Grant and Funding Opportunities

HEART TECH PLUS GRANT AND FUNDING IDEAS

Heart Tech Plus understands the importance of heart rate technology and the amount of reliable and objective data it can produce. This valuable data can help you improve your practice and can ultimately facilitate the learning process for you and your students. Implementing heart rate technology helps your students understand the “why” behind exercise and allows for goal setting and independent learning to happen. Heart rate technology can help create lifelong movers which can help combat the obesity crisis in America. With the data that the Heart Tech Plus system produces, users are able to effectively reflect on their workouts so they can improve their performance over time.

Heart Tech Plus understands that purchasing heart rate technology can be an investment and can be overwhelming. We are firm believers that implementing heart rate technology can benefit both the teacher and the student. However, we understand that finding funds can be difficult. Heart Tech Plus is always here to help you with this process so you can improve your program(s). Please see below for effective ideas and ways to obtain funding.

Action Steps

Create a wish list. Your wish list might include heart rate technology, pedometers, a fleet of mountain bikes, better equipment for units that you teach, uniforms, etc.
Meet with your building administration. Show and discuss your wish list. Make a case for why these items are essential to improve your program. Ask if there are any extra funds in other accounts that can be used to purchase some of these items. Come prepared to this meeting! Advocate for your needs! Continue to follow up if needed.
Reach out to district personnel including your Physical Education Coordinator(s). Sometimes at the district level, there are extra funds that can be spent to support initiatives such as technology integration to improve student learning. Don’t be afraid to ask for funding at the district level! Most of the time, district personnel will appreciate your passion for wanting to improve your program and can often times point you in the right direction to obtain funding.
1. Interested in heart rate technology? Heart Tech Plus can provide you with a presentation that you can show your administration and/or district so they can see the objective data that the Heart Tech Plus system can produce. Administrators and districts typically love objective data since it can drive your instructional decisions.
  1. Even if you are able to receive a small amount of funding, purchasing a few heart rate sensors is a great start. Don’t feel like you have to buy everything at once. Even if you can purchase a few sensors to begin, that would allow you invite your administration down to your gymnasium to show them how the system works. It’s usually more powerful when administrators see the system “live” and in action. You can always build on your heart rate sensor inventory each year until you have enough for a class set!

Research grants. Find local and national grants that you can apply for that would enable you to purchase heart rate technology. There are so many grants that you can apply for and heart rate sensors typically meet the criteria for several grants. Please see the list below for a few ideas and grants that you can apply for.
1. Remember that you will not receive every grant that you apply for. However, you have zero chance if you don’t apply! Even if you don’t receive a particular grant, reach out and ask for feedback so you can improve your chances of getting the grant next time.
2. Not sure how to find grants? Good places to start would be Action for Healthy Kids and Fuel Up to Play 60. You can also sign up (free) to become an Active Schools Champion on the Active Schools website so you can receive monthly resource bulletins with grant opportunities. Some districts also send out monthly grant newsletters that inform you of grant opportunities. If your district has a grants department, inquire about these newsletters and ask how to subscribe to them.
3. If you are unsure of how to fill out a grant application, districts usually have a grants department that can assist you with this process. Reach out to them!

This nonprofit typically has several grants that you can apply for throughout the year.

Sign up to become an Active Schools Champion (free) so you can receive monthly resource bulletins with grant opportunities.

Create a project for heart rate monitors and get it funded.

Administration

You can show your administration how heart rate monitors can provide objective data which will allow you to make data driven decisions. Don’t be afraid to ask for funding!

PTA

Attend monthly PTA meetings and ask to present on the value of heart rate technology. You can then try and request funds.

SHAPE America states that this new federal education legislation provides increased access to funds for health and PE programs (including professional development) and allows states and school districts to set their own priorities for funding and accountability.

Schools can apply for up to $4,000 per year to jump-start healthy school changes

SHAPE America states that as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), Congress set aside approximately $13.2 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER Fund).