What are the benefits of participating in a SCG Action Accelerator? ↓

• Project Fund: Each participating organization has access to $10,000 to design and execute a two-month project to meet the needs of their community around ARPA funding decision making. (Commitment is for four months overall.)
• Learning Community: Peer-based network to share ideas, strategies and resources. (The Learning Community consists of ARPA Action Accelerator projects, peer Advisors, other simultaneous Action Accelerators, and the broader SCG Collaboration Network.)
• Innovation Hub: Library of resources consisting of commissioned and publicly available research.

Do you have a Glossary of the terms you use? ↓

Sometimes the terms we use are unfamiliar to people or we mean something particular, so we’ve created a glossary.

How do I know if I am eligible to submit an Expression of Interest? ↓

Be a non-profit organization with an IRS 501(c)(3) designation or have an organization with 501 (c)(3) status sponsor your project (fiscal sponsor). (We cannot support lobbying or political activity.)

How do I know if I should submit an Expression of Interest? ↓

• Your organization, coalition, or effort represents community-based public education stakeholders: families, students, educators.
• You have a track record or actionable plan to engage public education decision makers
• You have the capacity, and enthusiasm, to design and execute a high-impact, short-term project that can have a measurable effect on ARPA funding allocation decisions in your school district.
• You have the capacity, and enthusiasm, to designate two reliable representatives to the SCG Learning Community for the duration of your project. (In addition to your project design and execution responsibilities, Learning Community programming will take one to two hours per week.)
• The targeted service area for your project is at either the school district or school-level. (The effects of your project can extend to the county or state-level; the focus, though, should be targeted to the local level.)

How do you distribute funding? ↓

For payment disbursement you will need:

• IRS 501 (c)(3) Determination Letter
• W9
• Wire/Electronic Fund Transfer form (We cannot accommodate physical check disbursement.)
• Executed contract with New Venture Fund (fiscal sponsor of SCG): contract deliverables include interim and closing reflections from project and Learning Community activities

What information do you need beyond the Expression of Interest and Payment Instructions? ↓

• If you are a 501(c)3, you will need a Letter of Support from the head of your organization (example included in the helpful resources section of the Expression of Interest form.)
• If you are not a 501(c)3, you will need a Letter of Support from the head of your fiscal sponsor.
• We will request testimonials or additional information if needed.

What time commitment is required to be part of the Learning Community? ↓

On average, you should expect to dedicate approximately five (5) hours per month over the project cycle. Learning Community programming activities:

• Full-group Convenings at the beginning and conclusion of the project cycle, approximately 90-minutes each.
• Small Group Discussions of 60-minutes interspersed throughout project cycle, you will have at least one opportunity with additional optional sessions available.
• SCG Consultancy Calls of 30 to 45 minutes with SCG advisors are available, four sessions required for each project: opening and closing interviews, two during project cycle.
• TALKS are 30- to 60-minute presentations and discussions with allies scheduled throughout the project cycle. They are available live and recorded for the Innovation Hub.

What do you mean by Reliable Represenative ↓

• A person designated by your organization, coalition, or effort who can serve as a point-of-contact regarding your project and who can represent your organization during Learning Community activities.
• Ideally this is the person responsible for conducting the project as we want to have a direct relationship with the people closest to the effort.
• This person should have back up, so a second reliable representative can be available to field questions about the project and to fill in on Learning Community activities.
• Both reliable representatives are welcome to fully participate in Learning Community activities. (We do, however, request that your reliable representatives be available for the duration of the project.)

Does our Project have to be a new, stand-alone activity, or can we continue or expand an existing effort? ↓

• Your project may be a new idea or complementary to existing work or part of larger organizational initiatives already in place.
• It must, however, have a clear ideation plan for the duration of the project with an achievable outcome at the close of the project cycle.

Can project funding cover staffing or overhead costs or only direct project expenses? ↓

Allocate funding as you see fit to execute your project, n.b. we cannot support lobbying or political activity.

Are there examples of past projects I can refer to? ↓

Yes! Feel free to take a look at previous projects from the ARPA-K-12 School Funding Phase I Accelerator, or browse projects from other Accelerators by click on the OUR WORK tab at the top of the screen.

How do I submit my Expression of Interest? ↓

Submit your Expression of Interest via this form.

What do I need to keep in mind when submitting my Expression of Interest? ↓

• WHAT: What is your proposed two-month project: what do you plan to do, and what do you hope to accomplish?
• WHY: Why is the project important to your community? Why are you best positioned to conduct this effort?
• WHO: Who will conduct the project? Who will be served/benefit? Who is the audience for your efforts?
• WHERE: Where will your project be conducted, e.g. statewide, county, school district, community, school, neighborhood?
• HOW: How will you execute your project? How could others benefit from your effort?

What is the EOI submission timeline? ↓

Steps to Express Interest:

1. Tuesday, August 31, 2021: Invitation to Express Interest live on SCG website with FAQ.
2. Monday, September 13, 2021, 2pm EDT: Information Session via Zoom. Register here. Recording will be posted after the session.
3. Friday, September 17, 2021: Expression of Interest (EOI) DUE by 5:00 OM EDT and response to Calendly link to schedule a 30-minute follow-up discussion with SCG.
4. Week of September 20, 2021: Follow-up discussions and requests for additional information as needed.
5. Friday, October 1, 2021: Notification regarding projects identified for support. Contract and invoicing information.

If this isn’t a right fit for my organization, how else can I collaborate with Seek Common Ground? ↓

• If this is not a good opportunity for you and you are interested in learning more and staying connected with Seek Common Ground, please complete this form.
• We will also debrief anyone whose project we are unable to support.

Links & Downloads ↓

• VIDEO: SCG Learning Community TALK w/ Chad Aldeman, Policy Director of the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University: An overview of ARP/ESSER funding allocations, how they flow to states and districts as well as how they can be used.
• VIDEO: SCG Learning Community TALK w/ Ian Rosenblum, Acting Assistant Secretary, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education for the U.S. Department of Education: Ian shares what advocates should know as they work with state and local leaders to prioritize spending to meet their community’s needs.
• ARPA I Project Collateral: The Alliance for Quality Education conducted a survey of over 1,000 parents asking them in English and in Spanish how they believe ARPA resources should meet the needs and priorities of families, students, and educators for COVID-19 recovery and to combat systemically racist practices in schooling. Survey results are outlined in more detail in AQE’s We Demand: How New York’s Communities Want to Use New Federal Aid to Public Schools report .
• SCG Glossary
• Downloadable PowerPoint Asset-Framing Your Core Case
• Bridgespan Overview of Design Thinking
• Design Thinking for Social Innovation
• The Future of Work in Nonprofits: How Design Thinking Can Increase Your Impact