Important Dates

• Our application is available online from January 15-April 15 (or until we reach 200 submissions) each year.
• McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation’s Board of Trustees meet to review applications and determine funding in June of each year.
• Notifications of application status are sent on July 15 of each year. These notifications will be automatically sent to the email address used on the application.
• Grant proceeds are disbursed on August 15 of each year. The funds are mailed USPS to the address listed on the application.
• 1099s will be issued to awarded recipients by January 31 of the following year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about applying

• Can I download a copy of the application before applying?
  • On each specific application page you can access a .PDF version of the application questions.
• Are the grants awarded to individuals or institutions?
  • Awards are made to individuals. While you can have a team representing an institution, only one person can be the recipient.
• Which grant do I apply for?
  • The Academic Enrichment grant focuses on the student’s enrichment. The Teacher Development grant is geared toward the improvement of teachers’ abilities. We recommend that all applicants click here to review funded project summaries on our website to see what we have funded for each type in the past.
• May I receive copies of last year’s awardees’ applications/ complete program descriptions?
  • We do not provide copies of any previous winners’ applications. Please click here to view project summaries of funded projects available for reference on our website.
• Are teachers allowed to apply for both an Academic Enrichment and a Teacher Development Grant in the same year?
  • You may apply for both grants in the same year. Keep in mind these two programs are distinctly different so it would not be appropriate to submit the SAME application for both grants. They should be two very different proposals and have different names.  We recommend you use unique letters of recommendation as you will be speaking to two totally different types of programs.
• Our proposal is a collaboration between a school, a non-profit organization, and parents – who should be the applicant?
  • Whoever will actually be “the point person” in charge of the project or program should be the applicant.
• Are reference letters required for the applications, (or just reference contact info)?
  • Letters of recommendation are required for grant applications. PLEASE NOTE you can not upload the letters for your letter providers.
  • Applicants will be asked to submit email addresses of those who will be authoring letters of recommendation. The following information is provided within the application regarding letter submission:
    • You will need at least three (but no more than five) individuals to submit a letter in support of your project by providing their email address within your application. Make sure you enter these email addresses accurately and that you have already informed these individuals that you are using them as references!! We recommend you ask them to add info@mccartheydressman.org to their approved contacts so that your requests do not go into spam.
    • Your application must include 3 recommendations. All recommendation letters must be uploaded here by the authors of the letters of recommendation BEFORE the application due date (April 15) OR before we reach 200 application submissions. Letters must be uploaded before you can submit your application. The individual whose address has been provided will receive an email with instructions for uploading a reference letter in one of the following document formats: .doc, .docx, .txt, .pdf, .jpg, .jpeg, .tiff, .tif.
    • You are responsible for communicating with letter authors regarding the submission process. We strongly recommend you communicate with the individuals providing your letters in advance asking them to add info@mccartheydressman.org to their approved contacts so that they do not miss the message. They should look for a message with the subject line “Recommendation for __________. “
    • Please make sure at least one letter reflects project approval from the principal/director of your institution if your project is conducted at a school or agency.
    • Your recommendation letters should address your academic abilities and achievements thus far, your character, and your promise as leader of your proposed program or your promise as a teacher.
    • When you return to your online application, you will see that the reference status is ‘pending’ if an upload has not been received or ‘complete’ if it has been received. Your application is not complete and may not be submitted until you have at least three letter files uploaded.
    • Each time you request a letter to be sent from an individual, they receive a new link for submitting the letter which invalidates the old link. If you have requested their reference multiple times, they may have received more than one email. The recipient will need to locate the most recent email and use that link to submit their letter.
    • NOTE: Letters must be uploaded before  April 15 so that you still have time to submit your application before the deadline. At least three letter files must be attached in order to submit your application. Remember, a limited number of applications are accepted every year and the application will close early if that limit is reached. Submit your application early!
  • Are there any geographical restrictions on the grants?
    • No.
  • Are there scholarships available for student teaching?
    • Please note that MDEF is discontinuing student teaching scholarships after the 2022-23 award year.
  • Is mentoring included with awards?
    • A trustee of the foundation will mentor an award recipient.
  • What is the maximum budget for an Academic Enrichment or Teacher Development proposal?
    • The annual budget for each year must not exceed $10,000.00 for a maximum budget of $20,000 over two years. Eligibility requirements must continue to be met for each funding year.
  • Do all projects have a two year budget?
    • You may apply for a one OR two year grant. You do not need to apply for both years.
  • Can you provide guidelines for allowable budget items for the grants?
    • We don’t provide guidelines for the budget. The trustees rely on the grant writer to display the appropriateness of their proposed budget items and look to this when making selections.  Books, materials, art supplies, stipends, technology, etc., are all within the scope of allowable budget items. Travel expenses are not often funded but are sometimes considered depending on the overall scope of the project. Stipends are considered but should not be the bulk of the budget.
  • Can I apply right up until the deadline?
    • Get your app in early and save yourself the stress! Because 90 percent of the applications come in during the last few days, we recommend you do not wait until the deadline to submit. In the event that we reach the application limits stated on our homepage, we close the application and no longer accept submissions. You can track the number of submitted applications on our website. This information is updated regularly during the application period.
  • Will I be able to budget funds for use the summer after I apply?
    • Grants are not disbursed until August 15 of the application year. Please carefully review our Important Dates section on this page.

Questions about receiving funding

• How are the funds disbursed?
  • Funds are disbursed by check to the address listed on the application, so be sure that the address listed can receive USPS and/or FedEx mail on or around August 15. If your check is being mailed to your school, please make sure your address includes ‘in care of’ instructions.
• Are these grants considered taxable income for the recipient?
  • A 1099 form is issued to the individual who receives the grant (therefore the check.) The person receiving the 1099 would subtract the amount of the expenses from the total received. The only thing that should be taxable to the individual would be a stipend issued to him or herself.

Additional questions

• What is the best way to contact us?
  • Email us using the same address you used for your application. Make sure the email address you list is accessible and active during the entire year (especially during the summer). You can click here to Contact Us for additional assistance.
• Can I print a copy of my application?
  • Select print from your web browser while within your application.