2027-28 Joint IH & DKP Grant Application

Welcome and thank you for your interest in the Civic & History Inquiry Partnership (CHIP) initiatives supporting implementation of the Investigating History curriculum through the IH Magnify program in grades 5-7 and the Civic Engagement in Our Democracy curriculum through the DKP Launch program in grade 8. Funding and support for these school grants is provided by the One8 Foundation. Grant funding covers three years of professional learning and school support and five years of community programming and evaluation data reporting.

Feel free to reach out to Chad Ajig at CHIP ([email protected]), with any questions.

Before You Apply

This application is open to schools that:

are applying to use DKP's Civic Engagement in Our Democracy in eighth grade; and
are applying to use Investigating History in more than one grade in the school (note: if the school only includes one eligible grade, another school in the district must be applying or already be in the grant); and
do not serve grades 3 and/or 4 (Note: if your school serves these grade levels, please apply separately for the IH Magnify and DKP Launch grant programs. See here for more information.); and
are public schools in Massachusetts that serve at least 10 students per grade

Competitive preference will be given to schools who meet the following criteria:

schools in districts serving >15% of students from low-income backgrounds
schools participating in at least one other One8 grant program in their district (e.g., PLTW, OSE, ST Math)

The IH Magnify and DKP Launch teams are offering several informational events over the fall and winter. See here for more on opportunities to learn about the grant, experience the curricula, and hear from teachers and leaders in the program.

Begin Your Application

All applications are due by Thursday, January 21, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Please complete one application per school. The grant requires school-specific reflections on goals for social studies instruction in the building as well as specific teacher and schedule information. Even if there are multiple schools from your district applying, we ask that an application reflecting school-specific information be submitted for each school.

Keep in Mind:

Progress on the application can be saved; it does not need to be completed in one sitting. Check the “Save my progress and resume later” checkbox on the top of any page, then enter your email address and create a password. Click "Save" and an email will be sent to you with a link to resume your application.
To resume a saved application, you may use the link sent via email, or you can go straight to the application itself. Select the "Resume a previously saved form" link on the top right of any page.
Please note: You will be asked to re-enter your email and create a new password each time you wish to save the form and resume later. You may use the same password you used previously.

Please visit this page for more information and helpful resources.

Important Dates

January 21, 2027

Grant application due by 11:59 p.m. ET.

February 3-5, 2027

School interviews (45 minutes, conducted via Zoom)

March 9, 2027

Award notification

April 14, 2027 - 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. at Four Points by Sheraton, Norwood, MA

Cohort Kickoff Convening for selected applicants

Programming Expectations

A competitive application will include a plan to meet the following program expectations during the grant as well as a clear plan to sustain the program after grant funding ends.

Curriculum adoption

Adopt and implement the Investigating History and Civic Engagement in Our Democracy (DKP's grade 8 curriculum) curricula according to program rollout requirements. See Implementation section of this application for details.
Ensure all students and all social studies teachers in grant-funded grades use the curriculum relevant to their grade level.

Staffing and professional learning

Form a Champion team to support program implementation. See the Grant Program Leadership section for more information.
All teachers and champion leaders complete all required professional learning as defined in the Grant Program Leadership and Budget sections of this application.

Partnership with Civic & History Inquiry Partnership (CHIP)

Work with IH Magnify and DKP Launch school support, including hosting 1-2 support visits per year.
Host site visits with CHIP and One8 if requested.
Administer teacher and student surveys and course assessments.

Sustainability

Pay an $800 annual program fee ($500 for IH and $300 for DKP) for continued access to CHIP support and events, beginning in year 1 of the grant program.
Plan to fund implementation of the curricula after the grant ends, such as onboarding new teachers and buying consumable materials.

About grant funding: Grants offset the cost of launching Investigating History and Civic Engagement in Our Democracy. Award amounts vary by school size, mainly the number of teachers in professional learning. Estimates are calculated in the application and refined based on interviews.

School Information

1) Please select your district and school.

District

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School

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2) Please provide the name and contact information of the primary school grant contact.

Primary Grant Contact First name

Primary Grant Contact Last name

Title/role

Email Address

Please use your school email.

Phone Number

3) Please provide the name and contact information of the superintendent and principal.

Note: If the grant is awarded, the Superintendent and Principal will be required to sign the cohort participation and grant agreement.

Superintendent Contact Information

superintendent First name

superintendent last name

superintendent Email Address

Principal Contact Information

principal First name

principal last name

principal Email Address

Grant Program Leadership

4) Please identify district-level, school-level, and teacher “champions”. In this context, a champion is someone who will become knowledgeable about the IH Magnify and DKP Launch grant requirements, curricula, and support programs, as well as someone who is committed to high-quality implementation and excited to lead the work. Both the school and district champions are required to attend the Cohort Kickoff Convening on April 14, 2027.

Opportunities to become knowledgeable about IH Magnify and DKP Launch include:

reviewing...
this grant application
Investigating History website and curriculum portal
DKP website and Civic Engagement in Our Democracy curriculum portal
grant program one pager and FAQ document
attending a grant info session or other informational events
participating in the grant selection interview and Cohort Kickoff Convening
attending the required professional learning sessions for champions and/or teachers (as relevant to the role and program)
meeting with members of the CHIP team

District Champion

The district champion is a district leader (e.g., Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum Director, CAO) who leads the IH Magnify and DKP Launch implementation at the district level, often across schools if the district has multiple schools in the grant cohort.

Ideally, this champion will be in a leadership position and have the ability to:

inform common planning time or department meetings
observe teachers
review data
make budgeting and scheduling decisions
hold a cross-school view (if applicable)

District champions will attend:

the Cohort Kickoff Convening (4/14/27)
IH Magnify leader-specific professional development (in all years of the grant; either the district or school leader must attend; see "IH Staffing and Funding" on page 6 for details)
day 1 of the DKP Summer OR September Institute (in years 1 and 2 of the grant; either the district or school leader must attend)

First Name

Last Name

Title/role

Email Address

phone number

School Champion

The school champion is a school building-based leader (e.g., Principal, Assistant Principal, Department Chair, Team Lead, Curriculum Coach) who leads the IH Magnify and DKP Launch implementation at the school level and is not participating in the grant program as an implementing teacher.

Ideally, this champion will be in a leadership position and have the ability to:

inform common planning time or department meetings
observe teachers
review data
make budgeting and scheduling decisions

School champions will attend:

the Cohort Kickoff Convening (4/14/27)
IH Magnify leader-specific professional development (in all years of the grant; either the district or school leader must attend; see "IH Staffing and Funding" on page 6 for details)
day 1 of the DKP Summer OR September Institute (in years 1 and 2 of the grant; either the district or school leader must attend)

First Name

Last Name

Title/role

Email Address

phone number

Teacher Leader Champion

Teacher leader champions are social studies teachers participating in the grant program. They teach the IH or DKP curriculum and represent teacher perspectives during site visits. Teacher leader champions should understand the grant's goals and be excited to lead this work with other social studies teachers.

We recommend choosing a teacher who already holds a cross-grade role, such as Department Head, and has visibility into the grades implementing IH and grade 8 (where DKP will be taught). If no teacher has this cross-grade view, we suggest identifying two champions, one from the IH grades and one from grade 8, so that both perspectives are represented in meetings and conversations.

First Name

Last Name

Title/role

Email Address

phone number

Grade(s) Teaching

5th6th7th8th

Additional Teacher Leader Champion (Optional; if Department Head is not available)

First Name

Last Name

Title/role

Email Address

phone number

Grade(s) Teaching

5th6th7th8th

Participating Teacher Information

5) Please list the number of SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHERS ANTICIPATED FOR THE 2027-28 SCHOOL YEAR by grade. put '0' if your school does not serve that grade (ex. put '0' for grade 5 if you are a 6-8 middle school).

# of Teachers: grade 5

# of Teachers: grade 6

# of Teachers: grade 7

# of Teachers: grade 8

6) please tell us if any of your social studies teachers teach more than one grade. if they do, please let us know what grades they teach.

7) Please list the total student enrollment for the 2026-27 school year by grade.

grade 5 enrollment

grade 6 enrollment

grade 7 enrollment

grade 8 enrollment

Scheduling

8) how much instructional time is currently allocated to Social Studies in each grade? Please list the minutes per block per week for each of the grades to which you are applying for the grant (e.g., 5 x 50 in Grade 6).

9) for the upcoming 2027-28 school year, is your school planning on making any changes to instructional minutes for social studies? if so, please describe the ways instructional minutes will change next year (e.g., increase to 5 x 50 in Grade 6).

Learning Goals

16) What are your school's goals for student learning in history and civics?

17) How do you anticipate Investigating history and civic engagement in our democracy supporting these goals?

18) What resources is your school currently using for history and civics across grade levels?

Investigating HistoryCivic Engagement in Our DemocracyOther resources

18B) ih and/or ceiod users: please Describe your teachers' experience with IH and/or DKP so far. For example, have they used parts of a curriculum, a full curriculum, or one curriculum but not the other? How would this grant program support your school at this stage of implementation?

18b) Other resources: Please describe what resources your teachers are using and how you would assess their strengths and weaknesses.

19) to what extent have teachers explored the Investigating History and Civic Engagement in Our Democracy materials, had experience teaching materials from these curricula, and/or been a part of the decision to apply for this grant?

20) what about the adoption of the curricular materials and approach do you and your team anticipate being challenging? how are you thinking of addressing these potential challenges?

21) what is the average teacher turnover in your social studies department? what is your plan to onboard and train new teachers?

22) how did you hear about this grant opportunity? please select all that apply.

Current IH Magnify or DKP Launch districtAttended IH Magnify- or DKP Launch-run professional development in the pastAn educator at another school or districtEmail/outreach by the IH Magnify/DKP Launch teamsEmail/outreach by the One8 Foundation teamOther

22b) please describe how you heard about this grant opportunity.

IH MAGNIFY STAFFING AND FUNDING

23) PLEASE INDICATE THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS who will follow each professional learning sequence based on their experience with Investigating History professional learning.

All social studies teachers in applying grades within a school must participate in the IH Magnify programming beginning in Year 1. This should include sub-separate and push-in Special Educators as appropriate. Based on previous experience with IH Professional Learning, some teachers may follow an abbreviated professional learning sequence, as outlined in the table below. Please provide the number of teachers in your building who fall into each sequence category.

	5TH GRADE	6TH GRADE	7TH GRADE	TOTAL
New to IH Teachers: Enter the # of teachers without IH professional learning experience who will participate in the full scope of PL
Experienced with IH Teachers: Enter the # of teachers with IH professional learning experience who will participate in the abbreviated scope of PL
Total Teachers (Populates automatically)

Note: We will only need teacher designations for year 1 and can extrapolate from there. We will assume that 1 leader will participate in the leader sequence for each school. We will likely extend opportunities for additional school or district leaders to participate in professional learning if they would like, which will be discussed during the grant interview. Please put 0 for any of the above categories that do not apply to your teacher(s).

Accommodations for IH Magnify Professional Learning

Please also provide an estimate of the number of teachers who will require lodging for Professional Learning, which will take place within 60 minutes of metro Boston, MA (dates and location to be specified).

	Number of Teachers
How many teachers will require lodging when attending Professional Learning? Typically located within 60 minutes of metro Boston

DKP LAUNCH STAFFING AND FUNDING

24) PLEASE INDICATE THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS who will follow each professional learning sequence based on their experience with dkp professional learning.

All grade 8 social studies teachers in a building must participate in the DKP Launch program beginning in Year 1. This should include sub-separate and push-in Special Educators as appropriate. Based on previous experience with DKP professional development, some teachers may follow an abbreviated professional learning sequence, as outlined in the Professional Learning Sequences Table . Please provide the number of teachers in your building who fall into each sequence category.

	Year 1: 2026-27
# of teachers with no DKP Launch experience who will participate in the full PL sequence
# of teachers with DKP Launch experience (i.e., have received DKP PL and have taught the full curriculum at least once) who will participate in the abbreviated PL sequence

Note: We will only need teacher designations for year 1 and can extrapolate from there. We will assume that 1 leader will participate in the leader sequence for each school. We will likely extend opportunities for additional school or district leaders to participate in professional learning if they would like, which will be discussed during the grant interview. Please put 0 for any of the above categories that do not apply to your teacher(s).

Accommodations for DKP Launch Professional Learning

Please also provide the number of teachers who will require lodging during the Summer or September Institute professional learning, which will take place within 60 minutes of metro Boston, MA (dates and location to be specified). Program participants will only need to attend 1 of these Institutes.

	Number of Teachers
How many teachers will require lodging when attending Professional Learning? Typically located within 60 minutes of metro Boston

Confused? That's okay! Reach out to Chad Ajig ([email protected]) for help.

Budget and Narrative

IH Magnify Funding Request
The tables below contain calculated grant amount estimates corresponding to the information you filled out on the previous page. If you wish to make adjustments to the amounts, please return to the previous page and edit your estimated teacher professional learning sequences and required lodging numbers.

Note: Grant funds are calculated to cover professional learning and durable materials costs (one master copy, teachers guides, and classroom materials) and will be directly distributed to schools. Schools will need to procure their own copies of the durable materials. Please note that participating schools will also be required to contribute a $500 annual program fee that is not included in the grant funds.

Cost of teacher and leader professional learning

Budget assumptions

Summer Introduction + Unit 1 Launch for New Teachers ($800 per teacher). Offered June and August 2027; teachers choose one session to attend.
Teacher workshops ($400 per teacher per day) Offered in October 2027, January 2028, and March 2028; teachers attend all three workshops.
Durable materials ($300 per set; including one master copy, one teacher guide, and classroom materials)
Lodging: $340 (per teacher per night)

	# in Year 1	Year 1 Cost	Year 2 Cost	Year 3 Cost
Total Professional Learning for Teachers
Amount for New to IH teachers
Amount for Experienced with IH teachers
Materials for Classrooms
Lodging for Professional Learning
Total

Total IH Grant Funding Request

DKP Launch Funding Request
The tables below contain calculated grant amounts corresponding to the information you filled out on the previous page. If you wish to make adjustments to the amounts, please return to the previous page and edit your estimated teacher professional learning sequences and required lodging numbers.

Note: The grant opportunity provides implementation supports and professional learning opportunities. Grant funds will not be directly distributed to schools. If awarded a grant, schools will receive the resources, implementation support, and professional learning valued at the calculated amount in the tables below. Please note that participating schools will also be required to contribute a $300 annual program fee that is not included in the grant funds.

Need help thinking through the budget? Get in touch with Chad Ajig ([email protected]).

Cost of teacher and leader professional learning

Budget assumptions

July or September Institute: $345 (per attendee per day)
October, January, and March Workshops: $340 (per teacher per day)
Lodging: $340 (per teacher per night)

Cost of teacher and leader professional learning based on your inputs on the previous page:

	# in Year 1	Year 1 Cost	# in Year 2	Year 2 Cost	# in Year 3	Year 3 Cost
New DKP Launch teacher professional learning
Experienced DKP Launch teacher professional learning
Leader professional learning
Summer or September Institute Lodging
Total

Total dkp grant funding request

TOTAL GRANT REQUEST

Total Three-Year Funds across DKP launch and Investigating History Grants **Estimate**

amount distributed to the district **Estimate**

These funds will be used to procure Investigating History materials and cover attendance fee associated with Investigating History Professional Learning. IH Magnify will support with the process for procuring materials, and your school will be invoiced for Professional Learning based on final teacher registrants. These funds should not be used for any costs associated with DKP.

amount not distributed to the district **Estimate**

The funds will be held by DKP Launch and applied to incurred professional learning costs for your teachers. These funds will also be applied to hotel expenses incurred by IH and DKP teachers for any hotel rooms requested as part of professional learning registration.

Pending acceptance into the grant program, a revised budget will be calculated based on updated staffing expectations for SY27-28.

25) While grant funding helps to cover expenses associated with adopting the investigating history and civic engagement in our democracy curricula, it does not cover all costs, such as teacher stipends for professional learning, printing of student-facing handouts, substitute coverage, etc.

Please describe your plan for funding these costs.

Finance Contact

First Name

Last Name

Title/role

Email Address

Phone Number

Name of entity that should receive grant funds

Mailing address of entity

Address line 2

city

Zip Code

State

Interview and Submission

Interview Scheduling

As part of the grant application process, schools may be invited to participate in a 45-minute interview. We are asking all applicants to schedule a tentative interview time now and the team will confirm the interview at latest one week prior to the date and time selected.

We strongly encourage including the primary grant applicant, district champion, school champion, and a teacher representative as possible.

Should your school be selected for a grant, the school and district champions will be required to attend the April 14, 2027, Cohort Kickoff Convening from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Four Points in Norwood, MA. Please tentatively hold this date.

Schedule your team for a grant interview by visiting the Acuity scheduling page.

please confirm that you scheduled a tentative interview using the link above.

Yes! I have scheduled an interview.

Programming Expectations

please CONFIRM THAT YOUR IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AS OUTLINED IN THis APPLICATION MEETS THE FOLLOWING REQUIRED DESIGN ELEMENTS:

Yes! Our implementation plan meets the requirements listed below.

Curriculum adoption

Adopt and implement the Investigating History and Civic Engagement in Our Democracy (DKP's grade 8 curriculum) curricula according to program rollout requirements. See Implementation section of this application for details.
Ensure all students and all social studies teachers in grant-funded grades use the curriculum relevant to their grade level.

Staffing and professional learning

Form a Champion team to support program implementation. See the Grant Program Leadership section for more information.
All teachers and champion leaders complete all required professional learning as defined in the Grant Program Leadership and Budget sections of this application.

Partnership with Civic & History Inquiry Partnership (CHIP)

Work with IH Magnify and DKP Launch school support, including hosting 1-2 support visits per year.
Host site visits with CHIP and One8 if requested.
Administer teacher and student surveys and course assessments.

Sustainability

Pay an $800 annual program fee ($500 for IH and $300 for DKP) for continued access to CHIP support and events, beginning in year 1 of the grant program.
Plan to fund implementation of the curricula after the grant ends, such as onboarding new teachers and buying consumable materials.

Note: Shortly after submitting the application, the primary grant contact will receive a confirmation email. If they do not see that email within a few hours, please check your junk mail or reach out to [email protected].

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2027-28 Joint IH & DKP Grant Application