News
March 18, 2021Capital Region BOCES Reaches $100 Million Grant-Winning Milestone
One grant provided funding for food to ensure students from low-income families in a Capital Region school have meals to eat on the weekends. Another provided state-of-the-art technology for students in a small western New York school district to learn 3D printing. Yet another provides tuition assistance for adults to pursue a new career through adult education training.
Those grants–and more than 575 others–all have one thing in common: They were secured by the Capital Region BOCES Grants Service, which is celebrating achieving $100 million in grant awards and a decade of granting wishes and bright futures for students and adults alike.
“Our grant writers not only secure the funding for the program, but ensure its success,” said Capital Region BOCES Senior Executive Officer Joseph P. Dragone, Ph.D. “They put the pieces together to make sure whatever program they are finding funding for is sound and provides the services intended.”
The service—one of many shared operational programs available through the Management Services Division at Capital Region BOCES and provided to school districts, nonprofits and municipalities statewide—has secured grants ranging from $500 to $19.9 million over the past decade.
Through these financial awards, children and adults of all ages have received everything from food to training to “outside-the-box” educational offerings that have improved their lives, knowledge and futures.
“Students directly benefit from this service,” said Watervliet City School District Superintendent Lori Caplan. “We have seen a 417 percent return on our investment and because of that we make sure to include the grants service in our budget every year. It has been the most rewarding and fiscally responsible decision that we have made.”
“Grants are a huge opportunity to advance our programs and provide opportunities for our kids,” said Schenectady City School District Interim Superintendent Aaron Bochniak.
Among the projects funded is a free, high-quality pre-kindergarten program in the Liberty Central School District in Sullivan County, the purchase of life-saving equipment for firefighters in the City of Sherill and the purchase of equipment for a state-of-the-art mechatronics lab in Otsego Northern Catskills BOCES.
“We feel incredibly fortunate as a team to be able to partner with our clients to help bring their programs to life, positively impacting so many people,” said Capital Region BOCES Program Manager Megan Allen. “We are also grateful to all the funders who have understood the value of those programs, and invested generously in the community.”
The service provides everything from a searchable grants database to grant editing and start to- finish grant writing to help organizations of all types and sizes get the funds they need.
For more information on the Capital Region BOCES Grants Service, visit https://www.capitalregionboces.org/programs-services/grants-development/.
