TJ Partnership Fund Grant Policy and Process
Introduction: The TJ Partnership Fund (TJPF) is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to supporting Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) and works closely with the school administration to help further its unique mission. TJPF raises funds from current and past parents, alumni, corporations, foundations, and others who believe in the importance of the school’s role as a STEM education leader.
Eligibility and Restrictions: The TJPF grants funding requests that apply to one or more of the following mission areas: TJ’s Academic Mission and Excellence, Alumni Engagement, or K-12 STEM Outreach and Community Engagement.
To be considered eligible for funding, your organization must be certified as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S Internal Revenue Code (FCPS schools and Booster groups generally qualify), and you must provide a copy of the IRS letter approving your organization’s tax-exempt status. TJPF may additionally grant eligibility to student or alumni groups from time to time in TJPF’s discretion.
The TJPF will not fund the following:
•Grants to individuals for any purpose
•Grants for political purposes
•Grants for lobbying activities
•Grants for a granting organization or for a fundraising event
Application: The TJPF has a specific grant application for all TJHSST school organizations (e.g., PTSA and Booster Groups) and TJHSST student groups to use. If your organization is not a TJHSST school organization or TJHSST student group, then your organization must use the TJPF Mission-Based application.
If using the Mission-Based application, please note that you will need to select the mission that fits closest with the purpose for your request in Question 2. The mission selected dictates the questions that you are required to answer in the application.
If you are not sure what mission area to select in Question 2, please use the following guidelines:
If your request relates to TJHSST curriculum, facilities, students, or faculty as it pertains to TJHSST’s academic mission, select option one, TJ’s Academic Mission and Excellence.
If your request relates to the TJHSST alumni community or alumni engagement, select option two, Alumni Engagement.
If your request relates to STEM education in the community, meaning underprivileged or underrepresented students in STEM, select option three, K-12 STEM Outreach and Community Engagement.
Excellence mission requests and STEM Outreach mission requests that involve FCPS facilities or personnel will be reviewed and approved by all required stakeholders, including the TJHSST Assistant Principal, TJHSST Finance Tech, and TJHSST Principal. Proof of approval will be obtained by the TJPF, after the grant application has been received in its entirety.
Application Submission: The TJPF will collect Mission-Based grant applications and school organization grant applications on a rolling basis. The TJPF will collect student group applications once a semester. The deadline is specified on the student group grant application. All applications must be complete and submitted via this online portal.
Timeline and Funding Decision Process: The funding process will be determined by the request amount, defined by a $10,000 threshold.
Grants less than $10,000 will be considered by the related TJPF mission committee and voted on by the TJPF Executive Director, TJPF Board Chair, and TJPF Vice Chair.
Grants equal to or greater than $10,000 will be considered by the whole Board at the next possible TJPF Board meeting. 2020-2021 TJPF Board Meetings are scheduled for: TBD. To be eligible for review in a given month, grants equal to or greater than $10,000 must be received in final form at least 30 days before that month’s Board meeting.
If the grant applicant is a non-TJ FCPS entity or school and the grant request is over $5,000, it must be reviewed and approved by the FCPS school’s principal as well as the FCPS grants office.
Board Member Recusal: In accordance with the TJPF’s Conflict of Interest Policy, Board members are required to recuse themselves from a vote determining funding of any requests that impact them personally or financially.
Funding: The TJPF operates under a reimbursement model only. If a TJ entity, the requestor must use a TJHSST Finance Office account. If the requestor is a non-TJ entity but has an FCPS Finance Office account, the requestor must use that account.
In the case that the TJPF has approved funds for a requestor with a TJHSST or FCPS Finance Office account, the TJPF will distribute funds through the TJHSST or FCPS Finance Office and operate on a reimbursement model. The reimbursement model requires the requestor to spend money out of the TJHSST or FCPS Finance Office. The TJHSST or FCPS Finance Office must then submit proof of expense. The TJPF will authorize the final release of grant funds once the proof of expense is submitted and reviewed. All receipts must be submitted for reimbursement by the end of each fiscal year, June 30th. The requestors that use this method must adhere to FCPS procurement procedures and timeline policies.
In the case that the TJPF has approved funds for a requestor without a TJHSST or FCPS Finance Office account, the requestor must use its own funds, which will be reimbursed by the TJPF upon submission of receipts. Upon approval of grant funding, the requestor must also provide to the TFPF the following:
1.Proof of insurance coverage (a comprehensive general liability policy is required, including coverage for personal injury and property damage, in an amount not less than $500,000 combined single limit per occurrence and $1,000,000 in aggregate, and TJPF must be added to the policy as “additional insured"); and
2.A completed and signed Form W-9.
The requestor must submit proof of expense before grant funds will be released. The TJPF will authorize the final release of grant funds once the proof of expense is submitted and reviewed. All receipts must be submitted for reimbursement by the end of each fiscal year, June 30th.
All TJPF funding expires when the funding need is met or when the fiscal year in which the grant was approved ends, whichever comes sooner. In the cases where funding needs to bridge across two fiscal years, funding deadline decisions will be made on a request by request basis.
Reporting: The TJPF relies on data to accurately measure and communicate our impact through program services. This is required both by the independent auditing firm that reviews the TJPF financials on an annual basis and by donors that contribute. Thereby, it is our policy that the grant recipient reports the required data based on mission type by the end of the fiscal year, June 30th. In the cases where the program bridges across two fiscal years, data submission deadline decisions will be made on a request by request basis. The required data is outlined in the TJ Partnership Fund Grant Reporting Requirements document. Please note that TJHSST school organizations and TJHSST student groups have an additional reporting requirement, which is outlined in the group-specific application.
For additional questions, call the TJPF office at 703-750-8317 or email Tanuja Tase at ttase@tjpartnershipfund.org.