Frequently Asked Questions

Pearson Grant Support

FAQs regarding the grant support available from Pearson

• Does Pearson give grants to individuals, classrooms, schools, or districts?
  The Pearson Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Pearson plc. The Pearson Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating foundation and does not accept unsolicited grant applications.
• Does Pearson provide free grant writing assistance?
  The Pearson Grants Team can provide complimentary sample narrative and grant reviews to help you create your application featuring Pearson products. For more information, please see our overview of grant support services.
• Will Pearson write my grant for me?
  The Grants Team does not write grants for customers, as we believe grants written by the school or district result in the most successful implementations. Districts that invest time and effort to write a grant application usually feel more invested in the overall outcome of the project. The Pearson Grants Team does provide a range of grant support services to help you write and submit the best application possible.
• How can I receive sample grant narrative from Pearson?
  If you are working on a grant that features Pearson products and services, be sure to contact your Pearson sales representative to help you plan the implementation, timeline, and budget details.  Your sales representative will work with the Pearson Grants Team to make sure you receive sample grant narrative and a complimentary grant review.
• What grant writing guides would you recommend?
  The Pearson Grants Team has put together information on how to prepare for grant competitions to help you get started. For more information on grant writing tips and hints, consider the following sources.

  • The Grantsmanship Center
  • The Foundation Center
  • SchoolGrants.org

School and District Funding

FAQs regarding funding available for US schools and districts

• What kinds of schools and districts qualify for grant funding?
  Most state and federal grants are focused on supporting high-poverty, low-achieving school districts. Each grant application will set forth eligibility criteria; you should read grant applications carefully to be sure your district meets all criteria. Because most competitive grants must be submitted by districts, school administrators should work with districts to participate in the grant project.
• My school or district is not high poverty and is high performing, but we are still in need of extra funding. What can we do?
  While most state and federal grants set poverty or achievement criteria for eligibility, not all do. You can search for federal grants by eligibility, subject area, and more on ed.gov. Your state department of education will have information on what state grants are available and eligibility information for those grants.
  
  You can also pursue foundation grants; foundations set their own eligibility criteria and many are interested in education. A foundation located in your area or state will be more likely to be interested in your project.
• I am a teacher and need supplies and materials for my classroom. How can I find funding for my project?
  The first thing a teacher seeking funding should do is to speak with school and district administrators about the intended project. Securing funding always involves presenting your project to those who control the funds, whether they are district administrators or grant reviewers. If your administrators are aware of your need and goals for the funding, they may be able to set aside money from existing sources for your project.
  
  After speaking with administrators, teachers may wish to try further fundraising efforts. Consider posting your classroom project on sites such as DonorsChoose.org, AdoptAClassroom.org, and DigitalWish.com.
  
  If you would like to write a grant for your project, you can work with your district to submit a federal or state grant that matches your project goals. Or, you can search for foundations that will allow you or your school to submit an application.

Funding for Private Schools

FAQs regarding funding for private schools

• Do private schools receive NCLB or other federal funding?
  By definition, private schools do not receive any public funding from federal or state resources. Instead, private schools capture funding through tuition or fundraising. While private schools do not receive any NCLB monies directly, their students who are eligible for federal funds such as Title I or IDEA can receive coordinated services from the public school district. Public school administrators should work with administrators from the district to create a service plan for eligible students.
• What kinds of grants can private schools apply for?
  Because private schools do not receive federal or state funding, they are usually not eligible for competitive government grants. Private schools interested in using grant writing to further their fundraising efforts should focus on foundation grants. Foundations set their own funding and eligibility criteria; many are interested in supporting education.

Funding for Other Institutions or Individuals

FAQs regarding funding outside of K-12 education

• I am with a college or university. What grants can I apply for?
  Pearson’s Higher Education group tracks funding for colleges and universities. For more information, please visit the Pearson Higher Education Group’s Grant Help Center.
• Are there grants available for home school parents and students?
  There are no federal funds provided directly to home school families. Some states may fund lending libraries for home school families or provide other resources. To find funding for your homeschooling efforts, contact your local or state home schooling agency for suggestions.
• How can I find grant money for college tuition?
  The Pearson Grants Team focuses on K-12 education funding and does not keep a comprehensive list of college funding sources. For information on federal student aid, and how to identify and apply for college scholarships, please see the Department of Education, College.gov, or Student Aid on the Web.
• What kind of funding is available for prekindergarten centers, day care agencies, etc.?
  Federal funding such as Title I can be used to establish a district prekindergarten program. IDEA funding provides prekindergarten services for students with special needs. Other federal funds such as Head Start and The Child Development Block Grant provide prekindergarten and child care services for low-income families.
  
  Other grants may be found by searching for Department of Education grants by subject. Look for grants that deal with early childhood education, early intervention, early reading, etc. You should also search your state department of education website for information on state funding for early learning.
• My school is located outside of the U.S. What kind of funding do we qualify for?
  The Pearson Grants Team tracks funding for U.S. schools only and does not have information on international funding. See the Foundation Center’s FAQ on international agencies for further information.

Identifying Funding Sources

FAQs regarding how to find funding or competitive grants

• Due to budget cuts, my state is not making money available for textbooks. We really need textbooks in my district. How can we pay for them?
  Pearson customers have funded textbook purchases through a variety of existing federal, state and local funds. Common funding sources used to purchase textbooks include

  • Title I, Part A
  • Title I 1003(g) School Improvement Funds
  • Title I, Part C, Migrant Education
  • Title III, English Language Acquisition
  • Title VI, Part B, Rural Education
  • IDEA
  • State Funds
  • Local Funds

  District administrators should examine how they are currently using these funding sources to determine if these could be used to fund textbook purchases. Competitive federal, state, or foundation grants might also be used to fund textbook purchases.
• I am looking for funding for a specific Pearson program. Where can I find out what funds can be used to purchase that program?
  Each Pearson solution has its own page. On the product's home page, several potential federal funding sources will be listed below the product description. To find the product home page, use the search feature at the top of this page. For further information, consult your Pearson sales representative or submit a question about the Pearson program you are interested in.
• How do I find open grant applications?
  Information on open grant applications can be found in several places.
  
  For federal grants, many resources are available on Ed.gov.

  • The Ed.Gov programs overview page lists all federal education programs by subject area, title, purpose, eligibility, etc.
  • The Discretionary Grant Applications Packages page lists all open federal competitions. Grants.gov also lists open grant applications and can be searched by keyword, activity, type of grant, etc.
  • The Forecast of Funding Opportunities page lists all expected due dates for federal competitions so you can plan accordingly.

  For state grants, see your state department of education website for information on grant competitions.
  
  To search for foundation grants, consider The Foundation Center, where information is organized by name, state, or philanthropic interest.

Response to Intervention (RTI)

FAQs regarding Response to Intervention

• What is RTI?
  Response to Intervention (RTI) is an instructional framework that provides tiered intervention for students. Under such a framework, all students receive screening assessments and the same core instruction. Frequent progress monitoring allows teachers to identify students who need additional interventions. Students not responding to interventions may be evaluated for an individualized education plan.
• Is there funding for RTI?
  Response to Intervention programs may be funded through any source, though IDEA and Title I are most commonly used to fund these programs. In fact, up to 15% of IDEA funds may be used to implement an RTI program in reading or math. For more information on using federal funds for RTI, see this Department of Education presentation.
• Can Pearson's products be used in an RTI program?
  Pearson provides a wide variety of solutions for RTI, including core programs, supplemental interventions, progress monitoring assessments, and more. For more information see Pearson's RTI page.
• Where can I find more information on RTI?
  For more information, see the National Center on Response to Intervention.

Common Core Standards

FAQs regarding Common Core State Standards

• What are the Common Core State Standards?
  The Common Core State Standards convey what students are expected to learn in core academic areas. In the past states have created their own standards. Common Core State Standards were created with the input from many states and create a national consensus on what students need to learn to prepare for college and the workplace. The majority of states have already adopted or will adopt the core standards. For more information, see the Common Core State Standards Initiative page.
• Is there funding for programs aligned to Common Core State Standards?
  Textbooks and materials aligned to the Common Core State Standards can be purchased with funds traditionally used for textbooks. No government funding is allotted specifically to purchase common core aligned materials.
• Are Pearson's programs aligned to Common Core State Standards?
  For information on Pearson solutions and the Common Core State Standards, see our Common Core State Standards page.