A wide variety of sources are available to fund the Mathematics Pentathlon Program^®.

Why Fund the Program?
Several reasons include; increased student math achievement, development of positive attitudes towards math, active problem-solving and critical reasoning skills, correlations to National and State Mathematics Standards, the school, parent, home, community connection, and the ability for all students (learning disabled, at-risk, average, advanced, and gifted) to participate in a National Mathematics Pentathlon Tournament (to name a few).

Some funding sources you may wish to research:

1. School Accounts: Instructional Budget, Activity Account, Gifted and Talented allocations, Grants, Federal and State Funds given to the school (Title Funds, Accelererated Math Instruction, After-School Education Funds, Special Education, Grants, etc).

2. District Funding: Math Department, Gifted and Talented Department, Special Education Department, Community Education, After-School Funds, Extended Day Education, etc

3. Parent Teacher Association: Parent Teacher Association or Parent Teacher Organization sponsorship

4. Fees: Charge a fee for students to join the club

5. In-House Grant Money: Many schools have funded the Mathematics Pentathlon program by researching grants that are available to the school or district. The best way to find out about these types of opportunities is to contact your school administrator and/or your district's grant department.

6. Community Grant Money: The amount of financial support that has already been provided by businesses and foundations to help launch the Mathematics Pentathlon Program in schools is quite remarkable. Our suggestion is to develop your club goals, then contact the community resource/relations department of a business in your area. This way you will be ready to answer any questions from the grantor and then request a proposal to submit. Most of the grants offered through this type of corporate citizenship are easy to complete and quick to access.

* Several businesses also offer matching grants.
* Ideas for resources include: Technology Companies, Banks & Credit Unions, Foundations, Architectural/Construction Companies, Law Firms, Businesses near the school, Companies for which parents in the school work, etc.

NOTE: Please contact our institute if you need help with grant writing since we have a sample grant packet.