Grants for Video Equipment for Elementary Schools

Providers

• A large portion of the funding for elementary school video-equipment grants is offered by nonprofits, especially those with a focus on developing children's media access and technology skills. Organizations involved in giving grants for video equipment include the Ballston Spa Education Foundation, CreaTV San Jose and the Innovative Technology Education Fund. Some school districts implement endowment programs, which use grants to support capital projects, including those involving video equipment installation and use. One example is the Brighton Education Fund, serving the Brighton Central School District in Rochester, New York.
  
  

Amount

• Video-equipment grants are typically quite large, especially in elementary school settings where a strong emphasis on training is required. Most foundations awarding grants for video equipment offer at least $1,000 or more towards the purchase and installation of equipment. CreaTV's 2011 Media Access Project grant program provided at least $5,000 in equipment to seven San Jose area schools. Some elementary school grants, especially those funding large infrastructure changes in a school or across a district, may be many thousands of dollars; in 2008, the Innovative Technology Education Fund awarded one grant each to Airport Elementary School of Berkeley, Missouri, and KDHX: Double Helix of St. Louis, Missouri, for video equipment and district upgrades totaling about $45,000.
  
  

Equipment

• A majority of grant funds are used to purchase video equipment that improves an elementary school's curriculum. Video equipment funded by various elementary school technology grants include field camera kits, video-editing software, digital video recorders, as well as microphones and other sound equipment. Grants also typically pay for vendor training sessions, which can show teachers and other staff members how to train elementary school children in proper technology use. Video-equipment manufacturers often offer the training sessions.
  
  

Impact

• Grants that make video recording and editing equipment available to elementary school children focus on teaching students how to use media for communication or creative purposes. For instance, F. J. Scott Elementary School in Roma, Texas, was awarded a MAXTech technology grant in 2003, which allowed the school to develop a student-run daily news program that broadcast more than 30 episodes to the surrounding community. Video equipment grants are typically designed to help students learn specific technological skills, such as developing video presentations or film recording.