Deadline for North Country schools to submit applications for Safe Schools Endeavor grant funding no later than November 1

WATERTOWN- Applications for the ‘Safe Schools Endeavor’ 2024-2025 grant funding are now available for districts across the North Country.

In partnership with the Northern New York Community Foundation, all schools in Jefferson and Lewis counties are eligible and encouraged to seek grant funding for projects, programs, and initiatives that seek to strengthen school safety and improve student and campus culture.

Applications are due no later than November 1, as awards will be determined sometime during the late fall and early winter. ***More information on applying available here***More information on applying available here.

Since 2018, nearly $102,000 in grant funding has been awarded to 16 school districts across the two counties to support 55 projects.

Public and private schools are welcome to apply.

“We are very grateful that this effort has been embraced by donors and area school districts. It is an important partnership that has most certainly made our schools and our students safer and more secure,” said Rande S. Richardson, Community Foundation executive director.

“Helping keep our children safe requires the efforts of many, and as long as there is a need, I’m hopeful there will be resources to help.”

For the 2023-2024 school year, 13 projects were awarded grant funding totaling nearly $24,000. Schools and projects receiving support were:

• Beaver River Central School District, to purchase an automated external defibrillator for use in the district’s swimming pool area. This grant request was initiated by a student with support from the school safety officer.
• Belleville Henderson Central School District, to support its “Sweethearts and Heroes” anti-bullying program.
• Carthage Central School District, to purchase materials for teachers at Carthage Elementary who want to create or improve a classroom calming corner.
• Copenhagen Central School District, to purchase door stops and “Stop the Bleed” kits.
• General Brown Central School District, to help purchase radios for use by nurses and essential staff to improve communications across all school properties.
• Indian River Central School District, to create a therapy dog program at the high school to support the social and emotional needs of students.
• Jefferson-Lewis-Hamilton-Herkimer-Oneida BOCES, to install two cell phone signal boosters to increase service on campus to LTE/5G service for urgent calls.
• LaFargeville Central School District, to install surveillance cameras in areas not presently covered.
• Lowville Academy and Central School Elementary School, to create calming corners for each classroom.
• Lowville Academy and Central School High School, to secure new emergency radios for use by a new school safety officer and administrators in all buildings.
• Lyme Central School, to provide appropriate school crossing guard coverage, training, and outfitting for a volunteer group.
• Sackets Harbor Central School, to retrofit several school windows with security glazing to create a protective barrier.
• South Lewis Central School, to install 23MIL Armoured One Shooter Attack/Bomb Film on the main entrance/vestibule windows of campus.

NNYCF Safe Schools Endeavor image.