BIGGER FASTER STRONGER 21November/December 2004

FEATURE ARTICLEby Karin Alexander, J.D.

o you have enough money allotted for fitness activities at your school?

Not likely: it’s just a fact of life that therewill always be greater need for worthy pro-grams than there will be financial resourcesto help create them. But in your efforts tofind the funding for fitness programs thatproduce champions, as well as fit andhealthy students, keep the federal PEP grantin mind.

What is the PEP Grant?

The PEP grant, technically known asthe Carol M. White Physical EducationProgram, began in 2000. Annual fundingfor the PEP program varies. Funding for2000 was a mere $5 million. That amountincreased substantially in 2001 to $50 mil-lion, to $59 million for 2002, and to $60million for 2003. For 2004, the funding was$69,587,000. The PEP grant has beenapproved by the federal government foranother three years, and if 2005 is fundedas in past years, the amount available maybe even greater than 2004’s generous allo-

cation. That’s a big chunk of change, and aportion of it awarded to your school or groupcould go a long way towards providing theprograms and/or equipment needed to meetits fitness objectives.

The PEP grant is a competitive grantsprogram that provides funds to localeducational agencies and community-basedorganizations for the purpose of initiating,expanding and improving physical educationprograms (including qualifying after-schoolprograms) for children in grades kindergartenthrough 12. The funding is intended toprovide equipment and support, therebyenabling students to participate actively inphysical education activities. It is furtherintended to provide funding for staff andteacher training and education.

The estimated number of awards for2004 was 230. These range from $100,000 to$500,000 dollars, with an average award of$300,000.

PEP funding may not exceed ninety per-cent of the total cost of a qualified programfor its first year of funding and may notexceed seventy-five percent of such costs for

The PEP RallySavvy ways to win a PEP Grant tofund new student-athlete programs

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22 November/December 2004BIGGER FASTER STRONGER

the second and any subsequent years. These fundsare available strictly for supplementing any otheravailable funds from federal, state or local sourcesfor physical education programs.

The PEP grant was implemented due to thegrowing concern about the physical condition ofAmerica’s youth. The number of Americans suffer-ing from obesity has almost tripled in the last 30years, and the problem is most pronounced in theyoung. Additionally, health problems such as dia-betes, pre-diabetic conditions and high blood pres-sure are prevalent in our children.

The PEP was designed to specifically addressthe increasing concerns about health risks leadingto premature mortality. The grant funds programsthat encourage moderate levels of regular physicalactivity, which has been shownto greatly alleviate such risks ascoronary heart disease, hyper-tension, colon cancer and dia-betes, as well as to improve thehealth of muscles, bones andjoints. Further, the program wascreated to address the need toimprove children’s self-esteem,academic performance andoverall mental health throughphysical fitness and to improvehealth awareness, therebyreducing the likelihood that stu-dents will become drug users,alcohol abusers or regularsmokers.

What Qualifies for PEPFunding?

The PEP grant is administered by theDepartment of Education through the Office ofSafe and Drug-Free Schools. In its official noticeinviting applications for awards for 2004 in theFederal Register, the Department states that thepurpose of the funding is to:

Initiate, expand, or improve physicaleducation programs, including afterschool programs, for students in one ormore grades from kindergarten through

12th grade, in order to help studentsmake progress toward meeting State

standards for physical educationThis purpose is very broad, so the notice also

includes a statement from the Department providingclarification of the purpose. This clarification notesthat PEP funding is available for a wide variety of fit-ness and health programs. For example, programsthat can be shown to assist students in understanding,maintaining or improving their physical well-beingfall within the stated purpose. This could be inter-preted broadly to include many non-traditional fitnessapproaches such as yoga, meditation or wall climb-ing.

Any instruction regarding improving motorskills and physical activities that can enhance the“physical, mental, and social or emotional develop-ment of every student” fulfills this purpose. Any

instruction in the cognitive con-cepts relating to motor skillsand physical fitness is covered.Under this category could beclasses designed to teach thebenefits of strength training onfitness levels or classes instruct-ing students on the benefits ofmeasuring bodyfat levels andmuscular fitness, as opposed tomeasuring just heart rates.

Additionally, this grantaddresses the social benefits offitness and encourages programsthat provide opportunities forstudents to develop positivesocial and cooperative skills byparticipating in fitness activities.Accordingly, groups interested

in applying for the PEP grant should consider sub-mitting a proposal for any fitness program thatemphasizes sharing and the development of groupobjectives. Nutrition programs and instruction ongeneral healthful eating habits also qualify. Howabout implementing a thorough program on the dan-gers of junk foods, too much sugar and “bad fats”?

In addition to these programs, training for physi-cal education teachers can be funded by the PEPgrant. It also covers any training that helps teachersstay abreast of the latest research, issues and trendsin the field of physical education.

Note that strictly extracurricular programs willnot qualify for funding. These would include teamsports and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC)programs.

The PEP grant wasimplemented due tothe growing concernabout the physicalcondition of America’syouth. The number ofAmericans sufferingfrom obesity hasalmost tripled in thelast 30 years, and theproblem is most pro-nounced in the young.

BIGGER FASTER STRONGER 23November/December 2004

In addition to covering fitness programs andtraining/educational programs, PEP funds may beused to purchase equipment designed for use in suchprograms or for staff training for physical fitness pro-grams. Such equipment will not include permanentstructures such as gyms, running tracks, tenniscourts, volleyball courts, basketball courts, gyms orswimming pools, but may include climbing walls,skates, treadmills, stair-climber machines and otherdevices used to increase and/or measure fitness lev-els. The program guidelines describe qualifyingequipment as “any kind of durable good that mightbe used to support a physical education program.”

Who May Qualify for Funding?

PEP grant funding is not limited strictly to pub-lic educational groups. While all local educationalagencies (LEAs), private or public, are eligible, com-munity-based and faith-based organizations such asBoys’ and Girls’ Clubs, the Boy Scouts and GirlScouts and the YMCA and YWCA can also qualify.These groups may include home-schooled students,their parents and their teachers. All private groupsmust, however, meet all other statutory and regulato-ry requirements for general governmental fundingeligibility. Individual schools may not apply, as suchapplications must be made though the LEAs.

Generally, new or “novice” applications receivea degree of priority in the consideration process. Themaximum award for which a novice may apply is$150,000. Those requesting an award exceeding thisamount will be considered in the general pool ofapplicants without the novice priority attached.

How Do I Apply for PEP GrantFunding for My Program?

Applications for the 2005 PEP grant awardsshould be available from the Department ofEducation in January 2005. The total amount beingrequested by Congress at this time for the programis $100 million. You may obtain an application viathe Internet at www.edpubs.org/webstore/content/search.asp or by telephoning theDepartment of Education Publications Center at 1-877-433-7827. You may also write the Departmentto request an application at Education PublicationsCenter, P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Itis critical when requesting the application to referto its CFDA number, which is 84.215F.

The Department of Education has initiated anonline application submission program that is stillin the experimental stage. You may volunteer forelectronic submission of your application. Butkeep in mind that this submission will follow allthe same page-limit, deadline and informationrestrictions and requirements of the paper applica-tion process. If you wish to submit your applica-tion electronically, go to http://e-grants.ed.gov. Ofcourse, keep a backup of your submission informa-tion and be prepared for the possibility of comput-er connection problems and the loss of data.Assure that you receive confirmation of receipt ofyour application and follow the post-submission,follow up requirements described in the electronicapplication.

This year, the applications were available onFebruary 4th, and the applications were due onMarch 22, 2004. Be prepared for such a brief win-dow of time for application submissions this yearand draft your application in advance. There willbe no exceptions for tardy submissions made afterthe deadline.

On February 12, 2004,Tim McCord (center), aPEP Grant recipient, wasinvited to speak beforethe House Subcommitteeon Education Reform.The topic: “EncouragingHealthy Choices forHealthy Children.”

24 November/December 2004BIGGER FASTER STRONGER

Your applica-tion must containa clear descriptionof your plan to“initiate, expand, orimprove physicaleducation programsin order to makeprogress towardmeeting State stan-dards for physicaleducation” (FederalRegister: February 4,2004, Volume 69,Number 23). Yourplan must demonstrate that administrative expenseswill not exceed five percent of the total programcost. If such costs do exceed this limit, your pro-gram will not qualify for funding.

If your proposal is accepted for funding, youwill receive a Grant Award Notice. Likewise, youwill receive notification if your proposal is notchosen for funding.

The Matching Requirement

The matching requirement for first-timegrantees that states that the federal grant portionallowed for a program for such grantees “may notexceed 90 percent of the total cost of a project.”Thus, the applicant’s share of the total project costmust be demonstrated in the application to be tenpercent of the total final submitted costs. Thismatching requirement need not be met by cash.Any non-federal resources, including donated stafftime or salary for the project director to performadministrative oversight of the project will suffice.The cost to hire substitute teachers to replaceteachers being trained for the program will alsocount towards meeting the matching-funds require-ment.

What Happens After I Get a PEP Grant?

You must be prepared to submit annualreports. These requirements are set forth in the2004 funding guidelines (34 CFR 75.590). Suchreporting must evaluate various aspects of the pro-gram as follows:

• The progress in meeting the objective setforth in the approved application• The effectiveness of your project in meetingthe program goals• The effect of the project on the program’sparticipants

These redundant and somewhat confusingrequirements should be addressed in your initial pro-posal. Carefully consider how you will meet yourstated objective and set forth a plan for evaluatingand quantifying your progress towards those objec-tives. Consider which system or tools you will needfor such an assessment. Evaluate if these tools are theappropriate method for measuring progress towardsfulfilling your particular goal. As an example, manyfitness programs implement heart rate monitors forassessing overall fitness improvement although suchmonitors merely assess heart rate and not blood pres-sure, endurance, oxygen metabolism, strength, mus-cle efficiency, coordination, bodyfat levels or a hostof other more critical fitness markers. (BFS will beaddressing these issues in upcoming magazine issuesand on its website. Stay tuned.) You may stand outfrom the pool of standard heart-rate program applica-tions if your program encompasses a well-thought-out objectives-assessment strategy based on a com-prehensive consideration of the most valuable mark-ers for overall fitness.

Tim McCord’s Story

Tim McCord is the Physical Fitness Director ofTitusville Area School District in Titusville,Pennsylvania. Due to his efforts, the TitusvilleSchool District was awarded a PEP grant in 2003 of

Key speakers at the HouseSubcommittee onEducation Reform this yearincluded Anne Flannery,president of PE4Life; Dr.Judy Young, AAHPERD; Dr.Kenneth Cooper, CooperInstitute; CongressmanTom Osborn (Nebraska);and Tim McCord.

could be discontinued in the future, but given theseverity of the health problems the program was cre-ated to address, we feel reasonably confident that theprogram will be renewed for many years to come. Ofcourse, in the event that the government discontinuesthe PEP grant program, BFS will keep you informedof the latest developments and alternative fundingsources.

For specific questions concerning the PEPgrant, you may contact Ms. Pat Rattler of the U.S.Department of Education by telephone at 202-260-1942 or by e-mail at Pat.Rattler@ed.govor by mail addressed to Ms. Pat Rattler at 400Maryland Avenue, S.W., Room 3E-326, Washington,DC 20202-6450.

BIGGER FASTER STRONGER 25November/December 2004

The Titusville Area School Districtreceived a $341,814 PEP Grant topurchase exercise equipment.

$341,814. This award was one of 256 awards out of1,365 applications. McCord proposed a program touse these funds to enhance the “adventure education”aspect of the Titusville physical education programby building climbing walls for the elementary, mid-dle and secondary school districts, and to pay forstaff triaging. McCord has reaped huge rewards forhis students by devising an original and effective pro-gram to improve fitness in the Titusville students, alldue to his efforts in composing a complete andinformative application.

Please see our website at hppt://www.bigger-fasterstronger.com for application samples and formore tips on how to prepare your application.Additionally, contact BFS directly at 1-800-628-9773if we can assist you with your PEP grant application.

There is always a chance that PEP funding

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