4Culture's Heritage Cultural Education program encourages heritage organizations and heritage specialists to develop innovative classroom-based heritage education projects in partnership with K-12 schools. Heritage education projects funded through the Heritage Cultural Education program must align with Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) and Classroom Based Assessments (CBAs), especially those that focus on Social Studies. Projects must be designed to be distributed electronically via the Internet.
The Goals of the Heritage Cultural Education Program Include:
Building awareness of King County's rich history and heritage, and involving students in documenting and preserving the county's cultural legacies and historic places for the future
Providing opportunities for heritage organizations, historians, community elders, tribal representatives, anthropologists, archaeologists, architects, and other heritage specialists to partner with teachers and students in the development and implementation of heritage education curricula
Broadening the scope and integration of heritage education at all grade levels as part of core curricula and enhancing relevance of the program by aligning with current Washington State (OSPI) classroom standards and assessments for Social Studies, specifically EALRs and CBAs.
Developing and implementing heritage education programs that encourage cultural diversity, and build connections between the present and King County's rich and diverse heritage
Supporting heritage education opportunities for all students, including those with special needs
Awards in 2009 ranged from $4,000 to $5,482. Eight proposals for funding were received. A total of $24,482 was awarded to 5 projects. Funding for this program is derived from a portion of King County lodging tax revenues.
Guidelines and Process for 2010 Program Below (deadline passed)
Who Can Apply
Applicants may submit one application annually to the Heritage Cultural Education program.
Eligible applicants include King County-based:
History and heritage organizations
Independent heritage specialists
Cultural organizations or agencies, and community organizations with missions that include heritage education programs and activities
PLEASE NOTE: Schools may not apply directly for funding, but must partner with an eligible applicant to develop a project proposal.
Eligible projects must:
Serve King County public schools or school districts and their students
Focus primarily on the identification, documentation, exhibition and/or interpretation of King County heritage resources
Address at least one of the following subjects, as they relate specifically to King County's past: archaeology; indigenous and traditional cultures; ethnic, community, or regional history and heritage; landmarks, historic sites and historic preservation; or folklore
Involve an active partnership between an applicant and a school or school district. The applicant must be directly involved in the planning, development, implementation, promotion and evaluation of the project.
Align with EALRs (Essential Academic Learning Requirements) and CBAs (Classroom Based Assessments) which have been adopted by Washington State Public Schools for Social Studies.
Include as a component, the creation of written curriculum materials in electronic format that will be broadly publicized or shared via widely distributed print media or long-term posting on a web site.
Demonstrate the ability to provide a long term public benefit, i.e., resources and/or services must have the ability to survive beyond the term of the funding contract and be accessible for 3-5 years.
What Gets Funded
Program funds may be used to support:
Fees for heritage specialists and organizations
Stipends for teachers to participate in training workshops, curriculum development, project planning or assessment which is outside of their regular work hours and responsibilities
Materials and consumable supplies used for program purposes
Direct project costs, which may include transportation, documentation, and other items and fees specifically described in the application
Program funds may NOT be used to:
Supplant staff salaries of either sponsoring or collaborating organizations or schools [However, reimbursement may be allowed for work completed outside of regular work hours and duties]
Purchase permanent equipment or fixed assets
Cover operating expenses, indirect or overhead costs or fees, or employee salaries or benefits
Pay for elements of projects completed before the awarding of funds
Support projects addressing general cultural or historical themes which lack a specific focus on King County's history and heritage
When
2010 Program Deadline: passed
Projects or portions thereof that are funded through 2010 Heritage Cultural Education may begin no earlier than May 1, 2010.
How
All applications will be reviewed within the context of the overall heritage program goals of cultural and geographic diversity, and variety of schools and grade levels served, as well as the following specific program criteria:
Quality and Qualifications
Quality and effectiveness of proposed project to develop or enhance comprehensive and sequential heritage education programs in King County public schools
Attention to detail in describing how project will align with current Washington State standards; be accessible via the Internet and provide 3-5 years of public benefit
Clarity of proposed project goals, timeline, documentation, and assessment as well as their relationship to the mission and goals of applicant
Experience and skills of applicant and key project personnel as they relate to knowledge of King County history and heritage and heritage education program implementation
Strength of partnership between applicant and schools, defined as the active roles played both by applicant and schools in planning, developing, implementing, promoting and evaluating the proposed project
Feasibility
Applicant's experience and qualifications in working in a public school setting, and applicant's preparedness to develop, administer, and complete proposed project within budgetary and time constraints described in the application
Appropriateness of overall budget and request, including applicant's ability to use 4Culture funds to leverage private or other public support for the project as needed
Extent of school and community support, which may include, but is not limited to, community involvement and in-kind or cash contributions from school, district, PTA, individuals, foundations, corporations, or other jurisdictions
Project Impact and Public Benefit
Lasting impact of the project through transmission of historical knowledge and heritage skills to students, teacher training component of project, and/or development of curriculum materials for long-term use (Applicant must provide detailed description of how project will provide public benefit for 3-5 years.)
Accessibility of project curriculum materials to other organizations, educators, schools and school districts
Projects that request multi-year funding will be evaluated using the following additional criteria: evolution of project; assessment of long-term impact; service to new schools or districts; and provision for cash or in-kind contributions
Heritage Priorities
Projects that develop, test and distribute curriculum materials addressing local history and heritage themes, content, skills, and resources
Projects that involve K-12 students in the identification, documentation, preservation, or interpretation of King County's historical and heritage resources
Projects that increase access to local historic, archaeological, and other cultural resources for K-12 students and teachers
Questions about your proposal or its eligibility? Contact Eric Taylor at 206 296-8688.
Free workshops are presented by program staff to identify the types of projects eligible for funding, explain how funding decisions are made, provide a step-by-step review of the application, and offer tips for preparing your proposal.
Applications from previous years are available for review at the 4Culture offices.
Requirements and appeals Learn about the legal requirements of award recipients, and about the process for appeal of a 4Culture award here.
Ready to Apply
How to prepare your application
STEP 1 - Read all of the above sections STEP 2 - Gather and prepare your information
You are required to submit your application using the new online form. In this section, you will find three tools for preparing your information
Annotated Application Preview
Narrative Question Guide
Supplemental Materials Guide
Annotated Application Preview
The online application will ask you for information that you should prepare before you login to apply. To prepare your information, we suggest you review the Application Preview. It shows you what the online application will look like and contains helpful notes and tips from staff.
If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat software required to view this document, you can download a free Adobe® Acrobat viewer.
Narrative Question Guide In the online application, you will be asked four narrative questions. Review the following guide to each narrative question for additional help with your application.
Narrative Question: Project Description
Explain the proposed project. What do you plan to do? When? Where? Include specific examples of direct, in-class contact time with students and teachers. Describe curriculum materials to be developed and tested through this project which will become available to other educators later on. Address heritage content and significance of the proposed project and the applicant's direct involvement. Summarize the project's objectives.
Narrative Question: Project Impact
How will you provide a 3-5 year public benefit and access to project resources, programs, and products? Is there a teacher training component? How will curriculum materials and project information be publicized and made available to other educators, schools and school districts via the Internet? What King County population(s) will be served? How will this project strengthen the partnership between the heritage community and schools?
Narrative Question: Relevant Experience/Accomplishments
What are the qualifications and accomplishments of the project director, heritage specialists or other personnel? Cite examples of similar project-based work that has been successfully managed and/or administered. What project planning and preparation has been done?
Narrative Question: Project Plan
Describe the proposed methods and timeframe for completion of the project's goals. What methods of publicity and outreach will be used? How will your project raise the visibility of King County heritage? How will you measure success in achieving the goals of the project? How will you document project activities?
Supplemental Materials Guide
Here are the supplemental materials that you will be asked to submit. You have some options as to how to submit these materials.
Project Budget Download the budget form provided here. Enter your estimated project costs in the Expenses column; add additional lines if desired. Enter your sources of income for the project in the Income column. You will submit the project budget via the online application.
Board List (Organizations only) Upload a list of your organization's board members and their affiliations in the file format of your choice. You will submit the board list via the online application.
Operating Budget (Organizations only) Upload your organization's annual operating budget in the file format of your choice. You will submit the operating budget via the online application.
School Partner Form
(Download School Partner Form)
The completed and signed School Partner Form must be mailed with a United States Postal Service postmark of March 3, 2010, or faxed or delivered by 5:00 p.m., March 3, 2010, to:
Eric Taylor
4Culture / Heritage
101 Prefontaine Place S
Seattle, WA 98104
fax: 206 296.8629
STEP 3 - Sign in to begin your application
Note: Once you have started the process of applying online, you can hit "save" after each completed step in the application, sign out, and your application will remain saved as a draft. You can then return to your application any time before the deadline to continue working or to make changes by signing in with the username and password you created. Once you hit "submit," you will still be able to see your application, but you will not be able to make any more changes.
For technical questions about the online application system, contact staff member Brandi Link at 206-296-8707.
