SCG ARCHIVE: Ohio Whole Child Action accelerator Expression of Interest landing page
Seek Common Ground (SCG), is pleased to announce the Ohio Whole Child Action Accelerator. SCG believes it is vital that whole child-centered approaches to education be developed in fellowship with families, students, and communities in order to build a strong foundation to address long standing inequities, including meeting the needs of communities dealing with the long-term effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. We believe communities should drive decision making, especially now with the transformational possibilities of the American Rescue Plan.
To surface innovation and support community-led ideas, especially in marginalized communities, SCG has established an Action Accelerator to support organizations that service school districts in the following areas:
Cleveland
East Cleveland
Akron
Athens, Gallia, and Fairfield counties in Southeast Ohio
$15,000 per participating organization to execute a four-month, high-impact project designed in collaboration with, and to address the needs of families, students, and communities centering whole child approaches to education. (Following this initial project, there will be the potential for supported organizations to have two successive project phases funded for a total of $45,000 in funding to implement three projects over an 18-month time frame.) Stay tuned for an announcement of these organizations and their projects.
Peer-based community to share, strategize, and improve ideas with fellow project leaders in the SCG-facilitated Learning Community engagements.
Access to a library of relevant resources through the Innovation Hub.
Learn more about our process by viewing our Expression Form, Information Session, and applicant F.A.Q. available below.
INFORMATION SESSION WEBINAR RECORDING
Highlight Reel of Past Action Accelerator Participants
Frequently asked questions
What are the benefits of participating in a SCG Action Accelerator? ↓
- Project Fund: Up to $15,000 per organization/coalition per project cycle. The project cycle is six months with the option to participate in three cycles for a total of up to $45,000 over 18 months. (Upon conclusion of each project cycle, organizations will determine with SCG whether to proceed to the next round.)
- Learning Community: Be a part of a peer based community to share, strategize and improve ideas that can directly benefit your community.
- Innovation Hub: Access to library of pertinent resources.
Where can I find more information on SCG’s lexicon? ↓
You can learn more about SCG’s lexicon by viewing our glossary.
How do I know if I am eligible to submit an Expression of Interest? ↓
- Be an organization with a 501(c)(3) designation or have a fiscal sponsor with 501 (c)(3) status
- Service school districts in Cleveland, East Cleveland, Akron, and/or the counties of Athens, Gallia, and Fairfield in Southeast Ohio.
- Have the capacity to execute multiple, short-term projects from May 2021 through October 2022
- Commit to consistent reliable representative participation in Learning Community from May 2021 through October 2022 of approximately five hours per month in (addition to the time and effort you determine necessary to execute your project
What am I responsible for? ↓
How do you distribute funding? ↓
SCG will contact you if your project is identified for support to request financial information to contract with you in order to be able to fund your project. For payment disbursement you will be required to provide:
- Letter of Support for the project and authorization of fiscal sponsorship from the fiscal sponsor: either Executive Director or Board Chair.
- IRS Determination Letter: 501 (c)(3) status confirmation
- W9
- Wire/Electronic Fund Transfer form
reference pages 5-6 of the EOI
How many points of contact/staff should be included in this project? ↓
Ideally there should be two people who are either managing the Acton Accelerator project or have deep familiarity with project activities and can regularly attend Community Forums and respond to inquiries from peers.
Beyond actually implementing our project, what additional time commitment is required to be part of the Learning Community? ↓
The Learning Community component of the Action Accelerator requires consistent and regular participation. On average, you should expect to dedicate approximately five (5) hours per month between May and October 2021. Action Accelerator participants must commit to the following key activities:
- Full-group Convenings at the beginning and conclusion of each cycle (e.g., three hours on one day in May 2021 and one day in October 2021—additional project cycles will track this example).
- Monthly Learning Community Forums throughout each cycle (e.g., 60 – 90 minutes monthly between May and October 2021).
- SCG One-to-Ones interspersed throughout each cycle (e.g., 45 – 60 minutes for Ideation Calls in May 2021, Consultancy Calls in August 2021, and Commencement Interviews in October 2021).
- Resource Chats (optional) scheduled throughout each cycle based on interest (e.g., 30 – 60 minutes with allies and resource experts in and outside of the Learning Community).
What letters do we provide in our submission? ↓
If you are a 501(c)3, you will need authorization from your organization’s leadership, documented by a Letter of Support (example included in the helpful resources section of the Expression of Interest form). If you are not a 501(c)3, you will need to provide a letter from a fiscal agent that has that non-profit status.We do not need letters from schools you may partner with.
When you talk about Cleveland, does that include suburbs near Cleveland? ↓
When referring to Cleveland we are referring to areas that serve the CMSD school district. If your organization is physically located outside this area but serves students in this district, you are eligible.
Does this have to be for NEW project development, or if it's something we've beenworking on for a little while, could we continue and/or expand our efforts with that existing project? ↓
We ask that your project have a June start and September close; that at then of that time period you have measurable objectives that you either achieved or sought to execute. Your project, however, may be complementary to existing work or be a part of larger organizational initiatives already in place.
Must the work occur directly with the school district or can it be community-based youth-serving organizations that work with district students? ↓
We are looking for Community Organizations that serve students, families and/or communities.
What recommendations would you make for an organization whose core timeframe for programming is April and May? Would this program be a good fit? ↓
If you have a project in mind that you are interested in working on, we recommend you apply even if it falls outside your preferred operating window. Have in mind, however, what measurable outcomes you would have at the conclusion of the project
Can we submit an expression of interest under an organizational email instead of a personal Email account? ↓
Either personal or organizational email works. We ask that whatever email you provide, it be one that is checked with regularity as we will be using that address for updates on your submission and project details going forward.
Will funds be able to cover overhead costs (like staffing of the project) or only materials consumed? ↓
Funds can be distributed how you see fit, with the exception that we cannot support lobbying or political activity. Disbursements will be made upon receipt of an approved invoice for services according to our agreed upon contract terms.
If you are financing $15K for each collaborating organization, what is the total number of organizations allowed? ↓
We are looking to identify approximately 12 organizations for the Ohio Whole Child AA.
Is the project you are looking for targeting the youth, parents, teachers/faculty, or a mix? ↓
Yes to all of the above. Who and how you target certain populations with your project will be up to you and there is no expectation that it serves only one population.
Are there examples of projects I can refer to? ↓
Yes! An example that were mentioned in our information session was Alliance for Quality Education. You can also learn more about previous projects on our MAA II Action Accelerator page.
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? ↓
When submitting an Expression of Interest form, you will be asked to provide written or video responses to the following questions:
- WHAT: What is your proposed four-month project: what do you plan to do, and what do you hope to accomplish?
- WHY: Why is the project important to you? Could others benefit from your effort?
- WHO: Who will conduct the work and participate in the project; and who will be served/benefit? Why are you the best-positioned people to conduct this effort?
- WHERE: Will your project impact an entire region, county, or school district or will it focus on a particular neighborhood, school, or community? Why here?
- HOW: How will you execute your project? What resources do you need?
What is the EOI submission timeline? ↓
- Tuesday, March 23: Expression of Interest and FAQ live on SCG website
- Tuesday, March 30 (2:00 PM EDT): Information Session via ZOOM (view recording).
- Friday, April 16 (5:00 PM EDT): Expressions of Interest due via Google Form.
- Weeks of April 19 & 26, 2021: SCG will contact organizations to schedule follow-up discussions and request additional information as needed.
- Friday, April 30, 2021: SCG will notify organizations whether their project was identified for support and receive contract and invoicing information.
After the initial phase, how do we continue the work? ↓
If this isn’t a right fit for my organization, how else can I collaborate with Seek Common Ground? ↓
We are committed to transparency throughout the process and will follow up with each organization as needed as to why we were unable to support your submission. With that in mind, Seek Common Ground welcomes new discussions around collaboration opportunities and invite you to fill out this form to begin a dialogue and we will get back to you about potential next steps.
Helpful Resources
Links & Downloads ↓
Please send additional questions to Michael@seekcommonground.org.
Last Updated: 5/11/20