the district. An email will be sent to the district office explaining the breakout of the awards. Payments are not made to individual schools.
Funds should be available via your district finance office approximately 45 days after you have submitted your W9 and completed ACH form. Funds cannot be released until these two documents are submitted and verified.
I’m moving to a different school, can I take the grant funds and/or equipment with me?
All grant funds and items purchased with grant funds must remain at the school at which the application was originally written. If you are departing, please assign a new teacher to take over the project. Should a new teacher not wish to take over the project, the funds will need to be returned. Please contact us for information on how to return the grant funds.
This program is supported by assistance from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), a federal agency. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and applicable TVA regulations at 18 C.F.R pts. 1302, 1307, 1309 and 1317, no person shall, on the grounds of race, color, national origin, age, sex or disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under this program. In addition, no qualified person with a disability shall, on the basis of a disability, be subjected to discrimination in employment (including hiring) under the program. If you feel you have been subjected to discrimination as described above, you, personally or by a representative, have the right to file a written complaint with TVA not later than 180 days (for race, color, national origin, or sex) or 90 days (for age or disability) from the date of the alleged discrimination. The complaint should be sent to Tennessee Valley Authority, Federal Assistance Programs, 1101 Market Street, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402-2801.
A copy of the applicable TVA regulations may be obtained on request by writing TVA at the address given above.
