Historically, grants have not been awarded in excess of 500 dollars. Grant requests in excess of that amount might be considered in the future if other factors made them exemplary.
A number of factors influence judging equally. Projects that are innovative and impact greater numbers of students often move toward the top of the list. Team taught projects often join them, usually because more students are involved in such projects. Be sure to see Grant Application Guidelines.
Grants may be awarded to cover a portion of the total project expense only if the balance of the project has guaranteed funding from another source. In essence that means only completely funded projects including completely funded projects from multiple sources will be considered.
Grant applications from every teacher are equally considered and are judged by the awards committee blindly. Well written grants that adhere to the published criteria have a better chance of being chosen for awards.
The awards committee considers every grant application. Those projects selected are usually innovative, often pioneering new approaches or introducing totally new learning concepts, as opposed to repetition of older techniques.
Funds also may be awarded for outside speakers and consultants, including video and web-based support, provided those resources are essential to the project. Other types of media are also considered (e.g. periodical subscriptions and other print materials.) See "Allowable grant fund usage."