Before you get started

Eligibility Rule

Article V, Section 5 of the By-laws of the NJEA Frederick L. Hipp Foundation for Excellence in Education, the following eligibility exclusions apply:  “No member of the Board of Trustees, the Advisory Committee or the Grant Selection Committee shall have or obtain a financial interest in any contract, grant or award made by the Foundation to any person or entity.” The Hipp Board of Trustees consists of the individuals who comprise the Executive Committee of the New Jersey Education Association.

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Information and Details about the Grant Process

• Grant application is only available online. 
• You must be a public school employee.
• The first section of the application is a collection of contact data. Please enter all requested contact information for yourself and that of the local association and district. Note: Entering this information is allowed in this section as it will not be seen by the judges. 
• The directions for each section of the application are detailed and are specific to each section. Make sure you read and follow the directions in each section.
• Once you have completed the main portion of the application in Round 1, you will SAVE and SUBMIT the completed application for review by the Foundation. 
• Your application will be locked from editing at this point. 
• Once your application is reviewed. If all is correct, you will be forwarded to Round 2/Signature Round. 
• In Round 2/Signature Round you will be instructed to submit requests to your Local President and Superintendent. The third required signature is your own, agreeing to facilitate the grant per the Foundation's guidelines is funding is awarded.
• You will be notified by email when each requested digital signature has been submitted and received. 
• All signatures must be received by the Foundation on or before March 1* to qualify.
• Applicant should allow ample time to obtain signatures and or get board approval, if necessary, to meet this deadline.
• Our preferred method of communication is by personal email adress, Many school servers have high security settings that may not accept our emails.              Please check your spam and/or junk folders in your personal email if you haven't received an email after starting your application.
• Applicants are urged to add our email address "NJEA Hipp Foundation" Hipp@njea.org to their email contacts to facilitate communication with the Foundation. 
• All applicants are notified by the end of April with the disposition of their grant request (whether funded or not). It is not necessary to call the Foundation for a status update.
• Successful applicants are required to attend an online training event tentatively scheduled for Thursday, May 21, 2026.
• Successful applicants will also be invited to a recognition luncheon at NJEA Headquarters on Saturday, June 13, 2026. 
• Read the section on Tips for Applying before you complete the application.
• Read the Frequently Asked Questions.
   

Special instructions for continuation grant applicants

• A Hipp grant recipient may apply for a continuation grant to fund their project for one additional year within a two-year period.
• An applicant requesting a continuation grant will need to provide feedback on the status of the original grant and the potential for continued success.
• Continuation grant applications are reviewed at the same time as new funding requests and receive notifications in accordance with the same timeline.
• Continuation grant applicants are also required to attend the training event in May.
• Funding for a continuation application is NOT guaranteed.

Deadline

Grant applications are accepted through March 1* of every year. Grant proposals must be finalized in the online portal. Signature pages must submitted electronically, in order for your grant to be judged.  

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