Aquaponics USA




760-671-3053

A Grant brought this FGS-44L STEM Food Growing

into the Library of this School!

More great GRANT RESOURCES! The Aquaponics USA STEM Teaching & Food Growing System, you see in the photo at the top of the page has a 320 gallon Fish Tank and four 11 sq. ft. Grow Beds. It was purchased through a Grant that came to a Southern Arizona Community Food Bank School Gardening Coordinator named Zotero Citlalcoatl. Zotero managed to get the funding to place 3 of these Aquaponics Systems into three schools in the inner city of Tucson, Arizona.

The Grant funds came from the Feeding America Program which operates many of these Community Food Banks throughout the U.S. so we're starting there below. But be sure to to Look into the money available via the 5 Government Agencies that have come about because of the Coronavirus Pandemic. They are listed above.

Toshiba is offering Grants for Grades K-5 and Grades 6-12. The K-5 Grants go up to $1,000 and have an October 1 Deadline every year.

The 6-12 Grants focus on Science and Math Education and have an August 1 deadline if the Grant request is for more than $5,000. All Grant requests $5,000 and under are evaluated on a rolling basis.

The NEA  Grants focus on improving the academic achievement of students in U.S. public schools and public higher education institutions in any subject area(s). The proposed work should engage students in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen their knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students' habits of inquiry, self-directed learning and critical reflection.

The Grant Amounts available are $2,000 and $5,000. Deadlines for  Applications are Feb. 1, June 1 and October 15.

     

      Help Us Help Kids Know More

SARE stands for Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education. It is a USDA Program that is divided into four regions including the North Central, Southern, Western and Northeast Regions. You need to apply for your Grant through your Regional Office.

If you're in the North Central Region, there's a "Youth Educator Grant Program" that offers $2,000 to educators to provide programming on sustainable agriculture for youth. Click here to see an example of a funded Aquaponics Grant in that category.


There may be other opportunities from SARE in other Regions; but you'll have to scour through the SARE website to find them.

The Whole Kids Foundation in partnership with FoodCorps, created the School Garden Grant Program which awards Grants in the amount of $2,000 to K-12 Schools or a non-profit working in partnership with a K-12 school to support a new or existing edible garden on school grounds.

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture, NIFA, is a USDA Program that posts Requests for Applications (RFAs) on their website. You have to find the Program area you are interested in and then search through the available (Open) RFAs.

You are then led to the appropriate page where you can download the Grant instructions and Application. This is a place where you would go to get large sums of Grant monies to create a School System wide Aquaponics Program rather than to get money to purchase one classroom system.

The Kids Gardening Grants is an award designed to support school and youth educational garden projects that enhance the quality of life for students and their communities. Any nonprofit, school, or youth program planning a new garden program or expanding an established one that serves at least 15 youth between the ages of 3 and 18 is eligible to apply. The selection of winners is based on demonstrated program impact and sustainability.

Here are a few State Specific Grant Programs. Right now every Governor has State Grant Money to Distribute. See what's available in your State.

The Maine Agriculture in the Classroom created its Grant Program by selling the Maine AG4ME Specialty License Plates to Maine's drivers. There are several different Grant Programs including the $1,000 Agriculture Awareness Grants and the $3,000 School Garden Grants.

An elementary school built an Aquaponics System using their Agriculture Awareness Grants. You'll need to contact the website by email at maitca@maine.gov or by phone 207-287-5522 to discuss how to get your Application and the Deadlines.

The Colorado Garden Foundation supports horticulture and horticultural related projects and those groups that are involved or directly related. Education is emphasized. Areas of interest include horticultural-related research, education, therapy and community improvements. Maximum Grants are $15,000.

Grapes from California is sponsoring their Innovation in Teaching Education Grants. Schools in the table grape growing regions of California’s San Joaquin and Coachella valleys are benefiting from grants awarded this academic year.

For information, contact educationgrants@grapesfromcalifornia.com.

You don't have to settle for flimsy, unattractive, unsafe cement blocks or flammable facades. Our metal stands are strong, durable, sleek and modern. These stands are so strong, they even resist Bullish behavior.

If you haven't done STEP 1 yet, just click on over to our Home Page and choose which of our Systems you want to purchase.

The best way to approach the Feeding America Network is to go through your local Community Food Bank, which, most likely is being supported by this organization. Find out if they have a School Garden Coordinator and then make your pitch for funding an Aquaponics System to that person.

Something BIG is happening in classrooms across America. It's called AQUAPONICS STEM Teaching & Food Growing Systems! If you're just discovering Aquaponics, we have more than enough information for you to learn what you need to know to run an efficient Aquaponics Ecosystem that will turn your Classroom into an Integrative STEM experience.

Below are the STEPS you will need to take once you decide you want to join in on this exciting Teaching adventure.

STEP 1: Go to our Home Page and decide which of our Growing Systems you want to purchase based on your available space. Then Click over to that specific page where you'll find detailed information about that specific System.

STEP 2: Click on this Link to order Your No Obligation QUOTE from Aquaponics USA. You will need this Quoted Number, which includes the cost of your Aquaponics STEM Food Growing System PLUS the Shipping Cost to your location, to write your Grant. You will also need to give us the exact System you've chosen, whether or not you Need Grow Lights, your full Name, the Name of your School, your Contact Phone Number (so the Shipping Company can make a delivery appointment) and the full Shipping Address. We will send you a QUOTE with the $ Amount to Insert into your Grant Request.

STEP 3: Come back to this Grant Page and Choose the Grant or Grants that will cover your costs. When you order any of our STEM Food Growing Systems, they include all of the bundled items like the Fish, Fish Food, Fish Feeder, pH Meter, Water Measuring Devices, Fish Net, Seed Starter Kit, 3 Manuals, etc., all of your costs (except shipping) are bundled into one amount (Grow Lights are Optional).

STEP 4: If none of these Grants will work for you, do some Reserch. There are $122 Billion Dollars waiting to be tapped at the Government Agencies Listed below in the paragraph under the STEP 5 image.

STEP 5: Now, you're ready to WRITE YOUR GRANT! You can write your Grant describing your costs because you've already determined everything you need to know, and once Your Grant is funded, let us know you're ready to make your STEM Teaching & Food Growing System Purchase.

Are you feeling like you could use some information on how to write a Grant? Here's a great inspirational book that's available on Amazon that should do the trick.

If you don't have time to read an entire book, and even if you've never written a Grant before in your life, there are places where you can learn how to do it like:

Basic Elements of Grant Writing,

GrantStation,

Grant Writing Basics For Beginners,

Writing a Successful Grant Proposal

The Writing Center  

Candid Learning

Successful Grant Writing               


Need some encouragement? Pick up this Book from Amazon.

Resource Associates is different than the others because it offers professional Grant Writers to service your Grants. We're listing it here because it has a Search for Grants Button on their Home Page that could be very helpful in your search to find a Grant that will cover the costs of your proposed project.

This Search Engine keeps changing as Grants come available so check back with this site on a regular basis.

Where to Get an Aquaponics Grant and What's the Process?

The EXCEL Foundation makes location specific Grants for the Coeur d'Alene School District #271, a school district in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. District #271 serves a student population nearing 11,000 in Coeur d’Alene, Dalton Gardens, Hayden, Hayden Lake, and a portion of rural Kootenai County.

Most of our STEM Teaching & Food Growing Systems are purchased with Grants. Most Teachers are in the process of writing their Grants when they come to us, and the best information we can provide is about the process for getting their important COST numbers into their Grant Documents.

Below, that process is spelled out in 5 Easy Steps. We've also listed some Grants we've become aware of through working with Teachers who have gotten them. Grants are abundant, and there's one waiting for you. NOTE: This webpage is available through the Link that

brought you here or through a Link on our  "Where To Get A Grant"

Page on our new streamlined site at AquaponicsUSA.net.


FGS-44R

We plan to ask all of our Teachers who are ordering Aquaponics STEM Teaching & Food Growing Systems where they got their Grants. Almost all of them are purchasing their Systems with Grants, so this page will get longer and longer as time passes. As you can see, it's really not a matter of not enough Grants. If anything, there are so many it can seem daunting. Focus on a few you think fit your needs and situation and GO FOR IT!


WHEN YOU'RE READY TO REQUEST YOUR QUOTE, JUST CLICK THIS LINK and we'll get it right out to you.

Now Get Writing So You Can Get Growing!

This is a photo of our FGS-44R, which offers 44 sq. ft. but the Grow Beds are arranged Radially allowing lots of space for students.

We've done even more of the leg work for you. When you click on the Governent Funding agencies below, you'll go directly to the pages that give you specific information about School Funding. At this stage of the Game, we recommend you FOCUS on the ARP ESSER Funds  

we talk about above, also known as ESSER 3!

Teachers and Administrators, because of Coronavirus, there is more money out there than at any other time, Billions of dollars more than ever before. All you have to do is Request It and Receive It! It's going to take some digging and due diligence, but so did becoming a Teacher or Administrator. That's what you're good at.

You may want to read this Article by Angela Arnold at MarketScale. She directs you into what she calls the "acronym soup" of Government Agencies that are holding the public funds. They include: ESSER, Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief Fund, CARES, Coronavirus Aid Releif and Economic Security, ESF, Education Stabilization Fund, ARP, American Rescue Plan for K-12, CRRSA, Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations and GEER, Governor's Emergency Education Relief Grant Program.

Track how much of these Funds are available in your State, go to Education Stabilization Fund.

You can also go to the OESE for Funding. That's the Office of Elementary & Secondary Education to learn about available Grants and Types of Assistance. Also try Grants for Teachers, a Free Resource for K-12 Teachers. The Foundations Linked below are from Classroom Technology Grants.

Toyota Tapestry Grants for Science Teachers

Emerging Teacher-Leaders in Elementary School Mathematics Grants

ACS-Hach High School Chemisry Grant

ING Unsung Heroes Program

NEA Foundation Student Achievement Grants

Click on the Boxes below to Check Out Grants available by these lesser known Companies and Grant Resources.

Donorschoose.org

What's Happening With All Of Those Government Covid-Relief Funds In 2022 - 2024?

On January 18, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education "announced that every State Education Agency (SEA) received approval of their American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) Plan before the end of December 2021. As a result, the Department has distributed all $122 billion of ARP ESSER funds to all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Let us REPEAT! That announcement means all $122 Billion in ARP ESSER funding has been distributed to states, with the final plan approved on Dec. 30." (Quote from U.S. Department of Education)

This Government Document is focused on how SEA's (State Educational Agencies) and LEA's (Local Educational Agencies, School Districts and Schools) can use these Funds to mitigate against the spread of Covid while keeping schools open, but these ARP ESSER Funds can also be used to improve School STEM Programs as outlined by the Elementary and Secondary Education ACT, which connects to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Section 201 of the ARP (American Rescue Plan) specifies that "Local educational agencies (LEAs) must reserve funds to address student learning loss. The remaining funds may be used for any allowable purpose under federal education programs and for other specified purposes, including for the purchase of sanitizaiton supplies and educational technology."

The ARP Act Section 201(e)(2)(O) specifically addresses the need to address "learning loss among students" which has directly affected STEM Learning as it, by its very nature, is a hands-on in the Classrooms approach to interactive Learning and Critical Thinking where students often work in Teams.

The ARP Act Section 201(e)(2)(L) provides for "purchasing educational technology (including hardware, software and connectivity . . .)"

This means that the ESSER funds can be requested for STEM Teaching & Food Growing Systems!

SO WHAT DO YOU DO NEXT?   FOLLOW THE STEPS BELOW!

Step 1: Determine what you need the ESSER Funds for. See if any other Teachers in your School or District would want to join you in this requst to bring Aquaponics to your School or District. How many Teachers would be involved? How many classes would benefit? How many students would be participating in the Aquaponics Project.

Step 2: Choose the STEM Teaching & Food Growing System or Systems you would like to fund with ARP ESSER Funds.

Step 3: Follow the Five Steps for Getting A Quote from us near the top of this page.

Step 4: Get Support from your Administration. In order to receive ESSER funds, your LEA (Local Educational Agency) will need to request these Funds from your SEA (State Educational Agency). This simply means you will need support from your school and district administration. Formalize your funding request to your administration to get started. We have a Snail Mailing we would be happy to send out to your Administration upon your request. Email or Call us.

Step 5: Send your ESSER Funding Request to your SEA. Once you have received support from your LEA administration and finalized your needs, your LEA will need to send your ESSER funding request to your SEA. Each SEA may have different procedures, so contact your SEA to get exact details. SEA Contacts are on your Left.

Here are the SEA Contacts for every State

Here's a List of Approved State Plans  

Here are Federal Funding Sources as identified by kb.vex.com

WHERE TO GET A GRANT & WHAT'S THE PROCESS FOR DEALING WITH AUSA?

  Womens Empowerment Grant

This Women's Empowerment Business Grant is awarding up to $10,000 in Funding to women who meet the Eligibility Criteria.

Click over to FinImpact to see if you qualify and Apply.

Then get your Social Media Friends, Followers and Admirers to Vote For You!

You could be One of Three Lucky Winners sharing the $17,500!

Click this Box  to Apply!

Finimpact is a Free Service that offers

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Granted (pardon the pun), you're going to have to be a real Detective as a lot of these Funds have been spoken for, or they are sitting in your LEA (Local Education Agency) or your SEA State Education Agency waiting to be spent. See the Yellow Box below.

You'll need to follow the Money Trail to your State ESF (Education Stabilization Fund) to see what's still available. For example Here is a ESF Page about California that says:

"ARP ESSER funds are available for obligation through September 30, 2024." A Graph in that Report shows that only a little over half of those California Funds have been spent.

Go SEE what's happening in your State. Don't get discouraged when you run into Grants that have past due deadlines. Move On! There's still a lot of Money

Out There! If dealing with the Gov is too complicated, Scroll Down to the Corporate or Foundation Grants.

Are you ready to bring an Ecosystem into your Classroom or Greenhouse? This Aquaponics STEM Teaching & Food Growing System started in the Music Room of Manzo Elementary School in Tucson, Arizona. It, too, was purchased from a Grant that was made available from the Southern Arizona Community Food Bank via Feeding America. Later, this Greenhouse was built and the Aquaponics STEM System was moved into it. Aquaponics STEM Teaching & Food Growing Systems work to bring education to life for many disciplines including Ecology, Mathematics, Botany, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Nutrition, Aquaculture and Culinary Art Classes. This is the original version of a four Grow Bed (44 Sq. Ft. System) with a 320 Gallon Fish Tank we call the FGS-44R.