Leverage Funds for School Counseling Programs

School counselors may often feel that a lack of funding prevents them from building their dream school counseling program. However, there are innovative and creative ways to find and use funding streams aligned with school counseling such as grant and donation programs, school counseling budgets, home and school organizations, community partnerships and state and federal funding.
 

Grants and Donation Programs

A wide variety of grant and donation programs are available in some districts and states. To start, your district may have a grant office to help you find and write grants for funding. Check within your district for grant opportunities. And being a member of your state association has many perks! These may include grants to assist with funding school counseling programs and professional development opportunities. Programs such as Fund for Teachers and Donors Choose allow educators to request unique supplies, resources and professional development opportunities. Fund for Teachers provides educators an opportunity to apply for unique fellowships for professional growth and development through innovative experiences, and Donors Choose is great for school counselors in need of essential classroom supplies such as books, art supplies, fidgets, etc.
 

School Counseling Budget

Do you have a school counseling budget? A great way to start this conversation is to have an annual administrative conference and use the Annual Administrative Conference Template as a talking point regarding a budget. If you do have a budget, find out how much money you have each year and the process for using it. If you do not have a budget, advocate for your program needs. Determine the programs, activities, resources and professional development for which you need funding. Propose a budget that allows you to meet specific needs for your program. Explain the benefits and how you will use the funds to make a difference to students. Be mindful of the end of the fiscal year to use the money in your budget in time. Purchase any remaining items you need for the following year; If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.
 

Home and School Organizations

Partnering with parent organizations can be a great way to receive support and funding for your school counseling program. Connect with your Home and School Association (HSA) or Parent Teacher Association (PTA). Offer to present to the group about your school counseling program to help them understand your role and your program. Determine if the group provides funding for projects and materials. When asking for funding for projects from a PTA or HSA group, identify the purpose of the project, who will benefit and what specifically you need – funds or physical items. For ongoing needs, set up an Amazon wish list and share it with parent groups, at back-to-school nights and even in your email signature. Members of the PTA and HSA are also good resources as volunteers to assist with programs, events and activities.
 

Community Partnerships

Partnerships in the community can be excellent ways to build positive relationships with local businesses and organizations while funding needed programs. In figuring out where to start with community partnerships, first determine your need and purpose. Use your connections! If you have friends, family or connections in your school community, ask them. You don’t get what you don’t ask for. Next, ask for a manager and communicate the information about the need for the project and the project’s purpose. Often businesses are eager to partner with schools. Also, check donation pages – many businesses and organizations have information about how to request donations on their websites. Need inspiration writing a donation request? View a donation request template. Another great way to utilize partnerships is to request swag from colleges, universities and trade schools. To do so, contact the admissions office. If possible, find a representative for your specific region. Try to be specific about your request and your timeline. Access a swag request template. 
 

State and Federal Funding

As school counselors, we may feel that we do not have access to funding from our state’s Department of Education, title funding or other federal funding opportunities. However, many of these funding sources are allocated to support students and are often aligned with the work of school counselors. Often these funds can be used for additional school counseling and school-counseling-related staff, school counseling curriculum and materials, professional memberships to school-counseling-related organizations and relevant and high-quality professional development. View ASCA’s updated information about relevant federal legislation.

What can you get funded?

• Books
• Food
• Games and toys
• General office supplies
• Office furniture
• Prizes and giveaways
• Professional development
• Programs and events
• Public relations and marketing
• Technology and subscriptions
• Volunteers
• and much more!

To support your use of any of these funding streams, consult with your administrator and also talk with your district-level administrators, such as school counseling directors. Every conversation around funding will be more successful when you come to the table with data and an evidence-based plan, and are ready to compromise.

Sarah Kirk, Ph.D. is the owner of Yoga 4 Classrooms, an adjunct instructor and an ASCA-certified trainer. Danielle Schultz, Ph.D., is a school counselor at Quaker Valley Middle School in Sewickley, Pa. Andrea Burston is a school counselor at Joyner Elementary in Raleigh, N.C.