NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY – ACADEMIC SUPPORT & TECHNOLOGY

This is notification of a new federal funding opportunity designed to improve academic achievement through supplemental investment in academic support services and technology. Priority applicants include those serving low-income, at-risk or other non-traditional or under-performing student groups.

Allowable activities include: Computer Equipment Purchases, Teacher Professional Development & Staff Certification, Capital Expenses, Tutoring & Mentoring Programs, Funding for Student Clubs, STEAM activities, Parental Outreach & Software.

Priority is for middle and high school students.  May not be used to pay for core day-time instruction.  This notice applies to private, public and charter schools located in Wisconsin, Nebraska and Kansas. Please call or contact us today to discuss assistance with your application.  Tel: 262-723-1074, Email: jeffrey@symphonyadvancement.com.

Eligible Applicants: Catholic Schools, Public Schools, School Districts, Charter Schools, Private or Religious Schools and Community Based Organizations with a 501c3 Tax Exempt Status.

Award: Up to $1,000,000 per awardee

Purpose: Increase parental engagement, improve student academic achievement, graduation and reduce absenteeism.

Target: Youth (Grades 5 to 12), Priority Low-Income, At-Risk & Non-Traditional Youth

Deadline: October 1, 2023 (Funding will be available July 1, 2024)
Use of Funds: Allowable expenses include:

• Computer Equipment Purchases
• Professional Development/Training
• STEAM Activities
• Service Learning Projects
• Parent Workshops, Education & Outreach
• College & Post Secondary School Tours
• Field Trips
• Interships
• Music, Theatre & Performing Arts Programs
• Sports, Fitness & Athletic Programming
• Mentoring & Service Learning
• Equipment & Technology Purchases
• Maker’s Space/Equipment
• Robotics Club(s)
• Transportation
• Staff Salaries

Symphony Advancement is a Management Consulting firm.  Our grant management practice provides assistance to non-profits, parishes and schools.  Our firm has over twenty years experience developing and implementing grant funded programming for organizations around the country.  Our client organizations have secured more than $70 million dollars in awards with an average per client awards of more than $1.5 million.  Contact us today for a free, no fee consultation, or visit our website to read case studies from select client organizations.

Symphony is pleased to announce new client awards of $1.35 million for July of 2023.  Funding will upgrade safety and security features at a number of Churches. Investments include new cameras, secure entry systems, alarm and PA system enhancements, staff training and crisis response planning.

If your school or Church is interested in learning more about federal resources to enhance safety, provide training and plan crisis response please contact us today for a free consultation.

For more than a decade Symphony Advancement has held the belief Catholic Schools and Parishes need to invest in high quality web and social media channels in order to connect with the faithful, attract new followers and build the Church. Today, Symphony is proud to announce a new partnership with Solutio the nation’s leading Catholic web design firm offering custom websites to Catholic parishes and schools around the country.

Whether a diocese, school or local parish, Solutio has custom solutions designed to help connect with the faithful, engage members and grow school enrollment. Solutio’s unique web sponsorship model allows parishes and schools to launch high quality pages at low or no cost.

“The partnership with Solutio is the next step in our goal to bring high quality web sites to every Catholic parish in the country,” says Symphony Managing Partner Jeffrey Robb.  “Solutio offers the absolute best in web design and technology, we proud to partner with them in our work.”

If your school or parish is interested in exploring a low or no cost website solution please contact us today to schedule an initial consultation.

Is your organization considering grants as a potential funding source to aid in fulfilling your mission? Grants can offer organizations a powerful means to grow, build capacity and achieve mission related goals. Having the right partners can make all the difference both in terms of securing funds and ensuring your organization is able to meet grant maker compliance requirements.

Symphony Advancement offers decades of experience working across all aspects of the grant life cycle. Our expert teams have aided in grant proposal review on behalf of government agencies, fought to ensure equal access to funding, and worked to secure millions on behalf of the client agencies we serve.

When it comes to selecting an agency to represent you, you want an advocate who will fight to ensure your organization has the best possible chance of securing funds. Our consultants understand winning grant awards is more than preparing an application which meets scoring criteria and formatting guidelines. Experience in scoring grants and working with government agencies gives us unique insight into the program requirements government agencies want grantees to meet. We will not only prepare the best application possible for your organization, we’ll also advise you if we believe a grant is not a good fit for your mission.

From identifying and preparing your grant applications to online submission, compliance and day-to-day management Symphony’s team of advisors are well qualified to assist your organization. Contact us today to learn more.

Recent economic trends and over $1 trillion in federal ARPA relief funding have resulted in grants becoming a critical focal point for many non-profits nationwide. Schools, faith-based & community organizations, government entities and social service or healthcare providers are increasingly turning to grant funding to relieve short term financial pressures, aid in organizational growth and achieve their missions. Knowing how to secure the funding you need in a highly competitive marketplace is crucial. Understanding how to manage awarded funds is necessary for compliance purposes and to ensure your organization does not incur any negative consequences.

Symphony Advancement is a nationwide leader in aiding non-profits identify, secure and administer grant funding. Our expert advisors have decades of experience working with federal, state and local funding programs across the country. Our relationships and familiarity with funding programs ensure your organization has every advantage available to secure mission related funding you need.

Put our team of experts to work representing your organization. A partnership with Symphony Advancement allows your team to focus on quality program and service delivery while we assist in compliance, management and administration. Contact us today to learn more.

Symphony Advancement Managing Director Jeffrey Robb reflected on more than a decade of work aiding private schools in securing federal grant funding. Robb says on average Symphony has been able to secure upwards of $1.5 million per client organization. The majority of his clients receive federal grant funding aligned with several priorities. These include grants designed to: increase physical safety and security, enhance daytime academic performance by ensuring students have access to before and after school resources, provide resources for special education, enhance technology, offer arts and music programming, and provide transportation.

“Many private schools don’t realize the type of resources that are available to support the work they engage in, there’s kind of this pervasive myth that if I’m a private school, I somehow don’t quality for federal funding,” Robb said. “In fact, some of the oldest and most substantial government partnerships have always been between government agencies and Religious organizations. Think of hospitals, social service and healthcare providers, many of these organizations were founded by Religious orders.”

Robb adds that government grants often require very formal practices, but he argues these are measures successful organizations would likely be doing already. “Most large grants will require formal bid and procurement processes, quarterly or annual reporting and documentation to support expenses,” he says. “There needs to be accountability when it comes to how taxpayer dollars are being spent, but I would argue it’s not that different from the type of accountability individual donors would want.”

He also says in many cases conflicts around Religious beliefs or practices simply aren’t present. “Just because your organization receives federal funding doesn’t mean you can’t practice or express your faith freely. What it means is you can’t use tax dollars to promote your beliefs. When we’re talking about adding security doors, or planning a crisis response these issues largely don’t come into play.”

Contact Symphony Advancement today to learn more about how your faith based organization could benefit from a wide range of available federal, state and local funding resources.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security Center for Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships have announced forthcoming grant funds designed to improve safety throughout the nation’s Churches, Religious Sites and Faith Based Organizations.

As part of the nation’s preparedness goal, FEMA seeks to secure, prevent, mitigate and protect against threats and hazards posing risk to the American people.

Churches, Religious and Faith Based Organizations are specifically eligible for grant funding designed to improve the overall safety and emergency response capacity. This includes physical improvements which increase safety or reduce the threat of emergencies. Examples include: 1) Controlled access or door entry systems, 2) Safety glass, 3) Alarm, Emergency Response and Communication Systems.

Churches may also seek assistance in emergency response planning, funding for private security services, security cameras and a variety of other technology improvements.

Interested applicants must complete a security assessment in partnership with local law enforcement or experienced consultants. If your organization is interested in learning more about this FEMA program please feel free to contact us for a free consultation. Symphony has assisted organizations around the country to secure over $70 million in federal funding. We specialize in aiding Churches, Religious Organizations and Faith Based Groups.

St. Andrew’s Catholic Parish in Delavan Wisconsin was awarded a security grant to improve security and safety throughout the parish facilities. The grant award in excess of $100,000 will go along way to increase accessibility, improve exits and improve safety. St. Andrew’s is just one of several Catholic Churches Symphony has assisted in security grant funding.

If your parish is interested in exploring ways to improve physical security, prepare for emergency scenarios or develop a crisis response plan please contact us today.

The Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus offer their service as a gesture of love, but the Sisters have received national recognition for some of the work they are doing.

John Burger of Aleteia.com featured the Carmelite Ministry of St. Teresa in a recent Aleteia article.

“While persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities who cannot live independently face many challenges in our world, some are fortunate enough to find homes that provide a safe, secure place to live, as well as care and daily activities.

The Carmelite Ministry of St. Teresa in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, offers that and something more – care for the spirit.”

Continue reading the Aleteia article here.