Each spring, GDEF holds an Annual
Grants Celebration at one of our district schools. Initially,
the idea came about as we were looking for a way to recognize
and honor our grant recipients for the creative programs they
bring to our students, while at the same time providing an opportunity
for our directors to meet these dedicated educators in person
(if we did not have that chance through the grant process.)
We wanted to hear from past recipients how their grants were
successfully implemented and to gather valuable feedback on
what our organization could do to facilitate the grant process.
And yes, our Annual Grants Celebration
offers all of these things, but it’s not about GDEF. The
focus of this celebration is our applicants, school staff and
administrators, and community members. GDEF simply provides
a venue for our grant recipients to share information with others
– other recipients, potential applicants, district staff,
and community members – so that we can all work together
to utilize grant funds more effectively. Our hope is that by
sharing ideas, participants can replicate successful grants
at other schools and work collaboratively to generate new ideas.
At last year's Annual Grants Celebration
we:
