When educators write grant proposals, they usually focus on one specific area of study. There's nothing wrong with this approach, of course, but it could limit the proposal's appeal to the funder. As an alternative, consider applying for a grant that addresses several disciplines at once.

To see the value of a multidisciplinary or cross-curricular approach, check out Educational CyberPlayGround (www.educyberpg.com/Literacy/Cross_Curricular_Thematic.asp). This site integrates literacy, music, and technology in a self-explanatory and very informative way.

A multidisciplinary grant can involve the music, art, and journalism departments. Credit: Chuck Dahmer

Merging technology with music, art, science, and other subjects opens a window of broader opportunities for potential funding. For instance, the multidisciplinary project I created incorporates the music, art, media, and technology departments at Central High School in Philadelphia, which uses Apple Macintosh computers exclusively. However, this project is merely an example, and it can be applied to school districts that use Mac or Windows computers.

My grant for a multimedia-production curriculum enabled me to buy several 17- and 20-inch 2.4 GHz iMacs and one 24-inch 2.8 GHz iMac that were easily integrated into a music-technology program using Apple iLife '08, which includes GarageBand, iMovie, and iDVD. Such a system helps students with the technical aspects of music and music production as well as with other subject areas, which benefits the school, increases class enrollment, and allows students to understand concepts more quickly through practical application.

Consider the following areas of study for a multidisciplinary proposal. Feel free to modify each area based on your school's projected needs, physical plant, budget, staffing, and potential funding streams.

Many schools have theater programs, so why not incorporate these programs into an integrated technology grant? Your production facility can be the school's stage, and a set shop for constructing scenery can involve the industrial arts department. Also plan to designate an area to securely store any equipment (cameras, sound and lighting equipment, microphones and mic booms, digital video cameras, and the like). The audio and video editing can be performed in a secure technology room in the school.

Another common school activity is some form of in-house broadcasting — perhaps the morning news, important school-related announcements, or highlights of a student production. Teaching students how to use audio- and video-editing software for this application is another component you could include in your proposal. Then there's the school newspaper and desktop publishing software, a project that could generate additional interest in journalism and educational news programming.

The art department can get involved by designing flyers, posters, and programs for school productions using the same computers running graphics and page layout software. Science students can study the physics of sound, and the entire student body can use the computers for online research.

Projects encompassing multiple disciplines can often have greater appeal to community-based organizations, local foundations, and, of course, businesses related to music, theater, technology, and so on. Sometimes, considering smaller grants ($500 to $2,500) or matching funds yields better results. Remember, the goal is to obtain funding to jump-start the project, even if it's necessary to begin on a smaller scale than expected.

Community foundations provide grants from discretionary or donor-advised funds for a wide range of purposes, mostly within the geographic service area of the foundation. Grants are awarded to local schools, museums, and symphonies as well as to community-development corporations and civil-rights organizations.

Many funders are attracted to ongoing projects because they see their money utilized with tangible methods and positive outcomes. The Foundation Center (http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/onlinebooks/ff/text.html) and the Grantsmanship Center (www.tgci.com/funding.shtml) both offer resources to help locate funders in your community or geographic area.

Teaching across disciplines is more complex and therefore involves teamwork, patience, cooperation, and administrative support. That said, give it serious consideration and plan carefully. After all, an educator's mission is to maximize the potential of every student by creating opportunities to explore areas of study beyond the standard set of courses.

Stephen Wilensky is the music department chair at Central High School in Philadelphia; he is also a Temple University faculty member and Fulbright Award recipient. Email him at swchs@earthlink.net with comments, questions, and suggestions for future “Finding Funds” columns.