PTA Grant Program - Fall Cycle

Geographic Scope: Hunter College High School (HCHS), New York

Overview:
The PTA provides financial support to HCHS through its PTA-funded grant program. There are two grant cycles every year, in the fall and the spring. The Grants Committee reviews requests from student clubs, teams and publications, as well as from faculty, and proposes award amounts to the PTA Board of Directors for final approval.

Eligibility:

• Club/team/publication must be chartered by the G.O. (General Organization)
• Club must have a treasurer who is not a senior
• Student applications must be submitted by faculty advisor (students may not submit directly)
• Faculty advisor approval required

Focus Areas:
Funding available for:

• Student clubs, teams, and publications
• Faculty requests
• Materials and supplies for club activities
• Equipment (with cost comparison estimates)
• Ingredients/materials for fundraising activities
• Faculty and essential parent chaperones for student travel
• Limited funding for student travel to Championship-level academic team tournaments (via separate Academic Team Travel Grant Application)
• Initial funding for new publications (up to 2 printed issues, max 50 copies per issue)

What is NOT Funded:

• Meals or snacks for meetings, competitions, or trips
• Pass-through items for resale (e.g., bulk cookies or hats to be sold individually)
• "Spirit wear" (club t-shirts, hoodies) unless via Advisor's Discretionary Fund (ADF)
• Official Hunter High School athletic teams (PSAL teams)
• Student travel costs (transportation, hotel) for academic team tournaments (except ADF for fee waiver students; limited exceptions for Championship-level tournaments)
• Outward-facing websites or social media accounts
• Guest speaker honorariums, fees, and travel expenses (speakers expected to volunteer)
• Food for any purpose

Key Requirements:

• Outreach: Committee encourages welcoming younger students in grades 7-9
• Fundraising: Required for EVERY application; missing fundraising means application will not be considered
• Detailed Expenses: Must be specific and thorough with itemized costs
• Cost Savings: Show good-faith efforts to keep costs low; provide student discounts, affordable vendors, cost-comparison estimates
• Equipment Purchases: Must provide evidence of at least two cost-comparison estimates
• Accuracy: All contact, revenue, budget, and expense information must be accurate
• Rollover Funds: All grant money expires at end of academic year; unused funds are forfeited. Non-PTA rollover funds from prior years must use at least 50% in each cycle
• Chaperones: Required for off-campus activities; faculty chaperone required for travel

Contact Information:

• Email: grants@hunterpta.org
• School Financial Officer: Kamla Narraph, Room 126, knarraph@hccs.hunter.cuny.edu, 212-860-1299

Advisor's Discretionary Fund (ADF)

Provides additional funding for fee waiver students. Can cover items not normally funded by Grants, including travel/lodging and club sweatshirts. Requests must come directly from the faculty advisor.

How to Apply

Step 1: Download Application

• Download the Grant Application Form (available in PDF or Word format)
• Download, save, and fill out digitally

Step 2: Faculty Advisor Approval

• Primary contact forwards completed application as a document in an email to club's faculty advisor
• Request approval from faculty advisor
• Faculty advisor must forward the application to grants@hunterpta.org by the deadline
• Only applications sent from faculty advisor's email will be considered
• Email subject should contain club's name
• Ask advisor to cc student contact to confirm submission
• Note: Faculty advisor is responsible for including a request for ADF funding for fee waiver students

Step 3: Committee Review

• Application reviewed by assigned Grants Committee liaison and full Grants Committee
• Committee's funding recommendation must be approved by Dr. Fisher and PTA Board
• Notification expected by mid-to-late March or early April

Required Materials/Information:

• Club charter number (proof of G.O. chartering)
• Detailed description of club's mission
• Treasurer information (must not be a senior)
• Faculty advisor contact information
• Detailed budget with itemized expenses (specific costs, not vague estimates)
• Revenue sources and fundraising plan (REQUIRED)
• Grade distribution of participants
• For equipment purchases: evidence of at least two cost-comparison estimates
• For reusable supplies: plan for storage and reuse
• Explanation of how non-PTA rollover funds from prior year will be used
• Contact, revenue, budget, and expense information (must be accurate)

Narrative/Budget Sections (based on application guidance):

• Clear description of how money will be used
• Explanation of club's mission and nature
• Detailed fundraising plan
• If income ≠ expenses: provide narrative explanation
• Plan for cost control and good-faith efforts to minimize costs

Timeline:

• Start early and meet with advisor
• Allow time for advisor review and revisions
• Follow up with advisor to confirm submission
• Committee will advertise workshop meetings in September

Special Application Process for Academic Team Travel:

• If requesting student travel funding for Championship-level academic team tournaments, faculty advisor must complete separate Academic Team Travel Grant Application (available at https://forms.gle/sr5BNdAnmhD2gsqd7)

Common Errors to Avoid:

• Missing fundraising plan
• Vague expense descriptions
• Numbers that don't add up
• Requesting non-fundable items
• No treasurer designated
• Late submission
• Unresponsive student contact
• Requesting more than 2 issues for new publications
• Insufficient cost-comparison estimates for equipment

Expedited Funding:

• If deadline for tournament/equipment/etc. is before grant cycle completes, request expedited funding from advisor and email grants@hunterpta.org with explanation