The Walton Family Foundation

Types of Startup Grants

The Walton Family Foundation Startup grant program supports the creation of public charters by providing grants to school developers as they launch new schools. Grantees are school developers who primarily serve low-income children in WFF target geographies, and can demonstrate the capacity to dramatically raise student achievement. There are three potential funding avenues:

• Phase I - Pre-Authorization: $30,000 Maximum – A proposal may be submitted up to 15 months before filing a charter petition. This grant is awarded to schools that have a formal business plan and financials (among other requirements) and who are very likely to open and receive a charter.
• Phase II - Post-Authorization: $220,000 Maximum – A proposal may be submitted once the school is approved by its authorizer and during the first year of the school’s first year of operation.
• Phase III - Combination Startup: $250,000 Maximum – A proposal may be submitted once the school is approved by its authorizer and during the school’s first year of operation. Please first consult with WFF or our local Grant Partner before applying for this option as it is rare.

Per-Pupil Funding Opportunity:
WFF public charter school grantees after January 1, 2010 are eligible for additional funding in recognition of per-pupil growth over time. Eligible schools may receive up to $250,000 via the Per-Pupil grant program after the second year of operation with documented increases in enrollment, along with student achievement performance results.

ATTENTION - Before you attempt to complete the Startup proposal, you will need to update your macro securities by following the below steps in Microsoft Excel, otherwise the information you type will not be saved properly:

• WFF proposal documents are formatted for Microsoft Excel and utilize macros to run effectively. BEFORE opening the proposal, you must ensure that the proper Excel macro securities are in place.
• In Excel, select the Tools Menu, then Macro, Security, and Security Level tab. Choose either the Medium or Low setting.
• Once you have reset your security setting in Excel, you can proceed with opening and completing the WFF proposal.

Phase I: Pre-Authorization Grants

• Purpose: To help school developers begin school startup activities while awaiting final approval from their authorizer.
• Amount: Up to $30,000
• Timing: Up to 15 months before the schools authorizer submission deadlines.
• Application Requirements:
  1. A completed WFF Public Charter School Startup Grant Proposal (Excel spreadsheet - 251 KB) with all required attachments;
  2. An acceptable business plan (Word document - 514 KB) with financial projections (Excel spreadsheet - 50 KB);
  3. A positive consumer credit report [for groups without 501(c)(3) status under the IRS Code];
  4. An endorsement from one of our grant partners or a WFF staff member; and
  5. A strong charter school application that has a high probability of being approved by the authorizer.
• Deliverables:
  1. Proof of SIS adoption and early implementation;
  2. Report summarizing grant-related expenditures, as required by IRS (Word document - 48 KB); and
  3. Proof of charter approval from an authorizer.

Phase II: Post-Authorization Grants

• Purpose: To help school developers with startup costs after a charter petition is approved by an authorizer.
• Amount: Up to $220,000.
• Timing: After receiving authorizer approval and within one year of opening a school.
• Application Requirements:
  1. A completed WFF Public Charter School Startup Grant Proposal (Excel spreadsheet - 251 KB) with all required attachments;
  2. An acceptable business plan (Word document - 514 KB) with financial projections (Excel spreadsheet - 50 KB); and
  3. An endorsement from one of our grant partners or a WFF staff member.
  4. Proof of charter authorization.
• Deliverables:
  1. Data extracts from your student information system (SIS), as outlined in the grant terms;
  2. A report summarizing grant-related expenses.

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