Walton Family Foundation Planning and Start Up Grant Cycles*

Applicant groups who are planning a charter school in or near the city of Detroit may be eligible for planning and/or start-up grants from the Walton Family Foundation. Eligible groups will meet these criteria:

• Demonstrate strong potential for delivering excellent academic results for K-12 students, as measured by standardized achievement tests;
• Serve significant low-income student populations;
• Not represent a for-profit entity;
• Have an endorsement from a Foundation member or one of our state-based grant partners (MAPSA and/or Walton);
• And, draw a majority of its students from one of WFF's targeted districts (for Michigan the targeted district is Detroit Public Schools).

If you meet all of the above criteria, visit the WFF K-12 Education Reform web page for details on the Start Up grants.  After reviewing information on each grant, MAPSA recommends securing a meeting with the Director of New School Development for an introduction to Walton Grant submissions. Completed applications as well as any questions you should have can be submitted to MAPSA at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Michigan Future Schools 2013 Selection Process

Michigan Future Schools announces a competition to support the launch of at least one new high school opening in the fall of 2013 serving students from the City of Detroit.  They will choose grantees through a three-step process. Decisions on which schools to fund will be made by the Michigan Future Schools Governing Council.

• December 21, 2011 - Mandatory Bidders Conference*                                                                                          (*Anyone interested in submitting an application must attend the bidders conference.)
• February 1, 2012 – Stage One – Written Proposal
• Mid March 2012 – Stage Two – Finalists Interviews

• Mid April 2012– Stage Three – Negotiation of Implementation Plan and Grant Amount/Terms

Click HERE for a copy of the RFP.  Visit Michigan Future Schools website for more information.

Michigan Department of Education's Planning & Implementation Grant

The Planning and Implementation Grant award acts as a continuation of successful efforts to support high quality charter school developers.  The next grant deadline is 4/18/2012. Eligibility includes:

• New public school academies

• Early stage developers planning

MAPSA's Charter Start program is a comprehensive program, which meets the needs for technical assistance for the MDE Planning Grant.  The primary purpose of the program is to build awareness and provide resources for the foundational needs of your non-profit board, and the ongoing needs for your development team.  We accomplish this through email messaging, access to our online collection of resource materials, webinars, our interactive blog - 21st Century Schools, foundational non-profit board training and a Phase I application review.

MAPSA also offers a series of trainings available to those who are in the process of starting a school.  The Charter Start Technical Assistance Trainings will provide you with the knowledge for your non-profit boards and proposed school board members.  Click HERE to see a list of the upcoming trainings and to register today!

If interested in MAPSA's Charter Start program, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 517-374-9167.