Professional Development
Save the Date!
The Green Schools Conference and Expo (GSCE) is coming to Atlanta in 2017.
Register to attend GSCE to advance healthy, high-performing green schools! The 2017 conference is scheduled for March 21-22, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia at the Westin Peachtree Plaza. Gather with green school champions for two days of learning and collaboration to support our shared mission of equitable, healthy, and high-performing schools, where students can learn how to sustain and improve the world around them. Make plans to attend today…we look forward to seeing you in Atlanta!
Are you a Green Schools National Network member? If so, you can register for the early bird registration rate even after that deadline ends! Learn more about becoming a member below.
Learn more about room rates and travel for GSCE 2017, as well as who GSCE is bringing in to speak at the conference and what you can expect to learn about over the following two days.
Be a Catalyst for Change…Become a Green Schools National Network Member
The green schools movement is the most critical education reform initiative of our time. Through the Green Schools National Network (GSNN) membership program, you can show your support and become a catalyst for change for green schools everywhere.
GSNN’s membership program is designed for leaders (like you!) who use sustainability to drive innovation in their classrooms, schools, or school districts. As a member of the program, you will learn from and be inspired by the people who are transforming schools across the country.
Choose from 5 different levels of membership: Individual, Nonprofit, preK-12 School, School District, or Corporate. Each level comes with its own set of benefits and discounts, some of which include: professional publications, a subscription to Green Teacher Magazine, discounted Green Schools Conference and Expo registration, discounted and free professional development opportunities, networking opportunities, and discounted fees for GSNN school and district coaching.
Visit GSNN’s membership website to learn more and sign up.
2017 CELF Summer Institute: Education for Sustainability
The Annual CELF Summer Institute in Education for Sustainability (July 10 – 13, 2017, Manhattanville College, New York) is an intensive 4-day workshop that enables teachers to integrate the concepts of sustainability into their existing curricula. The Institute equips K-12 teachers with practices and teaching methods to address the core concepts of education for sustainability – the intersection of social, economic, and ecological systems – and how the balance of those three systems is vital to a sustainable future, and relevant to all subject areas.
Each Institute begins by building a learning community and a common vocabulary around sustainability, and progresses with hands-on activities, case studies, special guest presentations, and field work. The schedule includes supported planning time so that participants will have tangible materials to bring back to their classrooms.
Participating teachers will:
- Gain a greater understanding of the science and economics behind global issues affecting our planet.
- Create student-centered sustainability projects.
- Apply concepts like systems thinking, interdependence, and community to instructional practice.
- Engage in hands-on learning activities that can be used with students.
- Develop new school change-making strategies.
Benefits and Resources:
- Gain access to CELF’s online curriculum library.
- Align curriculum projects with national education for sustainability standards and performance indicators.
- Learn from and share best practices with Institute facilitators and peers from across the region and around the world.
- Access post-Institute support for on-going education for sustainability implementation.
Registration is open for the 2017 Institute. The 4-day program costs $450 per teacher and discounts are available for school teams. Learn more about registration and credit options here.
Children & Nature Network’s International Conference and Summit
The 2017 Children & Nature Network International Conference and Summit will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from April 18 – 21, 2017. The 2017 conference theme, “Kids Need Nature, Nature Needs Kids,” reflects the Network’s goal of ensuring that all children have access to the many benefits of nature — and the need to inspire new generations of environmental stewards. The conference will promote meaningful, cross-sector engagement to create a world in which all children have access to nature in their daily lives by:
- Presenting evidence about the role that nature plays in healthy childhood development
- Sharing best and promising practices
- Providing actionable tools and resources
- Exploring and advancing strategies for policy change
- Including representation from diverse voices, backgrounds, and sectors
- Inspiring participants to take personal/professional action to increase nature access for children, families, and communities around the world
- Strengthen connections and relationships in the growing international community of children and nature advocates
Registration is now open! Learn more about attending the conference, including travel information, on the conference website.
Citizen Science Association 2017 Conference
The 2017 Citizen Science Association Conference will be held May 17-20 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The conference provides a venue for citizen science researchers, practitioners, community members, and theorists to come together and share knowledge and best practices in the interest of advancing the field of citizen science. Educators engaging in citizen science in their classroom are encouraged to attend and take advantage of the workshops, events, and networking opportunities offered during the conference. More information about registration, hotels, and travel can be found on the conference’s website.
Community Works Institute (CWI) supports and promotes exemplary teaching strategies and practices for K-16 educators and community programs that support students in becoming caring, responsible, and active members of their communities. CWI offers a variety of professional development opportunities for K-16 and community-based educators in the United States and internationally, including on-site training, retreats, coaching, and consulting. Their signature offering is a series of summer institutes that integrate field-tested service-learning best practices and principles of sustainability to engage K-16 students in academically based service that contributes to sustainable communities.
CWI is offering $200 off regular tuition rates through March 30 for each of its 2017 summer institutes. Its East Institute will be held in Burlington, Vermont from June 19-23, and its West Institute will be held in Los Angeles, California from July 24-28. Visit the website to learn more about these professional development opportunities and to register.
Green Schools Alliance is an international organization that advances student success and saves schools resources by fostering whole school sustainability. Originally developed as a network created by schools for schools, the Alliance has evolved to provide integrated and organized support to students, school professionals, schools, and districts to foster sustainability work.
All of the Alliance’s programs are scaled and developed from member ideas to make them more accessible for other member schools. The Alliance conducts work via its international coalition of schools, rooted in the idea that collaboration among schools brings the greatest change for sustainable learning environments and communities. They:
- promote student success through leadership training, project-based learning, and a support system.
- inspire school professionals through access to training, resources, and a community of fellow sustainability champions.
- provide schools with tools to accelerate whole school sustainability efforts through collective purchasing power, access to resources, and reporting and recognition systems.
- offer districts the programs to leverage high-volume purchasing power, foster collaborative communication, and gather system-wide information on school efforts.
Learn more about upcoming events and training programs.
Green Strides Webinar Series Calendar
The Green Strides Webinar Series provides school communities with the tools they need to reduce their schools’ environmental impact and costs; improve health and wellness; and teach effective environmental education. It provides all schools access to the resources that help them move toward the Pillars of the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools recognition award. Sign up for Green Strides Webinar Series email updates to receive information on future webinars.
To Unplug or Plug In
Presenters: Justin Hougham and Steve Kerlin
Monday, March 27th 7:30-8:30pm EST
While the right mobile digital technologies can do much to enhance environmental education, it is important to take time to review and select both the technology and the apps that will work best for your educational situation. Our two presenters will walk you through the steps, and thereby avoid common pitfalls.
Time to Depave Paradise?
Presenter: Alix Taylor
Wednesday, April 12th 2017 7:30-8:30pm EST
There is a new movement afoot in communities across North America. Communities are coming together to remove unwanted pavement and create vibrant green spaces. The hands-on depaving process captures the hearts and energy of volunteers who work together to make schoolyards and neighborhoods more livable and resilient. In her presentation, Alix will tell us more about the depave movement, and indicate how one can get involved in this important greening initiative.
Nature Based Education Summer Institute
The University of Maine – Farmington will be hosting a Nature Based Education Summer Institute from June 23 – 24, 2017. Sessions will be interactive and outdoors, and appeal to a range of educators working across age levels and settings. The Institute is designed for educators-in-training as well as those who have extensive experience in the field. Opportunities to connect with colleagues will foster shared learning and exploration.
Registration for the Institute is now open. Visit the conference website for pricing and updates.
Shelbourne Farms is a nonprofit organization educating for a sustainable future. That means learning that links knowledge, inquiry, and action to help students build a healthy future for their communities and the planet. Its home campus is a 1,400-acre working farm, forest, and National Historic Landmark.
Shelbourne Farms’ school programs staff support both student learning and professional development for educators. The ideas of place and sustainability are at the heart of its work. Shelbourne Farms offers a variety of experiences that inspire deep connections to community, and a commitment to a healthy future.
Upcoming Programming
Project Seasons for Young Learners: Cultivating Joy & Wonder
July 11 – 14, 2017
Are you looking for new ways to connect your program to the community outside of your classroom? Join us at the Farm for hands-on, interdisciplinary activities and explore ways in which these can be adapted to your own learning community. Connect with other early childhood professionals to share best practices over these four days in a picturesque setting, leaving you energized and inspired to create even more meaningful opportunities and experiences within your program. Cost $460. Includes light breakfast and lunch, excludes accommodations and graduate credit. A limited number of partial scholarships are available. Learn more and register here.
Education for Sustainability (EFS) Leadership Academy
A year-long, residential, leadership academy for those wishing to be part of a learning community exploring education for sustainability, systems thinking, and school transformation. Our hope is to support education leaders in creating healthier and more just communities.
The EFS Leadership Academy is designed for those in education who want to inspire change in partnership with a peer network committed to ecological integrity, economic vitality, and social justice. We will engage you with new ways of thinking, skills to create change and nurture yourself, and present you with innovative ideas and strategies to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of the future. At the heart of this work is educators and a sense of hope, love, and resilience. Please join us and your colleagues in making a difference in the lives of children, families, and communities.
Cost $1500. Includes meals and accommodations; excludes travel and graduate credit. A limited number of partial scholarships are available. Limited to 16 participants. You can learn more about how to apply for the 2017-2018 cohort of the EFS Leadership Academy here. Applications must be submitted by June 9, 2017.
The Summer Institute on Education for Sustainability, 10th Anniversary
Join us in 2017 to celebrate our 10th Annual Summer Institute on Education for Sustainability. Spend five rich days with colleagues from around the country at an informative and restorative institute created to give you the opportunity to deepen your understanding of education for sustainability. This week is part conference, part workshop, part retreat. We develop the institute based on participants’ needs and assets; but we always ensure that you have an opportunity to develop connections between curriculum and community, work and dialogue together, and reflect in an inspiring setting that models sustainability and systems-thinking. Education for sustainability is at the heart of what we do at Shelbourne Farms and with our PreK-12 schools, university, and community partners.
Cost $600. Includes light breakfast and lunch; excludes travel and graduate credit. A limited number of partial scholarships are available. Learn more and register here.
Student Climate and Conservation Conference 2017
The Student Climate & Conservation Congress (Sc3) is a week-long leadership training program held annually at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s National Conservation Training Center – the nation’s top environmental training facility. Participants, also known as Sc3 Fellows, spend a week studying and discussing environmental, social, and economic interconnections to address climate change and conservation challenges affecting their generation in an ever-changing world.
Applications are now being accepted!
WHO: Current 8th – 11th Grade Students
WHEN: June 25 – July 1, 2017
WHERE: National Conservation Training Center, Shepherdstown, WV
COST: $950 if you apply by March 15
$1100 if you apply by April 15
$1250 if you apply by May 15 – Application Deadline
6 nights, all-inclusive (except transportation to DC)
Financial aid & scholarships are available.
Teachers for Global Classrooms Program
The Teachers for Global Classrooms Program (TGC) is a year-long, fully funded professional development opportunity for U.S. elementary, middle, and high school teachers to become leaders in global education. Global education is integral to building 21st century skills, and teachers are the greatest resource to empower students as global citizens. TGC equips teachers to bring an international perspective to their schools through targeted training, experience abroad, and global collaboration.
TGC Fellows become global ambassadors in their classrooms, schools, and broader communities through:
- Collaboration with U.S. and international colleagues to promote mutual understanding.
- Rigorous professional development so teachers return to their schools as catalysts for global engagement.
- International field experience and curriculum development focused on global competency, technology integration, and cross-cultural communication.
Applications for the 2017-2018 TGC Fellowship are being accepted until March 20, 2017 at 11:59pm EST.
Resources
Climate Change and Human Health Lesson Plans from NIEHS
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) recently developed a Climate and Health learning module for use in high school classrooms interested in exploring the health impacts of climate change. The module promotes learning about the complex interactions between climate change, the environment, and human health and uses content from the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s 2016 report, The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment. The materials are available free of charge and can be adapted for other grades and informal educational settings. The module integrates multiple science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and cross cutting concepts for earth and life sciences. It was designed with Next Generation Science Standards in mind.
Additional NIEHS developed environmental health and science training materials can be found at: https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/scied/teachers/
Experiential Tools: Resources for Teaching and Group Facilitation
Experiential Tools was founded by author and educator Jennifer Stanchfield to provide educators with quality, unique, and user-friendly methods to enhance learning, increase engagement, build community, facilitate group development, and engage learners in meaningful reflection and dialogue. Resources offered include consulting, professional development programs, workshops, books, and teaching and facilitation tools. Visit the website for a list of upcoming workshops.
Facing the Future is an international program, based out of Western Washington University, creating tools for educators that equip and motivate students to develop critical thinking skills, build global awareness, and engage in positive solutions for a sustainable future. The curriculum is organized around eight sustainability big ideas:
- Connecting with Nature
- Equity and Justice
- Health and Resiliency
- Interconnectedness
- Local to Global
- Peace and Collaboration
- Respect for Limits
- Universal Responsibility
Facing the Future curriculum materials and resources are available for K-12 teachers, teachers in colleges of education, and for some community college and undergraduate classes. All materials are developed for teachers, by teachers, with best teaching and learning practices in mind and are aligned with Common Core Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and most state standards frameworks.
Field Investigations: Using Outdoor Environments to Foster Student Learning of Scientific Practices
Field Investigations: Using Outdoor Environments to Foster Student Learning of Scientific Practices is a framework of scientific practices that scientists use in the field. This guide was developed to help K-12 teachers introduce their students to the methodologies used for scientific field research and guide them through the process of conducting field investigations using these scientific practices. In particular, this guide demonstrates how to use descriptive and comparative methodologies for field studies typically used in the environment and natural resource sectors. The guide has been updated to address how the three dimensions of the Next Generation Science Standards may be used to integrate field investigation scientific practices with real-world content through crosscutting concepts that practicing field scientists and engineers tackle in their role as professionals.
A product of the U.S. Green Building Council’s The Center for Green Schools, Learning Lab provides K-12 teachers and school leaders with comprehensive, project- and STEM-based curriculum that encourages student leadership, environmental literacy, and real-world action.
Discover best-in-class content, training, and tools. Access their curated catalogue of lesson plans, interactive projects, assessment opportunities, and other multimedia resources in English and Spanish. Lessons are mapped to meet current educational standards, and were created by educators, for educators.
National Science Teachers Association’s (NSTA) Freebies for Science Teachers
NSTA has compiled a list of free, curated resources for science teachers and their classrooms, no membership required! Browse this list for books, websites, videos, lesson plans, and other materials to supplement your study of STEM and environmental topics.
The NCF-Envirothon is an annual competition where teams from participating states and Canadian provinces compete for recognition and scholarships by demonstrating their knowledge of environmental science and natural resource management. The competition is centered on four universal testing categories (i.e., soils/land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, and wildlife) and a current environmental issue.
The Envirothon program is an effective educational tool, capable of supplementing environmental education both inside and outside the classroom. Led by a volunteer advisor, teams usually meet from late autumn until spring. Teams work collaboratively to develop their knowledge of ecology and natural resource management and to practice their environmental problem-solving skills in preparation for Envirothon competitions.
Visit the website to learn more about past, current, and future competitions, as well as how to get your school involved.
This website is designed to provide inspiration and practical ideas for K-12 teachers who seek meaningful and authentic ways to embed learning in local places. Here you will find a vibrant view of place-based education and curriculum design.
The Our Curriculum Matters site highlights the work of Amy Demarest, former classroom teacher who now works as a curriculum coach. She facilitates a process with teachers to articulate and design curriculum that means more to their students, themselves, and the communities in which they teach. The website offers a wealth of information and resources on place-based education as well as professional development opportunities and examples of student work.
Place-Based Education Evaluation Collaborative (PEEC)
PEEC is a unique partnership of several nonprofit organizations and projects from New England and beyond whose aim is to strengthen and deepen the practice of place-based education through program evaluation. PEEC’s website is a one-stop shop for place-based education tools, resources, research, and reports.
The Promise of Place website is a project of the Center for Place-Based Learning and Community Engagement, a unique public-private partnership that works to advance the state of the art in place-based education by facilitating collaborative efforts in research, program design, technical assistance, resource development, and dissemination. The website is a treasure trove of research, curriculum, planning tools, case studies, and news. You can also find a calendar of courses, workshops, and conferences on place-based education and information on joining the Promise of Place Network, a grassroots effort to build support for people, schools, and organizations that use natural and cultural contexts to help people learn how to care for the places where they live.
School Cafeteria Discards Assessment Project
The School Cafeteria Discards Assessment Project (SCrAP) was developed by the Environmental Research and Education Foundation – in collaboration with the School Nutrition Foundation – to quantify both food waste and related wastes (e.g. recyclables, to landfill) generated in cafeterias at K-12 schools nationally. The project aims to gather information regarding the quantity of waste generated in school cafeterias and obtain an understanding of how this waste is managed both at the school and after it is hauled away.
Would you be willing to help? We are looking for trendsetters who want to make the environment cleaner and greener while at the same time educating students. Your participation will help guide policy and future initiatives to minimize waste generation and maximize sustainability for schools across the nation. Specifically, we need elementary, middle, high schools and combined schools (e.g. private, charter) to participate in the program.
Watch this short video to learn more about the SCrAP Program and visit the website to register your school. Participating schools can submit their questionnaires through the end of March 2017.
Investing in school buildings is an investment in our collective future. In their new report, the Schools for Health team illuminates how the school building influences students’ health, thinking, and performance. The report incorporates findings from over 250 research studies and considers over 70 health outcomes related to school buildings.
Shrinking the Carbon and Water Footprint of School Food: A Recipe for Combatting Climate Change
Friends of the Earth has released a ground-breaking report that shows how institutional menu shifts toward less and better meat and more plants can fight climate change and increase access to healthy food, all while saving money. The report includes a case study that shows how Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) was able to significantly reduce its carbon and water footprint over a 2-year period by replacing a share of its meat, poultry, and cheese purchases with plant-based proteins. These actions also saved the district money and improved students’ access to healthful food.
Food service directors face complex demands and requirements, and serving kids tasty and nutritious food must remain their number one priority. The OUSD case study shows that plant-forward menu planning can support the mandate for healthier, delicious food and provides resources that can assist school districts—and other public institutions—in their shift to climate conscious menus.
State of the River Teacher’s Guide
The State of the River Report — developed in partnership with Friends of the Mississippi River and the National Park Service’s Mississippi National River and Recreation Area — assembles and analyzes a wealth of data, and communicates in plain terms how the river is doing to answer these frequently posed questions. The State of the River Report describes 14 indicators that illustrate the condition of the river.
The Teacher’s Guide aims to apply the content of the State of the River Report to grades 3-12 classrooms. Lessons are anchored in Minnesota state standards providing information, resources, and activities that fulfill a benchmark. By design, lessons may stand alone or be embedded in a unit of study. Field trips are not necessary to provide students with engaging, interactive, place-based experiences! The Teacher’s Guide provides lessons that educators can easily implement in their schools and classrooms.
Grants and Awards
2017 – 2018 School Grants for Healthy Kids
Action for Healthy Kids has provided $6.6 million in grants to schools since 2009. Our School Grants for Healthy Kids can help your school health team achieve its goal to make every kid healthy and ready to learn. Applications are now being accepted until April 7, 2017 for the 2017-2018 school year. Two types of grants are available:
- School Breakfast Grants. Thanks to these school breakfast grants, schools have served more than 44 million new school breakfasts since 2009. Up to 500 schools will receive grant awards ranging from $500 to $3,000 to support increased breakfast participation. Eligible schools may apply to pilot or expand their School Breakfast Programs, including alternative or universal alternative.
- Game on Grants. Action for Healthy Kids will award approximately 600 schools with Game On grants for physical activity and nutrition initiatives that support schools in becoming nationally recognized as a health-promoting school. Grants range from $500 to $1,000.
The Braitmayer Foundation is interested in proposals utilizing innovative practices in K-12 education throughout the United States. Of particular interest are:
- Curricular and school reform initiatives.
- Preparation of and professional development opportunities for teachers, particularly those which encourage people of high ability and diverse background to enter and remain in K-12 teaching.
Grants are awarded up to $35,000. Applications for 2017 grants should be submitted online between February 1 and March 15. To learn more about the application process, view past recipients, and to submit an application, please visit the Foundation’s website.
Captain Planet Foundation ecoTECH Grants
Originally developed in partnership with the Ray C. Anderson Foundation and with ongoing support from Voya Financial, ecoTech Grants are specifically offered to engage children in inquiry-based, STEM-related projects that leverage technology and/or use nature-based design to address environmental problems in local communities. ecoTech Grants were created to combat the notion that students needed to choose between “the screen” or “the green” and to encourage educators and students to explore the role technology can play in designing and implementing solutions to some of our most pressing environmental challenges. ecoTECH grant projects must:
- Be based in the U.S.
- Integrate the use of technology to address environmental problems (not iPads or other tablets)
- Be project-based
- Be youth-led
- Result in real, demonstrable environmental outcomes
ecoTECH grants are available as cash grants up to $2,500, and support the purchase of materials and other project implementation expenses. Deadline to submit an application is March 15, 2017.
Carton 2 Garden Spring 2017 Contest
Show your students’ creativity by re-purposing milk and juice cartons from your school cafeteria to either build or enhance your school garden. The Carton 2 Garden Spring 2017 Contest allows educators to engage students in a hands-on experience that creates teachable moments on environmental stewardship, sustainable packaging, and healthy living. Fourteen schools with the most unique carton creations will be selected on May 12, 2017 to win award packages. One school will win the grand prize, valued at $5,000. Three schools will win Specialty prizes (STEM, Sustainability, and Health & Nutrition categories), valued at $2,500. Ten schools – five elementary and five middle/high – will win prizes valued at $1,000. An additional ten lucky schools will win a $50 gift card to the Gardener’s Supply Shop online in a raffle.
Entries are due Wednesday April 12, 2017.
Crayola Creative Leadership Grants
The 2017 Creative Leadership Grants program provides grants for innovative, creative leadership team building within elementary and middle schools. To apply:
- Form a collaborative team to plan innovative ways of infusing creativity throughout the school.
- Brainstorm a leadership program that will enrich the creative capabilities and confidence within the school community.
- Plan how and who will lead this collaborative effort.
- Complete the application.
- Submit application by June 23, 2017 (the principal must be a member of the National Association of Elementary School Principals).
Each grant-winning school (up to 20 grants awarded) receives $2,500 and Crayola products valued at $1,000.
Dorothy Stout Professional Development Awards
The National Association of Geoscience Teachers gives these professional development awards to faculty and students at two year colleges and to K-12 teachers in support of:
- Participation in Earth Science classes or workshops
- Attendance at professional scientific or science education meetings
- Participation in Earth Science field trips
- Purchase of Earth Science materials for classroom use
Awards of $750 are made annually in three categories: Community College Faculty, Community College Student, and K-12 Educator. Award winners are also given a one-year membership to the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, which includes an online subscription to the Journal of Geoscience Education and the In The Trenches magazine. The deadline to apply is April 15, 2017.
GetEdFunding is a curated collection of grants and awards created by education professionals for education professionals. Its database was designed to be easy-to-use and reliable, and all grant and funding opportunities are updated daily. Users can search by six criteria, including 43 areas of focus, 8 content areas, and 14 twenty-first century themes and skills, including environmental literacy. Once registered on the site, users can save grants of interest and return to them at any time.
The Lead2Feed Challenge is the contest component of the Lead2Feed Student Leadership Program, which challenges students to identify and use their leadership skills to complete a service project. The Lead2Feed Challenge gives students a jump start into the real world of leadership by offering comprehensive lessons aligned to standards and 21st century skills. Lead2Feed is aligned with Common Core State Standards and 21st Century Skills and meets the community service requirement for many associations, clubs, and school districts.
To participate, teachers/advisers must register their classrooms and submit completed project(s) once they have finished the 10- Lesson or 6- Lesson track. Projects are judged each April and teams can win up to $20,000 for their charity and up to $10,000 in tech products for their school or youth club.
The Lead2Feed Challenge is open to entries all year long. Entries received by the first Friday in April each year are judged for the current contest year. Entries received after the first Friday in April are placed into the next year’s judging cycle. Full Lead2Feed Challenge Rules are here.
McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation Teacher Development Grants
McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation Teacher Development Grants support small teams of teachers in the formation and implementation of groundbreaking K-12 classroom instruction. These grants provide opportunities for teachers to integrate fresh strategies that encourage critical inquiry and to observe their effects on students. Teachers have an opportunity to reflect and write about their projects, as well as to share their results with other teachers. The Foundation awards grants to individuals in amounts up to $10,000 per year for a maximum of $30,000 over three years, provided the eligibility requirements continue to be met.
Apply early! Submissions are accepted JANUARY 15 – APRIL 15. The application system closes once 350 submissions are received.
The NEA Foundation Learning and Leadership Grants
The NEA Foundation Learning and Leadership Grants support public school teachers, public education support professionals, and/or faculty and staff in public institutions of higher education for one of the following two purposes:
- Grants to individuals fund participation in high-quality professional development experiences, such as summer institutes, conferences, or action research.
- Grants to groups fund collegial study, including study groups, action research, lesson plan development, or mentoring experiences for faculty or staff.
Grants awards are $2,000 for individuals and $5,000 for groups engaged in collegial study. Applications may be submitted anytime throughout the year and are reviewed three times a year, every year. Deadlines for applications are February 1, June 1, and October 15.
Toshiba America Foundation Grants
Do you teach in an elementary school classroom? Do you have an innovative idea for improving math or science instruction in your classroom? Is your idea project-based learning with measurable outcomes? What do you need to make learning math and science fun for your students?
K-5 teachers are invited to apply online for a $1,000 Toshiba America Foundation grant to help bring an innovative hands-on project into their own classroom. With a Toshiba America Foundation grant, elementary teachers can bring their best new teaching ideas to life.
Grant applications are due on OCTOBER 1st each year.
Grants are also available for teachers in grades 6-12 who are passionate about making science and mathematics more engaging for their students. Applications for grants less than $5,000 are accepted at any time. For grant requests of more than $5,000 deadlines are February 1 and August 1 (or first business day of February and August).
Voya Foundation grants are focused on Financial Resilience. We work to ensure that youth are equipped with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) expertise and financial knowledge necessary to compete in the 21st century workforce and make smart financial decisions that lead to a secure retirement.
We accomplish this by accepting year-round grant applications from organizations that:
- Provide innovative and experiential K-8 STEM learning opportunities to promote an early interest in STEM career fields, and improve teachers’ capabilities in STEM; or
- Provide financial education curriculum to grade 9-12 students focused on navigating major financial milestones including student debt, credit, home ownership, financial products and services/financial capability, and family needs.
Learn more about applying for a Voya Foundation Grant.
