Back to School with JOY

DC public and public charter schools are eligible to apply. Additionally, community-based organizations that support DC public or public charter schools are eligible to co-apply with schools.

Priority will be given to schools with an at-risk student population above 70% as well as schools located in Wards 7 and 8, current and graduated FEP partners, and the community-based organizations that work closely with them.

DC public and public charter schools are invited to apply for school-based grants up to $2,500 to build relationships with and creatively welcome students and families back to school with joy, love, learning, community connection, fun, and care.

DC Community-Based Organizations are eligible to co-apply for school-based grants in amounts up to $5,000 to support schools with engaging their school communities in fun and creative ways that promote joy and connection. If you are a CBO, you are eligible to apply for up to $2,500 to support one school or up to $5,000 to support multiple schools.

Submit your application by Sunday, October 31, 2021!

Before beginning the application, please review this document for the complete list of application materials and questions. We recommend saving your materials in a separate place before completing the application.

Yes! In that case, we recommend schools co-apply with a community-based organization they work closely with. If that is not an option, we will be able to support getting funds to your school directly via a Flamboyan partner organization. This process may add an additional 3-4 weeks, depending on the procurement request.

Please ensure that the letter includes the name, role, and contact information of the school leader submitting a letter of support for this grant. The letter should acknowledge this application and describe the relationship between your organization and the school.

Grants can be used for the following purposes:

• Infusing joy and creativity into building relationships with families and promoting welcoming environments for students and families within the classroom and the larger school community;
• Promoting joy and creativity in academic and social-emotional activities within the classroom; and/or
• Leveraging creativity to listen to families and incorporate their perspectives into the operations of the school in a way that creates joyful experiences for families, and celebrates, honors, and values the assets they bring.

From 8:00 am on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 to 11:59 pm on Sunday, October 31, 2021. Grant applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with priority given to current Flamboyan partner schools, and schools with more than 70% at-risk student population.

CBOs applying with multiple schools should submit a single application and upload all relevant letters of support. If you are a CBO, you are eligible to apply for up to $2,500 to support one school or up to $5,000 to support multiple schools.

Typeform automatically saves your responses for 15 days if you’re (1) using the same device and browser and (2) are not filling out the application in a Private or Incognito browser. Again, we encourage you to save your application materials in a separate place before loading them into the Typeform.

Grant decisions are made by evaluating the alignment of the grant vision to one or more of the three grant purposes. If there is alignment, the grant review team will consider the intended impact of the grant to promote joy in family engagement. Schools where the majority of the student population is at-risk will receive priority.

You will receive a response from Flamboyan within 2 weeks of your application.

Once your grant application is selected, your school or organization will have 72 hours to confirm all ACH and/or payment information and sign the contract. Once the contract is finalized, grant awards will be issued within 2 weeks. Grant issue dates will take place on Oct 15th, Oct 30th or Nov 15th depending on when the application is received, and the award contract is finalized.

There are a few additional factors that affect the speed at which funds become available:

• If you are a DC public charter school: the grant award will be sent directly to the school.
• If you are a DC public school with a 501(c)(3): the grant award will be sent directly to 501(c)(3).
• If you are a community-based organization co-applying with a school: the grant award will be sent directly to the applying CBO.
• If you are a DC public school without a 501(c)(3): the grant award will be sent directly either:
  • To your chosen community partner, or
  • To a Flamboyan partner organization

Unfortunately, we are not able to consider applications submitted after October 31, 2021, but please be on the lookout for future community grant initiatives!

If you have any questions, please contact Flamboyan Partner Support at partnersupport@flamboyanfoundation.org and begin the subject line “BTS w/ Joy Grant Question.”