FAQ

Hawaiʻi School Digital Media (HSDM) Grant FAQs

What are HSDM grants?
HSDM grants are funds provided to Hawaiʻi elementary and secondary education institutions to support the curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular use of digital media as a learning resource for teachers and students.  The grants are awarded to institutions, not individuals; although, at the request of the school, the award checks may be made out to an individual teacher or administrator, a school club, or to some other entity related to the school.

Who can apply for a HSDM grant?
Any public, private, charter or parochial K-12 institution licensed in the State of Hawaiʻi may apply for HSDM grants.

When are the grant applications due?
HSDM grant applications must be posted by midnight on the 31st of August each year.

When are the grant awards made?
The HSDM review committee usually meets mid-September to review all applications and decide on the distribution of funds.  Schools are normally notified by the end of September of the status of its application(s), and checks are mailed by the middle of October.

Can a school submit more than one application for an HSDM grant?
A school can submit more than one application for funding from the HSDM program; however, the total funds awarded to any one institution during any single grant year will not exceed the amount of the largest available award (currently $3,000).

What can HSDM grant funds be used for?
HSDM grant funds can be used to purchase digital media equipment (photographic cameras, video acquisition and recording equipment, audio acquisition and recording equipment, video and audio editing equipment, lighting, computers, software, other production and studio related equipment, and related disposable supplies as flash drives and DVD disks.  Grant funds may also be used for training materials and registration fees or consulting fees for digital media and video production training programs.  Travel expenses related to production of video at locations other than the institution (“away games” of sports teams, band participation in parades, community events and off-site project-based learning activities).

What must a school provide in return for accepting the HSDM grant funds?
In its application for funding a teacher or program or club at a school outlines how the grant funds will be used by teachers, administrators and/or students to support the development of digital media literacy through the use of digital media resources in the school’s curricular, co-curricular and/or extra-curricular activities.  The school also agrees to produce a given number of minutes of video programming that is of sufficient quality that it can be broadcast on the TEACH Education Access Channels of Oceanic Cable and/or Hawaiian Telecom TV.  The larger the grant award, the larger is the number of minutes of video that must be submitted.  The school also agrees to submit a final report on the use of the funds by June 30 of the grant year.

What if a school does not submit any videos for broadcast or does not submit a final report?
A school is ineligible to apply for additional HSDM grant funding until the required number of minutes of video and a final report have been submitted for any previous grant award.

Can a school submit videos produced with HSDM grant funds for broadcast elsewhere?
The videos produced by a school with HSDM funds are the property of the school and may be submitted for broadcast elsewhere (such as public television) and/or entered into local or national video competitions.  The grant funds may also be used to support video production related to the school’s participation in other programs such as the Hawaiʻi History Day competition.