TESSA Small Grant Scheme

TESSA Small Grant Explanation

Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa (TESSA) is a network of teachers and teacher educators, working to improve children’s experiences of being at school, by supporting teachers in developing active pedagogies. The emphasis in the sustainable development goals on the quality of education, alongside national policy aspirations that focus on learner-centred education, makes TESSA more relevant than ever. Significant improvements across the continent in the use of laptop computers, mobile devices and internet connectivity, mean that more and more people are able to access the TESSA resources.

We are piloting a Small Grant scheme for TESSA Ambassadors and Partners during 2017. Our aim is to strengthen the TESSA network by supporting opportunities to make TESSA more widely available or to bring together practitioners dedicated to improving the experience of children currently in school.

We are inviting proposals for project which help:

  • Embed TESSA – within courses, programmes, colleges, schools, organisations and projects;
  • Promote TESSA uptake and effective use by more education practitioners; and
  • Support TESSA sustainability.

More detail on the Small Grant scheme and the application process is included below. We look forward to hearing from you about your ideas and plans for using and sharing TESSA more widely.

Tessa

Team TESSA

 

How to apply

Please complete the TESSA Small Grant application form and budget worksheet, which will guide you to:

  • Provide a brief description of the activity;
  • Provide a budget of how the funds will be spent;
  • Tell us what the outputs of the activity will be;
  • Tell us how you will follow it up to ensure that the project is successful; and
  • Commit to providing appropriate reports and verification documents.

Please return your application form at least 6 weeks before the start of your project or activity to tessa@open.ac.uk.  You may be requested to send additional documents or information to support your application.

There is limited funding, therefore not all applications can be funded. Each application will be judged on its eligibility and the extent to which it achieves the stated goals of the fund.

If approved, an appropriate TESSA Small Grant Agreement will be agreed and put in place, after which the funding will be released.

Eligibility

Applicants must be TESSA Ambassadors or Partners attached to a duly registered organisation or business able to issue an invoice and/or receive payment of the grant by cheque or bank transfer into the organisation or business bank account. We are unable to transfer funds to individuals.

The goal of the small grant is to support activity which helps:

  • Embed TESSA – within courses, CPD programmes, colleges, schools, organisations and projects;
  • Promote TESSA uptake and effective use by more education practitioners; and
  • Support TESSA sustainability.

The sorts of activities eligible for funding include:

  • Bringing together TESSA users to share their experiences and set up new collaborations
  • Introducing TESSA to potential users in a new institution
  • Supporting teachers and teacher educators to use TESSA
  • Distributing SD cards, CDs, memory sticks or printed resources to teachers
  • Attending events in which TESSA can be showcased through a presentation or a stand

The following costs are not eligible for funding:

  • Activities that do not directly support TESSA embedding or uptake
  • Activities that cannot be followed up or evidence their sustainability
  • Funding for individuals
  • Hospitality costs
  • Capital items
  • Costs related to existing or ongoing projects/activities currently provided by your organisation
  • Costs already specifically covered by other funding

Monitoring and verification

Financial and activity monitoring and verification information and documents will be required on project completion, including:

  • A financial and a narrative report on the project.
  • Documents supporting the expenditure, including attendance registers, invoices, receipts, cheques and transfers, etc.
  • An article and/or case stories from participants or beneficiaries of the project as appropriate, along with photos.
  • Completed monitoring and evaluation forms as provided by TESSA.

Communications

  • You will be expected to provide updates on the impact that the project has had and agree that this information can be used for reporting and promotional purposes.
  • Any public statement concerning the project should include a statement that the project is supported by TESSA and where possible, any promotional material should incorporate the TESSA logo.